So here we are, sat on the south coast of Spain, watching the waves hit the sea and thinking “we really did it..!” We’ve had our full first month in the ‘van now and was it what we expected..? Let’s see shall we..
With all the faffing about the house we decided to see if I could bring my leaving date forwards so we could just get going. We were being given mixed messages all the time about the house and we saw no point at all in sitting in it while it was empty so we locked up and buggered off.
The first 2 weeks were spent visiting family and friends so was a mix of town centre car parks, our usual places and some pubs so that was a bit of a mix, we found getting water and emptying the loo a little easier than usual as our family were very accommodating and our usual spots have public toilets which simplifies things a bit. It was a lovely 2 weeks and we are so glad now that I left work earlier to make the most of that time rather than just waiting for things to happen, I think it greatly improved our frame of mind too as it was getting a little negative so that was a good call..!!
We had one incident where we were a bit stressed after we hit a massive flood on a dark country lane which ripped the waste and fresh pipes off the underslung tanks and the covering plate off the gas (we still need to refit them all properly but we need a few days on a site for that I think..) all the worst case options were running through my head and in the end we worked as a team and everything was ok, it just feels a lot bigger when it’s your home it’s happening to rather than your car.
Christmas was in the middle of this first month so we had a lovely time being hosted (parked around the corner) at our daughters house. Gem and Tom and little Ewan of course said we could make ourselves at home and we got to see them for a nice long time before we set off with full water and an empty loo – all showered with every bit of laundry freshly washed – to head down to Folkestone for the channel tunnel crossing on the 28th. Again we stayed at the terminal the night before which was very handy indeed..!!
So our first 2 weeks living in the van in the UK were really good but not what we’re expecting when we get back.
We then headed down to the French Med where Greg and Lou were waiting, we stopped at a lovely car park in a tiny village near Dijon overnight and loved that Park4night just exploded with options once we were in France..! John had lots of markers in google maps too and with the aires and facilities at services and fuel stations we knew this was going to be easier. Of course we have travelled a lot in our various vans before but this time it felt different with having Cooper with us and almost everything we owned too – it was so liberating and we just couldn’t stop smiling..! (Still can’t now..!)
Since we’ve been over here we’ve not found any issues with getting LPG, emptying the loo, getting fresh water and talking stiltedly, in the language of whichever country we were in. It’s definitely been a month of 2 halves with the difference in weather as well as facilities so maybe we’ve been a little spoiled with this latter half.
John has been working while travelling and of course we’ve been filming lots for our videos too. I think having the You Tube channel, whilst it’s a little time consuming and you have to remember to record things, it also gives you that little kick up the bum to do things more interesting than sitting and reading (although I’ve done plenty of that too). We’ve had days where John is editing all day and I’ve cleaned and walked cooper and moved things around in the hope of finding more space and we’ve had other days where we’ve been able to go for hikes and sit in the sunshine so it’s been a nice balance so far.
As far as the budget goes we’ve not quite stuck to it so far (since being over here) as the diesel alone has blown that but we’d planned for that anyway. Shopping is just about what we thought it would be and we’ve had a few meals out and some beers in bars as this bit is still a little holiday in our new home. We’ve spent about £25 on LPG so far so that’s proving to be wonderfully economical and with the B2B charger and all the sun we’ve found we have enough power in the batteries for a very long time.
Have I found anything I don’t like yet..? There have been things that have been more challenging than living in a house, less space being the most obvious one, especially with Coop but he’s also been loving the ability to be outside a lot more, be it in rainy Manchester or sunny Spain. We’re finding a rhythm and dance to move around the van though which makes us laugh. Laundry days take up more time but we have the time now anyway – things are different but not difficult and I’m very thankful for that.
All in all we’ve had a month of all sorts.. muddy car parks where everything squelches, town centre car parks with bright street lighting, laundry and lunch in Morrison’s car park, friends who get it and family who still aren’t quite sure but mostly the overriding feeling if actually doing “that thing”.. you know, the thing that keeps you awake at night trying to figure out how you could ever possibly do it and for someone who really doesn’t like change at all, actually doing “that thing” is massive – and we did it.. now where’s the bar..? 😁
