Interview with Living is not Expensive

Updated: March 3, 2023

An interview with Living is Not Expensive with practical information for traveling or living in a caravan, fun anecdotes and safety tips.

This is a new section of the blog that I wanted to start for a long time, it is about interviews with travel blogs.

Today I interview Carol and Alex from Living is not expensive, a very nice couple who They embarked on the adventure of living in their own camper van.

In the interview he has a lot of information that will help you if you have not yet decided to travel in this peculiar way or even change your life like they did.

In the interview they also tell funny anecdotes and how they resolve some issues typical of living in a caravan.

At the end of the article you have all their links to follow them and not miss all the information they share.

– Who are the creators of Vivir no es Caro?

We are Carol and Alex. So to define ourselves very quickly:

Alex is 43 years old. He is from Castellón.

He has been a mechanic by profession (and vocation) for many years. His great passion is cars, fixing things and nature.

Before changing his life, he became self-employed, rented a warehouse and began selling and delivering food to bars and restaurants.

He is the public relations of the project, because He loves meeting people and also talks a lot, he he.

I (Carol), am 36 years old. I am from madrid.

I studied to be a librarian, but I ended up working on issues related to websites, content and now I work in a travel agency.

My 4 great passions are traveling, reading, writing and drawing.

I am the shy part of the project and the craziest and most creative part. I love looking for ideas and trying new things.

– How did the idea for this adventure come about?

One day we started watching videos on YouTube of people who lived traveling and we thought: How cool! It would be cool to do it too!

But at that moment we had many fears.

One day Alex fell while delivering and hurt his knee.

They took x-rays and told him that he had a bone problem and that the job he had with so much physical effort was not good for him, and that if he continued like this, in a few years he would have pain everywhere (he already has a few now).

Also, around the same time, a good client of his had a driving accident due to overwork and died.

Between that and some loved ones who have gone by our way before their time…we realized that any day it could be our turn and we said to ourselves:

Why not try it? What if we don't get to retire? Or what if we arrive in bad condition?

So we set a date, We started saving and in a very short time, we were already camperizing our van.

– Does the van have a name?

The truth is that many times we have thought about giving it a name, but we couldn't find one that fits it, so We simply call it “the van.”

Suggestions are welcome, hehe.

– How do you choose the places you are going to visit?

We improvised a lot, really 😀

We get carried away.

Sometimes we have a specific place that we want to visit, but along the way we entertain ourselves with things that they recommend to us, or discoveries we make looking at points of interest that catch us along the way.

Yes, we take into account adjust to the income we have.

If we are overspending due to any unforeseen event, we move slower, and we avoid destinations where the standard of living is very high.

Also we choose a lot based on time. We flee the rain and avoid crowded areas.

– What has been the best place you have visited? Why was it so special?

For me, The French Alps area was super special.

We did several routes that seemed spectacular to me: Lac Blanc, the Bossons glacier… AND The surroundings were wonderful, no matter where you looked.

To Alex, He fell in love with Cantabria (me too :P).

We were out of season and were practically alone anywhere. Nature, tranquility, beaches…

We stayed there for a month and a half and it was perfect.

– During the time that you have been traveling in the van, was there any destination that you did not expect much from and that surprised you? 

A lot of! In Spain It happened to us with Albacete.

We always had that saying “Albacete, shit and go” in our heads, and We were very surprised by the number of routes and beautiful places it has.

In France, the Jura region we loved it too.

It is barely known in Spain and it is a shame because it is full of amazing places: lakes, pretty towns, castles… and very little crowded.

An ideal destination for summer.

– How easy has it been for you to get teleworking (remote work) and be able to do it from the van?

The job I have is the same one I worked at before we went traveling: in a travel agency.

The initial idea was to take a leave of absence for a year and see how things went, but in the end I managed to convince my boss to stay at a distance for a while Let's see how it goes.

Since it has worked well and the work turns out the same, I have been able to maintain it until now. And it is great for us to not use up savings.

Doing it from the van, for me is the same as doing it from an office. I have a seat, I have a table, electricity and an Internet connection. I do not need anything else.

– Have you had any problems finding where to park to sleep?

It is usually easy thanks to applications like Park4Night that guides you with comments from other travelers.

There are a lot of corners, so we don't usually have problems.

– How about the security issue?

In general We felt pretty safe in the van., but it is true that We choose the places to be very carefully.

If we see something strange or we don't like the atmosphere somewhere, since we have wheels, we pack up and go just in case. It is better prevent.

If you have a little common sense and are guided by instinct, you won't have big problems.

– Would you recommend living in a camper to a single woman? Carol, would you feel safe traveling alone?

Before meeting Alex (and after too) I have traveled a lot with hostel and backpacking friends.

It has never scared me, but it is true that we almost always went to big cities.

Traveling by van alone or through more isolated places would be difficult for me.

I think the desire to travel would make me do it anyway, but I do think I would be afraid in certain situations.

Now, for example, very commonly We share time with other travelers.

We open the door of our wheeled house to them at the minimum and we go into their houses as soon as they invite us.

In summer we also have the side door open all day. I think if I were alone, I'd be more careful with that.

Once while in Tuscany I went for a walk alone in nature because Alex's back hurt and a man who was driving his car reversed when he saw me alone and changed direction to follow me slowly.

It wasn't far from the van, so I went quickly towards it where Alex was and as soon as the man saw him, he went the other way.

If I had been alone, I don't know what would have happened. It scared me to think about it.

– What is the biggest challenge you have found about living in a caravan? 

When something breaks in the van and we have to repair it on the road.

Since Alex is a mechanic, he always fixes it himself in any parking lot, but Sometimes it is difficult to find the parts, we do not always have the necessary tool or sometimes they are breakdowns that take time and when living in the van, it is difficult to manage.

We always end up finding a solution, but they are a bit stressful times.

– What trick do you have for when you need time alone?

Good question!

We talk a lot to each other, so We resolve arguments quickly and they don't last too long. They can be intense, but short, hehe.

Even so, if at any time we want to have our space, the good thing is that Although the van is small, the yard we have is huge.

So from time to time, we go for a walk separately and that's enough.

– The solution you created to go to the toilet inside the van was very ingenious (don't miss the video below).

¿Any other similar ideas that you are especially proud of?

Ha ha ha. The toilet video always makes people talk.

Another thing we are proud of is the table. we wanted a large table that could be dismantled and rotated to be able to get up even with the table set or with the computers.

There are plenty of tables with these features on the market, but they tend to be expensive.

Manage to make a custom one with leftovers, that is so comfortable for us and that it would cost us €0, It was something we are proud of.

– Is there anything that you didn't consider necessary in your daily life and now is an essential in the van?

Yes, without a doubt, the cables to connect to the outside light.

We thought that since we spent the night for free with 98%, we wouldn't need them.

We also thought that the solar panel and the booster would be enough to charge the battery, but in winter that is not the case.

By living here 24/7 and also having to work, we use more energy than we thought, and the cables to connect to the light often save our lives.

We have discovered that There are plenty of free motorhome areas with free electricity (or at a reasonable price) and we use them a lot in rainy weeks so we can work in peace.

– What is the most valuable lesson you have learned from living in the camper?

That less is more.

We live in a very small space and have very few belongings, but we realize that We don't miss anything.

We have a bed, we have a roof, energy, water, food... and a lot of nature around us.

We have many less material things that in our previous life, but we enjoyed it much more.

– What is your craziest or funniest anecdote?

A lot!

For example, in the Black Forest we decided to visit Freiburg im Breisgau. Looking for where to park, we don't know how, we end up in the heart of the city.

I told Alex to turn around, that we were getting into the historical case, but since there was a car ahead, he decided to continue.

When we realized it, the car turned, we continued straight ahead and, Suddenly, we were in the middle of a super-central, pedestrian plaza., with the tram passing by us and a lot of people walking and cycling who looked at us strangely.

And we were there in the middle with the van and we didn't even know where to get out.

Now we laugh, but at that moment we had a terrible time 😀

– Any recommendations for someone who wants to live in a caravan?

Simply that open your mind and be aware that you are going to have to adapt to many things. Not everything is a bed of roses.

Social media sometimes shows it that way, but there are a lot of problems and bad parts that you are going to have to deal with: temps, having a bottle made next to you at night, mechanical repairs and the expense that entails, getting sick in the van and being feverish in a small space, running out of power and not being able to turn on the heating...

They are little things that we have become accustomed to, but they sometimes they are stressful.

It compensates us, because the good part is much greater.

– After all the time you have been living in the camper, do you confirm that Living is not Expensive?

Ha ha ha. The way life is getting with inflation... it seems like a joke to say yes.

But Actually we do believe it.

It's all a matter of adjusting to your income.

• Can't we go to Norway because it is an expensive country and our expenses would skyrocket? Well we stay closer.
• Can't we go out to dinner at a restaurant? Well we cook in the van.

In the end the things that make us happy are free: a walk through nature, an afternoon sharing a chat with other travelers, enjoying a spectacular sunset...

Of course you have to work and have a minimum income.

But that's the same as living in a van as it is living in a normal house. Besides, In a house, the expense is much higher.

– Any phrases you want to share?

That definitely, less is more 🙂

You can read all his articles on his website Living is not expensive and follow them on their social networks:

• https://www.youtube.com/vivirnoescaro
• https://www.instagram.com/vivirnoescaro
• https://www.facebook.com/vivirnoescaro

Note: all photos are from Vivir no es Caro provided for this interview.

More interviews with other inspiring travel blogs:

• Quim and Elena's travels: a traveling family with many tricks for traveling with the little ones