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Three stories of switching to wheels: renovation, house sale and rent escape

19.07.2026 12:09 1 min 3 sources
actu.fr FRA + 2 more
Three stories of switching to wheels: renovation, house sale and rent escape
© Adèle LE BERRE

In Brief

A French couple renovates a house and two caravans for €3500, a Brest man sold his house for €112,000 and bought a motorhome, and a British couple fled high rent in a Mercedes Sprinter.

Different paths to life on wheels

A couple from Pleiben (Finistère) — Marion Guillou and her partner bought a 1950s house and plan to renovate it with a budget of €3500, using mostly second-hand materials. The wedding is set for August 8, 2026. The couple is also restoring a 1975 caravan to match their van and bought a second caravan for the children's playroom.

Ronan from Brest sold his renovated house in November 2021 for €112,000 and used part of the proceeds to buy a used 2005 motorhome for €22,000. Since April 2022, he has been living and working in the motorhome as a freelance developer, saving €300–400 per month on an income of €1600–1800. Main expenses are fuel (about €200 per month) and food; campsite overnight stays cost €5–20 per day.

A British couple — Cat Cross and Stuart Hall sold their belongings and moved into a 7.5 m Mercedes Sprinter motorhome due to high weekly rent costs. Since 2022, they have travelled over 40,000 km across 15 countries, including Scotland, Europe and the Sahara. Their monthly budget is £900–1200 (€1050–1400), lower than their previous rent.

Aggregated by OpenVan.camp from the public sources listed below, with AI-assisted translation and summary. We always link to the original source. Machine translation may differ from the original -- check the source for important details. Images and content remain the property of their respective owners. Copyright information

Story sources

Couple in Pleyben plans to renovate house, two caravans and get married this summer

19.07.2026 actu.fr FRA Original source

Selling house for €112,000 enabled move to motorhome living

30.06.2026 immobilier.lefigaro.fr FRA Original source

British couple switches to motorhome life due to high weekly rent

31.05.2026 The Body Optimist FRA Original source

🇫🇷 France — fuel prices

Updated: 18.07.2026

SP95-E10

$2.28 /l

€1.99 · £1.69/l

132 of 141

pricier than 93% of countries

SP98

$2.39 /l

€2.09 · £1.78/l

83 of 94

pricier than 87% of countries

Gazole

$2.35 /l

€2.05 · £1.74/l

132 of 142

pricier than 92% of countries

Gazole premium

$2.39 /l

€2.09 · £1.78/l

34 of 40

pricier than 83% of countries

GPL

$1.20 /l

€1.05 · £0.89/l

44 of 52

pricier than 83% of countries

Superéthanol-E85

$0.97 /l

€0.85 · £0.72/l

4 of 6

cheaper than 50% of countries

Cheapest on the map

Popular route

Distance

Fuel cost

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Est. time

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Quiz: test yourself
Guess the vanlife lingo — 3 quick questions
1 / 3
Q1 A French sign says "Aire de service camping-car". What should you expect first?

Best regions in the coming days

Grand Est +22°·35 km/h
98
Bourgogne-Franche-Comté +23°·35 km/h
98
Hauts-de-France +21°·40 km/h
97
Normandy +21°·38 km/h
97
Brittany +22°·45 km/h
97
Avoid now
Corsica +31°·23 km/h
46
Occitania +30°·21 km/h
76

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