Our SHOCKING Expenses after 3 Months Abroad | Full-Time Motorhomers Encounter Unexpected Challenges!

[@jacquibrown3305]

Sorry to hear Pippin is injured hope she makes a good recovery.

[@TheHappyTravellers]

Thank you for your kindness. We're doing everything we can to help Pippin recover quickly including lots of love and care :)

[@suziq4394]

We have an old (2011) Chausson Flash 14 and it has large twin single beds at the rear which are perfect ! Not saying buy the same van , but do have a look at the layout. Enjoy your down to earth real life videos.

[@TheHappyTravellers]

Thank you so much for the info. We're glad you enjoy the down-to-earth vibe of the videos. Your support means a lot and we'll certainly look at the layout you suggest :)

[@nixonmark42]

Steve you carry on, never mind what others say. Jealousy 👍😝

[@TheHappyTravellers]

Yes you are right. I do feel sorry for people who feel that venting their frustration on KZbinrs will help them somehow. 👍😀😎

[@vanscran1672]

Hi, some people use a dishwasher tablet or clothes washing tablet in the toilet cassette not toilet blue. 🙄Our dog, some years ago now, used to bark in German, a German Shepherd dog of course. A friend had a standard poodle which barked in French also. 😃😃😃

[@TheHappyTravellers]

Haha, love it! Dogs barking in different languages sounds like a pet talent show waiting to happen! What’s next, cats that meow in Italian? LOL

[@janehardy2746]

Keeping everything crossed that Pippin makes a full recovery. Wendy i totally agree how stressful it can be. Keep your chin up. Xxx

[@TheHappyTravellers]

Thank you Jane for your kind words! We're all hoping for a speedy recovery for little Pippin and appreciate your support.

[@angelanicholson951]

​@@TheHappyTravellers just watched this video after you were in my suggestions, and thought I'd let you know, if you don't already, about " Veternary Secrets", who is a canadian vet on yt and has a website. He's brilliant for info and for remedies. I just tapped in Cushing's, and he has at least one video. He often repeats as he learns more. Very knowledgable. Hope Pippin fares well.

[@QB2ERS]

Well known that UK vets are increasingly a rippoff, many owned by investments firms most likely based in tax havens

[@clivemillington8452]

Hi I unsubscribed when you bought and lived on a barge . But now you are back on the road .re subscribed . As we like travelling abroad for 90 day stint 👍👍😹😹😹

[@TheHappyTravellers]

Thank you so much for re-subscribing! It means a lot to have you back, and we can't wait to share more travel experiences with you! Stay tuned Clive and if you have access give us a HYPE!

[@RobertMorgan-e3q]

Hi, just came across your channel today. I'm recently retired and looking at buying a motor home. So if you drop me details of yours that would be good. Funnily enough, I'm looking at at ebikes and powerbanks as well. Thanks, Robert

[@TheHappyTravellers]

Hi Robert Welcome to the channel. The “CuddleBus” as we call it is a November 2020 Wiensburg Carabus 600K panel van. We’ve used it as a daily vehicle as we downsized from an AutoTrail Comanche when we bought a narrowboat. Now back to full time van life we need to “go large” again. I’ll be doing a full tour when we are ready to sell. We’ve added an “outsmart the thief” alarm tracker system, 250amh lithium battery, tow bar and a Fiamma FS80 canopy awning. Currently has 33000 miles many of these at 57mph on motorways to Spain and Sweden.

[@rmtechnology55]

so cute dog

[@TheHappyTravellers]

Thank you! Dogs really do have a special way of stealing our hearts, don't they?

[@alanwoodward6896]

Stay away from a bailey they have many problems

[@TheHappyTravellers]

Cheers Alan, yes the model we have seen just gives us an idea of a layout. There are two major boxes it would not tick. 1 - UK Hab Door - We find european hab door easier 2 - Looks like it has a small "garage" We'll most likely end up with a German Manufacturer ...

[@suzyporter16]

Hi both, I've sent you a PM on messenger to Steve Happy Travellers about Pippin. Best wishes 😊

[@TheHappyTravellers]

Hey Suzy, Can't see the message anywhere on FB Messenger. Maybe email us - contact at thehappytravellers.tv

[@mapstheway9763]

Sending love and healing to pippin ❤ love your vlogs thankyou xx

[@TheHappyTravellers]

Thank you so much for your kind words! We and Pippin truly appreciate all the love and healing vibes. ❤️

[@wombal177jim]

the British government is punishing the British public for the Brexit almost unanimous vote. its wrong on all levels especially taking the heating allowance off the pensioners. ATB!

[@TheHappyTravellers]

We are taking a serious look at moving permanently to Europe.

[@philipprowse4522]

we have a 10 year old jack russell with the same problem and our vet have given our dog medicine it has worked but does take time and he really was against the operation as he said it was not that successful so hope all goes well for Pippin, All the best

[@TheHappyTravellers]

Thank you Phillip, Pippin is doing quite well currently so we are hopeful for a full recovery 👍😀😎

[@JeffCM1]

People must be pretty well off to spend £1500 on rent. That's twice my pension

[@TheHappyTravellers]

Rents are pretty steep these days and £1500 a months seems normal but as you say it's double a UK State pension !

[@davidlawton7845]

Normal toilet blue works well enough £1.25 from Aldi.

[@TheHappyTravellers]

Thanks David. OUr problem was that we spilled 4 litres of Elsan all ouver our storage unit! So toxic to clean up :(

[@terryevans637]

Great vlog guys , stay safe & always look on the bri you know the rest . I feel your pain on the vet's bill my Maltese cost me a fortune couple of weeks ago , these vet's have a licence to print money .

[@TheHappyTravellers]

Hey Terry We are pretty optimistic so thanks for your good words. It’s taking a while to get back into the UK way of doing full time van life. Thanks again 👍😀😎

[@samm4265]

Sorry to hear about Pippins leg, is she using a leg brace to help with walking, if not, you can buy them on line, shopping around will get one at a good price.

[@TheHappyTravellers]

Thanks Sam The vet has advised against any external brace. They say it needs to be used as much as possible while not too much LOL Pippin likes a little leg massage (don't we all...) so she will lay in my arms a relax for a few minutes while I do that for her. The vet recommended that :)

[@78selsey]

oh my goodness how lovely to see you two back have you not got your boat anymore

[@TheHappyTravellers]

Thank you 🙏 Yes we sold the boat in June and have now “officially” returned to full time motorhome living. We missed it so much 😀😎👍

[@sharoncurtis4920]

We have just returned from Anglesey and couldn’t believe our eyes when we saw diesel was £1.31 a litre there. We filled our camper van up before returning home to south east England! Love your videos and wishing Pippin a speedy recovery.

[@TheHappyTravellers]

Sounds like you grabbed a sweet deal on diesel Sharon, LOL - Thanks for the love on the vids, and Pippin says a big thank you for the speedy recovery wishes!

[@robertellis7808]

Watched from your Commanche and took the plunge to full time 14 months ago, sold the house retired early and loving it, great to see you on the road again, it has given us the ability to travel that we could never afford.

[@TheHappyTravellers]

Hey Robert, It's amazing to hear how you took that leap of faith and are now enjoying the freedom of the road! Keep exploring and making memories, life is just too short to live in one place.

[@robertngreen6]

I hope you have some less stressful weeks now and that Pippin is ok. Make the most of the slightly cheaper fuel prices here before they all get put up again! Take care!

[@TheHappyTravellers]

Thanks Robert, I’m hoping for a stress-free week, but with our current luck, the fuel prices will rise just as we start feeling relaxed. Local Morrisons Diesel is at £137.7 :)

[@geoffcrimmins8542]

yay another e bike and powerbank channel.

[@TheHappyTravellers]

Hey Geoff, So pleased you like it :)

[@suemartheath]

When people say that the British are lazy for not learning a language it's not logical. As you rightly say, English is the universal language. If we learned French (any more than "to get by") it's of no use in Germany, learn German, it's of no use in Spain and so on. If you have an interest in designing a specific language good on ya but calling a whole nation lazy is just either rude or illogical. Hope all goes well this week.

[@TheHappyTravellers]

Hey Sue, way back when I started secondary school I started to learn German. We had a choice of German or French. As it turned out a class of about twenty-five 14 year old boys being taught German by a 20 something female teacher did not go well LOL - All of us were kicked out of that class.

[@susangranger3089]

Hope all goes well for you both and Pippin, when you get your new motorhome, can have your best life, especially, when you go abroad. Take care, see you in the next Video. ❤🐕😊 xx

[@TheHappyTravellers]

We truly appreciate your kind words Susan, It means a lot to us, and we can’t wait to share our journey with you all in our "new" van. Van life really is the best life :)

[@mrLoftladder]

like you we now do 3 month UK/3 month Europe only we still have a house in the UK. Also finding the same problems, ie busy traffic, high campsite fees etc. Apart from a week visiting the "children" who live 70 miles from us and one night in a carpark we've not used our van since we returned in mid July. Off to Spain/Portugal in 4 weeks for our next adventure.

[@TheHappyTravellers]

Yes, it certainly "feels" more of a challenge in the UK after this 1st week back. I think it'll settle down as we go on though :)

[@Leah-s6p]

Different to you, we have a house is Spain but live in a motorhome here, yes, campsites in UK are expensive for what you get, plus Stealth camping is getting harder. In Europe, campsites are cheaper and stealth camping is much easier. Guess France and Spain has more land, plus the UK government is constantly restricting any lifestyle and social pleasures for everyone.

[@mrLoftladder]

@@Leah-s6p certainly right there, if we were younger we would get out for good

[@rowan7658]

Get a compost toilet.

[@TheHappyTravellers]

Yes, that's a workable solution. We had one on the boat we just sold :)

[@theabbottsabout9090]

Wishing Pippin a speedy recovery ❤ Love the videos guys 😊

[@TheHappyTravellers]

Thank you so much for your kind wishes for Little Pips recovery! We really appreciate that :)

[@MotorhomeBeasts]

Aldi or Lidl dishwasher tablets is a cheat way instead of useing blue ,so I’ve heard but more importantly my heart and prayers go out to pipin I know how you feel and I know how much he means to you and that you’ll love him and care for him to the fullest no matter the cost ❤

[@TheHappyTravellers]

We really appreciate your support and kind thoughts for Pipin. It means a lot to us to have such a caring community out there in youtube land :)

[@QB2ERS]

Go "dry" if a habitual freecamper like us. Pennies to go dry, €1 on a knock off PeeWee for the girls to pee in bottles,, a stash of sturdy lidded one kg yoggie pots, doggie bag in the pot sat in the Thetford, do it, knot it bin it, keep it in the pot until u find a bin. Extractor in the loo a must really. Campsites? What are they? Never on one...

[@stuartwallace7536]

Nice vid guys. Yes, UK is a heck of a lot more expensive than most other countries in the world - hence the reason why i intend not to spend my retirement here - also, the current govt appals me - however, wont descend into politics on here. When i worked in Luxembourg (cheapest fuel in Europe btw), my colleague Mario used to speak to his parents in Italian, then his wife would call and he would speak to her in Luxembourghish (yes, they do have their own lingo), then speak to his kids in French, then our boss in Flemish, then turn around and start speaking to me in English - all fluently. Sorry, i know im in the minority here , but i cant stand dogs (maybe something to do with being attacked by 2 in the last year) - all they do is bark,sh1t, and bite (sometimes kill) people , oh, as proved, cost a heck of lot of money. Littlehampton can be a bit noisy when next to the road. On your way oop Norf, maybe try Ashridge Farm at Ashwell near Baldock - lovely serene site in a beautiful village with a lovely olde world pub tucked behind the high st.

[@TheHappyTravellers]

Haha, love your take on the UK Stuart! And wow, Mario must have a language app on speed dial! Thanks for the tip about Ashridge Farm, sounds very good!

[@StephenLincoln-f4h]

Our Bishon tore her crush ligament, and we got a leg support to put on from amazon for a few weeks and she regained walking on it, she had cushings disease for five years which was treated with one tablet a day.

[@TheHappyTravellers]

Thanks Stephen, we're in a quandry about all this stuff with Pippin. The vet says one thing and lots of other people say another thing. It seems that the people with experience (including you) say to support the leg for a while and that helps. The vet says not to. I think I trust you guys more than the vet! This vet is new to us so I'm not sure about them. They've gradually chipped away at our money with lots of suggestion that we might be better off doing something (like the last blood test for £90) which turns out not to have been needed at all, "better safe than sorry" approach is what the vet is taking.

[@stellaswancounselling]

Golly gosh guys that’s a rough week you’ve had. Life just is a roller coaster. I hear you re costs. Cost of living gone through the roof. I don’t know how people manage ❤❤

[@TheHappyTravellers]

Hey Stella Yes cost of living in UK is certainly a bit of a shock this week. £700 already in a week compared with about £250 a week in Europe ... I'm sure things will settle though :)

[@raymondc5473]

When little things all come at once, it looks like a bit of a disaster. Hopefully, little Pippin will recover quickly. Here in Spain, not many pay for pet insurance because vets are that much cheaper. Why don't you do a tour of the van with the upgrades if it's up for sale soon. It's a great little chat video and update. Good luck, remember, this too shall pass.

[@TheHappyTravellers]

Thank you Raymond. Pippin's hanging in there; with our love, she will do better every day. A van tour is a great idea as a 'pre-sale" intro. We've been planning a comprehensive van tour so maybe it's the right time to do it :)

[@Leah-s6p]

Cant stop looking at your doggy, she/he is amazingly cute. Never watched you before, but good luck on your travels x

[@TheHappyTravellers]

We really appreciate your kind words! It means a lot to have support, especially from new viewers (Welcome to the channel!). Thank you for the good luck wishes on our travels!

[@martinfield1484]

Ah poor pipin I’m sure she’ll recover ok regarding the Lincoln show Steve I took my caravan up for the 4 nights it’s a superb site full entertainment loads of camper motorhomes and by the Monday the prices were tumbling

[@TheHappyTravellers]

Good to see prices come down a bit. We tend not to do the entertainment thing at shows. My hearing wont take it - Too much rock music in my teens :(

[@ManyFunAdventures]

Must of missed a vid or two somewhere. Have you now sold your boat then? Great to hear that you are going back to full time vanlife again. You and Wendy were part of our inspiration to doing this ourselves over 5 years ago now. We now have a bit of land on a farm as our base now just up the road from Crick. You're more than welcome to pop round for a cuppa and a natter along with lovely little Pippin. 🥰🥰

[@TheHappyTravellers]

Thanks for catching up mate! Yes, we sold the boat in June 2024, and we're excited to get back into full-time vanlife. We REALLY missed it... It's amazing to hear that we were part of your inspiration to go into van life. I remember your visit to us when we were having the Victron System fitted on the Commanche. Cheers for the invite :)

[@ManyFunAdventures]

@@TheHappyTravellers Yes, I unashamedly (more or less) copied what you had done. The only real difference I think was the Lithiums. We had two 100Ah installed while you had the one 200Ah one. I think your B2B might of been different to ours too, but otherwise Kevin done the same job (which drove him mad! lol). You had more space in your huge Commanche. 😎

[@meraldes]

Hi Steve and Wendy, I watch your vlogs for a few years now, so glad for you both you are traveling in a motorhome again. Good luck with finding the new motorhome. Hello from Holland

[@TheHappyTravellers]

Thank you for being a long-time viewer! We’re excited about this new adventure and appreciate your support from Holland!

[@shirleylambden1561]

Im sure Pippin will slowly improve with time, love and care❤ On a different note, we use solbio toilet fluid....no chemicals, smells ok and seems to work....the really good thing is u can tip it down a normal loo Have a good week xx

[@TheHappyTravellers]

Thank you for your kind words about Pippin! I truly believe that love and patience will work wonders. We appreciate your recommendation for the solbio toilet fluid as well, always looking for better options!

[@cypruscats8450]

A friend's dog had exactly the same issue, the operation cost £3,000!

[@TheHappyTravellers]

Thanks for the info. Pippin seems to be improving slightly day by day :) - We are taking extra special care of her though :)

[@bestlife26]

If you ever need to stop somewhere nr Eastbourne, your welcome to use our drive with ehu. We met at Peterborough show a couple of years back and nice to meet a genuine couple.

[@TheHappyTravellers]

We really appreciate your generosity! It was such a pleasure meeting you, and it's nice to know we have a friendly spot to stop by!

[@dalemiller5893]

My god now i know why they are called winging Poms 😅

[@TheHappyTravellers]

Hey Dale, sorry you feel that we are whinging (not winging), this is just the reality of our situation. Not sure if you're a dog lover but it's a hard go when your little pet get injured and there's not much to do about it. Hope you enjoyed us "Whinging" and don't forget to like and subscribe for more!

[@QB2ERS]

Naughty naughty!

[@dalemiller5893]

Only one place to be naughty is da cot eh brother and sister 😭

[@beabayer4705]

Hallo from Holland 🐾🐾🌷⚘️🌷🐾🌷Bea und Uwe

[@TheHappyTravellers]

Hallo, Bea! Thanks for joining us from Holland! How's everything over there?

[@beabayer4705]

Everyhting is oke the weather is nice mit the rv traveling 😎😎👍👋🌷⚘️🌷🐾🐾

[@sirbrian9404]

Good luck to both of you ❤

[@TheHappyTravellers]

Thank you 🙏

[@stephenrobbins2931]

I've been looking at van life with interest as I intend to retire soon although still a fair way off getting a pension. If we sold our house we could easily afford a good camper van and would have enough left over to tour all over Europe as well as the UK on a permanent basis. The concern I can't get away from though is if we were to do this, what happens when one of us loses our health and is no longer fit enough to live out of a van? I watched a very sobering video on retirement the other week that gave the average age at which people do lose their health, and it was so much sooner than I thought (around 65). I understand it's an average and it's possible we could both go longer than that, but it seems a hell of a gamble, and inevitably at some point we will no longer have the mobility or the ability to live van life. I wondered what others thought on the subject.

[@TheHappyTravellers]

Hi Stephen Ah the good old “what if”… Life is far too short to sit and wonder. It is said that at the end you will only regret the things you did not do. We are both 67 years so we must be raising the average 😀 Life is full of decisions and we can only do what seems right for ourselves. Did you ever watch the movie “Sliding Doors”?

[@stephenrobbins2931]

@@TheHappyTravellers it was really a "what when" rather than a "what if", as it's inevitable one day. I was wondering if others had some good ideas what they will do when the time does come to hang up the vanlife boots. My mother is in her 90s and living in a very nice care home now, but her house is being sold to pay for it. Without that she would be at the mercy of the local council, and in a home where all there is is a TV in the corner.

[@TheHappyTravellers]

Oh, we have a great deal of experience in the care home subject. Not sure people get value for money OR any better treatment, but hey we all do what feels right.

[@rowan7658]

Buy a cheaper van and invest in a ground floor flat somewhere and rent it out if you can afford to. You will always have some bricks and mortar then to return to if needed.

[@paullawrence8572]

Go back abroad guy's, end of October fuel ⛽️ tax is going sky high with this lot now ++++ Hope your little dog keeps improving health wise. Delete the trolls comments their only jealous!

[@TheHappyTravellers]

Hi Paul Oh, the trolls don't bother me. I feel sorry for them and yes I do delete the really bad ones. Schengen Zone Visa rules "prevent" us from going to Europe until late December. I am certainly looking forward to that already. We have started looking into Portugal "permanent visa" as I've been told that other full time motorhomers have been allowed to stay. We certainly fit most of their criteria - Fingers Crossed :)

[@motorhomers-r-us]

@@TheHappyTravellersthat’s interesting have you any info on that ? Please or which visa is it. Looking forward to the costings Xx

[@TheHappyTravellers]

As we are UK Citizens we are allowed to visit the Schengen Agreement Countries for 90 days in a rolling 180 days. That’s what restricts our Europe travel. We are looking into visas for Spain and Portugal AND possibilities of leveraging my Irish ancestry.

[@motorhomers-r-us]

@@TheHappyTravellers Yes were aware of that but I hadn’t heard of any full time Motorhomers managing to stay in Portugal 🇵🇹

[@TheHappyTravellers]

That’s something we were told while chatting to people in France at an aire. We are going to check that out. We certainly qualify on financial grounds. 👍😀😎

[@yorkieminer6525]

Good luck guys x

[@TheHappyTravellers]

Thank you, much appreciated :)

[@Wanderingwalter]

I had one guy comment I’m a vagrant and he wasn’t happy I don’t pay council tax !! Ignore the negative and keep doing what you’re doing as I love this way of life !!

[@TheHappyTravellers]

Thanks for the support! It’s always great to hear from those who appreciate this lifestyle. Let’s keep spreading positivity! By the way, I'd probably not pay council tax if I lived in a bricks and sticks home...

[@Wanderingwalter]

@@TheHappyTravellers I’ve been full time for over a year now and will never go back !

[@QB2ERS]

Campsite B&B or hotel owner on the council

[@markstevens717]

Hi to the both of you,have you sold your boat now and going to live full time in the van? Regards Mark& Sheila.

[@TheHappyTravellers]

We have missed being in the van full time. So much happier now.

[@juliemarkham7481]

I have a Border Terrier who was diagnosed with Cushings disease 3 years ago when he was 10, (by a vet in Portugal for a fraction of the price here in the UK) . He is on daily vetoryl tablets and is doing great now. Symptoms of cushings are fur loss, especially on the tail - looks like a rat's tail, excessive drinking, pot belly, insatiable appetite, and lethargy. If cushings is confirmed, dont worry as it is easily treated with the meds, although expensive! ❤🐾

[@TheHappyTravellers]

Thank you Julie. Very comforting to know that ❤️❤️❤️

[@tonyrobinson362]

Our beagle Jasper had cushings it was so expensive to keep him going but it's something we all do take care.