Kath and Stuart have been living in their campervan for four years, travelling from the Sahara desert to Scotland on a budget of £30 a day

A couple sold all their belongings to buy a campervan and travel the world on a budget of just £30 a day. Kath Cross, 49, and Stuart Hall, 48, have clocked up more than 25,000 miles on extraordinary journeys across the Sahara desert, Europe and Scotland in their makeshift home on wheels.

The duo have been living out of their 7.5m Mercedes Sprinter ever since Kath sold all her belongings and gave up paying rent four years ago. To date, they have explored over 15 countries – a figure set to surpass 20 by the time they return from their current adventure in Montenegro.

The couple earn their living on the road under the banner of Vanavigation, producing, writing and sharing travel content with their followers.

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While their outgoings fluctuate slightly depending on which country they happen to be in, the pair reveal they typically spend between £900 and £1,200 a month – considerably less than Kath’s former rental property in Cardiff. This works out at roughly £30 to £40 a day for their way of life – with half of that going straight on fuel.

Kath, originally from Cardiff, said: “It was a choice we made between one life and another – and we don’t regret a second of it. When I sold my possessions, it made me realise that you are supposed to own things – not them own you.

“When you have a mortgage, a car payment, you are owned by society, fixed because you have to stay where you are and pay your bills. The more of my stuff I sold the more free I felt – the more I am realising those possessions owned me and pinned me in one place. Life owns you and you are supposed to own it.”

Kath and Stuart forged a connection over their mutual passion for nature and the great outdoors after crossing paths in a South Wales walking group in 2021.

The couple conquered over 105 peaks across the UK during their first year together, and Kath came to realise that Stuart was the person she wanted to explore the world alongside. She then chose to leave her four-bedroom rental property and offload all of her belongings in 2022, once her daughters had flown the nest.

Since then, Stuart and Kath have clocked up more than 25,000 miles of travel — including their inaugural journey to the Sahara desert, which Kath described as her “lifelong dream”.

Kath said: “I had an idea that when my kids left home I wanted to drive to the Sahara – it was a dream I’d had for years. Stu already owned the van, and we had been together a few months when we visited Scotland for a month in the campervan.

“We didn’t kill each other and got on very well. So that winter I decided that I was going to downsize my life, my kids had left home, the four-bed rental was too much for me and I just didn’t want it anymore.

“It was taking every penny that I earned just to keep the rental going – but we knew we could live cheaper on the road. A lot of people are scared of the big adventure, but Stu was up for the idea and so we drove to the edge of the Sahara desert and haven’t looked back.”

The mother-of-two is able to secure a reliable monthly income for the couple after she established her own business online back in 2012.

As a single parent, Kath was determined to ensure she could make a living while remaining at home with her children — and her copywriting and freelance work enabled her to accumulate 1.6million followers on Facebook in 2014.

Stuart, who works for an agency as a truck driver, takes on work when they return to the UK following trips to help supplement their finances before their next adventure.

She and Stuart collaborate to produce content for Vanavigation — publishing weekly Youtube episodes, travel guides and insightful blogs across social media on how to explore the world.

Kath said: “Life really is a lot cheaper in the van – you don’t need two wages. We were away for 101 days and our average spend was £1,000 a month – this is less than my rent used to be in Cardiff and we lived like kings and queens.”

Despite more than half their budget going on fuel, the pair say they don’t live as though they are on holiday — and mainly cook in the van and only pay for a handful of activities each month.

Kath said: “As fuel prices have gone up we have just slowed down. We just drive a bit slower and make a few less stops – which means we extend the trip really. When you’re in North Macedonia and paying 130 a litre for diesel there is no point rushing back to pay whatever horrifying price it is in the UK at the moment.”

The couple are able to live comfortably in their fully-equipped campervan, which boasts an impressive setup including: a shower, toilet, king-size bed, sink, and a fully working kitchen with an oven and gas burner.

Stuart, who converted the interior of the van shortly after buying it, said: “We can even do a roast dinner.” So far, the pair have clocked up 3,000 miles travelling to Denmark and back, 7,000 miles touring Spain and Portugal, 2,000 miles venturing to Scotland and 8,000 miles journeying to the Sahara.

They are currently in Montenegro, having covered just under 5,000 miles on their current trip, which has taken them through France, Italy, Albania, Greece, North Macedonia and Kosovo. Their upcoming destinations include Serbia, Bosnia, Croatia, Slovenia and France.

Kath and Stu revealed that their Sahara adventure ranks among their most memorable experiences — alongside their visits to the Atlas Mountains, Kosovo and Denmark.

Stuart, from Southampton, said: “We drove to the edge of the sand dunes and were drinking coffee out of own mugs from home. Then we opened up the curtains and there were 40 camels outside – it was totally surreal. I had only ever been on package holidays before.”

Kath revealed they were equally enchanted by their time in the Atlas Mountains, drawn in by the breathtaking scenery and the remarkable people they encountered while travelling and volunteering.

She said: “There are communities there that have nothing, and they just want to help you. We helped a guy stuck in the snow and he wanted to take us to his village, which had 66 houses and a mosque.

“His family made us food and drinks and the kids in the village came to meet us and it was only a few months after the earthquake. It was so special connecting with the local communities.”

The couple are passionate advocates for pursuing your ambitions and exploring the world in a thoughtful and sustainable manner. Stuart said: “We choose to step lighter on this earth. My big diesel van has much less of a carbon footprint than a three-bed house where people leave the lights on.

“We don’t buy new stuff, we wear clothes until we can’t wear them anymore and we live light on plastics. We love this life and we learn so much about people.”

Kath said: “You can’t dream yourself into this life, you have to make intentional decisions to get here. You have to let go of other things to get here. We left the rat race – and we’re really glad about it.”



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