Jon and Emilie James sold their home in Llanelli and invested in three acres of abandoned land in West Wales. The site had been derelict since 1989 and contained three old caravans full of rubbish. To save money, the couple moved into a 25-year-old camper with mould, no fridge, no running water, and an outdoor shower that froze in winter.
Over three years, they spent around 50,300 euros on renovations, creating a modern chalet, installing solar panels and a wood-fired barrel sauna. The couple runs a YouTube channel, Camp Out West, with 202,000 subscribers, and a blog with over 291,000 TikTok followers. They plan to start a glamping business.
The purchase price of the land and old camper is reported differently: one source says 121,000 dollars, another about 105,300 euros. The house sale brought in approximately 154,400 euros.