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Original poster

I want to sell up and travel. Crazy idea?

26 replies

Sellandtravel · 13/03/2021 16:55

Current situation...DH & myself. 2 Dcs who will have left home in 3 years to go back to the uk (we live in an EU country). We have no mortgage on our home, it’s worth about €200k. We have a car loan which will end in 2 years. DH is 20 years older than me and will be of retirement age in 5 years. We don’t have any private pensions just started pensions. DH has full I don’t as yet.

I really want to sell up and travel when the kids have left home. Get a campervan (we love camping) and travel Europe/UK, with me picking up work in Summer/when needed. Do you think this is feasible? I like living where we do but I don’t love it. I feel like we could be spending our time together in better ways.

Has anyone done this before?

OP posts:
nocoolnamesleft · 13/03/2021 18:24

Personally, I'd be concentrating on building up a pension so as not to starve in old age. But each to their own.

midgedude · 13/03/2021 18:47

I wouldn't sell up to do so. Having a base to come back to and retire to is useful

garlictwist · 13/03/2021 18:50

What nationality are you? If British you're now only allowed 90 days in a row in Europe after Brexit

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SendMeHome · 13/03/2021 18:52

Have you got citizenship where you live? If not, travelling might be challenging now because of the 90/180 limit in the EU. That’s put a spanner in a lot of friends.

Would it be possible to max out your pension first? I don’t think I could go if I needed pension contributions...

WonkyCactus · 13/03/2021 18:55

It would be a great thing to do for a year or two. But you can't live in a camper van forever. Would you move back to the UK/somewhere else eventually?

partyatthepalace · 13/03/2021 18:55

Go and see a financial advisor - I totally agree life is for living, but equally you don’t want to starve in old age, so you might have to compromise - maybe build careers where you can work 6 months, travel 6 months. Career Shifters is a good organisation to work out how to build a portfolio career.

PurpleRainDancer · 13/03/2021 18:58

Why don’t you rent out your house so it provides you with an income but you won’t be losing your home.

Sleepingdogs12 · 13/03/2021 19:11

I wouldn't want to not have a base to go back to, what happens if you become ill or something else unforseen happens but I am risk averse .

TwoBlondes · 13/03/2021 19:11

I did it....best decision ever!

Rented house out for six months, bought a tiny motorhome, sabbatical from work and off I went with the dog.

Completely out of character, I've never camped and I like decent clothes and showers !

Did six countries, too much in six months. Went back to work for a year and hated it. Put my house on market, sold it the same day and left the country a month later. Spent two weeks house hunting in France, had an offer accepted then drove to Spain that afternoon 🤣🤣🤣

Spent two months away and a month house sitting in the UK and moved here two years ago. I'm a long way off getting my pension but I did well out of a couple of house renovations in a stupidly expensive part of the UK and managed to afford a rental property here too. I live well (weather, scenery, beautiful house) but frugally. I don't seem to need stuff here.

I lost too many friends too young to illness and it spooked me. My DDs are in their twenties and have been more supportive than anyone.

Happy to answer any questions.

Original poster
Sellandtravel · 13/03/2021 20:15

To answer some questions.....i am British but have citizenship in the country i live in so no issues with limited days. As i am 20 years younger than my DH i can still work whilst we travel as all my experience is in hospitality trades (easy to get work over summer months).

I don't want to rent our house out as we would need to free up some money to invest in a decent camper van. Plus the rental rules where we live are difficult, its hard to get people out of your house.

Regarding pensions, my DH has a full state pension, i will have a decent amount too by the time i'm at retirement age (great pension in the country i live), but also i will have a large inheritance to support me when i'm older. Thats what is telling me to do this now. I know i'll be ok when i'm older so should i enjoy this time now with DH?

Sounds great @TwoBlondes, its so cheap to get long winter lets in Spain, something else we considered. Half the year travelling and half the year in long term let!

OP posts:
sheepdreams · 13/03/2021 20:15

Life’s too short. Do it. If I could persuade my husband I would.

cerealgamechanger · 13/03/2021 20:18

Yup, crazy.

OddsNSodsBitsNBobs · 13/03/2021 20:20

Sellandtravel, is your future inheritance safe from possible care/nursing home fees? That can obliterate it all.

OddsNSodsBitsNBobs · 13/03/2021 20:22

@Sellandtravel , is your future inheritance safe from care/nursing home fees? This can obliterate it all.

Alienchannell21 · 13/03/2021 20:23

Given your dh is 20 years older than you, I think go for it! Spend as much time as you can together enjoying life (if you can afford it!).

TwoBlondes · 13/03/2021 21:05

@Sellandtravel I did consider a long term let in Italy or France for my first trip but as it was the summer it wasn't a cheap option. I'm glad I got to see a variety of places and at the time I didn't anticipate being able to do it more than once in my lifetime.

I sold my van last summer and was told prices were twenty percent higher than the previous year because everyone wanted to escape after Covid. Something to consider is resale. Although diesel is better for fuel consumption, it's being phased out in some countries and you could lose a lot of money.

kylie122 · 14/03/2021 08:41

Why don't you sell your house buy a house in U.K. n rent it out while you travel if you wanna do it then go for it Iv done some travelling in my 20s best thing ever always reminisce about the best times it was defo the best memories!!!!

W0rd0ftheday428 · 14/03/2021 14:12

So you need to cost up;

Cost of keeping your current property empty, taxes, utilities, insurance while traveling
Cost of camper van
Cost of living whilst in camper van
No private pension

You could rent a camper van & try before you buy

murbblurb · 14/03/2021 14:15

Travel, yes. Sell up, no. ( And it is near impossible to get tenants out of a rental in the UK now!)

Do it, absolutely. But you need to think up the exit plan for a few years later.

Letsallscreamatthesistene · 14/03/2021 14:20

If you're 100% sure about pension type finances, then yes, do it!

Welikebeingcosy · 14/03/2021 14:20

It depends if you've spent a significant amount of time living in a campervan and really enjoyed it before. Because if you dont love the cramped space lack of a solid home and being on the move all the time after 6 months to a year you're literally going to have to start all over again with nothing. Your campervan will depreciate in value so it's not even like you can sell that at the end of travels to buy another house somewhere.

W0rd0ftheday428 · 14/03/2021 14:33

Or you could sell your current property, downsize to a smaller property & release some money for travelling

DianaT1969 · 14/03/2021 15:31

You could sell, buy a cheaper flat in a beach town you love in Southern Europe. Italy/Spain/Portugal? Somewhere where it is easy to get renters out. Use that flat as your base, but rent it out for income or on AirBnB with a local person cleaning and managing it. That way, you have somewhere you can always go to and a small regular income. You'd need to look into the new travel restrictions.

isseys4xmastinselcats · 14/03/2021 16:29

Friends of mine sold their house bought a camper van spent a fabulous year touring all over and went to amazing places, they now live in a rented house and hes back working away five days a week so yes they had an a amazing year but that was it and now they cant afford to be house owners again

mindutopia · 14/03/2021 17:08

I would absolutely not sell your house (an asset that will grow in value) to finance a campervan (which will swiftly lose value). If you can't afford to travel with your existing savings without selling your house, you shouldn't be travelling. I would rent your house but not until you've saved up enough to finance your travels. It only costs a few thousand to buy a camper van. You don't need luxury. You can throw a mattress in the back and take a camping stove and kettle. That will cost very little. Your house is your retirement though if you don't have much of a pension. Selling it to buy a car is pretty much like setting your money on fire. Travelling is lovely though and we've done lots of it. I wouldn't do it though if it just burnt through my equity.