I gave up everything after getting burnt out by my day job – now I own a tiny house on wheels & live mortgage free

A WOMAN has given up everything to live in a van - but now she's mortgage free and can travel for eternity.

Lorina Priestly from Queensland, Australia, was so burnt out from her day job that she built a tiny home on wheels to escape the pressures of life.

She was joined by her husband Jake, who both decided after five years of being young professionals it was time for radical change.

Lorina, 34, had been running a busy coffee shop, while Jake, 30, was working as a cabinet maker.

Content with what they had achieved so far, Lorina told 7Life there was more to life.

She said: "Our lifestyle was solely based on work, work and more work.

"We would only get to spend one day a week together with the occasional week of holiday per year.

"Living in paradise is an absolute blessing but working more than enjoying what our backyard has to offer - we knew we needed a change in lifestyle."

Prior to turning their life upside down - the Queenslanders outlined a five-year plan.

In that time they started a successful business, built a house and got married.

However, in 2020 the global pandemic hit and their business took a beating.

She said: "I was jumping into working overtime to keep our doors open - business went from busy to the busiest.

"My sleep schedule started getting smaller as I was trying to keep up.

"I started to struggle physically and mentally and soon enough I felt the extremities of severe burnout."

To make matters worse, Jake suffered a severe injury that put him out of work.

It was at that point the Aussies decided they needed a change of scenery.

They packed up their stuff and headed south to visit family in Newcastle, New South Wales.

She said: "Driving through the hinterlands we watched people living their best life travelling the countryside.

"We thought maybe we should get a caravan and do a trip... We realised we wanted to spend more quality time together."

The thrifty couple decided to buy a second hand Mercedes-Benz van and converted it into "functioning home on wheels".

It was even decked out with a full-size standing shower, toilet and a place for the dogs to sleep.

She said: "We started the build - working on the van in our spare time and after work through the night.

"We added in our luxury items such as a barista coffee machine, a TV which is great for rainy days, reverse cycle air conditioner and a portable Wi-Fi system.

"In a total of six weeks we were certified and we hit the road mid-August 2022."

After a few successful getaways, Lorina and Jake admitted life in the van wasn't too bad.

She said: "It wasn’t until we were outside of Coober Pedy in South Australia, sitting in silence appreciating the majestic scenery right at our doorstep, we realised at that moment van life was the lifestyle we both needed.

"We were already living as minimalists in a normal household, so having only the necessities wasn’t a hard adjustment."

Initially, Lorina's coffee shop was funding their off-the-grid lifestyle but then they agreed to fully disconnect.

She said: "I sold my business, Jake quit his job and we rented out our main house that we were living in, so now we are completely mortgage free.

"We invested in four property units, which gives us a passive income and this all funds our full-time travel.

"We have no end date of travel, we’re hoping this will be our life until we get sick of it."