Shropshire Star

Happy campers! Telford couple swap £500,000 home to travel the world in a camper van

A couple have swapped their six-bedroom Telford house to travel the world in a camper van - and say they are happier than ever after ditching their £500,000 home and jobs.

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Chris and Marianne Fisher are living the dream after ditching their six-bedroom house to travel the world

Chris, 48, and Marianne Fisher, 51, originally from Telford, decided to travel the world last year and after buying a camper van for £18,500, they have since travelled across Ireland, France, Belgium, Holland, Germany, Spain, Andorra and Portugal.

The pair decided to rent their lavish £500,000 home - as well as giving up their successful jobs with the NHS - after claiming they were ‘fed up’ of their day-to-day lives. Marianne and Chris, who have three children together, now live off just £27 per day - which includes all living expenses - and couldn’t be happier.

After recently returning from France, the pair are currently at home in Shropshire until the end of January when they plan to travel America.

They have been posting videos from their adventures on the road:

Chris, 48, who was head of catering services for an NHS trust, said: “We’re really living the dream, even if we are living off £27 a day!

“We didn’t want to wait for retirement, we wanted to see more of the world and live a hassle-free life.

Mr Fisher, pictured in Seville, Spain, said the couple did not want to wait for retirement

“Our children have all grown up and there was nothing stopping us so we sold our six-bedroom house and decided to lead a simple lifestyle.

"We have emergency funds from selling all our belongings and have a steady income from renting the house, we have made our plan as sustainable as we can, but to achieve this adventure we have to live within our means.”

How to follow Chris and Marianne's adventures:

The couple bought the camper van at the end of 2017 for £18,500 from a local dealer.

Chris said: “We have a double bed, a sink, two gas rings, a fridge, a wardrobe, shower and toilet, it’s a mini home on wheels. It only takes 15 minutes to clean from top to bottom. I’m 6ft 3 but I still manage to live comfortably.”

The couple decided to make their bold decision to quit their jobs and buy the camper van after seeing close friends die suddenly.

Mrs Fisher poses next to the river in the Belgian town of Ghent

Marianne, who worked in theatre admin for the NHS, added: “You never know what’s around the corner. It’s never too late to travel the world and we’re living the dream.”

Marianne and Chris named their six metre camper-van Trudy and embarked on their first 12-week adventure across Ireland last year.

The couple quit their jobs to travel the globe in Trudy the camper van

Chris added: “We’ve done so many exciting things so far, such as releasing seals back into the wild, walked Caminito Del Rey, Spain, and Marianne even did a pier leap in Donaghadee, Ireland."

The couple are set to go backpacking, without Trudy the camper-van, in Central America for five months. Thousands are following their Tread the Globe adventures online.

The camper van has a double bed, kitchen, shower and toilet