Comfortable South England suburbia to a startup business, in a new industry and a new language, on the remote north coast of an island 1500 miles away! It's been quite a ride! Scary, exciting, and with constant learning ...
We first discussed this career & life change about 5 years ago. Having had our kids quite young, and with them getting busy with their own lives, we foresaw that at around 50 yrs old we might have the opportunity for a complete change. So the last few years of holidays have always been with an eye to whether we wanted to move and set up a new venture there.
Our short list grew and grew, containing some amazing places that we have been very fortunate to visit (Croatia, Albania, Guadeloupe, Jamaica, Alaska, Scotland, Cornwall, Barbados, Italy to name just a few). However, our first trip to Madeira left no doubt - this dreamy island captured our hearts and we can't wait to show you!
2024 was the first big step of this journey - selling our family home. This was a difficult decision! We had invested five years in restoring an old village pub, tackling major tasks like re-plumbing, re-wiring, installing new roofing, a huge balcony and of course my beloved basement rum bar. DIY-tastic ... it's incredible what you can learn from YouTube (and an occasionally knowledgeable brother on the end of the phone). It was a unique house, and years of renovations that we were very proud of, but it had to go. We knew that we would need every penny, immediately available, to finance the foundational purchase of whatever our next adventure would be. By that stage, we'd narrowed down the location to Madeira and the sector to hospitality....
After selling 'The Old Brewery' and becoming voluntarily 'homeless,' we bought a converted Mercedes Sprinter van. Our plan was to live in it for about two years while continuing our previous jobs. During this time, we aimed to find, buy, and restore the perfect property for our new business venture in Madeira.
Van life! Well that was pretty exciting. Moving from a family house to a large cupboard on wheels required a giant cull of the stuff we'd collected over 50 years! Selling, gifting and binning - we ended up with a small lockup and a few boxes in the back of the van - an incredibly therapeutic exercise!
The logistics of roadside living are fascinating and something I've been asked a lot about.
'Van-essa' was fully equipped with a decent sized double bed, toilet, crappy shower, fridge, hob, sink, solar panels and crucially an LPG combi boiler for hot water & heating. A palace on wheels, yet it looked from the outside life an everyday panel van - ideal for 'stealth camping' on the back streets of Reigate.
Thankfully both of our offices/workplaces have showers, toilets, kitchens and coffee machines. Week days became an easy routine of work, gym/run, dinner in the van, film, bed, wake up, and back to the office for a shower, breakfast and use of their toilet. Weekends we took the opportunity to travel and catch up with friends & family.
2 years of no bills, no mortgage, and no council tax! Although snug , the van was amazingly comfortable and we enjoyed our time as luxury hobos.
We were considerate in where we parked up, never staying more than a week, and were always quiet and respectful, so happily received no complaints. In fact, it became such an easy routine moving between our chosen parking spots that on one occasion we even received post that the kind postie popped under our wipers!
Alongside van-living, we discovered 'house sitting' this (non-financial) arrangement of looking after someone's house and pets while they were on holiday provided a welcome break from cosy van time, and an opportunity to meet lovely new friends in & around our town.
It was so successful, that we were able to pick and choose stunning detached homes to spend a week or two in, generally within walking distance of my office, and with a private drive to accommodate the van.
Faye's parents were also a huge help, providing an address, lots of laundry for us, and an occasional bed too.
The rest, as they say, is history. We've bought our dream building in Seixal !! Van-essa now has new owners, and we're just 2 house sits away from Faye permanently relocating to Madeira. (I'll follow along when the time & finances are right)
As you'll have seen from the update videos, the building is mid way though a hefty conversion to be the most incredible destination accommodation on the island!
Buying a property in Portugal, along with NIF numbers, visas, finding builders and other ugly hurdles will form the a future article or two for anyone crazy enough to be considering a similar journey, or can't sleep!
Ciao
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