Paulina and Stanley Gammon have put their house up for sale and plan to travel with their young children
An ‘impulsive’ young family are flogging their home to move ‘off-grid’ into a van – claiming they will halve their bills and escape ‘miserable’ UK weather.
Paulina Gammon, 21, said she and her husband Stanley, also 21, put their three-bedroom semi-detached home up for sale on July 21 and have purchased a converted campervan. The mum-of-two said the pair would set off on their travels with their 16-month-old son Jakub and four-month-old son Albert as soon as their house sells.
Paulina said the family currently paid £1,800 every month on bills, their mortgage payment and the food shop. But by living in the van, the full-time content creator claimed they would more than half their monthly outgoings as the ‘off-grid’ vehicle runs on solar panels.
She said they would also be travelling Europe in the van, living in hot countries the majority of the time, so will only need to use a gas source when cooking, further cutting costs. Another key reason for the move is so Stanley can quit his engineering job and ‘escape the rat race’ to spend more quality time with his family.
Paulina said their new living setup would also allow them to escape the ‘miserable’ UK weather to enjoy more time outside exploring with their two young children. Paulina has now started documenting her family’s campervan journey on social media and, while admitting it was an ‘impulsive’ decision, said they were very excited to start travelling the world.
Paulina, from Long Eaton in Derbyshire, said: “Last week we bought it [the converted campervan]. We want to travel, but have the house and bills, so we put it on the market.
“My partner works full time, so he doesn’t have a lot of time with the kids and so this will give us the opportunity to spend more time as a family and he won’t miss out on the kids growing up as much. It’s a full off-grid system, so it has solar panels and water containers, so we’ll pretty much be living off-grid.
“At the moment our bills with the mortgage and food come up to £1,800 a month, so it’s going to be significantly cheaper. We won’t be paying for electricity in the campervan and plan on using less gas as we’ll be in warmer countries. We’ll definitely more than halve it [our monthly outgoings].
“We don’t plan to sit in the van all day. We’ll use it to sleep and eat in, but then the rest of the time we’ll be exploring with our kids.
“We’re just going to take it slow and if we like somewhere we’ll stay for longer. There’s nothing really keeping us in England. All my family live in Poland and my partner doesn’t have a lot of family around either.
“We’re going for a cheaper lifestyle and to enjoy our lives. We’re hoping we can escape the cost of living [in the UK].
“With our earnings and with all the bills we have and our two cars, it all adds up. Sometimes my partner has to do overtime and then he ends up working more and doesn’t actually get to enjoy his life as he’s working. He’s stuck in that rat race.”
Paulina said the campervan was kitted out with a fixed double bed, a bunk bed for the boys and a full kitchen and bathroom. The family plans to visit destinations along the French and Spanish coast as well as Portugal.
At present, they are in the process of selling all their valuables and two cars and will then pack their whole lives up into three large suitcases to start their adventure.
Paulina said: “We’re in the process of decluttering now. Things around the house that are worth money, we’re trying to sell and we’re also giving a lot of toys and clothes away to friends.
“We’re going to live a minimalistic lifestyle. Between us all we’re putting our lives into three large suitcases.”
While Paulina claims most people have reacted positively to their lifestyle change, she said some people had been shocked that they would give up their house and daily routine. She admitted others might see it as ‘irresponsible’, but she argued against this as she’s not taking her kids out of school to travel the world, as they are both under two.
At present, Paulina said the family would travel for a couple of years and when the time comes for her children to go to school, she wants to put them into education.
Paulina said: “Some people are just shocked by it as they think life is just about working a nine-to-five and having a house. Nothing is stopping us from going back to this lifestyle if we need to.
“We’re just trying to live our life and it’s something like this that you’ll regret not doing when you’re older. People might think it [this move] is irresponsible due to education.
“With education, I can see how that could be seen as irresponsible, but I’m not taking my kids out of school to do this. I don’t think it’s irresponsible at all. They’re going to be playing around and exploring the world and having all these adventures rather than sitting in a box room in the UK all day long because they can’t even leave the house half the time because it’s raining or the weather is miserable.”
Paulina said the family would still have some outgoings while living in the van, such as insurance and fuel and would have to return to the UK every year to get the vehicle’s MOT. To pay for the costs on their travels, the pair plan to use their social media earnings and are not going to touch any more made from their house sale.
While Paulina said she was excited to make the big lifestyle jump, she admitted the decision is quite ‘impulsive’ and hasn’t fully processed it yet.
Paulina said: “You can speak to lots of people about buying a house or a car, but not many people are doing this move. So, you’re doing it and risking it yourself.
“It’s so impulsive and I don’t think the full emotions and that we’re actually doing this have hit me yet. I am really excited though, but it’s crazy we’re doing it.
“Our parents always say that me and Stanley are quite impulsive. We bought our first house at 19.”
After posting a video on social media to announce they were selling their house to move into a campervan full-time, the post racked up more than 31,000 views.
One user said: “Absolutely go for it. Well done for breaking free from the ‘chains’.”
Another added: “I absolutely love this for you. I’d rather be crazy than a slave to the system.”
A third commented: “Great until your children start to grow up and they want to make friends and develop. Moving around all the time may not be what they need. It’s good to travel and experience things, but your kids need stability and an education.”
But not everyone thought it was a great idea.
One said: “Wouldn’t it have been a bit better to wait until they are a bit older? They won’t remember anything at that age.”
A second said: “Can’t [you] still make memories if you live in bricks and mortar.”
A third added: “You’re brave. I couldn’t do this with young kids. I’d go mad.”
