A divorced dad who ditched his house for a motorhome says it's the "best thing" he has ever done. Ian Reeves bought a motorhome after going through a midlife crisis but moved into it five months ago to keep costs down.
The 57-year-old now enjoys his somewhat nomadic lifestyle, travelling up and down the country and being part of the growing motorhome community.
The impact of a divorce and the coronavirus pandemic on his hair loss product business, prompted Ian to take the plunge to move out of his home in West Derby, a suburb of Liverpool.
But he now realises he made the best move with his living costs a lot smaller and the freedom to do whatever he likes.
"When I turned 50 I bought my motorhome, I went through a midlife crisis," he told the Liverpool Echo.
"At 51 I did my motorbike test, at 52 I went paragliding, but it's the best thing that's ever happened to me.
"I just loved the lifestyle. I loved travelling around. I went around Anglesey, Scotland, I've done a bit of Northern Ireland and I loved it. I loved the freedom to get up in the morning and cook breakfast in the open air when it's not raining, go for a nice long walk and do whatever I want to do."
Ian made the decision to move into his motorhome full-time after divorcing his wife and seeing the impact the pandemic had on his company.
"During Covid," he added, "my income went down 80 per cent so I found it a lot cheaper to live in my motorhome.
"It's the best thing I've ever done. I still do a bit of work on my laptop in my motorhome because I've still got to work to earn a bit of money."
Ian said the motorhome community is made up of people of all ages, including those who have converted their vans on a budget and others who have bought a modern motorhome kitted out with all the amenities. He said: "I dreamt of getting a motorhome, it's such a nice way of life.
"Don't get me wrong, I've still got worries because living in a motorhome everything you own is in a motorhome. If it gets broken into everything you own is in the same space so you have to be careful where you park.
"There's never any trouble, there's always good comradery. We have a good laugh and a joke, everyone is always there to help everyone out. If I've ever got a flat tyre or flat battery there's always a motorhome owner around to help you out."
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