Nicole Keefe, 28, from Newcastle, has lived in 18 completely different properties through the years and felt she would ‘by no means’ have the ability to afford her personal home
Nicole has lived in 18 completely different homes through the years (Picture: PA Actual Life)
A photographer who lived in 18 completely different properties earlier than experiencing a “breakdown” over her “depressing” 9-5 job has fled the UK rental market to stay in a transformed van together with her canine, with overheads totalling simply £670 a month. Nicole Keefe, 28, from Newcastle, was perpetually relocating as a teenager “resulting from conditions out of (her) management”, and revealed the idea of van life had “all the time” captivated her.
However, she pursued a extra conventional path, attending college between 2016 and 2020 earlier than working as a photographer, believing she would “by no means” have the ability to buy her personal property. In September 2023, she suffered a “breakdown” after “hating” her job, and merely 12 hours afterwards, her automotive was written off.
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She bought a transformed Ford Transit on Fb Market for roughly £8,500 a number of weeks later and departed her rented lodging together with her beagle-petit griffon Vendeen cross McCartney. Nicole stationed herself close to work all through the week and devoted weekends to discovering the UK, earlier than leaving her job roughly 9 months later to simply accept a campsite place in Dorset. Since then, Nicole has grow to be freelance as a photographer, content material creator for companies and social media supervisor, journeying throughout the nation with McCartney by her facet, from Scotland to North Wales.
Nicole mentioned: “Folks query how I can afford this lifestyle – I all the time assume: ‘I am sleeping on the facet of the highway, showering in public showers, utilizing a compostable bathroom and also you wish to understand how I can afford this when you will have a home, automotive’ – it is fairly humorous actually!
“Folks on-line have known as me a profit scrounger and lazy, regardless that I’ve by no means claimed advantages a day in my life… I actually have not used them to fund my way of life. I simply assume misconceptions are all over, it is only a completely different way of life.”
Having lived in 18 completely different properties all through her life, Nicole moved often as a toddler and relocated quite a few instances following relationship breakdowns in maturity. Regardless of van life all the time that includes on her “radar”, she finally discovered herself “following a typical path” — finishing a vogue diploma at Coventry College between 2016 and 2020, earlier than taking over a full-time images function at a vogue studio in Washington, Tyne and Put on. After three years within the place, Nicole continued to wrestle with rental prices and felt she would “virtually by no means” be able to personal a property.
She added: “I hated my job and I had a little bit of a breakdown one night time simply ruminating on how I could not discover a means out of this cycle. I used to be not in a superb place mentally on the time one bit and simply could not see tips on how to get out of this total state of affairs.”
Lower than 12 hours afterwards, somebody collided with the rear of her automobile and wrote it off. A number of weeks later, in September 2023, she bought a transformed Ford Transit via Fb Market for roughly £8,500. She shortly determined to make it her everlasting residence to chop rental prices and set about renovating it.
“There is a kitchen space, sink, mattress, photo voltaic panels and I added in a fridge, fuel tenting hob and air fryer and obtained a brand new mattress,” Nicole defined. “I made it a bit extra me by including in some leopard print and simply adorning it over time.”
Whereas sustaining her 9-5 employment, she resided within the van, parking in an area automotive park and exploring completely different elements of the UK at weekends. She continued this way of life for 9 months alongside her canine, McCartney, whereas the vast majority of her household believed she was “a bit nuts”.
In June 2024, she landed a campsite cleansing place in Dorset and handed in her discover. She remained there for 3 months, utilising her weekends to find the south coast. Initially, she discovered the restricted social contact difficult, as she “hated (her) personal firm”, however progressively grew extra snug and her psychological wellbeing flourished.
Nicole mentioned: “I do not know what life would’ve been like if that crash hadn’t occurred, however I do not even wish to know. It put me on the trail for one of the best years of our lives.”
Nicole give up her workplace job in June 2024 (Picture: PA Actual Life)
She subsequently secured employment at a Winchester espresso store whereas creating her freelance portfolio, transitioning to full-time work as a photographer, social media supervisor and content material creator for companies in December 2024. In a typical month, she mentioned she spends round £250 on van repayments, £30 on a health club membership to make use of the bathe amenities, £60 on a cellphone contract with limitless information, £30 on automobile tax and £150 on meals.
She famous that her gasoline expenditure has elevated considerably over the previous 12 months – a full tank, which beforehand price round £100, now units her again nearer to £150. Since September 2023, her social media presence has expanded – working beneath the deal with @TheVanClub_, she has amassed greater than 7,500 followers on TikTok and 4,800 on Instagram.
Nicole described herself as being “always on the transfer”, sometimes remaining in roughly the identical location for roughly a month at a time. Her favorite experiences so far have included exploring the south coast and South Wales.
“If I’ve some work within the south I must bodily be there for, I will journey round that space for every week or so prior,” she defined. “Then as soon as I am accomplished I will slowly simply migrate to wherever appears good. It is extra sluggish travelling nowadays, simply taking extra time to take pleasure in areas moderately than going, ‘OK, Wales this week, Scotland subsequent.'”
She passes “most nights” in automotive parks and roadside places, feeling “very protected”. Nonetheless, in March this 12 months, her van broke down after the engine practically exploded resulting from a damaged oil seal. The repairs set her again £2,000, and Nicole was compelled to remain in lodges whereas her van was out of motion. One in every of her favorite points of van life is that day by day “might be wildly completely different”, from taking a dip within the sea to venturing via mountain terrain.
However, she prefers to stay to a every day routine, watching the dawn, having fun with a morning espresso and taking her canine for a stroll. Reflecting on her journey, she admitted she doesn’t “miss something about typical housing”.
“It is not for me,” Nicole defined. “Certain there are conveniences, and plumbing and central heating is nice, nevertheless it’s simply not a worthy trade-off for me. Now once I do go to family and friends, a home simply feels so large and virtually pointless, which most likely sounds so ridiculous.”
She additionally feels she has grown way more “able to making issues work out”.
She mentioned: “My youthful self completely adores me, she thinks I am one of the best individual ever. I do not assume she would consider our life now except she noticed it for herself.”
Trying to the long run, she can’t think about abandoning van life any time quickly.
“There has by no means as soon as been a second in these two-and-a-half years the place I’ve thought ‘I can not do that anymore’…” Nicole defined. “There’s by no means wherever I might moderately be.”
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