Where It All Began

Our First Step Into a New Life: How We Chose the Road

By Karen & Simon — Campervan Adventures

Welcome to our very first blog post — the beginning of a journey that has been years in the making. This corner of the internet will follow our adventures, the places we discover, the lessons we learn, and the huge life changes that brought us to where we are today.

Because for us, choosing a campervan wasn’t just about buying a vehicle.

It was about choosing a completely different life.

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When Everything Changed

Our story really began in 2021, when life delivered one of its hardest blows. Karen was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a type of cancer. The following year was spent going through a stem cell transplant — a process that reshaped not just her body, but our entire outlook on life.

Suddenly the routines we had accepted for decades — the work, the house, the possessions, the pressure to “keep up” — felt meaningless. When faced with something so life-altering, you begin to see what actually matters.

For Karen, it became clear:

• Experiences over possessions

• Freedom over routine

• A life lived, not endured

At the same time, Simon’s thirty-year career was drawing to a close. Retirement was looming — something he could hardly believe had arrived so quickly. With both of our families grown up and living their own lives, the question of what comes next became impossible to ignore.

Those two huge shifts — illness and retirement — collided to reveal something we could no longer look past:

Life is precious, fragile and painfully short.

And we only get one.

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Letting Go of “Normal”

We began talking seriously about the kind of life we wanted — not the one that society expected from us, but the one that fed our souls.

The first step was simple, symbolic, and absolutely massive:

Declutter. Let go. Create space.

We tackled the house room by room:

• Selling

• Donating

• Dumping

• Returning

• Laughing at what we’d stored “just in case”

Eventually the rule became clear:

If we hadn’t used it in the last 12 months — it goes.

With every drawer emptied and every car-boot full of donations, we felt:

• Lighter

• Freer

• More ourselves

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Testing a New Way of Living

In April 2025, we took the next courageous step.

We arranged house sitters, packed our essentials, and moved into our caravan on an all-year seasonal pitch.

Were we nervous? Yes.

Did it feel right? Completely.

Seven months later, we can honestly say it has been one of the best decisions we’ve ever made.

We’ve enjoyed:

• Slow mornings

• Cosy evenings

• Beautiful summer days

• The simple rhythm of small-space living

Now, as winter rolls in, we’re still enjoying every moment. The long nights and cold mornings haven’t put us off — if anything, they’ve confirmed we’re on the right path.

Small living taught us a big truth: happiness doesn’t come from things.

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The Motorhome Dream (and Detours)

Living in the caravan led naturally to our next question:

Could we live in a motorhome or campervan full-time?

We visited the NEC show, walked through dozens of models, and initially fell for the Swift Voyager. Luckily we hired one for a weekend… because within 48 hours we knew the layout wasn’t right.

Back to the drawing board.

Then came our plan to hire a different motorhome layout for two weeks on the NC500 in Scotland. But life had other plans. In July, Simon ruptured his quadriceps tendon in a fall and needed surgery, making a manual motorhome unrealistic.

We asked the hire company if they had anything automatic.

They did — a campervan.

A Wildax Pulsar.

Not the layout we thought we wanted… but we said yes.

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Falling in Love With Van Life

That two-week NC500 trip changed everything.

The campervan was:

• Easy

• Compact

• Simple

• Surprisingly comfortable

• An absolute joy to drive

Even though the layout wasn’t our ideal, the experience was perfect.

We came home completely hooked.

Cue:

• YouTube marathons

• Facebook group browsing

• Showroom hopping

• Imagining rainy-day living

• Sitting in dozens of vans

And then — we stepped into the Auto-Sleeper Warwick XL.

We didn’t need to say anything.

We knew.

The space.

The layout.

The build quality.

The feel.

It was, quite simply, home.

By chance — or fate — we found one for sale on the very day we were going to view a different model. Just a few miles away. We went to see it, and the decision was instant.

We bought it.

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Preparing for the Road Ahead

We’ve already fitted the Warwick XL with off-grid capability:

• Lithium batteries

• Inverter

• Upgrades for long-term travel

The next step is one more round of downsizing — stripping away the last bits of unnecessary “stuff” so we can live the way we want to live.

The life we’re choosing is one of:

• Freedom

• Simplicity

• Adventure

• Moments, not things

After everything we’ve been through — illness, recovery, retirement, injury, setbacks and discoveries — this path feels right.

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And So… Our Adventure Begins

Is it scary?

Yes.

Is it exciting?

Absolutely.

Is it what we want?

YES, YES, YES.

Thank you for reading our first post.

We can’t wait to take you with us as we explore the UK, Europe and — eventually — the world.

We’ll be sharing:

• Our travels

• Our van upgrades

• What we learn

• The beautiful places we find

• The highs

• The mishaps

• And the magic of life on the open road

Here’s to the next chapter…

and every mile still to come.