Retiree living decades-long dream saving hundreds a month living on narrowboat and entertaining thousands on YouTube

A retiree who saves hundreds of pounds each month living on his narrowboat, which he spent £25,000 buying and renovating, and has accrued a YouTube audience of over two thousand who follow his travels around the UK, has said he is finally living his dream.

Trevor Burgess, 64, a retired logistics manager, first got the bug for the nomad life after visiting a friend’s boat at the age of 22, and has dreamed of retiring on his own narrowboat ever since.

Prior to buying his boat, Trevor lived near Chicago, Illinois, in the US for 15 years, but after a divorce, he moved back to the UK and started to finally live out his dream.

Trevor, who has recently been based in Rugeley, West Midlands, documents his adventures on his YouTube channel – Trev’s Travels by Narrowboat – and has gained 2,700 subscribers who watch his updates after he launched the channel while living in the US to keep in touch with family in the UK.

Originally from Winchester, Hampshire, Trevor now continuously travels along the canals of the UK and told PA Real Life: “I get to meet very friendly people and explore new places. It’s the freedom of being able to travel around for me.

“I’ve wanted to do this for a long time. I’m not a city person, I much prefer the countryside and the narrowboat community is very welcoming.”

Trevor’s first time on a narrowboat came when he was just 22 years old, spending the day on a boat his friend had bought.

He said: “It was over Easter and we went on a jolly on the boat, had a few beers and went down the river. I loved it and I remember saying then that when I retire, I was going to buy a narrowboat.”

Trevor’s dream finally came to fruition after the end of his second marriage which led him to move back to the UK from the US in January 2020.

Back home, Trevor had two options – either take out a mortgage for a house or rent a property. Trevor was not keen on either choice.

He said: “I didn’t want to take out a mortgage at 60 and I didn’t have enough capital to buy outright, I didn’t want to rent, I wanted to own something, so that was another contributing factor to buying the boat.

“Although I had already decided that I wanted to buy a boat. It was something I had wanted to do for years before, and it was just the right time to do it.”

Fuel - £120.00

Gas/electric and heating - £20.00

Canal and River Trust licence - £115.00

Mooring (continuously cruising so none required) - £0.00

Water (included in CRT Licence) - £0.00

Broadband - £10.00

Maintenance - £30.00

Insurance with Insure4Boats - £19.00

Coal - winter months only - £60.00

TOTAL - £374.00

In February 2020, Trevor purchased his own narrowboat – which is 60ft long and 6ft 10in wide – for £24,000 and spent around £1,000 renovating it into a liveable home.

He said: “The boat was previously set up as a holiday boat so I’ve done a lot of work to it to make it more of a liveable place. There were six bunk beds inside, so I ripped them all out and put in a solid fuel fire.”

On the stove, Trevor cooks a lot of one-posh dishes including curry and stew.

The 64-year-old has not looked back and is now able to tour around the UK in his boat at a cost of around £374 a month.

According to research from Insure4Boats, the average monthly household expenses for a traditional home in the West Midlands are around £1,682, which would mean Trevor saves himself around £1,300 each month by living on the narrowboat.

However, despite the financial gains, Trevor has said money is not the reason why he loves the nomad life – instead, it is the community he has gained.

He said: “It’s like living in a small village. Narrowboat life is like living in the longest, narrowest village in the world.

“There’s a big community of people who live on boats, I know so many people that I couldn’t name them all. I’ve got some friends who I’ll bump into every so often and other friends who I make plans with to meet up when we’re in the same area.

“The cost does vary from month to month, wintertime to summertime. Summertime, it’s nice and sunny so if I’m not moving the boat then I don’t need to start the engine because I’ve got solar panels. So, I can generate my electric for free during the summer.”

Not one to stay in the same spot for long, Trevor does not have a base and instead spends the year travelling all around the UK.

Falling into a routine, Trevor enjoys spending his summer in the north before making his way down to Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, in time to spend Christmas with his parents.

He said: “I do get itchy feet, I like to move around and – even now – I sit in a place for two or three days at a time before getting ready to move on.

“It’s a lifestyle that’s not for everyone which I understand but if you like water and boating, if you like chilling out and watching nature, then it’s perfect.”

Despite the huge change in lifestyle, thanks to his friends getting boats when they were younger, the transition to moving onto a boat full-time has not been daunting.

Instead, he has been able to learn the ropes over the years with friends before making his purchase.

Trevor said: “I’ve done it from my 20s and when you get to learn with friends, it’s easy.

“Being on my own and doing everything myself can be a challenge but I’m very methodical with how I move the boat. I do things slowly and carefully. It’s different for everybody but you get into a routine that’s right for you.”