We quit our jobs to live off-grid in an £18k campervan – ‘final straw’ pushed us to finally take the plunge
TWO grandparents decided to quit their jobs and live a nomadic life after they had a shocking wake-up call.
Chris and Marianne Fisher from Shropshire have been driving across the globe in their 20-year-old campervan since January 2020.
The couple said it was losing loved ones that made them realise how fragile life is and how important happiness is.
“We reached that age, people that you love… well you know the rest”, Chris said.
“The final straw was Marianne donating a kidney to her oldest friend was the moment that we realised we are not going to live forever,” he said.
Jumping on the Covid campervan boom, the pair bought their Fiat Ducato in 2020, which they called Trudy.
“When we left, everyone said: ‘You can’t drive around the world with a two-wheel drive Fiat Ducato.’ But she’s done it,” Chris told BBC.
“I really feel if we do nothing else in our life, we’ve done something fantastic,” said Marianne.
“Two hapless grandparents with an unlikely vehicle can do it and if we can do it, anyone can do it.”
The couple worked for 30 years before calling it a day and had paid off their mortgage.
To finance the trip, they sold their belongings and rented their home to create a sustainable way to travel with regular income.
They soon realised that the extra cash coming in from their house was only enough to fund trips around European countries.
The pair decided to leave their early retirement and work as full time content creators – which has allowed them to earn money from their YouTube channel.
Chris and Marianne have driven to the Arctic Ocean, Mexico, South Africa, Georgia, India and Thailand.
The couple returned to the hotel that they stayed at for their honeymoon 27 years ago and were reunited with the owner, who recognised them instantly.
During lockdown the couple got stuck in Turkey for over three months after the boarders closed.
Two hapless grandparents with an unlikely vehicle can do it and if we can do it, anyone can do it.
Marianne Fisher
They were in Istanbul at the time and made a carpark their home – which they said was a “wonderful and unexpected experience”.
Marianne does most of the driving because she’s a “better driver” and it gives Chris time to edit their videos.
“Division of roles is something that just comes naturally to us. We have been married long enough to know what we are both good at and don’t compete or need to have Pink jobs and Blue jobs. Plus Marianne can’t edit, but is a better driver!” they wrote on their website.