Travel
Couple sell everything and quit their jobs to travel the world in a campervan
This is amazing!
This Leeds couple sold everything to buy a motor home and travel the world, and to be honest I feel like doing the same.
Tina and Kevin Waddle have now been living in their motor home for three years, in a bid to pursue their passion for travelling.
The couple, who have been married for 35 years, actually did the thing we all threaten to do. They sold their home in Morley and headed out on the road in their new campervan to travel the world.
So far they’ve been to France, Spain and Portugal, as well as travelling around England and Wales.
To head out and explore, Tina, 54, quit her job as a PA in the NHS and Kevin, 62, sold his Telecommunications business, which they both say they do not regret at all!
Tina, a mother of two, told Yorkshire Live: “We’d always loved travelling and wanted to make every minute count but we’d never had a motorhome or ever been in one. We put our house on the market and we sold the home in November 2016.
“We quit our jobs and purchased a smaller home that we can rent out.
“We were scared and excited. Scared because we didn’t know if we’d enjoy it but excited because it was something new.
“As we shut the door at our home, I said I’m not leaving anything behind, all the memories are in my head. We’ve not regretted it at all. I don’t miss the house, to be honest.
“Our son thought we were bonkers for selling the house because we used to host a lot of family gatherings but he was never a big fan of travelling.
“Our daughter was sceptical at first but when she came with us for the first time for a weekend she didn’t want to leave by the end.”
The couple document their travels on an Instagram account called full_time_motorhome, which has over 500 followers.
Speaking on how they afford their travels, Tina said: “We do it all frugally. Even in the motorhome I cook most nights and the places we stay are mostly free. There’s a campsite where you don’t have to pay.
“We stay around beaches, castles and rivers, and we never have to cut grass.
“We don’t have that many plans for the week, we take each day as it comes.
“We’re impulsive and we really don’t care what people think, we just live our lives how we want to live and we enjoy our life.”
The travelling duo are currently stuck in Greece – I can think of worse places to be stuck – due to the coronavirus pandemic, and have been travelling around the country.
You can keep up to date with their travels over on their Facebook page, blog and Instagram.
Travel
Passport fees are rising tomorrow for second time in 14 months
Things are getting more expensive, again…
In bad news for holidaymakers, the cost of getting a new passport is set to rise once again.
The Home Office has confirmed that passport fees are set to rise by more than 7% from tomorrow, under new proposals.
This means the cost of online applications within the UK, for anyone aged 16 and over, will increase from £82.50 to £88.50.
Mikey / Flickr
Children under 16 will also see an increase in passport costs, with the price rising to £57.50 from £53.50.
Overseas and postal applications will also rise at a similar level, with postal increasing to £100 for adults and £69 for children, and an online overseas application rising to £101 for adults and £65.50 for children.
The new charges will officially be in place from tomorrow, Thursday April 11th.
Last year passport fees increased by around 9%, back in February 2023.
Ethan Wilkinson / Unsplash
The Home Office said in a statement: “The new fees will help ensure that income from these applications better meets the cost of delivering passport and associated operations, reducing reliance on funding from general taxation.
“The Government does not make any profit from the cost of passport applications.
“The fees contribute to the cost of processing passport applications, consular support overseas including for lost or stolen passports, and the cost of processing British citizens at UK borders.
“The increase will also help enable the Government to continue improving its services.”
Travel
Passport fees to rise within weeks as Home Office confirms new prices
Things are getting more expensive, again…
In bad news for holidaymakers, the cost of getting a new passport is set to rise once again.
The Home Office has confirmed that passport fees are set to rise by more than 7% next month, under new proposals.
This means the cost of online applications within the UK, for anyone aged 16 and over, will increase from £82.50 to £88.50.
Mikey / Flickr
Children under 16 will also see an increase in passport costs, with the price rising to £57.50 from £53.50.
Overseas and postal applications will also rise at a similar level, with postal increasing to £100 for adults and £69 for children, and an online overseas application rising to £101 for adults and £65.50 for children.
While the changes are still subject to parliamentary approval, if passed they will be in place from April 11th.
Last year passport fees increased by around 9%, back in February 2023.
Ethan Wilkinson / Unsplash
The Home Office said in a statement: “The new fees will help ensure that income from these applications better meets the cost of delivering passport and associated operations, reducing reliance on funding from general taxation.
“The Government does not make any profit from the cost of passport applications.
“The fees contribute to the cost of processing passport applications, consular support overseas including for lost or stolen passports, and the cost of processing British citizens at UK borders.
“The increase will also help enable the Government to continue improving its services.”
Travel
Wizz Air launch mystery holiday deal where you find out destination when you land
Enter the competition to win a ticket
If you’re dreaming of catching a jet plane to just about anywhere, well Wizz Air have launched a holiday deal where the mystery location isn’t revealed until you land.
The Hungarian airline will take a plane full of holiday hopefuls from London Gatwick for a four-day mystery getaway as part of its #LetsGetLostwithWIZZ campaign.
Those who win a ticket to the unknown location, will turn up to London Gatwick on March 7th to board a Wizz Air flight for ‘four days of fun, including cultural, culinary and adventure activities’ – it could turn out to be the trip of a lifetime!
To be in with a chance of winning a seat on the flight, UK residents can visit the Wizz Air’s Instagram page and follow the prompts on the Let’s Get Lost London pinned post.
“Entries close on February 22nd at 00.01am”, the low-cost airline says.
The lucky chosen ones will be able to bring a plus one on the trip and winners will be contacted via Instagram.
In a post shared to its official Instagram page, the airline put: “It’s time to get onboard our latest venture to the unknown with Let’s Get Lost London, departing from London Gatwick to…
“Do this by the 22nd February and you could be in with a chance of departing with us on an exciting flight to the unknown.
“The trip will take place between 7th – 10th March. Open to UK residents only, please make sure you’re following WIZZ on Instagram and that your profile is public.”
If you’re wondering whether you’ll need your bathing suit, suncream, hiking boots, rain coat or winter woollies, don’t worry, the 35 lucky winners will be told the climate to pack for a few days before the trip.
No other clues will be given away until touch down in the unknown destination.
UK Wizz Air Managing Director, Marion Geoffroy said: “We love connecting our passengers to new countries, allowing them to meet new people and try new experiences.
“Going on a flight to an unknown destination is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and we are pleased to be able to offer this to lucky winners here in the UK.
“Let’s Get Lost is our way of saying ‘thank you’ to our British passengers and we hope to continue serving them as they travel the world and make new memories.”
Wizz Air flies to more than 70 destinations from the UK. Last year, the most popular destinations among Brits included Morocco, Cyprus, Greece, Turkey and Spain.
It is unclear whether the airline will jet the 35 lucky ticket holders and plus ones off to one of its more popular destination choices, or whether it will choose to take them somewhere a little more alternative and secluded.
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