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Original poster

'Sell up, go traveling, just rent a room as a base' - or that was the plan...

127 replies

Keyryder · 13/08/2022 21:13

So I finally decided to take the plunge and sell up (partly because I want to do some traveling). I love my home. But I recognised I was stagnating here.

Was planning on just renting a room somewhere for a while. But oh.my.gosh - one week left to go and I have messaged 35+ people about a room (seen hundreds of adds but many were just for students ect) over the last 2 months and only had 4 responses! 2 didn't suit me (and trust me, I was not being picky haha) and the other 2, i didn't suit them.

So, instead of an adventure, I'm now faced with a horror I never even imagined - moving back home with my parents, at 34 years old. In my childhood hometown, which, I hated and couldn't wait to leave. Adventure? More like a horror story!

Anyway, I just wondered if people thought it might pick up once the students stop looking for rooms? Any words of encouragement to help stop me freaking out that I've fucked my life up, more than welcome xD

OP posts:
Divebar2021 · 13/08/2022 22:17

Have you posted previously about this? Seems very familiar

NewBootsAndRanty · 13/08/2022 22:19

Divebar2021 · 13/08/2022 22:17

Have you posted previously about this? Seems very familiar

Yeah, this

Is your book about how to be a successful entrepreneur, OP?

Original poster
Keyryder · 13/08/2022 22:20

I think in hindsight lodgers would have been smarter. But then I think it might not have been enough of a shake up, you know :)

I suppose we only live once so maybe best to just chase our passions and hope it all pans out. Or at the very least...makes a good story in the end lol.

OP posts:
stairgates · 13/08/2022 22:22

Buy a caravan on a holiday home site some let you live there for 10 11 months of the year and travel when you can't be there

Original poster
Keyryder · 13/08/2022 22:22

Hmm...don't think so no. I write fiction. Anyone taking entrepreneurial advice from me would have to be on crack haha.

OP posts:
Original poster
Keyryder · 13/08/2022 22:23

stairgates · 13/08/2022 22:22

Buy a caravan on a holiday home site some let you live there for 10 11 months of the year and travel when you can't be there

Ooh good shout!

OP posts:
Whowhatwherewhenwhynow · 13/08/2022 22:25

Can you buy a camper and travel/live in that?

VioletInsolence · 13/08/2022 22:25

Move in until your house sale goes through then buy a nice camper van. Use that to travel in the uk during the summer and leave it at parents’ house if you go abroad.

Original poster
Keyryder · 13/08/2022 22:26

Whowhatwherewhenwhynow · 13/08/2022 22:25

Can you buy a camper and travel/live in that?

I dont drive unfortunately or that would have been perfect. Maybe a static caravan though

OP posts:
OppsUpsSide · 13/08/2022 22:43

Buy a caravan on a holiday home site some let you live there for 10 11 months of the year and travel when you can't be there

Thats a great idea, there’s a beautiful lakeside site near me with log cabins that you could live in for up to 11 months a year.

Comeagainow · 13/08/2022 23:07

Have you looked on Spareroom website?
If it’s literally just a room you want, there’s loads available if you’re willing to move somewhere new (and it sounds like that’s part of the plan?)

Comeagainow · 13/08/2022 23:11

This was one of the first hits I got, searching Wales, professional house, for example:
m.spareroom.co.uk/flatshare/flatshare_detail.pl?flatshare_id=16320242&search_id=1151006539&city_id=&flatshare_type=offered&search_results=%2Fflatshare%2F%3Fsearch_id%3D1151006539%26&

Horcruxe · 13/08/2022 23:15

I'm not sure what you're expecting.

Anyone who sells up and spends all their money travelling- I would expect ends up living with their parents when the money runs out?

This is normal no?

Aquamarine1029 · 13/08/2022 23:20

Are your parents aware the you will have to live with them once all of your money is gone? Which won't be long.

GrandSlamFinalee · 13/08/2022 23:28

Why do you need to be in the UK to book these trips? Surely you can do that anywhere in the world as long as you have access to the internet.

Original poster
Keyryder · 13/08/2022 23:44

Comeagainow · 13/08/2022 23:07

Have you looked on Spareroom website?
If it’s literally just a room you want, there’s loads available if you’re willing to move somewhere new (and it sounds like that’s part of the plan?)

Spareroom is actually my main source (well, and taking the risk on gumtree lol) But actually it's deceptive that there are a lot of rooms (at least in the cities ive looked in) there's about 1 page of new rooms for every 3 and a half pages of new people looking for rooms!

Also, you have to factor on things like I can't share with only students as then id have to pay council tax alone, I don't want to share with one lone male for safety reasons and the odd other thing. Plus they will have preferences too. And before you know it, what looks like a shit ton of rooms becomes a very small pool indeed.

Might have better luck with other places in time though. I think just things are a bit saturated atm with all the students looking. But I've even tried a couple of towns near the cities I've looked in and it's slim pickings.

My mate sent me a list of 6 adverts the other day thinking they were all suitable and we went through them together in more depth and realised only one was! And then realised theyd actually written that they only wanted someone for a month!

OP posts:
Original poster
Keyryder · 13/08/2022 23:55

That Wales one is really cute though. But I think base wise I'm sticking to places I've at least visited or near them. If you're going to tie yourself in to a six month lease then you kinda want to know you like the area and that its useful for traveling out from. Not that I'm not already taking other mad risks haha.

OP posts:
LemonSwan · 14/08/2022 00:09

OP you have done it now so there’s no going back but obviously I don’t know you but I will be blunt this is the kind of thing my bipolar friend would do during a manic episode.

Have you spoken to friends and family about this all?

It might seem there’s no going back but there are ways you can protect your current savings and still make huge changes to your life. Like could you buy a suitable property in a cheaper area (up north city) which you can rent out on Airbnb and use that to fund your travels.

VioletToes · 14/08/2022 00:18

I can't believe you've done this OP. Sold your flat to go travelling?!

I spent 10+ years travelling and living overseas, finally settled and bought a house at 33. But I met so many people who had rented out their flats while travelling I thought it was such a great idea.

I think you'll be back on MN soon with a thread about sellers regret 🤐

Comeagainow · 14/08/2022 00:35

I sort of get what you mean about wanting to know the place where you get a room, but on the other hand - you only want a base from which to go travelling! An unfamiliar town or city in the UK wouldn’t be that much of a problem surely, especially if you hate the idea of returning home to your parents so much?
At 34 you will be equal to managing in a new place, make this part of the adventure!

SortOfAdmireQuagmire · 14/08/2022 00:54

You’ve presumably got a pretty serious amount of money coming your way, so why not ship off what you can’t travel with to your parents place and then just stay in a nice hotel while you plan your next steps?

Stick an iPad, a phone, some clean underwear and a phone into your bag, get an EasyJet flight down to Zaragoza, and ask the taxi driver to take you into the middle of town.

To put it bluntly, it’s time to shit or get off the pot.

ReallyIrish · 14/08/2022 01:04

Have you considered that as much as you dread living with your parents they may dislike the idea even more?
How would you feel if a 34 year old made a ridiculous plan that they couldn't carry off and then decided to live with you indefinitely?

illiterato · 14/08/2022 02:09

Do you have an income/job? If not then finding a room to rent in a house share is going to be tricky. It’s not necessarily just financial. Even if you offer to pay the six months up front, they may just not want someone there who’s not living a similar lifestyle. I imagine you might get filed under ‘backstory sounds a bit weird’.

LynetteScavo · 14/08/2022 03:24

You have sold your flat so that you live so you can move into a shared house and take lots of holidays/trips or what ever you want to call them for the next 6 months?

Do you not see how insane that sounds?

You'll probably be paying at least £400 pm just to have a base from which to book your holidays? If you can do a somewhere.

Surely it would now be best to go abroad and plan from there, coming back to the uk when you have to?