I quit my ‘disgusting’ job to live in van – now the beach is my garden

An electrician who “rage-quit” his low-paying job and decided to start living in his van to save money for a home has said he now has the luxury of choosing the beach as his back garden.

Earlier this year, Dom Wright, 30, who lives in Edinburgh, Scotland, was renting a spare room for £750 per month while working for an EV charging installation company but with 12-hour days, earnings of less than £10 an hour sometimes, and expenses of around £850 per month, he “rage-quit” in March, giving one week’s notice.

He had bought a £17,000 Ford Transit van to replace his old vehicle just before quitting and, with a desire for a new way of life, he spent between £1,000 and £2,000 on renovations and installations and decided to live in it to save money.

With tinted windows, a double bed, a desk, and a portable shower, Dom has been travelling around Scotland since April and can now choose various scenic locations for his “rear garden”, including Portobello Beach.

He will buy foods on special offer and use his camping stove to cook steaks or a stir-fry and so far, while working as an electrician and with expenses of £550 to £850 per month, he has been able to save approximately £4,000 in five months.

Although he has experienced some “Clarkson’s Farm-type” blunders believing he had done a “clever job” with the window installations only to discover rainwater had been flowing in all night he is enjoying a simpler way of living and often finds himself reading books by the beach in his “cosy” van in the evenings.

He has even started sharing his van life journey on his TikTok account @outside_with_ron, which has more than 8,000 followers, and his most popular video has accumulated more than 750,000 views to date.

Dom told PA Real Life: “I’ve always liked the outdoors… and there’s something cosy about (living in the van).”

“I just pull into a quiet car park or a layby, I’ll turn the light on low, I’ll read a book or watch some YouTube, and it just feels cosy.”

“I get to live anywhere, essentially, if I’m not disrespectful, so I can go by the beach I’ll pull up, make a brew, and sit literally by the beach, just like my garden.”

“Sometimes I’ll open the side door or the rear doors, and I’ll literally say out loud, ‘That’s my rear garden’, as a joke. You make it fun and you make it light-hearted.”

Dom, who joined The Royal Marines in January 2015, has lived in many places across the UK and has always enjoyed the outdoors.

While renting a council flat in Dundee, he bought a three-bedroom property to let in Manchester in 2020 for additional income and this is rented by a young family-of-four, who pay £650 per month.

After leaving the Royal Marines in May 2022, Dom started working as an electrician and moved to Belfast, Northern Ireland but after a dispute with his landlady, he “left that night” and went to a campsite.

Although he did not know his next steps, he said this experience inspired him to try van living one day.

“I literally was going to work from a tent, but honestly, it was the best two weeks,” Dom said.

“Since there was no electrical power there, I made sure not to use my phone, so when it was going dark, I was going to bed or reading Lord Of The Rings at the time.”

“It was in the countryside as well, just outside Belfast, and it was just getting home, getting the stove on, cooking a nice meal.”

Dom later moved to Edinburgh and started working full-time for an EV charging installation company towards the end of 2023.

However, with long hours, no overtime pay, his rent of £750 including bills for a spare room, and expenses of around £850 per month, he decided to quit in March 2024 in search of a better work-life balance.

“I was working 12-hour days, and it was a fixed salary, and eventually I realised on some days I was earning less than £10 an hour,” he said.

“It was hard work as well and, with stress, I started to worry that it was too much and I rage-quit and gave them a week’s notice.”

Dom had bought a £17,000 Ford Transit van as “a runabout” just before quitting, as his previous vehicle kept breaking, but as time went on, he thought: “Actually, I might just live in it.”

In April, he started making renovations putting a double bed and a desk in the van, along with installing tinted windows which cost £350, cladding, and insulation and he bought a large battery pack for £600.

To cook, he uses a camping stove, which he has owned for more than a decade, and to wash, he will either use his portable shower from Decathlon or the facilities at his gym.

In total, he has spent £1,000 to £2,000 on the van and although he could do more, he wants to keep costs as low as possible.

“It’s very basic because I wanted to save money… but since then I’ve just been driving around and travelling around Scotland,” he said.

Depending on his mileage and other factors, he said it costs between £550 and £850 to live in the van each month but he is now saving at least £750 per month, adding to his current savings of £25,000.

He said he will need at least £50,000 for a deposit and expenses to buy a home in Edinburgh, but having saved around £4,000 in the last five months, he is determined to continue with van living.

He usually parks in a car park overnight, checking there are no restrictions to do so, and he said: “As long as you’re being respectful, no-one should have an issue with it.”

Occasionally he will feel lonely and question whether he is “being silly”, but overall, he is enjoying his new way of life and would “totally recommend it” to anyone.

“The best parts about van life are saving money, having a newfound appreciation for things, being outside, and being disciplined as I have to keep everything tidy,” he said.

Dom is concerned about the cold weather during the winter months and the issue of damp and mould with the condensation, but he said he will re-evaluate and adapt as necessary.

He also said living in his van has forced him to improve his problem-solving skills and not to “overthink things”.

Speaking about his advice to others considering van living, he said: “When I first started doing it, I was embarrassed because you think everyone’s looking at you.”

“So, for example, I’d go to Asda car park, I’d go to the back and start cooking, and I’d think people are going to look at me and say, ‘What’s that weirdo doing?'”

“But actually, if you look around, there are loads of people in cars or campervans cooking or doing other things.”

“So, as long as you’re being respectful, not leaving rubbish, and being quiet, don’t be put off and don’t be embarrassed or shy… just go for it.”

To find out more about Dom and his van living, search @outside_with_ron on TikTok.