A VAN enthusiast who has spent over six years living in a Ford Transit has revealed that the free-spirited lifestyle comes with its challenges.
Lucy travels with her best friend Barney – a white and brown cocker spaniel – and says van life is great except for one crucial thing.
With four years living stationery in the self-made van, and then two on the road, Lucy claims MOT week is not one to look forward to.
In a video published earlier this year, Lucy laughed: “It’s MOT week for my van, bless her. She’s not done very well.
“Another year of welding. I’ve never not had a year of welding – bloody Transits!”
She recalls a previous MOT in which she paid £500 for welding to find out at the retest that it wasn’t up to standard.
The parcel delivery driver then had to fork out an extra £500 for another welder to get the job done, with her van locked up on a drive way for three weeks.
“It was an actual nightmare. It was not ideal – not when it’s your house and it’s the way you earn a living.”
Lucy moved into the white van, which was previously used for model aeroplane transportation, after studying nutrition at university.
She worked as a campsite manager before filming YouTube videos under Looseley Wild.
They showed her adventures with Barney and her cat Prinny and the page has since reached 12.9k followers.
She worked solidly for four years, building up her ‘caramansion’, until in late 2021 Lucy was told she had lost her job and wouldn’t be paid a penny.
Lucy was left unemployed, without any money or a home – and only a van to her name and two fluffy companions to look after.
She said: “I was totally devoted to that job. I spent 24/7 on the campsite. It really broke my heart and I’ve been struggling ever since.
“The world isn’t very kind to a single girl and her dog. It was just so heart wrenching and so cruel.
“It would be impossible for me to afford a regular place, with regular rent.”
After giving Prinny to a friend, Lucy and Barney set off on their nomadic journey.
Lucy secured a parcel delivery job in Dorset so she could keep her best mate Barney by her side.
The travelling team has since bought a second-hand caravan and half and acre of land in Portugal.
They are planning to live on their new plot of land in the sun.
Lucy explained: “It’s always been my dream to move to some warmer country in Europe and own land that I can live self sufficiently on.
“That’s always been my dream, for at least a decade.”
Despite the yearly struggle of the dreaded MOT, a failed attempt to move electrics and a string of Portuguese visa issues, Lucy and Barney appear as happy as ever.
Earlier this year Lucy released a time-lapse of her building up her new van which reached 343k views and received hundreds of supportive comments.
One user wrote: “What an amazing young woman you are! I am astonished at all the things you can do.”
Another added: “You made this build look so easy, well done.”
Lucy plans on heading to Portugal in September for three months with Barney to complete the garden including a solar fed irrigation system.
She said: “I just can’t wait. I’m never going to want to come back here – I was going to say ‘come home’ but home is in my mind Portugal.
“I just want to live in peace and harmony, garden with my dog, hopefully I can even get my cat out there.”
