30-year-old couple quit jobs to drive from Malaysia to Portugal in $11,000 van

For some people, Jacinda and Martin are living the dream, traveling the world without the trappings of careers, jobs, kids, and other responsibilities. That they’re doing it in an environmentally-conscious manner and with a van they bought cheaply in Singapore make for an interesting story about becoming an adult Singaporean.

Martin and Jacinda, married Singaporean couple who just turned 30, and instead of finding ways to establish their careers and begin planning for a family, they decided to pack their lives up, quite their jobs and go on a road trip that has no set ending except for the destination, which was Portugal. they bought a cheap van in Malaysia for $11,000, took out the seats, and fitted it with the necessities like a bed.

Read about the travel writer who says a Singaporean passport is wasted on people who prefer to buy $1000 phones and Eurotrips

Jacinda was able to let go of the trappings of her responsible adult life in Singapore since she was working freelance, but Martin had a bit more difficulty, as he was in a corporate job.

The above Instagram shows that they go to bed early after a day of driving and traveling. When asked about how they sleep and if they turn on the airconditioning in the van and sleep while it’s on, they replied that they don’t use the airconditioning and use USB-powered fans while they sleep instead.

Not all sunshine and rainbows

Still, this unconventional setup has its unforeseen difficulties, aside from the obvious ones such as budgeting their money and getting around driving licenses. In one post, they talked about how they were woken up in the middle of the night to the police knocking on their van.

According to their Instagram account, they said that they wanted to experience the world while they were young instead of waiting for retirement age in Singapore as others were wont to do. While their family has voiced disapproval over their choices, they are enjoying their trip around the world so far even if there have been some hiccups.

What do you think of Martin and Jacinda’s #lifechoices and their decision to travel while they are young?

Let us know in the comments!

Header image from Martin and Jacinda’s Instagram account.