We Bought a Canal Boat. Now We Travel the World. Was It Worth It?
Narrowboat life is not what we expected. We sold our house, bought a narrowboat, and dreamed of a different life. Three years later, we live aboard on the UK canal network for half the year and slow travel the world for the other half. What nobody tells you before you make that decision is that a narrowboat can be the key to travelling the world. Moor it in a marina, lock it up, and your costs drop to almost nothing. You can go anywhere, for as long as you want. We have spent winters in Malta, explored the Mediterranean, and slow travelled across Europe. Then we come home to the canals. In doing all of that, we accidentally invented a life we didn't know existed. This is the honest three-year account of selling everything, buying a narrowboat, and whether the life it unlocked was worth the risk. The good: slow travel through countries you actually get to know, a floating home that costs a fraction of what a house costs, and the freedom to disappear for months at a time. The turning point: a two-week trip to Venice that became eight weeks, because there was no reason to come home. The honest: a social circle that gets smaller while your physical world gets bigger. The logistics of seeing friends and family that nobody on the outside ever sees. Not having your own bed for half the year. Wanting a dog and not being able to have one. People assuming things about you the moment you tell them where you live. And by the end of this video: a name for the life we have built. One that did not exist before we built it. The B-Side for Nomads Club members goes further. The things that did not make the main video. Click Join under any video to access it. If you are researching narrowboat life UK, sold house bought narrowboat, is narrowboat life worth it, living aboard a narrowboat full time, narrowboat pros and cons, narrowboat honest review, alternative lifestyle UK, sell your house buy a narrowboat, liveaboard narrowboat UK, narrowboat and slow travel, full time narrowboat living, narrowboat lifestyle, or dreaming of a different life -- this is the honest account from two people who did it. Episode Facts: Canal: Trent and Mersey Canal Anniversary: Three years since stepping aboard Serenissima Champagne: Boizel, delivered via Uber Eats to a pub beer garden Pizza: Homemade, square (the oven is not big enough for round) Oven temperature: Not hot enough. It never is. First trip abroad from the boat: Venice, planned for two weeks, lasted eight 🎵 Original soundtrack composed and produced by Adam (PhD in audio-visual composition, University of Leeds) Who are The Floating Nomads? We are Rick and Adam, The Floating Nomads. We sold the house and now split our time between our UK narrowboat Serenissima and months of slow travel abroad by train, ferry and water. Whether spending winters in Malta and the Mediterranean or travelling from the Caribbean to Southampton on a repositioning cruise, we share the honest reality of life on the move. Our films combine Rick's marketing background with Adam's music PhD to capture the authentic atmosphere of every place we visit. Support the Journey New films: Every Friday evening (UK time). Channel members: Early access every Thursday, starting at just £2.99 per month. Members also unlock exclusive B-Side videos including this week's unfiltered conversation about the things we didn't say in the main video. Click Join under any video to support our work. Joining on a browser rather than the YouTube app means more of your support reaches us directly. Apple take a 30% cut from all in-app purchases. If you can, please join via a browser on your phone or computer. Chapters [To be added] #NarrowboatLife #UKCanals #NarrowboatUK #LifeOnTheCanals #CanalLife #TrentAndMersey #NarrowboatLiving #LiveAboard #SoldEverything #AlternativeLifestyle #FloatingNomads #SlowTravel #NarrowboatHonest #BoatLife #OffGridLiving #CanalsOfEngland #NarrowboatAnniversary #NarrowboatAndTravel #SlowTravelUK #UKWaterways #NarrowboatLifestyle #DifferentLife #DreamedOfADifferentLife #NarrowboatFreedom #LiveAboardUK