Family Quits UK Life to Travel Europe, Funding Their Lifestyle With a 10-Hour-a-Week Online Side Hustle

A British family has sold their four-bedroom home and left the UK to travel around Europe, with dad Lee Bodell using his online business, which he says takes about 10 hours a week to run, to help fund the adventure.

Bodell, 47, his partner Aimee Bedford, 39, and their two younger daughters, Matilda-May, 10, and Mila, nine, flew to Paris in September after selling their home and belongings. They have since travelled through seven European countries using first-class Interrail passes that cost the family £1,800. The family plans to explore more of Europe before heading to Thailand for Christmas and New Year.

From 50-Hour Weeks to Life on the Road

Bodell, from Birkenhead, Merseyside, previously worked 50-hour weeks as an HGV driver. He had not taken a sick day in eight years before a 10-week furlough during the COVID-19 pandemic changed his outlook on work and family life. 'Spending 10 weeks at home with the family completely changed my mindset on life, and I thought, "I want to do this full-time,"' he said.

He began building an online business selling solar panels for mobile homes through eBay and Amazon, alongside his own Shopify store. Bodell said he now earns between £500 and £1,000 a week from the business and spends around 10 hours a week working on it. 'It should give us enough income to keep us travelling and even settle down somewhere in the future,' he said.

They Tested the Lifestyle Before Selling Up

The family did not immediately abandon their UK life. In May 2025, they rented a villa in Cyprus for 10 days as they explored whether they could make the lifestyle work while Bodell ran the business remotely.

After returning home, they put their four-bedroom property on the market. The property sold for £330,000 in July 2026, leaving them with £140,000 in equity. Money from selling cars and other belongings has also contributed to their travel budget while most of the house proceeds have been invested.

Seven Countries in Three Weeks

Since leaving Britain, the family has travelled through the Netherlands, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, and Italy after starting in France. Bedford, a former family support worker at a primary school, said the family wanted to escape a routine that left them with little time together.

'We'd reached the point where we really felt like we were just existing rather than living,' she said. 'We wanted more time to experience life together.' Their two younger daughters have been deregistered from school, with their parents planning to continue their education while travelling.

Experiences Over Expensive Meals

Despite their unconventional lifestyle, the family insists this is about far more than an extended holiday, generally staying outside tourist hotspots, shopping at supermarkets such as Lidl, and avoiding eating out every night. 'We do have to make decisions about money like not eating out every night,' Bedford said. 'The things we want to splurge on are experiences.'

That approach marks a significant shift from their former UK lifestyle, which Bedford said cost between £3,000 and £4,000 a month once the mortgage, bills, cars, and days out were factored in. 'We knew it would be more expensive in Europe, but once we get to Southeast Asia, we will easily be living on £2,000 a month all in,' she said.

Their two older children, Billy, 18, and Lyla, 17, have stayed with family in the UK. Beyond Thailand, the family has no fixed destination. They hope to settle abroad eventually but have yet to decide where. 'The beauty of being able to travel is we might find somewhere, and it might be our forever home,' Bedford said.