Just to clarify for those who haven’t watched the other videos. I lived in London in the van whilst I built it for 18 months before travelling Europe. In this video I wanted to show how you can live in Europe and do basically the same as what I did in London. If you want to know travel cost, just calculate the distance and add the fuel, and average predicted maintenance/service costs for that journey. Also, if you don’t yet have a van, add in the predicted cost of your van. My van cost me about £20,000 to build so it’s fully off grid like this, the van cost £7250 and I spent about £12,000-13,000 on everything else. I will do another video with how much it’s cost me to travel the distance I have with average repairs, tyre costs, servicing, maintenance etc and then you can calculate the costs per month with the time and distance you’re going to travel.
Who hard work pays off. An amazing journey. Well done. Unreal cost of data.. You should do Turkey with English sims. Think that the mega cost of europe. Definitely get local sims or esims.. Loved example of watching a movie. Unreal
Hey neighbour, just found your channel. I live in mile end, a few minutes walk from mile end station, so was surprised to hear you lived there too. Really liking your consent. It kind of reminds of Gabriel Traveller. Im a fan of his channel. I hope you get as big as him. All the best, mate!
You forgot to mention what certainly are fixed monthly (or quarterly) costs: health insurance and Body care (I assume you brush your teeth, shower with some kind of shampoo, etc and your girl uses several day/night care products) just to name a few. You already mentioned that you will make a separate video on the other costs such as toll roads, van maintenance, fuel, etc which obviously would add to the monthly costs when you calculate the actual monthly budget. Of course living in a van can be very cheap and convenient and an adventure as well as a good way to explore the world so good for you and safe and happy travels!
You’re correct I pay about £19 p/m for travel insurance and that’s through my bank but also includes my gf. The shampoo and other stuff is included in our food just forgot to mention that 👍 we’re both kinda low maintenance 🙏 Will make another video though with fuel/servicing/maintenance etc as that’s dependent on the distance you travel.
I went with the O2 bolt on, it may have been €48,980 more expensive but it's a small price to pay for peace of mind of using a well known brand like O2.
Interesting. Happy Trails. I hope you make it to Australia. And if you do . Daintree Rainforest is the most beautiful place in Oz . Far North Queensland in general is the Bomb. Hello from Cairns Queensland
Great channel, I’ve subbed. I have a YT channel too but love this idea. Recently gave my notice at work. 10 weeks left until I’m a free bird too. I can’t wait. Can I ask, why did you choose a Luton van? Did you need the tail lift for any reason? With all of the vans out there most use, sprinters, transits etc.
Enjoy the freedom in 10 weeks 🕊️ Chose a Luton because of the space, and height. It’s also nice working with straight walls. The tail life is a bonus patio at festivals ☀️🫶
Fuel is massive but youve not put anything at all . Travel insurance is a must have. Van repairs servicing mots. Local insurance in lots of countries. socialising . Excursions .I live this life and theres a lot more costs than you are stating.. easily double
Everything you mentioned are costs for travelling in Europe, not living, like I did in London in my van when I was stationary for 18 months. Travel insurance is the only one I would add even to the ‘live’ cost and that’s £19 for me. I’m going to do another video on travel costs.
It depends on your own journey and how quickly you move. I will do another video with a full breakdown for wear and tear, fuel and servicing etc. I would say we use about €100 p/m now we’re out here and slowly going around countries. Depends where you will fill up also, surprisingly Albania is 40p per litre more expensive that Montenegro for fuel so fill up in Montenegro before you cross to Albania it will save you 20-25%. We are doing around 500 miles p/m on that €100 I would say. Hopefully the above helps 👆🙏
Could you make a list or video summarising which countries in Europe are easiest/cheapest to stay in the van? Many countries are expensive so I assume you do it informally. I heard it is allowed in Spain. I rode my bicycle from Italy to Bulgaria camping wild. it was great. How do you stay in Europe post brexit?
Will do another video with average costs for breakdowns and tyres, servicing etc as it’s dependent on the distance you travel and how quickly you’re moving through Europe if you’re travelling.
hey dude, loving the channel, keep it up! quick question: r.e. your insurance, how does that work - is it fully comprehensive, UK-based insurance, or just third party? how does that work with the address it's linked to, do you just have it connected to a UK address, or do you have specific "van life" insurance? I'm soon planning to be driving around Europe and camping/renting properties (i drive a regular Corsa) and have similar age/no claims to you. Currently pay £500 a year, reckon I'm looking at a significant increase for comp europe cover? obviously not considering inflation, just generally (like how much different was your European insurance compared to having it just in the UK? thanks!
🙏 fully comprehensive. You can get specialist insurance if it’s self converted, if it’s made ‘professionally’ by a company then it’s easier to get insurance. You’ll get it in the uk linked to an address, I use my parents. Ring and get quotes as prices vary ✌️
@@LIFEOFSIofficial nice dude, thanks. Does it not matter that you aren't leaving the car at the UK address? like is that something you had to be honest about or did you tell them some little white lies ? :p
I'm a new subscriber. How do you afford to pay all these costs if you are not working? Or do you work from home/van? The YT channel is still growing so the income from it can't be that good (yet)? Cheers
Watch my video on ‘Getting out of debt’ this explains. However as regards to future money, I’ve just got monetised on TH-cam and have faith that my efforts will pay off before my money runs out 🙏
We use butane gas which cost us €38 per year per bottle and lasts into the 2nd year and gets used every day So what happens when you don’t get any sunlight that = no electricity ?
@@firmbutton6485 yes I will do that 👍, have a request for water too so will create one for water and waste to show what I have in van and how I’ve done it. To help, I have 650w of solar panels, 3 panels, Victron electrical system with Renogy 3000w inverter.
@@LIFEOFSIofficial what size battery? Lithium or LA? I am on a tour of Italy for six weeks soon, I have not yet modified anything but will go the A2B route with a massive alternator and lithium battery I think. A short run of the engine will boost the battery quickly if necessary. And I can move it from the vehicle when I sell it.
@@LIFEOFSIofficiall feel for kids with this 90 day hassle, l've an Irish passport so my kids are lucky, but they are the last of the line....l wonder how efficiently it's policed with open borders?
I’m starting TH-cam. The goal is to be authentic and have fun and hopefully it can sustain this new journey in life. My previous video ‘Get out of debt’ explains what I did to be here.
Good vid but you are forgetting that buying and building a van costs money. Some people can afford monthly rent payments but can't afford to purchase a van up front
I was £24,000 in debt and paying rent in London. My previous videos ‘Get out of debt’ and ‘I lived in a van in London’ shares what I did. It wasn’t easy and required 2-3 years of sacrifice, but now I can live free from the system.
@@LIFEOFSIofficial ahh that is why your insurance is so cheap. Heaven forbid your van isn’t written off as all the insurance company would pay out is market value of the van & all that time effort & more importantly your investment on all the equipment would be lost. I think you need to reassess your insurance. Howdens ( formerly A-Plan) do insurance for vans that are converted to campers, even whilst the conversion is in progress. Good luck on your travels
@@chrisfisher2839 appreciate you sharing the info. I will check it out, and I agree, in time when money starts flowing again I’ll get it changed on v5 to camper and get insurance as a camper with equipment. Also wish you the best in life ☝️🙏
Insurance without permanent address even more expensive. I heard some insurance companies do offer insurance w/out address, but you have to ring them to get a quote. I don't think it's cheap. Some people, I guess, who have a family in the UK give the insurance company that address, but this is not ideal either for obviouse reasons.
I didn’t. You can’t dislike something twice. For anyone interested this has 93 likes and 3 dislikes… probably 4 when Rem finds the dislike button again 👍
Just to clarify for those who haven’t watched the other videos. I lived in London in the van whilst I built it for 18 months before travelling Europe. In this video I wanted to show how you can live in Europe and do basically the same as what I did in London. If you want to know travel cost, just calculate the distance and add the fuel, and average predicted maintenance/service costs for that journey. Also, if you don’t yet have a van, add in the predicted cost of your van. My van cost me about £20,000 to build so it’s fully off grid like this, the van cost £7250 and I spent about £12,000-13,000 on everything else. I will do another video with how much it’s cost me to travel the distance I have with average repairs, tyre costs, servicing, maintenance etc and then you can calculate the costs per month with the time and distance you’re going to travel.
i subscribed
We use butane gas which cost us €38 per year per bottle and lasts into the 2nd year and gets used every day
Thank you for breaking down costs & sharing the info on internet ❤
I asked you about the water supplies in one of the recent videos, but here I got my answer. Thanks Si
Really good, down to earth way of explaining your way. 10/10.
Appreciate you sharing these words 🙏
@@LIFEOFSIofficial Va bene.
Who hard work pays off. An amazing journey. Well done. Unreal cost of data.. You should do Turkey with English sims. Think that the mega cost of europe. Definitely get local sims or esims.. Loved example of watching a movie. Unreal
Incredible sustainability! Valuable insight and knowledge to know thank you so much 🙏🏻 Safe travels beautiful people 🙏🏻🥰
Haha love the intro brother, and well done on passing through 500 subs! Your message needs to reach more people 🙏🏼
Taking advantage of the beauty around us 😉🫶
Great channel mate - Just watched 4 or 5 videos and subbed👍
Appreciated mate 🙏
Happy trails
very helpfull video thanks
Great videos amazing van
🙏🙏🙏
Hey neighbour, just found your channel. I live in mile end, a few minutes walk from mile end station, so was surprised to hear you lived there too. Really liking your consent. It kind of reminds of Gabriel Traveller. Im a fan of his channel. I hope you get as big as him. All the best, mate!
You forgot to mention what certainly are fixed monthly (or quarterly) costs: health insurance and Body care (I assume you brush your teeth, shower with some kind of shampoo, etc and your girl uses several day/night care products) just to name a few. You already mentioned that you will make a separate video on the other costs such as toll roads, van maintenance, fuel, etc which obviously would add to the monthly costs when you calculate the actual monthly budget. Of course living in a van can be very cheap and convenient and an adventure as well as a good way to explore the world so good for you and safe and happy travels!
You’re correct I pay about £19 p/m for travel insurance and that’s through my bank but also includes my gf.
The shampoo and other stuff is included in our food just forgot to mention that 👍 we’re both kinda low maintenance 🙏
Will make another video though with fuel/servicing/maintenance etc as that’s dependent on the distance you travel.
Very informative video. Cheers! ✌️
Great video, straight to the point. How do you sort out the MOT? To have insurance and Road Tax they ask for a valid MOT. Enjoy life 🤗
I went with the O2 bolt on, it may have been €48,980 more expensive but it's a small price to pay for peace of mind of using a well known brand like O2.
I understand. Risk to reward calculations make sense 📱
Interesting. Happy Trails. I hope you make it to Australia. And if you do . Daintree Rainforest is the most beautiful place in Oz . Far North Queensland in general is the Bomb. Hello from Cairns Queensland
thank you for tips,man
I like dog saying subscribe the life of si
First time I’ve heard a dog speak
Great channel, I’ve subbed. I have a YT channel too but love this idea. Recently gave my notice at work. 10 weeks left until I’m a free bird too. I can’t wait. Can I ask, why did you choose a Luton van? Did you need the tail lift for any reason? With all of the vans out there most use, sprinters, transits etc.
Enjoy the freedom in 10 weeks 🕊️
Chose a Luton because of the space, and height. It’s also nice working with straight walls. The tail life is a bonus patio at festivals ☀️🫶
Fuel is massive but youve not put anything at all . Travel insurance is a must have. Van repairs servicing mots. Local insurance in lots of countries. socialising . Excursions .I live this life and theres a lot more costs than you are stating.. easily double
Everything you mentioned are costs for travelling in Europe, not living, like I did in London in my van when I was stationary for 18 months. Travel insurance is the only one I would add even to the ‘live’ cost and that’s £19 for me.
I’m going to do another video on travel costs.
Great Vid mate
Have you budgeted for diesel, van servicing costs etc?
What about the biggest cost?
Fuel
Can you tell i posted just before the end
It depends on your own journey and how quickly you move. I will do another video with a full breakdown for wear and tear, fuel and servicing etc. I would say we use about €100 p/m now we’re out here and slowly going around countries. Depends where you will fill up also, surprisingly Albania is 40p per litre more expensive that Montenegro for fuel so fill up in Montenegro before you cross to Albania it will save you 20-25%.
We are doing around 500 miles p/m on that €100 I would say.
Hopefully the above helps 👆🙏
Could you make a list or video summarising which countries in Europe are easiest/cheapest to stay in the van? Many countries are expensive so I assume you do it informally. I heard it is allowed in Spain. I rode my bicycle from Italy to Bulgaria camping wild. it was great. How do you stay in Europe post brexit?
Petrol breakdowns tyres, oil top up etc etc ????
Will do another video with average costs for breakdowns and tyres, servicing etc as it’s dependent on the distance you travel and how quickly you’re moving through Europe if you’re travelling.
Top Geezer Top video keep it up Thank you ,as i learnt all this valuable info for Fuc-k all.
Someone who appreciates the free things in life like me 😉🙏
what to do for a living on the move?
hey dude, loving the channel, keep it up! quick question: r.e. your insurance, how does that work - is it fully comprehensive, UK-based insurance, or just third party? how does that work with the address it's linked to, do you just have it connected to a UK address, or do you have specific "van life" insurance? I'm soon planning to be driving around Europe and camping/renting properties (i drive a regular Corsa) and have similar age/no claims to you. Currently pay £500 a year, reckon I'm looking at a significant increase for comp europe cover? obviously not considering inflation, just generally (like how much different was your European insurance compared to having it just in the UK?
thanks!
🙏 fully comprehensive. You can get specialist insurance if it’s self converted, if it’s made ‘professionally’ by a company then it’s easier to get insurance.
You’ll get it in the uk linked to an address, I use my parents. Ring and get quotes as prices vary ✌️
@@LIFEOFSIofficial nice dude, thanks. Does it not matter that you aren't leaving the car at the UK address? like is that something you had to be honest about or did you tell them some little white lies ? :p
I just insured my van, home conversion, fully comp with EU breakdown cover and it cost just under £600. Leaving in October.
You covered heating, how about A/C?
P.S. the insurance doesn’t sound realistic at all even for 10 years no claims 😮
I'm a new subscriber. How do you afford to pay all these costs if you are not working? Or do you work from home/van? The YT channel is still growing so the income from it can't be that good (yet)? Cheers
Watch my video on ‘Getting out of debt’ this explains. However as regards to future money, I’ve just got monetised on TH-cam and have faith that my efforts will pay off before my money runs out 🙏
Hi Si, great videos. Insightful for cost of living in a van, but may i ask What do you do for income generation?
Have savings for now that will last another year or so and then hopefully can transition to TH-cam 🙏
@@LIFEOFSIofficial good luck mate! Im sure you will be successful as you have great content
Hint - it's not road tax.
Feck me,talk about living life.fair play pal.you and your girlfriend have an amazing adventure.🇮🇪
Thanks for the support 🙏🙏🙏
How does it work with Visa's or is that not something you need to do. Thanks.
Visa needed in longer than (usually) 3 months in one country. 90 days in every 180 in the eu, hence Balkans being the break.
We use butane gas which cost us €38 per year per bottle and lasts into the 2nd year and gets used every day
So what happens when you don’t get any sunlight that = no electricity ?
Even on cloudy days you still get solar. You just need the right amount of solar panels for usage. I’ve got 3, 650w, that was enough even in the uk
Do you plan a video on solar electricity installation too mate?
@@firmbutton6485 yes I will do that 👍, have a request for water too so will create one for water and waste to show what I have in van and how I’ve done it.
To help, I have 650w of solar panels, 3 panels, Victron electrical system with Renogy 3000w inverter.
@@LIFEOFSIofficial what size battery? Lithium or LA? I am on a tour of Italy for six weeks soon, I have not yet modified anything but will go the A2B route with a massive alternator and lithium battery I think. A short run of the engine will boost the battery quickly if necessary. And I can move it from the vehicle when I sell it.
@@firmbutton6485280AH battery, Lithium. Have the video done now with everything I use. Should be out in the next week for you 👍
@@LIFEOFSIofficial thanks si will have a nose :-)
How do you travel the EU when it comes to Visa's and the like? Do you only stay for 90 days?
90 days in the EU and then chill in the Balkans for a while 👍
@@LIFEOFSIofficiall feel for kids with this 90 day hassle, l've an Irish passport so my kids are lucky, but they are the last of the line....l wonder how efficiently it's policed with open borders?
❤❤❤
Thanks for the video, you mentioned your girlfriend also does youtube, what is her channel called and whats it about?
sariekitransmissions (reiki and healing energy work)
Do you work along the way
I’m starting TH-cam. The goal is to be authentic and have fun and hopefully it can sustain this new journey in life. My previous video ‘Get out of debt’ explains what I did to be here.
Good vid but you are forgetting that buying and building a van costs money. Some people can afford monthly rent payments but can't afford to purchase a van up front
I was £24,000 in debt and paying rent in London. My previous videos ‘Get out of debt’ and ‘I lived in a van in London’ shares what I did. It wasn’t easy and required 2-3 years of sacrifice, but now I can live free from the system.
Can you please give advice on how you deal with insurance,tax,mot etc when you have no fixed address and constantly moving from country to country ??
I used my parents address in the UK 👍
Are you insured as a van or a camper conversion???
Insured as a van.
@@LIFEOFSIofficial ahh that is why your insurance is so cheap. Heaven forbid your van isn’t written off as all the insurance company would pay out is market value of the van & all that time effort & more importantly your investment on all the equipment would be lost. I think you need to reassess your insurance. Howdens ( formerly A-Plan) do insurance for vans that are converted to campers, even whilst the conversion is in progress. Good luck on your travels
@@chrisfisher2839 appreciate you sharing the info. I will check it out, and I agree, in time when money starts flowing again I’ll get it changed on v5 to camper and get insurance as a camper with equipment.
Also wish you the best in life ☝️🙏
Insurance without permanent address even more expensive. I heard some insurance companies do offer insurance w/out address, but you have to ring them to get a quote. I don't think it's cheap. Some people, I guess, who have a family in the UK give the insurance company that address, but this is not ideal either for obviouse reasons.
Fuel…?
Travel costs, not stationary. Will make another video on travel costs 👍
There is no MOT test on the Island Of Man
You're young, maybe take a chance, but you're going to need medical cover.
Yes I have travel insurance, £19p/m with my bank. Going to do another video on costs for travelling Europe
Man forgot his diesel bill
I Fred Flinstone my van
I can't drive boo hoo...
Why did you disable the dislikes?
I didn’t. You can’t dislike something twice. For anyone interested this has 93 likes and 3 dislikes… probably 4 when Rem finds the dislike button again 👍
@@LIFEOFSIofficial im not a hater, i liked the vid, i just wondered why it wasn't available
TH-cam disabled dislikes a while ago
@@silasboyden1268 you can bring them back with bringbackyoutubedislike, but the whole thing wasn't available regardless, only the thumbs up
Your MOT will expire, and your girlfriend may get pregnant.
Your MOT will expire, and your girlfriend may get pregnant.
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