Hi guys,
Quick survey, how much do you each spend a month, roughly, while living out on the road? I'm starting to look into van life more seriously and I'm trying to work out how much money I'll need to save first. I know it will depend on how much I'll drive around and that sort of thing, but I'm trying to get a least a rough ballpark to narrow down once I have a better idea of things.
Thanks a bunch!!
As you have already realised there are many variables in answering your question. The Buckleys, who are currently touring Europe, have prepared some figures on their website which might help. There figures are based on 2 people and a dog but they will give you an idea. http://ourtour.co.uk/home/all-things-money/
This is perfect, exactly what I was after. As you say, many variables, but getting some rough ballpark to start with is super helpful. Thanks Kryten!
Hi Badger
Jason here from ourtour.co.uk. Thought I'd throw in a bit of info after our blog was mentioned on this post. As Kryten says, there are stacks of variables, and we might not be representative of most folks, but we aim to spend £15,000 a year on travelling - which includes one-off costs (insurance, breakdown cover, van servicing, MOT, tyres etc), day to day costs (food, overnight costs, fuel, ale, ferries, museum entry fees etc, but neither of us smoke) and allows us to accrue some cash to account for van depreciation, breakdowns, need to buy new tech etc. Be a bit careful comparing costs - some don't include van depreciation, repairs or insurance - try and include everything and be realistic with yourself.
It's VERY, VERY possible to spend a lot less. One chap told us he was doing fine on £5k a year (another family we met were closer to £35k). We've aimed for an income to allow us to live how we want to - so we can travel the expensive countries like Norway and Switzerland, buy ale and meat, not worry if the van conks out or if we have to pay £30 to stay somewhere cracking. We also wanted a budget which would suit a long-term plan - so we deliberately spend more than the essential to get the comfort level we wanted.
You can get an idea of our lifestyle on our blog - we try and tell it like it is - so if we're having a grim time of it we say so. But really we're living a pretty goddam luxurious awesome life! I'm writing this overlooking at Norwegian Sea up at Bodo. I'm on a 3G connection, warm, well fed, plenty of space and am gearing up for another 6 weeks ambling south through the fjords.
There's also a link on the ourtour.co.uk to a free mini-guide I wrote on how we generate our income - we don't work on the road as a rule but have done it through investments back in the UK and by getting into a low-cost-high-experience mindset.
Cheers, Jay