Couple who gave up work to drive from UK to Australia in £3k 1984 Renault now spend ‘two-thirds less’ than in London

A couple who are driving 30,000 miles from London to Australia in a £3,000 converted Renault van have said their cost of living is two-thirds cheaper on the road.

Ellis Gerry and Alexandra Katie, both 27, from Ilford, east London, purchased a 1984 Renault Trafic in February 2021, and after a few test runs in the UK, began their 27-month journey from London to Darwin in North Australia.

Ellis, who worked as a geography teacher, and Alex, who was a learning support assistant, saved up for three years before quitting their jobs and now keep to a strict budget of £34 a day, which should be enough to get them as far as Australia without having to work.

They departed on October 24 2023, two days after getting engaged, and have been on the road for more than nine months, living in their trusted Renault which has a kitchen, pop-up shower, solar panel, and lithium battery.

Their 30,000-mile journey will see them cross 28 countries, including Croatia, Greece, Turkey, Georgia, China, India and finally Australia.

Ellis said people on social media often assume they are loaded but the reality could not be further from the truth.

“I would just love to tell them that we’re just normal people who decided to commit to something and put everything into it,” he told PA Real Life.

“Overall we have been saving for three years and our trip will take three-and-a-half years as we plan on staying in Australia for a while.

“So anyone can do it for sure, you just have to decide to commit to it.”

Ellis and Alex have known each other since childhood but lost sight of each other after finishing school.

During this time, Alex remembers seeing pictures of Ellis travelling around India and South East Asia on social media and said she was in awe.

During lockdown, the pair, who grew up a few streets away from each other, moved back home and rekindled their friendship.

“It was the first time in ages that we were in the same place at the same time,” said Alex.

After several socially distanced walks, Ellis and Alex started dating and discussing future travel plans.

Ellis initially proposed driving to India on a motorbike but Alex was not sold on the idea, suggesting a campervan instead.

“I started sending Alex loads of links on eBay, Facebook, Auto Trader,” said Ellis.

“Then I sent her this one van and she was like, ‘That’s the one, that’s our van.'”

The couple went to view the £3,000 1984 Renault Trafic in Southampton in February 2021, before making the purchase.

“It’s quite charming, you kind of feel like you’re in your grandma’s house,” said Ellis.

But before crossing the world, they tested their trusty steed – which they dubbed Goldie – on a summer trip to Scotland in 2022 and Ireland in 2023.

They also made some modifications, including adding a diesel heater, which they said came in handy in the Albanian Alps where temperatures dropped below minus 12C, as well as a solar panel and lithium battery.

Ellis and Alex got engaged on October 21 2023 and set off two days later from Ilford.

So far, they have passed through 15 countries, including France, Spain, Italy, Croatia, Bosnia, Montenegro, Albania, Greece, Turkey, Georgia, Armenia, Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and India.

To fund their epic journey, Ellis and Alex saved every penny they could for three years and have enough funds to reach Australia without needing to work, provided they don’t blow their budget.

“We’re very strict with our budget, so we have £34 per day between us and that is for everything: food, petrol, admission fees,” said Ellis.

“We wanted to save enough money so that we wouldn’t have to work along the way,” added Alex.

They also have a rainy day fund for repairs and emergencies, which they try not to touch at all costs.

But all in, Ellis said they are spending around a third of what they did back in London, mainly on food and fuel, as well as insurance which varies from country to country but is usually very affordable.

“We don’t really have any outgoing bills,” said Ellis.

“All of our electricity we get for free from the solar panel and water we get from public water sources.

“If you look at two people’s average living cost in London per month, we spend about a third of that.”

Their van is equipped with a pop-up shower that holds around 10 litres of water, although they mostly clean with a big bowl of soapy water.

“We only really use it if we have access to a water source, so we probably have a proper shower once a month,” said Ellis.

“But we’re clean,” Alex added.

One of the reasons they purchased the Renault was because of the kitchen, which boasts a small fridge, an enamel sink, stove and grill.

“It was really important for us that we have a good kitchen because we love cooking,” said Alex.

But getting used to life on the road has not all been fun and games for the couple, who have gone without many luxuries.

“The thing is, we’ve had to make a lot of sacrifices to do this, even simple things like having running water, a shower or a proper toilet,” Ellis explained.

Having to stay indoors during the winter was another challenge for Ellis, who found it hard being in a small space for so long.

But today, they spend most of their time outside and are not afraid of leaving their van for days or even weeks while they go exploring.

While Ellis and Alex “really love the lifestyle”, they plan on going back to living in a house.

“Not having a base is also one of the hardest things,” said Alex.

“Goldie has definitely become our home and is the place where we can unwind and feel settled, but I do miss being home and having everyone there.

“When you are travelling like this, you feel like an outsider a lot of the time, which is lovely for an extended period of time but then you want to become an insider again and build some routines.”

If all goes to plan, it will take them around 27 months to reach Australia, where they plan on staying for a year.

“One of the most astounding parts of our journey has been the people we met along the way,” said Ellis.

“The world is so beautiful but it’s the people which make it.

“Obviously we’ve met some cool campers along the way but I’m talking more about the locals, like in Turkey where people would just knock on our door and give us sweets, or one guy invited us to his son’s birthday party and took us out for pizza.

“Human nature has just blown us away.”

Follow Ellis and Alex’s journey on Instagram: www.instagram.com/goldieromance.