“I left home and work to live in my car and I’ve never been happier”

A man who quit his job to live full-time in his car and travel around the UK says his life has “improved enormously”. Maciej Bober, 41, lived in Northampton for 10 years and paid £550 a month to live in a shared house.

After working “a lot” of different jobs over 10 years, he lost his father in 2017 and struggled to maintain a relationship – he realized he wanted a change. He took a job as an UberEats driver, earning £300-400 a week – and drove on a whim to Penzance, Cornwall, on the night of June 1, 2023.

Since then, he hasn’t had to pay a dime in rent by moving into his Fiat 500 – which he parks on side roads and in car parks. He still works as an UberEats driver wherever he goes – earning “enough to pay for his needs”.

All his belongings are stored in the boot of his car – while his payment goes towards car insurance, food and a £45 gym membership just so he can use the shower. More eat takeaways – for “convenience” – but also buy bread to make sandwiches.

Maciej says he has made many friends in the Cornish town and is “happier and less stressed than ever”. Maciej, from Gliwice, Poland, said: “Living in my car makes me feel free – and for me freedom is the most important thing.

“I don’t have to pay rent and I can live wherever I want. When I decide to leave Penzance I can – I’d like to live in Glastonbury for a while or somewhere in Devon.”

Maciej says he has always disliked the “greyness” of Northampton. He claims his seven colleagues often kept him up at night and he felt the area was unsafe. On March 2, 2023, his owner asked him to leave via email.

He decided that this would be the best time to uproot his life and leave the city for good. “Northampton is a depressing place,” he said.

“There’s something about it – it’s quite gray and grimy. It doesn’t have a safe vibe either. I’ve had a few things happen in my life that have been quite traumatic for me – I’ve had a few heartbreaks and my dad died.

“It got to the point where everything about Northampton reminded me of depressing things. I was living in this eight-bedroom house – and one day my landlord contacted me and said I had to move.

“I thought ‘perfect, I’ll pack up and go’.”

Maciej was in Cornwall on holiday in early 2023. He visited Bodmin, Saltash, Newquay and Truro but says Penzance was “by far” his favorite town.

After packing up his life, he traveled to Penzance that same night and pitched a tent. He lived in various campsites for six months – before realizing it would be cheaper for him to stay in the car.

“I decided that I spend so much time in my car that it wouldn’t make any difference if I slept in it,” he said. “However, there are good parts and bad parts – but my experience has been mostly positive.”

Since moving, Maciej has gone on a number of ‘adventures’ while living out of his car – including climbing Land’s End and traveling from campsite to campsite. He said: “I’ve met a lot of great people here, I even met someone on the campsite for a while.

“My friend from Truro, a climber, took me to Land’s End. It was nice”.

Maciej’s next stop will be Glastonbury next winter. “The winter here is unpleasant,” he said. “It’s windy and raining a lot.

“Before next winter I might go to Glastonbury – somewhere not too windy. I like the atmosphere there – so maybe I’ll stay there.”