I was tired of working as a low-paid spark so I quit to live in a Ford Transit van

AN ELECTRICIAN who quit his low-paying job in anger and decided to move into his van to save money for a house says he now has the luxury of choosing the beach as his backyard.

Earlier this year, Dom Wright, 30, who lives in Edinburgh, Scotland, rented a spare room for £750 a month while working for a company that installs electric vehicle charging points.

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But with 12-hour days, a salary sometimes of less than £10 an hour and expenses of around £850 a month, he resigned in March, giving one week’s notice.

He had bought a £17,000 Ford Transit van to replace his old vehicle shortly before his redundancy, as he craved a new way of life.

After spending between £1,000 and £2,000 on renovations and fittings, he decided to move in to save money.

With tinted windows, a double bed, a desk and a portable shower, Dom has been travelling around Scotland since April and can now choose from several beautiful locations for his “back garden”, including Portobello Beach.

He buys food on sale and uses his camping stove to cook steaks or stir-fries. So far, while working as an electrician with monthly expenses of £550 to £850, he has managed to save around £4,000 in five months.

Although he has suffered a number of blunders similar to those at Clarkson’s Farm – he thought he had done a ‘clever job’ installing the windows only to find rainwater pouring in all night – he now enjoys a simpler lifestyle, often spending evenings reading books by the beach in his ‘cosy’ van.

He even shares his experiences in the camper on his TikTok account @outside_with_ron, which has over 8,000 followers and his most popular video has been viewed over 750,000 times to date.

Dom told PA Real Life: “I’ve always loved the outdoors… and there’s something cosy about it (living in the van).

“I just pull into a quiet parking lot or a small parking lot, dim the lights, read a book or watch some YouTube, and it just feels cozy.

“I can live anywhere, as long as I’m not disrespectful, so I can go to the beach. I stop, make a cup of tea and literally sit on the beach, like in my garden.

“Sometimes I’ll open the side door or the back doors and literally say out loud, ‘That’s my backyard,’ as a joke. You make it fun and lighthearted.”

Dom, who joined The Royal Marines in January 2015, has lived in many places across the UK and has always enjoyed the outdoors.

While renting a social housing unit in Dundee, he bought a three-bedroom rental property in Manchester in 2020 to generate some extra income. This property is rented by a young family of four, who pay £650 per month.

After leaving the Royal Marines in May 2022, Dom took a job as an electrician and moved to Belfast, Northern Ireland. But after a disagreement with his landlady, he “left that night” and went to a campsite.

Although he is next stepsHe said this experience inspired him to one day live in a van.

“I was literally working out of a tent, but honestly it was the best two weeks,” Dom said.

“Because there was no electricity current There I made sure not to use my phone, so that when it got dark I would go to bed or read Lord Of The Rings at that time.

“It was also in the countryside, just outside Belfast, and it was just a case of coming home, turning on the stove, cooking a meal Nice meal.”

Dom later moved to Edinburgh and joined an electric vehicle charging station installation company full-time in late 2023.

But due to the long hours, lack of overtime, £750 rent (including bills) for a spare room and expenses of around £850 a month, he decided to quit in March 2024 in search of a better work-life balance.

“I was working 12 hours a day on a fixed salary and eventually I realised that some days I was earning less than £10 an hour,” he said.

“It was also hard work and the stress made me worry that it was becoming too much. I resigned in anger and gave them a week’s notice.”

Dom had bought a £17,000 Ford Transit van just before he retired as a ‘get-around’ as his previous vehicle kept breaking down, but as time went on he thought: ‘I could actually just live in one.’

In April he began the renovation, adding a double bed and desk to the van, installing tinted windows (costing £350), cladding and insulation, and buying a large battery pack for £600.

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For cooking he uses a camping stove, which he has had for more than ten years, and for washing he uses his portable shower from Decathlon or the facilities at his gym.

In total he has spent £1,000 to £2,000 on the bus and although he could do more, he wants to keep the costs as low as possible.

“It’s very simple, because I wanted to save money… but since then I’ve only been driving around Scotland,” he said.

Depending on his mileage and other factors, he said it costs between £550 and £850 to live in the van each month, but he now saves at least £750 a month, which is on top of his current savings of £25,000.

He said he needs at least £50,000 for a deposit and expenses to buy a house in Edinburgh. But having saved around £4,000 in the past five months, he is determined to continue with van life.

He usually parks his car in a parking lot at night, checks for restrictions and says, “As long as you’re respectful, no one should have a problem with it.”

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At times he feels lonely and wonders if he is being “stupid,” but overall he is enjoying his new way of life and would “absolutely recommend” it to anyone.

“The best things about living in an RV are that I save money, I appreciate things again, I get to be outside and I’m disciplined because I have to keep everything tidy,” he says.

Dom is concerned about the cold weather during the winter months and the problems with damp and mould due to condensation, but he says he will re-evaluate the situation and make adjustments if necessary.

He also said that living in his van has forced him to improve his problem-solving skills and not to think too much about things.

Regarding his advice to others considering living in an RV, he said, “When I first started, I was embarrassed because I felt like everyone was looking at me.

For example, I went to the car park of Asda, went to the back and started cooking. I thought people would look at me and say, ‘What is this idiot doing?’

“But if you look around you, you see that there are a lot of people in cars or campers cooking or doing other things.

“So as long as you’re respectful, don’t litter and be quiet, don’t be scared off and don’t be shy or timid… just go for it.”

To learn more about Dom and his bus life, search @buiten_met_ron on TikTok.

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