Retired couple sell home and buy £250,000 truck for decade-long trip round the world

David Stephenson, 61, and his wife, Charlotte, 60, are two years and 30 countries into their mammoth trip, having just finished a road trip through Africa.

The idea came after spotting an overland truck in Tibet. It was love at first sight, and the couple bough it for £250,000 with a view to taking it on a worldwide spin after retirement.

The swanky mobile home is kitted out with everything they need while on the road, from a bathroom to two TVs.

The next eight years will see them navigating across Asia and Oceania, as well as driving up through the Americas.

The pair have so far spent just over two years travelling through Eastern and Southern Africa, before making their way back up the west side of the continent.

David and Charlotte’s first journey was made of ‘stunning scenery’ and ‘challenging’ border crossings.

While in Africa, they spent roughly $80 (£66) a day, and expect that average to continue throughout the trip.

A retired IT business owner from Doncaster, David saw the opportunity to give up work and travel when it became financially viable.

‘We looked at the world and decided we should undertake the hardest part of the travel first, so went to Africa during Covid,’ he said.

Having ‘travelled extensively’ throughout dozens of African countries, they’ve now taken the truck back to the UK for some repairs.

David recalls his favourite parts of the journey, commenting: ‘We really enjoyed a lot of the southern countries and all of the wildlife – it almost became part of your life.

Source of data and images: metro