Lee Bodell, 47, and his partner Aimee Bedford, 39, sold their house and all their possessions in July 2026 to travel across Europe by rail, funding the adventure by working just 10 hours a week selling solar panels on eBay. The former HGV driver from Birkenhead, Merseyside, had not taken a single sick day in eight years while clocking up 50-hour weeks, until the pandemic placed him on furlough for 10 weeks.
From workaholic to full-time traveller
Lee said the experience completely transformed his outlook, prompting him to leave his job. "What first triggered it off was during Covid, I was placed on furlough and was off work for 10 weeks. I was always a workaholic and never missed a day off work in eight years being sick and I was constantly doing overtime," he said.
"Spending 10 weeks at home with the family completely changed my mind set on life and I thought 'I want to do this full-time'. I started thinking about ideas and online businesses and stuff like that." Lee built up his online business over the past few years, mostly buying and selling on eBay and Amazon, plus his own Shopify store.
Testing the waters and selling up
In May 2025, the couple rented a villa in Cyprus for 10 days to test whether running Lee's business from abroad was viable. Upon returning, they placed their four-bedroom property on the market, selling it in July 2026 for £330,000, leaving them with £140,000 in equity.
The family flew to Paris in September and have since visited seven countries in three weeks, spending £1,800 on 60-day continuous first-class rail passes. They have travelled through the Netherlands, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium and Italy, and plan to visit as many European destinations as possible before heading to Thailand for Christmas and New Year.
Financing the adventure
Lee's remote work selling solar panels for mobile homes via eBay and his own website takes up just 10 hours per week and generates between £500 and £1,000 weekly. The family estimate they have spent around £6,000 so far, including the Interrail passes, and once they depart for South-East Asia, they plan to live on a budget of approximately £1,500 per month.
Aimee, previously a family support worker at a primary school, said: "We set a couple of grand aside from the house sale and Lee's wages top that up, with some savings as well. The money that was made from selling our belongings and cars has gone towards the trip."
"We've invested the rest of the house money and hope to earn off that as well. We were spending with a mortgage, bills, days out, running the house and cars with four children around £3,000 to £4,000 a month."
Life on the road
Daughters Matilda-May, 10, and Mila, nine, have been taken out of formal education and, despite being "initially sad" to leave behind family and friends, are adapting to life on the road. Aimee said they want the children to learn through travel rather than recreating school at the kitchen table, and she would be "ok with them not attending school for at least two years" if that is what they want.
The couple's two eldest children, Billy, 18, and Lyla, 17, chose to remain at home with family, though they have since flown out with Aimee's sister Katie, 37, to mark Aimee's 39th birthday in Italy. The family hope to eventually put down roots outside the UK, though they are yet to decide on a destination.
"We'll see where life takes us," Aimee says. "The beauty of being able to travel is we might find somewhere and it might be our forever home." Posting their choice to leave the UK on social media, they hope to "inspire" other families to take the plunge.
