Me

About me.

I am Paul, in my late 40’s about 8 years ago I realised that I wanted to travel.

I started my adventures by buying a red ex post office LDV Maxus Van (hence secondclasshobos) and converting it into a camper. 

I travelled for a year throughout Europe in this van. 

France, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Germany, Spain and Portugal. 

I loved the freedom this kind of life gave me and that it was very affordable.

On my return to the UK I continued to live in the van and planned my next trip.

This time I wanted to visit somewhere where I would have a complete culture shock and life would be very different.

I looked to the East.

I had always had a desire to visit Vietnam, the photos fascinated me and the life looked far removed from my own.

I sold the van and flew to Hanoi, Vietnam.

I spent a month there, I volunteered and taught English.

But I needed a paid job, it was proving slightly tricky. Then I met Norm in a hotel foyer, “Go to Cambodia” he advised me“You’ll be there in a few hours on the bus and you’ll get a job no problem.” 

So I did, I took the bus to Phnom Penh, the capital, and yes I got a job, very quickly.

I spent a year there teaching. When the city became too much I returned once more to the UK.

I bought my second van on my return. I travelled to the Orkney Islands to collect it. It was a big old Mercedes.

I eventually sold it and went back to living in a house for a while. 

Whilst planning my next trip Covid hit and I was grounded.

As the country came out of Covid I was desperate to travel once more. I toyed with the idea of Mexico but I felt we had unfinished business with Cambodia but this time I would head for Siem Reap.

This is where I stayed for a year and made some great friends and memories. Amazing photographs and moved to online teaching.

Update: April 2023

Now I am back in the UK mostly saying around the southwest.

I have been moving from house to house as a house sitter, when not sitting I stayed one or two nights in my stealthy campervan, on longer periods I would go back to my hometown and stay with family.

Update: February 2024

In a bid to save money, I have moved into my van full-time and work part-time driving a minibus on the school run and built up my side hustle on Rover (Dog sitting).

Trusted House Sitter is a platform that matches homeowners and house sitters for a small yearly fee, the fee is for admin of website and accident insurance.

The premise is that a homeowner wants to go on holiday and need someone to care for their dogs, cats or both. 

That's where I come in, I stay in the house, so it is not left empty and walk the dogs and feed them or cats and sometimes water the plants too.