A family of four has revealed how they improved their lives – by selling their house and living more minimally in a motorhome.
According to parents Natasha and Greg Plant, from Merthyr Tydfil, they were fed up of coming home from their 9-5 jobs and spending little time with their two sons.
Life got ahead of them, the boys would play in their bedrooms, they’d be too tired from work to want to do anything and family time got left behind.
They became so disillusioned with their routine, they decided to do something about it – sell their home and radically change their lives.
The Plant family sold their home to live in their motorhome instead – and have enjoyed their more minimalist lifestyle (pictured L-R: Natasha, 33, Greg, Regan, 14 and Ronan seven)
Taking advantage of the rise in house prices in 2022, they sold their family home of six years and set off on a once in a lifetime adventure.
Starting their journey from Wales on December 30, Natasha, 33, and Greg, 37, set off with sons Regan, 14, and Ronan, seven, and made their way to France in their motorhome.
The family had been enjoying time away in the motorhome for the previous two years and said it was the main catalyst behind their decision to sell up and do life on the road.
Natasha, a qualified primary school teacher, said: ‘What we noticed when we were away on the weekends, we started realising it was not the house and stuff that made us happy.
According to Natasha (far left) the family realised that their house and their ‘stuff’ were not the things that made them happy – they enjoyed being away in their motorhome
‘We were living in such a minimal way in the motorhome we didn’t miss going home to our house.’
Prior to the family purchasing their motorhome they had a caravan in Brecon and at one point Saundersfoot, so have always enjoyed their time away from home.
Greg said he felt like having a home and a job just left you wanting more and more when they realised life in their motorhome brought them more joy with less stuff.
Greg, who works in the car industry, said: ‘We realised we wanted to teach the boys there was more to life than that. And we are learning as we go. And it is just about spending more time together.
According to father Greg (pictured), they wanted to teach their sons that there is more to life than being materialistic
‘We haven’t got a set plan yet, we are just going with the flow. Obviously, with it being cold this time of year we are heading south next towards Spain.’
When the boys were told their parents’ plans, both of them were really excited, but seven-year-old Ronan did get wobbly feet about the idea as the completion date for the family’s house sale neared in December.
However, he now loves his life on the road.
The family will start home schooling in line with the January term, benefiting from Natasha’s skills as a primary school teacher, but they said their new lifestyle offered far more opportunity for learning.
After selling their four-bedroom home, the family took to the road, and now enjoy a more minimalist lifestyle
At first, Ronan (pictured) was a little apprehensive about the prospect of life on the road, but now he loves it, his parents say
During their time in Paris, they visited the Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris which remains closed following a fire.
Natasha said the boys were asking about what happened to the building so when they got back to the van that evening they started to research it.
They found a documentary to watch about the cathedral as a family. Natasha added: ‘They are learning in a totally new way. We want them to learn from their experiences and know that there isn’t just one way of doing things.’
They are currently enjoying being tourists in Paris with their van parked up on a site.
The family is currently enjoying life in Paris and getting to know the city, after parking their motorhome on a site
Life on the road is simpler, the family says, with mother Natasha adding that the family is eating less junk food and moving around more than they did before
Greg said it had been so special sharing this time with the boys, enjoying a kickaround outside the motorhome after their days out exploring and playing board games in the evening.
They plan to take their motorhome as far south in Europe as they can, hopefully spending time in both Spain, Portugal and Gibraltar.
With the restrictions on tourist visas now the UK has left the European Union, the family will have to return within 90 days but are hopeful they will find somewhere they can call home in the future in the meantime.
Greg said: ‘The money won’t last forever but it is enough to get us started to find somewhere we could settle and work less than if we were in the UK.
The Plant family (pictured in their motorhome) are currently in Paris, and planning to head south to Spain, Portugal and Gibraltar
After spending their days exploring the city and seeing the sights of Paris, the family enjoys more time together in the evening playing board games
Natasha added: ‘We are living much simpler. We are not eating as much junk, we are walking and moving more.’
The power of social media has helped them along the way with their plans and they have connected with other families from the UK living life on the road.
They urged anyone who was thinking of doing it to give it a go. They are sharing their experience of living on the road on Instagram as @travel.van.fam.
‘We are learning as we are going,’ they said.
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