'We sold our £535,000 home and pulled our kids out of school to travel around Europe in a campervan'

A couple have sold their family home and swapped it for life in a campervan to travel around Europe with their children. Carl and Ruth Jackson, both 43, pulled their three children out of school as they said life on the road will give them a 'more valuable education'.

The couple say they struggled through the Covid lockdowns and vowed to make the most of their freedom when it came. In July 2022, they made the bold decision to put their property in Swindon worth £535,000 on the market. After it sold quickly, they used some of the cash to buy a £60,000 campervan.

The pair then took their children Maisie, 11, Pippa ,10, and Marley, five, out of class and headed off on a road trip around Europe, where they have since visited 28 different countries. Carl and Ruth, who run a signage business, say they have no regrets - and believe their children have learnt more on the road than at school.

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Dad-of-three Carl said: “We had talked about going travelling since we’ve been together, but it’s one of those things you think you’ll do it, but it never happens. I was the stumbling block, but one day Ruth just said, 'Let’s go'. And then I just thought, 'Why not?'. So off we went."

The couple decided on the plan in July 2022, and managed to sell their house in the same month. They then bought a six-berth motorhome for £60,000 - complete with a tow car which goes behind it.

Carl said: “We did a dry run up to Aberdeen and stayed on a families' driveway. It all went well. When we started, we made no bookings at all. We only knew that we wanted to take the kids to Lapland."

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