Pack in the job, rent out the house, get in the camper van, fuck off

I’d wait until winter was over to make any drastic decisions like this. Many of us would happily escape right now but maybe not so much once spring is here.

Go for it. There is a good Youtube channel called Early Retirement Wanderlust. Two teachers retired at 51, living off savings until their pension kicked in at 55. They go all over in their van. Make sure your van is winterproofed and maybe do a test run for a week to see what you think of it. You can rent a camper van for your trial experience.

DH and I caravanned all over the continent in our 40s...not full time, but up to three weeks at a time, and loved it.

Air BnB your place or rent it out...have an agency mind it when you are gone. Get a sabbatical from your job. But if you want to do it, do it.

Also, good book to read...Die with Zero....put things into perspective about time vs money vs experiences.

We are having a similar conversation as dh’s parents are getting older, we are late 50s and want to travel while we are fit and so are they. Our 5 year old dog is the slight fly in the ointment.

we’ve both got good pensions and will have paid the mortgage off this year and have savings.

I think I’d factor in expenses if something happened to the house/motor home that needed big money. New boiler or engine blows whatever and make sure I had that saved up first then go. You are lucky your husband is a teacher.

I’ve done a fair bit of travelling and it’s interesting how you quickly realise you don’t need so much stuff and that probably translates well to returning to retirement….

We are both fairly unemployable in our fields again if we left now. And my husband doesn’t cope well with unemployment.

Do it. Tomorrow is not promised. And as a care home manager I obviously work with alot of older people. Excluding the super wealthy, the ones who have saved for their retirement and therefore limited themselves during their younger lives get the exact same standard of care as the ones who haven't got a bean. The only difference is the savers get to watch their hard earned savings deplete by £1500 a week until (in a shockingly short time) they are down to the level of having none. They end up at the same place but without having had much joy on the journey.

It is a risk though not inevitable.

Surely the pp was raising the risk into the considerations mix, which is helpful in a 'should I / shouldn't I' discussion isn't it?

I would sell up. We had tenants and couldn’t get them out ( they didn’t pay in this time) so you need a big buffer to cover the mortgage just in case you run into problems. You can’t just rent out your house. A number of things will need to be done first. Every time something breaks down you will need to cover the cost. So you can not do this on a shoe string. Unless you have these areas covered I wouldn’t do this, no. Not yet.

What happens without your salary when you come back? If you almost certainly can’t go back what is the plan B? Retraining and getting a new job in a new profession doesn’t sound likely late 50s unless you are happy to work in minimum wage jobs. That will need thinking through.

What are your pensions like? How long do you have to work before they kick in?

I would probably negotiate a month break over the summer and do that rather than potentially lose everything I have worked for.

Do it!!!! Being a landlord is really NOT that hard, or that expensive if your mortgage is small. In general tenants don’t trash the house or refuse to pay rent.
Get a decent letting agent and factor that into costs.
I think about my future travels a lot… I’d love to explore Eastern Europe too. I’d spend the winter in Greece or Southern Italy.
I think if there are things you really want to do you should do them at the earliest possible opportunity.
Don’t waste your life over-planning and obsessing about pensions. Fortune favours the bold.

We are in our early 50's and have a touring caravan, we daydream constantly about trading it in for a motorhome, renting out the house and going touring.

If it wasn't for the fact we have teens at home, a mad rescue dog who hates travelling and my mum living around the corner suffering with Alzheimer's we would be on our way now.

I'd say go for it. Caring for a parent with dementia has made me realise how life can change and hold you back. My dad is constantly sad that he and mum didn't travel enough when they had the chance. I keep seeing these stickers on motorhomes saying 'Adventure before dementia', I couldn't agree more.

Hope you go for it and have a huge amount of fun. We (hopefully) will be doing it as soon as we are able to.

My DB did this. Took their DC out of school for a year to do the lap (we're in Aus). Rented out their house. There were a few issues, but it was much nicer to come home to their house, rather than seek out a new one.

It was a fantastic experience & they managed on a very tight budget. They ended up working here & there for extra cash. They also spent a year saving whatever they could.

It did have a huge long term financial impact, but, the older I get, the more I realise we only have a limited time to enjoy life.

Obviously plan it as well as you can and think carefully etc etc but oh my gosh, go, do it!! Life is short and it’s unpredictable and if this is something you want to do, you simply must! Enjoy!

It’s what I plan to do if I am ever left or widowed. Go for it.

I did something like this…but not in a camper van and just for one year. I called it my gap year. I was mid 50’s.
My advice is not to underestimate the effort, time and energy needed in getting the house ready for rental. The house wasn’t trashed on return but it was apparent as soon as I walked back in that the tenants had been smokers.
It was worth the tremendous effort to organise it all….a truly memorable experience.

It is 90 days in a rolling 180 day period. Also you can go out of Shengen but stay on mainland Europe - many go to the Balkans (not including Croatia) Also there are regular ferries to North Africa.

I would do it. Some practicalities to consider, like who for example you’d call if the tenants had a problem with the property whilst you were renting it out. But once you’ve organised what you need then I’d hit the road.

This

You think people who rent are scumbags?

I don't think I'd do this unless I had at least 6 months of expenditure behind me (ie not relying on a rental income).

Have you factored in the set up costs of renting out your house (especially with the new laws coming in)? Gas and electric compliance, management fees, deposit protection, insurances, maintenance/replacement if goods break down, permission from mortgage company. You will also need to declare the income for tax purposes. What if the tenants stop paying rent? What if they don't move out when you want to return? What if there's a fire, flood etc which means one of you would have to return? It's a real hassle being a landlord these days.

I would sell first and be properly free or see if your dc could move in and just pay bills. but it sounds like you haven't held property for long if you rented until your 40's? Think about how you would buy again when you return as this might be difficult if prices rise and you don't have a job.

Also, if your Dh is a teacher you could look at a stint working abroad (especially if he gets a TEFL qualification). China, Japan, Europe, ME. Some places come with accommodation.

If it's carefully planned then it's do-able.

We did it... 12 month trip. Quit jobs, took eldest out of school, sold the house and pootled off without much of a plan.

On our return we sold the van for more than we paid and used it and our residual equity from the house sale to buy another house and picked up jobs quite easily.

My tips would be... Just do it.

Bookmark the Aires / free stopping points and plan to stay in places for at least a few days. Diesel costs escalate quickly when you move the van each day. Bikes and local transport are useful for getting about.

Get a van that can go off grid if you can and get a winterised van - cooler in summer and warmer in winter.

Visit the local tourist information office in each new area... If only to know what the local shop closing times are. We had a few days of scratching around the back of the cupboard for dinner. Also local festivals can be so fun... New years in Venice was a highlight along with a mushroom festival in Chamonix and an unexpected unknown parade in a small town in backwoods Spain.

No madness either way, having this break sounds manageable financially and the time is right so doing it now makes perfect sense.

I wouldn't, for reasons already stated. Plus, it can be a nightmare if you get bad tenants and the law has recently changed regarding tenants' rights.

Go now before your elderly relative gets too old. There's a sweet spot before elderly parents need much more help and you should take advantage of that.

One factor to consider is where you would go. I would hate to be in a campervan in the UK in this current cold snap. What would you do when we get one of those weeks when it rains incessantly? Thanks to Brexit you won’t be allowed to pootle around Europe indefinitely, just 90 days a year maximum.

Get a letting agent to do the work - ok, you get less money, but none of the potential problems.