A mother has left her full-time job and husband to travel across the UK in a motorhome, saying she “wouldn’t change my life one bit”.
Kat Bird lives alone with dog in the seven-metre long motorhome and gets by on around £1,000 a month.
The 41-year-old, who is orginially from Jersey, parks up on the side of roads and campsites and not only tours the UK, but also Ireland, Iceland and mainland Europe.
She first moved into a motorhome with her husband in 2017 as the couple decided to homeschool their daughter in a bid to benefit her learning by taking her to places she was taught on.
The following year Ms Bird left her job as a air traffic controller to travel full-time, before splitting up from her husband last year to go alone with her five-year-old spaniel called Mac.
She now spends most of her money on petrol and WiFi while making an income by blogging about her experiences and has written several books about motorhoming and van life.
Kat Bird takes pictures of her travels across the UK for her blog— (PA )
She said: “I have the ability to go wherever I want with my home on my back – I know how snails feel. It’s amazing not having to pack or figure out where you want to go.
“I sort of wing it when it comes to where I go.”
She added: “I can’t see myself giving up this lifestyle any time soon – I have so many more plans on where to travel – I wouldn’t change my life one bit.”
The idea started when her daughter began having “some issues at school”, so the family decided it would be best to home-school her – but decided to do this from a motorhome.
She said: “We got her through her GCSEs. Instead of learning history out of a textbook, for example, we took her to different places to see it for herself, such as Germany to see things about the war.”
Ms Bird believes that she and her family benefited as a whole from living in such close quarters.
She said: “My daughter is an only child, and I think the experience made her interact with adults a lot better.
She often parks on the side of roads or in car parks while on her travels— (PA)
“She heard us having conversations about money and things, and she was always included in higher-level adult stuff that a lot of kids perhaps don’t see. I think looking back she can see it made us closer as a family too.”
In 2018, Kat quit her job to travel full-time.
She said: “Initially the plan was to travel around my husband’s work, but after just a few weeks, I needed something more to do so started a small blog, called Wandering Bird, sharing my travels and adventures.
“The first month when I didn’t get a proper wage into my bank account was terrifying. It definitely teaches you to be more mindful with money and figure out what’s important and what you can live without.”
The pair travelled for the next few years until they separated in 2022. Now, Kat travels full-time on her own in a £50,000 Swift 685 motorhome.
She said: “It’s around seven metres long and it has a lounge area and a drop-down bed.
“It’s the perfect size for me, with lots of storage, a kitchen, a shower and a toilet.”
Ms Bird has travelled solo both abroad and in the UK – when she is in Europe, she tends to wild park, and in the UK, she usually resides in campsites.
She said: “I’ve been to Ireland, all over the UK and even Iceland last year, which was amazing. I think my favourite place I’ve been is Iceland or the Dolomites in Italy – they’re both incredible.”
Mr Bird shares her travels on her blog, Wandering Bird, as well as on YouTube and Instagram. She’ll be speaking at The Caravan, Camping & Motorhome Show at the NEC Birmingham next month.
