AN adventurous couple have slashed their bills by moving into a converted ambulance.
And Calum Rafferty and Roksana Rychlik, both 28, have travelled across Scotland and Europe in their home on wheels.
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The former ambulance cost them £4,500 on Gumtree and they fitted it with solar panels, a log burner, shower, sink and gas hob.
They also turned a whisky barrel into a table and old curtains into cushions.
Roksana said: “We wanted to be off-grid and have a more sustainable life. Everything we get is pretty much from the sun. It was important for us to use as many upcycled things as possible.”
The couple had been living in Edinburgh and paying £1,000 a month for rent and council tax in 2019.
But after studying photography together at Napier University they decided to quit the city and pursue their dream of life on the road.
They worked in whisky and gin shops during the week and travelled to Calum’s parents in Darvel, Ayrshire, at weekends to transform the three-litre Peugeot Boxer.
After completing the van, Calum obtained his HGV licence and the couple moved to Islay in 2021 to work at Bruichladdich Distillery.
They lived there for a year before leaving to travel around Scotland and Europe.
The pair visited nine countries — including Italy, Slovenia and Switzerland — in two and a half months and documented their travels on YouTube.
After running low on money, they motored back to Scotland and headed for remote Ardnamurchan, Ross-shire, where Calum had landed another distillery job.
He said: “We were blown away by how amazing this place is.”
The couple are now planning to hit the road again in the new year.
Roksana, originally from Torun, Poland, said: “We get to live in amazing places. I had anxieties. But honestly, I’m so glad I did it.”
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