COST OF LIVING (1 Month Van Life Europe)

I was SHOCKED at this grand total! Is travelling Norway affordable?! Did we really spend that much on fuel?!

Also I included INTERNET costs in the grand total but didn't speak about it - we spent £95 (we have been buying data passports with three every few days that give us unlimited internet to upload videos). Expensive I know, normally we would buy a local SIM but in Norway the price per mb was more expensive than just using our UK sims. We used up the 20gb allowance we were given with our UK sims so we're paying 0.15p/mb for additional data.

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We use Epidemic Sound for all the music in our videos 🎵

Van Computer Set-up 🖥

Our Vlogging Gear 📸

Electrical setup ⚡️

Game changers for our Van Life 🚐

Who are we? 💁🏼‍♀️
We're Tom and Iz, who live and travel in our van La Bamba. We love nature and are currently traveling in Norway!!

You might find Tom in the forest IDing a mushroom, fixing something or starting an ambitious project with his laid-back relaxed approach whereas you could find Isabel cooking up a storm, sunning herself on a beach and being a busy, energetic bee with her endless enthusiasm and positivity! We are total opposites but it works!

How did we end up here?! 😁 ⏮
We met 10 years ago when we were both finishing our A-levels and had a whirlwind summer romance, hitch-hiking around France together before before going our separate ways to travel and to university. We've both always prioritised travel and adventure and have worked hard over the years in hospitality jobs to enable us to keep exploring.

Tom hitch-hiked across Europe and road tripped around Australia whilst Iz studied Environmental Science at York. Iz backpacked around South America with her sister whilst Tom studied Forestry at Aberdeen University. Little did we know we just weren't going to get each other out of our minds! Fast forward 4 years later, we found ourselves in campsite warden jobs, living in a bell tent in a wild flower meadow together! Maybe without realising this was the start of our van life journey!

Next, we both trained to be science teachers and during training, we bought a van, ripped out it's interior and converted it to live in it. Iz managed to get a remote work-from-home job that she could do from the van and Tom was passionate about starting up a YouTube channel.

Since then we haven't looked back and when the pandemic allowed us to, we travelled to Spain, Portugal, Scotland, Ireland, Wales and around Cornwall. We are now on a big European road trip! We are giving it our best shot to do YouTube full time. We have a dream of one day owning a little plot of land and building ourselves a cabin in the woods. If you're new around here you can check out our previous videos; we've been uploading weekly videos for the last 9 months and are currently releasing DAILY VIDEOS.

Our message on our channel is to inspire others to do what they love as life is too short! We love living simply, freely with less stuff but more time!

We have a Paypal and "Buy Me a Coffee" page linked below for those who would kindly like to support us further to do so ☕️ 💸

Iz and Tom :)

[conallmcelhinney]

In the grand scale of things, I have to say folks, that's not bad at all, considering a good bulk of that was the repair to van. Obviously at the minute we are being shafted everywhere with price of fuel too. So well done you are doing rightly 👍👍

[tommyovesen]

Very nice videos you make. Such a lovely couple. I have seen the videos from Bodø and to this. I live in Bodø and I am from Lofoten. You passed my birth place :) I like the way you present our places. It is accurate and you get the knowledge about the places correct. Very good work! Hope you get safely back home eventually!

[MichalBergseth-AmitopiaTV]

Norway can be expensive. Yes. But you can save so much if you want. Water is free. Kiwi, Joker, Meny, and Spar sell First Price products. They are cheaper! Cheap coke for around 10kr etc. Coop Extra, Coop Mega, Coop Prix etc got Xtra products. They are also cheaper. Rema 1000 also got cheaper products.

Also. I saw you visit Bergen. When visiting the "bigger" towns in Norway. Make sure to visit Pakistani/Foreign stores. They sell fruits and vegetables at half of the price in the Norwegian grocery stores. A lot to save there!

Also. You might have noticed it in the Norwegian grocery stores. There's always a 30% to 50% part where they sell food that is almost out on a date. You can save a lot by checking that. I am buying it as a Norwegian too. So, buying groceries doesn't need to be that expensive. You just need to know where to look.

Also. Do not throw out your soda bottles. You can get lots of NOK back by giving them back to the stores.

Love your videos. Safe journey :)

[shikantaza]

Iz, you crack me up!! Seriously though the price of fuel globally is making camper van and RV holidays prohibitively expensive. Where I live in the Brecon Beacons there are noticeably less vans & RVs on the roads compared to last year. The cost of 1 litre of unleaded petrol here in Wales is anywhere between £1.84 to £1.92 a litre, and rising.

[ASMRCulture]

A tip for the coffee: Circle K have a subscription included with their reusable cups, valid for the year - I think mine worked out to about £30 but that is for unlimited hot drinks at all of the Circle K gas stations. I bring my cup to Norway every time I go now :)

[stanetestefania]

Only discovered you a couple of days ago and I’m so grateful for how much peace your videos bring me. Thank you

[incogneeto]

That's not that bad. The only thing that shocked me was the fuel, but your van is quite a large vehicle, and especially in Norway the gas isn't cheap. As far as groceries goes, I'm super impressed. I can, and probably do, easily spend that alone per week. I have definitely gotten some motivation to keep track and try to get closer to your number.

Very interesting to hear about the economy behind the videos, and super impressive to keep everything but fuel so low. And fuel is kind of a constant variable here.

[BoxOfPringles]

334£ is incredible low spent on food. i am really impressed

[tomflaherty]

I would say money well spent. When you factor in those views and that scenery with the memories your take with you!! Priceless

[DaveyPalmer]

Your trip has been worth every penny. Memories are priceless.

[Mr.LH.]

You guys can never stop travelling in this van now… otherwise when 5pm comes I’ll just be sat there not knowing what to do x

[catepearce]

Hi, Finances look drastic when totaled up like that but I think you are doing really well, and you couldn, t cut back any more. Great to see you living a great life, seeing such a beautiful country and sharing with us. Have a great day and take care.

[KingsailK]

Thank you soo much, very interesting the cost! We watch you every night, thoroughly enjoy you both!! We have an old converted 22 year old school mini bus! My husband Mark has done a lot to it! I enjoy it!! We live in N. IRELAND, WILL Beheading south soon where I am originally from. We love your sense of humor Is!! Love Mary-Lou and Mark

[johnclankie]

Oh my goodness, and the cost includes only one campsite!! Shame about the wheel bearing, that didn’t help either. Fuel cost these days is everywhere, we were asked to pay up front in France, that tells you how many people have driven off without paying. The sights you have seen do compensate but I know what you are saying. Well done Iz for showing the stats. Cheers Mike🍷🍷

[anaale]

Well, you did it great for Norway. I am also surprised that you did not spent more money on food. Do not expect lower prices for fuel in Eastern Europe, it is about the same. But Norway is worth that money. The most beautiful country in Europe. I am planning a much more expensive fortnight trip there, and that will be enough for a lifetime.

[ronniehotdogs]

Good insight guys, you've done amazing

[tasssse]

It is not only Circle K that have that deal here in Norway. Shell and YX have this also and they all cost about the same and you can have free coffee or other warm to drink for the rest of that year you buy the cup. I believe they also have that deal on this stations in Sweden and maybe Finland also.

[TheHarrip]

These honestly brighten up my already bright day 👍

[shellyhayes]

paypal link in the description, for anyone feeling generous! My opinion - who asked me? well I am an elderly grandma type - The total sounds like a lot but food came in very low, repairs had to be done and it is Norway. Hope you remember it as the trip of a lifetime. Your Irish trip would not have been complete without GAA and Guinness❣

[johnpaki]

Kia ora guys, lucky you weren't travelling in Switzerland one of the most expensive ranked countries in the world the price you pay for being landlocked I guess it amazes me how you guys over there (Europe) can drive through multiple countries, coming from New Zealand we can only obviously lay claim to being a country where ocean views are our only borders and not a shared landmass if that makes sense, but that's the beauty no neighbours to throw rocks at us and everyone speaks english..lol cool and informative info guys love your channel much lov frm new Zealand❤️🇳🇿💯🥰 to