A couple who spent £50 renovating an old van have moved into it full time in a bid to become more environmentally friendly.
Nathen Fitchen, 27, from Trowbridge, Wiltshire, and his girlfriend Josephine Blossfeld, 22, instantly hit it off after meeting while volunteering in Lisbon, Portugal – and it wasn’t long before Nathen asked her to travel with him around the world.
When the couple moved to New Zealand in 2019, they bought a 1993 Toyota HiAce for just £1,423 and spent an additional £730 on the mechanical work, managing to renovate the van’s interiors with a tiny £50 budget.
The couple, who call themselves social entrepreneurs, say sustainability is at the forefront of their lives, and they would rather ‘collect memories’ than material items.
Nathen Fitchen (pictured left), 27, from Trowbridge, Wiltshire spent £50 renovating a van and travels the world full-time with his girlfriend Josephine Blossfeld (pictured right), 22, in a bid to be more environmentally friendly
The couple, who call themselves social entrepreneurs, say sustainability is at the forefront of their lives, and they would rather ‘collect memories’ than material items
When the two moved to New Zealand in 2019, they bought a 1993 Toyota HiAce for just £1,423 and spent an additional £730 on the mechanical work, managing to renovate the van’s interiors with a tiny £50 budget
‘We are really about converting homes with minimal environmental impact, but also showing that it can be affordable for everyone,’ Nathen said.
‘However, the van itself cost £1,420 and the mechanical work was £730. We paid for it all by selling up my old van.’
Nathen was brought up on a narrow boat on the UK’s canal network until he was 18 years old. From there he went to University College London and completed his degree in Earth Sciences in June 2014.
After a short stay in France and Italy in 2014, Nathen knew he wanted a life on the road full time and has been living in vans since 2015. He only came back to the UK to earn a little extra money to continue his travels.
Sustainability is at the forefront of the couple’s lives, including travelling slowly in their van to try to create the least impact to the planet that they can
Nathen said: ‘We bought a 1993 Toyota HiAce and spent 10 days building the interior using permaculture design principles. It cost us less than £50 to do it’
He explained: ‘I met Josephine in June 2018. We were both volunteering in permaculture communities in a village near Lisbon, Portugal.
‘We had seen each other, but never had the opportunity to meet and talk. Serendipitously we ended up staying at a mutual friend’s house together and I invited her to come on a road trip. The rest is history.
‘I bought my first van in 2015, it was a 1983 Ford Autohome, then in 2017 I bought an LDV Convoy and built the interior from scratch.
‘In 2019, Josephine and I decided we wanted to live in New Zealand and when we arrived there, we bought a 1993 Toyota HiAce and spent 10 days building the interior using permaculture design principles. It cost us less than £50 to do it.’
Sustainability is at the forefront of the couple’s lives, including travelling slowly in their van to try to create the least impact to the planet they can. As such, to justify their flights to New Zealand, they have spent the last year on the island.
To justify the eco-friendly couple’s flights to New Zealand, they have spent the last year on the island
Nathen told how they have designed the van to promote low waste habits – and the couple advocate ‘responsible living’
The couple have both led minimalist lifestyles for the last seven years so that they weren’t left with lots of waste
Other eco-friendly habits they have adopted are living minimalistic lives, using recycled materials and watching what they throw away
Other eco-friendly habits they have adopted are living minimalist lives, using recycled materials and watching what they throw away.
‘We prefer to collect memories and not things,’ Nathen added. ‘We have our own online community called Responsible Vanlife and it’s all about living sustainably in a van.
‘We really advocate for slow travel, making less miles and having more time to experience what is around you.
‘We couldn’t justify flying to New Zealand for a short trip, so we have been here for a year working on a feature length documentary about the Western Sahara refugee crisis and its link to New Zealand industrial agriculture.
‘We are all about travelling responsibly. For us a big part of that is travelling with a cause that will positively impact the world.
‘We are limiting the amount of travelling, using natural or recycled materials during the conversion, designing the van to promote low waste habits, advocate for responsible living, contributing to local economies wherever we are.’
Although they love the life they have on the road in the van, there are a few things they wish they were told about before starting their journey
The couple admitted they struggle to find parking spaces every night and wish they’d known more about toxic building materials before kitting out their van
Nathen added that anyone looking to lead a more responsible and intentional life on the road should head over to Responsible Vanlife.
‘We have a monthly e-magazine and soon a podcast on these topics,’ he said.
Although they love the life they have on the road in a van, there are a few things they wish they were told about before, such as toxic building materials in confined spaces, how to find parking every night and what pace they should be travelling.
He said: ‘Most building materials are toxic and give off gas for many years. Using them in such a confined space is very detrimental to your health.’
The couple say they are happy to offer advice to anyone who wishes to follow in their footsteps
Nathen says the best part of this lifestyle is reducing their need for much money and having more freedom to do the things they love
Nathen says the best part of this lifestyle is reducing their need for a lot of money and having more freedom to do the things they love.
‘We love being able to travel and in the process we are reducing our financial needs which gives us more time to do good things for people and the planet,’ said Nathen.
‘Honestly we just love the freedom to think of an idea or project and run with it and not worry about being tied down to a conventional job or mortgage or anything.
‘If you are interested in this kind of life then don’t wait to try it. You can spend a long time looking at other people living this way or jump right in. Whatever you’re doing right now will still be possible in a few years’ time, just do what feels right.
‘We are living our best life, having a blast and creating positive changes in the world.’
You can follow their journey on Instagram.