Cornish couple convert £1k minivan into cosy home to travel the world – and live off just £20 a day
A CORNISH couple converted their £1,000 minivan into a cosy home to travel the world in.
They have lived out of their tiny vehicle while visiting 25 countries - surviving on just £20 a day.
Ben Fuery, 26 and Lucy Pinell, 24, from Hayle, Cornwall spent 10 months and £5000 transforming their 2002 LVD Convoy.
They have decorated their van with items from their trip - Indian sheets, a handwoven rug from Greece, a Mexican blanket on the bed and Thai elephant patterned curtains.
Ben used to work as a chef and Lucy used to run her own Airbnb but now work on the road as photographers and filmmakers.
Lucy said: “Ben wanted to visit the Middle East and I have always wanted to see more of Europe- we’d both always fancied the idea of owning and travelling in a van so it was only a matter of time until our ideas came together and we ended up buying a van.
“The conversion wasn’t easy as we knew basically nothing about DIY and the van we’d bought was rusty, leaky and covered in tie dye spray paint, so every process was a learning curve.
“As money was tight we used a lot of reclaimed and upcycled materials such as pallet wood, coffee sacks, scraps of plywood and driftwood for decoration.
“Our life on the road to us feels like we are living our real lives, doing what we want to be doing and pursuing our passions, whereas when we’re back in the UK it feels like our lives are on hold while we save up money for the next trip.
“Living in a van also enables us to save money quicker when we’re working, as we have no electric, water or council tax bills to pay, just diesel for the tank- all of our power is generated by solar or when driving, and we fill up our water tanks from taps or springs.
“Things don’t always go smoothly, though; there’s always things to fix, engine maintenance to be done, and a lot of cleaning and tidying, but these are all fair trade-offs for a life on the road.
The pair are going back to their hometown to work over the summer and save some money and then they are back on the road.
They have travelled to 25 countries so far, across Europe, as East as Ukraine and as far South as Greece.
Their van has enabled them to live completely off the grid as it has a gas oven and cooker, heating and hot water, a shower, a fridge and a toilet, a solar panel on the roof, leisure batteries and big water tanks.
Their next trip will be a seven – month road trip across the Balkans, including 13 countries in between and after that they will heading to Asia.
They added: “Our van has taken us to places we could’ve never imagined an LDV minibus would go and she continues to be our reliable companion on this journey.