An update as we are 75 days in to our van life and approximately halfway around our first semi-planned route/adventure around Europe. Geek alert – contains data on costs and stats…
So, I finished work officially on April 6th and we set off on April 9th, leaving Britain and Brexit and renting out our house in Newcastle. I packed selected bits and bobs and guitars into a motorhome with my amazing wife Bev, and our whippets Marra and Boo. We had no specific destination or itinerary – the plan is, there is no plan – other than:
- seeing some sights and enjoying our freedom to travel around Europe
- living more simply and more healthily, being outdoors, eating well
- spending more time together
- playing more music, writing new songs
- ending up in Sweden at some point
- heading back to the UK in mid August for band gigs in September
The map below shows us colouring in the map of Europe for countries we’ve passed through, and our approximate route.
Facts and stats:
| Days on the road: | 75 | |
| Miles: | 3597 | |
| Countries: | 12 | UK, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Italy, Monaco, Switzerland, Slovenia, Croatia, Austria, Hungary, Slovakia, Czech Republic |
| Fill-ups: | 10 | |
| Average Fuel Efficiency: | 31.5 mpg | |
| Average fuel price: | £1.20/Ltr | Cheapest: Luxembourg Most expensive: UK and Italy |
| Average cost per night: | £12.27 | Includes 21 out of 75 nights wild camping (free) |
Costs so far:
| Monthly Costs | April | May | Average |
| Food, Social, Shopping | £654 | £752 | £703 |
| Diesel | £417 | £152 | £285 |
| Eurotunnel, Tolls, Ferries | £190 | £27 | £109 |
| Site Fees | £350 | £405 | £378 |
| Gas | £31* | £0 | £16 |
| Phone/Data | £40 | £40 | £40 |
| Total | £1682 | £1376 | £1530 |
*Not including €55 deposit for Benegas bottle in Belgium.
Ignoring the cost of the motorhome (!), there were some up front and one-off costs:
| Road Tax | £260 |
| Insurance | £650 |
| Tracker subscription (lifetime) | £399 |
| Motorhome stuff (purchases/repairs) | £165 |
Which, at this stage, suggests a crude estimated annual spend of around £18,500 for a year. Probably more, as we’d use more gas for heating in winter months. So, we’re probably on track to spend around £20,000, like these guys at followourmotorhome. I’m sure we could do better – mowgli adventures did 6 week trip in Europe and spent nothing on accommodation or site fees! (Loads of good tips on both those sites.) But it’s going fine so far. We can wild camp where we can, somewhere scenic, then have a few days at a campsite – to fill up on fresh water, empty the waste and the loo, maybe put a wash-load on.
Lots of lessons learned about living the ‘van life’ and much more to learn I’m sure. We’ve still not worked out how to park up the van facing the right way to get some shade! One lesson we’ve learned the hard way, after 3 days of the van smelling of rotten eggs – avoid cheap diesel! If it’s too good to be true, it’s probably full of sulphur.
It took a while but we’re getting to grips with the fact that this is not just a really long holiday but a new chapter in our lives. So, for example, when we visit a tourist hotspot, we don’t expect to do all the ticketed touristy things. We’ll see the town, the landmarks, soak up the atmosphere, but maybe give most of the museums, exhibitions and attractions a miss. We’ve got the dogs to think of too, especially the old boy, Marra, who can’t walk very far these days. Mostly cook for ourselves ‘at home’ i.e. in the van or al fresco, eating out at bars or restaurants once or twice a week.
We’ve met some really lovely people – warm, generous, open-minded and inviting, positive and encouraging. So many, but I’ll call a few out: Adi, who gave me my first gig at his fantastic bar Caffe Galeria in Piran, Slovenia; Levi, digital nomad, film-maker and sharer of Hungarian biscuits; and Gabor, who followed his own dream 10 years ago and established the amazing Sabar vineyard in the Badascony region of Hungary. Cheers, guys 🙂
It’s been tough trying to book gigs on the move, especially as our plans are so fluid. Things seemed to have slowed up lately, perhaps as the season warms up and bars already know they’ll have a good crowd whatever. Staying positive, I keep making contacts and I’m sure I could do better next time, if I actually planned in advance! I’m enjoying all the extra spare time for practising the guitar, especially my fingerpicking, and writing songs. Look out for a new song coming soon – something special, with lyrics written by Bev! – it’s called ‘Baby Oh Did Ya?’
UPDATE January 2020: See https://howaskew.com/update-on-van-life-costs/