I was forced to move into van full-time with my son after breakup left me homeless – high rents gave me no other option
A MOTHER-OF-ONE was forced to turn to a nomadic lifestyle after a breakup left her struggling to pay rent.
Single mother Beck Wood shared a flat in London with her boyfriend but realised the cost of living was too great once they separated.
After moving into a single room post split and deciding it wasn’t worth the money, the former band member decided to take the motorhome leap full-time.
She welcomed her baby boy Willow to a freshly babyproofed Ford Transit MK6 van in 2022.
Beck told Liveration: “I don’t know how people survive being a single parent living the way you’re meant to live – I just don’t know how you could do that.
“I moved into a property and it was £800 a month in London, and I was like ‘I’m just in a room’ and I can’t justify that.
“I resented spending a lot of money on a flat and it just felt more comfortable to be in a van than in a room, because I could move the van and go out of London at any time.”
Beck spent a lot of time living in vans when she was touring in her band and explains it’s where she feels most comfortable.
After her breakup she lived in an campervan while she was working in the city and later converted a Ford Transit with an eight-month-old baby Willow.
Now the make-do mummy shares pictures to her 7,186 followers under the Instagram handle nomad_mother.
She posts about living a ‘simple lifestyle’ and talks about the benefit of van life compared to renting.
“The best part about living unconventionally is that fact that I don’t stress.
“My outgoings are so minute, I don’t have the stress of ‘oh my god I have to pay this bill‘ or ‘the rates are going up.'”
With a 240 volt solar panel fitted to the roof and a self-contained kitchen, she says the savings are incomparable.
By living rent free Beck, who was previously an interior designer, was able to purchase two vans and a boat with all the cash.
In a van tour she takes us round the wooden interior pointing out the garage, which is actually the left front-seat, and the shed, which is under the bed.
“While I was thinking about what I wanted it to look like I also had limited budget so I just thought lets just go cheap, but make it look cool.
“I sort of wanted that Norwegian-Scandi look but I also wanted it to be really cheap.
“I love properties, don’t get me wrong – if someone offered me a farmhouse with loads of land I’d be up for it, but this just suits me and my life.”
With grandmas on both side being Gypsies, Beck thinks the travelling lifestyle is simply in her blood – she said she also couldn’t do it with the emotional support from her parents.
She added: “I don’t know if people think that I’m mad – we’re warm, we’re cosy, we have a great life.”
“There’s a lot more freedom in your lifestyle when you’re living like this – obviously it’s not desirable to everybody, but it’s desirable for me.”
As Willow gets older the nifty nomad plans on upsizing again and has set her sights on a 7.5 tonne horse trailer.
The homely Ford Transit is currently up for sale on Beck’s Instagram with the caption ‘My heart and soul went into this build, she’s truly a beaut.”