My family of 4 moved into a camper van for a year. I ran my business on the road, while my husband homeschooled our twins.

The author and her family lived in a camper van for a year.

Courtesy of Rin Hamburgh

In August 2024, my husband Illya and I, along with our then 8-year-old twin daughters, set off from Bristol, UK, heading to Dover and the cross-channel ferry.We weren't just going on holiday, though. We were about to start a yearlong adventure, traveling around Europe in our self-built camper van, Phileas.The plan was that I would continue to run my business — a marketing agency — while Illya, as a stay-at-home dad, would handle homeschooling and the practical side of van life. It seemed foolproof.After a smooth crossing, we arrived in Dunkirk and parked in one of the convenient and cheap camper car parks that make France such a great place to travel in a van. We spent the evening playing on the beach and eating moules marinière, looking out at the sun setting over the waves.The children were happy; we were happy. It was off to a good start. The first bumps in the roadNaively, I had decided against taking any annual leave to ease us into our new life gently. Instead, I had meeting schedules on our first full day on the continent. But when I went to connect my laptop to our internet, I discovered the signal strength was dismal.Eventually, after much panicking, I found the local tourist office, where I could access free WiFi. Despite using the blurred background tool, random tourists kept popping into view throughout the call. Thankfully, my client was very understanding.