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Maddison and Reef play outside ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA THIS FAMILY who now live Down Under in a van reveal exactly how YOU CAN ditch a bricks and mortar home and live on the open road for just Ł320 per week for a family of three. Women’s health dietitian Maddison Milton (27) along with partner Kyle Markham who is a stay-at-home dad (29) and their son Reef (3) decided to leave behind their home in Adelaide, Australia in 2022 and opted to live in a van as a family and have travelled all across Australia covering about 13,000 miles in their van. The family has been living since November in their 2015 Mercedes Sprinter van, which cost them Ł21,335. They originally bought the van in 2020, and spent two years and Ł21,000 transforming it into their dream home. “The van cost just under $40k (Ł21,355.16) second hand,” said Maddison. “The renovation also cost just under $40k (Ł21,355.16), we really put all the extra touches in as we wanted it to feel as much like a home as possible. “For us our biggest expenses are food and fuel. Our fuel expenses of course fluctuate and depend on whether we are travelling very far that week. We tend to travel quite slowly so we can really experience each place. An estimate of living expenses for us currently is approximately $500-$600 (Ł267.09-Ł320.42) per week. “That is typically $250-$300 (Ł133.51-Ł160.21) in food, $100-$150 (Ł53.40-Ł80.10) in diesel, $100 (Ł53.40) for phone bills, van insurance, subscriptions etc and then any extra is for eating out, booking a caravan park or a special event on the odd occasion. “We are lucky enough to have an abundance of free camps in most areas that we visit. “We have managed to almost cut our living expenses in half by not having rent or utilities to pay. We don’t pay for electricity as we are completely solar powered. “Our internet is just with our phone bills as we upped our data plans before we left and water is available at lots of camp sites or RV fill up points.” Now the family is living life to the fullest and giving their little boy a lifetime of incredible memories. “The biggest reason we chose van life is due to the freedom it gives us,” said Maddison. “Both my partner and myself have done a lot of travel and when we found out we were pregnant with our son, we wanted to find a way that our travel could continue “We weren’t ready to settle down, buy a house and plant roots just yet. We are the kind of people that thrive on new challenges and being immersed in new places. “We love the feeling of arriving at a place, knowing nothing and finding our way. Most of all, we wanted to share these incredible experiences with our son. “Secondly, we knew we wanted to spend as much time together as a family as possible. For us, these early years of our son's life are the most precious to us. We want to be there, as present as we can be for all of those incredible milestones. “By moving into the van we reduced our living expenses to the point where Kyle could quit his job and be home with us while my work and business, which is completely online, keep us going. “And lastly, our end goal is to one day find a piece of land of our own and build a little off grid tiny home of some description and live a more homestead style life. “Living in the van means we get to immerse ourselves in all of the options and find a place that feels like home to hopefully one day plant roots.” Van life is not always easy but Maddison and Kyle love it and want to encourage others to try the lifestyle. “Our biggest challenge is that when something breaks or goes wrong, it is your home which can be tricky depending on the situation,” said Maddison. “Thankfully for us we haven’t had anything major break or happen but we of course have insurance and roadside assist just in case. “Another challenge is how long everyday tasks can take in a van or small space. We have a “jobs day” once a week where we fill up water, do laundry at the laundromat and do our grocery shopping.
“We find these things take that bit of extra time compared to being in a home and having it all on hand. “We have had some incredible feedback on our design and build. We are often at a campsite and have multiple people walk past or come over to take a look at what we have done inside. “They are always so impressed at how homely the space is and the attention to detail inside. “They are always blown away by the woodwork and how comfortable and spacious it actually is inside. “We get lots of questions. Everyone always wants to know how we do it with a child and our dog. They are often quite astounded and are always very intrigued. “After we explain that it isn’t as hard as it might seem, they are generally really impressed with the amount of freedom this lifestyle gives us. “We have been met with mostly positive comments. We haven’t encountered any negative
2023-05-31
mediadrumimages/@maddison_cate/Media Drum/East News
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