After acing their exams and finally saying goodbye to studying, a lot of people consider taking a gap year to get their heads together before adulting really begins – but apparently, these sabbaticals aren’t just for indecisive adolescents.
Add the words ‘grown-up’ at the start of gap year and you’ve got the perfect excuse to go off exploring as an adult for all the same reasons, but with a bit more life experience to help guide you on your way.
That’s exactly what Karen and Myles Davies have been doing for the best part of the last decade – which goes to show how much they have been enjoying their break which was initially only meant to last for 12 months.
The couple, who dub themselves ‘The Motoroamers‘, have been on one hell of an adventure since they set off from their Somerset home in 2016 in their beloved motorhome named ‘Scoobie’, which has transported them to 27 countries.
Karen and Myles are better known as ‘The Motoroamers’. (SWNS)
Visiting the likes of Morocco, Norway, Portugal and ‘most places in between’, the pair have covered a lot of ground.
Author, travel writer and yoga coach Karen explained she and her investor husband work on the road to afford their nomadic lifestyle – but say it’s still a hell of a lot cheaper than living in the UK.
The 56-year-old said she and Miles, 57, budget between £1,500 to £2,000 a month while on their travels, which isn’t bad considering they were paying £1,350 on rent alone for their Somerset home.
They were initially only supposed to head through Europe for a ‘gap year’ after both growing tired of the corporate rat race, but 90,000 miles and nearly ten years later, they are still going strong with Scoobie.
Karen and Miles met in March 1988 while working at an insurance company in Cheltenham before they got hitched in October the following year, and the rest is history.
She explained they were both on the same page about jacking their jobs in, as they had spent several years juggling three businesses and working seven days a week – which ‘nearly broke them’.
The adventurous couple say life on the road is miles better than the UK. (SWNS)
They decided to instead take the plunge and pack up their lives to become nomads, and they’ve never looked back.
Karen gushed: “‘Travel has given us the greatest and most rich classroom we’ve ever experienced.
“We are more rounded people, have broader perspectives and clearer values. We are loving the freedom and choice that we have created in our lives – and now we want to inspire others to do the same.
“We can choose the sunrise that we want to wake up to, the neighbours we share it with, and where we wish our day to close. We feel incredibly privileged.”
But as expected, exploring ‘every compass angle’ through Europe can take its toll on even the sturdiest of motorhomes.
Scoobie – which is kitted out with a kitchen, full length fridge, freezer, lounge, fixed island bed, bathroom, shower and wardrobes – has taken a bit of a beating on it’s epic journey, resulting in a few pricey repairs.
“Two tyre blow outs, a new engine, countless punctures and plenty of costly wear and tear replacements,” Karen said.
The couple set off from their Somerset home in 2016 in their beloved motorhome named ‘Scoobie’. (SWNS)
But the cash is obviously worth it considering that the couple literally call the motorhome their home.
Myles explained: “After all, cars and houses all have running costs. And a motorhome is no different. Of course without him being fit and well, our future travels would come under duress. So it is as much an investment in our lifestyle as it is the van.”
Karen added: “The beauty of this lifestyle is that it is significantly cheaper than living in a house.”
She explained it took her some time to ‘work through my fears of being house-less’, but now she wouldn’t change it for the world, saying: “For the first time in our lives, we are living and working to our full potential.”
But the couple did warn the off-grid lifestyle is ‘not for everyone’, explaining that you need to make sure you have a travel partner who you can ‘compromise, communicate, laugh and problem solve’ with.
“Travel as far as you can, for as long as you can, whenever you can; just travel,” they said.
Featured Image Credit: SWNS