After meeting online two years ago, Emily Ashley and Jon Edwards, both 33, bonded over their passion for travel.
Emily, an occupational therapist and John, who worked in engineering for a robotics company soon decided to leave their high-flying jobs for a life on the road.
Their wake-up call came when Jon was signed off work, exhausted and struggling with with his mental health.
So they decided to become nomads, buying and customising a part-modified van, leaving their flat in Ashford, Surrey, in March.
When they bought the Iveco Daily Turbo 98 long wheelbase van for £5,500, from a Birmingham dealership through eBay, Emily admits she insisted on certain specifications before she would call it home.
The van is tall enough to accommodate six-feet Ben, has a shower, toilet and a fixed bed that doesn’t need to be put away.
They say the traveller lifestyle has been ‘liberating’ for them and made them realise how little they need to survive and thrive.
Emily, who loves life in their home on wheels with Jon and their Belgian Malinois dog Loki, said: ‘We appreciate a simple life now, without the need for too many luxuries.
‘You don’t realise how little you need to live until you try, which also means we consume less and have a smaller negative effect on the earth.
‘It’s too easy to just buy things to solve a problem back home, but you can’t waste money on rubbish from Amazon if you don’t have a postal address.
‘The freedom to have a different back garden every day is a big plus, too.’
By the end of 2019, their van was renovated and now boasts an L-shaped sofa, which converts to a single bed, with storage underneath housing a solar panel charge controller, a diesel heater, water heater, batteries, and dry foods.
It also has a kitchen, complete with an oven, hob, sink and coolbox, a raised double bed, and even a dog kennel to keep Loki secure when the vehicle is in motion.
Beside the bed is a bathroom, complete with a cassette toilet and shower.
Working right up until they departed from England, Jon and Emily finally left their jobs and hit the road in March 2020, taking with them about 75% of their remaining belongings and just leaving larger items like mountain bikes with family.
While their original travel plans were curtailed by the Covid-19 pandemic, with many European countries closing their borders, the intrepid travellers still made their escape.
For Jon, long before even meeting Emily, it had been a dream to take off in a campervan and enjoy life on the open road.
He said: ‘It has been really freeing to step away from the stress of the nine to five.
‘The pressures we put on ourselves to be so-called grown-ups are often self-imposed. Things like work, mortgages, marriage and babies are still going to be there when we get back.’
Emily added: ‘We cut right back on luxuries to save money, as we knew that adventure was coming.
‘We didn’t have weekends away, minibreaks, takeaways or anything else like that.
‘We also gradually downsized our possessions, reducing the amount of things like clothing and electrical goods that we had.’
Since March, the intrepid pair have been gradually exploring the Netherlands, where they stayed for seven weeks, and Germany.
Currently in the picturesque Black Forest, they hope to head to Austria at the end of the month, before travelling through Slovenia, Croatia, Italy, France, Spain and Portugal, provided it is safe and legal to do so.
Jon – the only one with a special license needed to drive the van, which is an HGV – says that, as well as improving his physical and mental health, their new life has deepened their love.
‘Now, we sort out the practicalities of pure survival, like where to get food and water, then the days are ours to hike, explore, walk Loki or cuddle up under a duvet in the middle of the Great Outdoors.’
Everything about their adventure – which they plan to continue until the end of the year – is positive, according to the couple.
Emily continued: ‘We’re expecting to have to come home on December 31st when the UK is set to leave the EU and then evaluate from there.
‘If it wasn’t for that, we could afford another nine months or so before heading back to work and saving for a few months to hit the road again.
‘But we’ve got another six months to enjoy before worrying about that.’
The couple are quick to dispel any myths that calling a van home is a dirty way of life and are keen to encourage others to follow in their footsteps.
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source https://metro.co.uk/2020/06/25/couple-quit-high-flying-jobs-luxury-flat-live-souped-van-travel-europe-dog-12901797/
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