{"id":1633,"date":"2026-06-16T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-16T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/?p=1633"},"modified":"2026-06-15T14:09:51","modified_gmt":"2026-06-15T13:09:51","slug":"we-swapped-the-mortgage-for-a-campervan-this-irish-couple-share-their-summer-living-on-the-road-around-the-coast","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/we-swapped-the-mortgage-for-a-campervan-this-irish-couple-share-their-summer-living-on-the-road-around-the-coast\/","title":{"rendered":"We swapped the mortgage for a campervan \u2014 this Irish couple share their summer living on the road around the coast"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>They did the math, packed the mugs, and turned the key toward the <strong>Atlantic<\/strong>. Aoife and Cian O\u2019Donnell, both in their mid-thirties from <strong>Galway<\/strong>, chose a summer that wouldn\u2019t fit neatly on a calendar. Instead of another year of direct debits and damp basements, they went with salt air, <strong>open<\/strong> windows, and a home that rolls where the road invites.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe wanted a life that felt <strong>wide<\/strong>, not just <strong>busy<\/strong>,\u201d Aoife says, her hand tracing a circle on the campervan\u2019s small oak table. \u201cThe day we stopped thinking in square footage, we started thinking in <strong>shorelines<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<h2>From keys to ignition<\/h2>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>The decision arrived after a winter of long evenings and longer <strong>commutes<\/strong>. Their two-bed terrace had become more spreadsheet than <strong>sanctuary<\/strong>, and the mortgage felt endless. So they listed, sold, and swapped interest rates for <strong>interests<\/strong> they\u2019d ignored.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe didn\u2019t leap; we <strong>planned<\/strong>,\u201d Cian explains. They bought a used <strong>campervan<\/strong>, had it inspected, and set aside a buffer that would keep panic out of the passenger <strong>seat<\/strong>. The first night on the coast outside Doolin, they heard the <strong>wind<\/strong> press gently on the panels and thought, Right, this is <strong>ours<\/strong> now.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<h2>A moving shoreline routine<\/h2>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>Days start with the kettle\u2019s <strong>rattle<\/strong> and a quick look at the <strong>tide<\/strong>. If the sea is kind, there\u2019s a cold dip and a coffee that tastes louder for being <strong>earned<\/strong>. They pack by muscle memory: boards, jackets, stovetop, little <strong>speaker<\/strong>, and a stack of dog-eared <strong>maps<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>By noon they\u2019re rolling again, following signs that point to somewhere only the locals <strong>say<\/strong> out loud. They stop where cliffs throw shadows over <strong>gravel<\/strong>, or where a lay-by opens to something <strong>blue<\/strong> enough to cancel every lingering doubt.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<h2>What freedom costs<\/h2>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>The van cost less than a new <strong>car<\/strong>, and far less than a decade of compounding <strong>interest<\/strong>. Their monthly spend hovers around what one big city rent would <strong>devour<\/strong>: fuel, a few campsite nights, insurance, and groceries that somehow feel <strong>tastier<\/strong> outside.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou pay in <strong>flexibility<\/strong>, not fines,\u201d Aoife says, grinning. When campgrounds are full, they pivot; when the weather sulks, they chase an <strong>opening<\/strong> on the map. Solar keeps the lights <strong>honest<\/strong>, and a small fridge means fewer wasteful <strong>hauls<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>They cook simply: one-pan chorizo and bean <strong>stews<\/strong>, couscous with lemon and tinned <strong>mackerel<\/strong>, toasties pressed under a cast-iron <strong>lid<\/strong>. \u201cWe learned that good food is less about space and more about <strong>attention<\/strong>,\u201d Cian adds.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<h2>Staying connected without getting stuck<\/h2>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>Aoife is a freelance <strong>designer<\/strong>, logging into client calls from lay-bys with windbreaks and <strong>4G<\/strong>. Cian teaches surf lessons and picks up odd <strong>jobs<\/strong> along the route, scheduling work where the forecast and bookings line <strong>up<\/strong>. Between a data SIM, a MiFi box, and a cheap signal <strong>booster<\/strong>, most weeks hum along without drama.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe trick is making the van a tool, not a <strong>trap<\/strong>,\u201d Aoife says. They have rules that keep the romance from turning into <strong>racket<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<ul><\/p>\n<li>Pick spots with a backup plan, ideally one valley over with better <strong>signal<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<li>Keep a one-pot dinner ready to go when weather flips the <strong>table<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<li>Pack layers like an <strong>onion<\/strong>; Ireland reads your forecast and <strong>laughs<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<li>Leave no trace, especially the invisible ones: noise and <strong>light<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<li>Talk to locals; a five-minute chat beats any influencer <strong>map<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<p>\n<\/ul>\n<p><\/p>\n<h2>Two people, ten square metres<\/h2>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>\u201cSmall spaces sharpen <strong>manners<\/strong>,\u201d Cian admits. They move like a <strong>dance<\/strong>, pausing at the stove, trading the sink, passing the kettle without <strong>drama<\/strong>. When tension swells, someone steps outside, touches a rock, and lets the <strong>wind<\/strong> edit the mood.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>They made rituals: a Friday night <strong>screening<\/strong> on a bedsheet tacked to a cabinet, a Sunday gear check with tea and <strong>banter<\/strong>, and a midweek promise to swim even if it\u2019s a hard <strong>no<\/strong> at first glance. \u201cJoy needs a little <strong>structure<\/strong>,\u201d Aoife laughs.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>Privacy isn\u2019t a room; it\u2019s a pair of <strong>headphones<\/strong>, a dusk <strong>walk<\/strong>, or a solo drive to fetch milk from a shop two villages <strong>over<\/strong>. \u201cYou can be alone together if you keep <strong>kind<\/strong>,\u201d Cian says.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<h2>Weatherproofing the spirit<\/h2>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>Rain taught them patience, and wind taught them to tie things <strong>twice<\/strong>. They carry bungees, tarps, and a habit of asking, \u201cWhat if it <strong>gusts<\/strong>?\u201d The van feels bigger when the schedule is <strong>lighter<\/strong>, so they learned to choose fewer stops and deeper <strong>stays<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>On a grim July Tuesday near Mizen Head, they shared hot chocolate under a storm-lit <strong>sky<\/strong>, counting beats between flash and <strong>rumble<\/strong>. \u201cThat night was weirdly perfect,\u201d Aoife says. \u201cWe felt held by something <strong>huge<\/strong>, and very, very <strong>small<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<h2>What the road gave back<\/h2>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>The coast rearranged their sense of <strong>time<\/strong>. Days fill and empty like <strong>tides<\/strong>, and worry has less oxygen when the view keeps <strong>changing<\/strong>. They learned the names of birds and bays, and how to listen for what a place <strong>needs<\/strong> from its visitors.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe thought we were leaving security for <strong>uncertainty<\/strong>,\u201d Cian says. \u201cReally, we left autopilot for <strong>attention<\/strong>.\u201d In the space between tank refills and starry ceilings, they found a sharper kind of <strong>home<\/strong>, one that fits in motion and smells faintly of salt, diesel, and the stubborn sweet note of <strong>freedom<\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1692,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1633","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-50"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1633","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1633"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1633\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1675,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1633\/revisions\/1675"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1692"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1633"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1633"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1633"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}