Driving from England to Bulgaria | Moving Abroad #13
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- Опубликовано: 15 окт 2024
- How much does it cost to drive from England to Bulgaria?
In this week's episode, we finally make it back home to Bulgaria.
Special thanks to DFDS for gifting us our travel from Dover to Calais. To book your next crossing visit: dfds.travel/aF...
We're Phil and Kayleigh, a husband and wife living in rural Bulgaria with our two children, Alex and Ember. It's always been our dream to live a more self-sustainable life off grid. So, we've sold all our belongings, escaped the rental rat race and bought a plot of land. Complete with a derelict house and 3 barns, we hope to create our new life mortgage free. We've faced lots of hurdles already, so hang on tight as we show you highs and lows of moving abroad and starting again.
Ние сме Фил и Кейли, съпруг и съпруга, живеещи в провинциална България с нашите две деца, Алекс и Ембър. Нашата мечта винаги е била да живеем по-самоустойчив живот извън мрежата. И така, продадохме всичките си вещи, избягахме от надпреварата с плъхове под наем и купихме парцел земя. В комплект с изоставена къща и 3 хамбара се надяваме да създадем нашия нов живот без ипотека. Вече се сблъскахме с много препятствия, така че изчакайте, докато ви показваме върховете и недостатъците на преместването в чужбина и започването отново.
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I am so happy to see you all happy. I love your boy! He is so like his father! Happy that your wife is healthy now! Wish many more english people came to Bg.
She is very focused and determined so I am sure she will be fit and healthy in no time. Yes, Alex is certainly my mini me! We love living here and know of many others from England who have/are moving here. Phil.
It's really nice knowing Bulgarians like foreigners to come to their country, it's such an amazing place.
I’m Bulgarian 🇧🇬 I moved from Bulgaria to England around 5 years ago with my family, I haven’t been back since and I miss it so so much.. hopefully we will go soon for a week or two
hi, are u planing to turn back bulgaria permanently in future? i am also planing to move there but i am unsure because there are so many bulgarians living abroad
We have heard from many Bulgarians who are moving back here or are moving from the Bulgarian cities and moving back to the villages. ❤️🇧🇬
@@OffGridWithTheUdens are you working in bulgaria or do u have an income from the uk?
@@gizemlikisi6213 I work full time and very lucky that I was able to continue with my work remotely when we moved here. No hidden savings or massive bank account (winning lottery ticket hasn't found us yet 🤣🫣). We live month by month and do what we can when we can 😊
@@gizemlikisi6213 We speak to many Bulgarians who mainly go to work in the UK, but they want to return to Bulgaria.
❤ Lovely family 😊 Good luck in Bulgaria 🇧🇬 👍
Thank you for following us on our journey ❤️🇧🇬
Hello lovely family. Last week i found your channel,i watched almost all videos. Well done. I'm Bulgarian but living in England from 13 years. Actually my home town in Bulgaria is not far from your village there. This what you doing also is what i want to do in a future,and also many Bulgarians who lives in England. I can tell you again well done and follow your dreams for less independent life. I wish you family all the best.😊
Thanks so much for watching our journey! We really do love it here, lots still to learn but enjoying the process. Our quality of life is so much better here than in England. ❤️
Me and my wife think the same as you. The summer is coming,and you've been choosing probably the best region to live in because the soil is best there to grow delicious fruits and vegetables. Enjoy the amazing tomatoes 😄.
Welcome back from GB to BG 🙂and recovery goes very well. Assuming this video is a little bit old. The weather was absolutely crazy in April. Temperature went from 30ºC to 5ºC literally in a couple of days. There was snow in Southern Bulgaria! But, the good news is that around May 2024, it is hopefully going to improve. Crazy spring!
Thank you! Nope these videos are at a maximum of 2 weeks old. We try hard to film and edit them quickly so we can keep our friends and family updated 😊
The winters in Bulgaria are steadily becoming gentler. In the next 5-10 years, the climate is likely to resemble that of Portugal, prompting a surge in interest from people looking to relocate here.
Yes the seasons seem to be shifting on the calendar and we are very aware that we need to be careful, particularly in the summer months where fires will be more prominent. 🔥
Hey again :) im so glad to see you managed to get back to real home.... Hope kayleigh her recovery can even go better over there and respect that she managed to go this fast back again with you guys... I hope all stays good healthwise and we can see many more of your video's they are awesome edited/made respect and hope you gain more followers quickly. Greetin from Netherlands, You passed me very close when you went trough aachen germany as i live in Limburg/NL(city heerlen) Aachen is like 20-30 min away from me.. Stay healthy and hope to see more video's in the future
Thanks so much! We hope to release a video every week now. Thank you for all your support along the way ❤️
@@OffGridWithTheUdens cant wait ! :)
Hi, welcome back. Were out here again next month for 2 months then back to the UK to let the family use our house, and back again in September as Shengen allows. As someone who hasn't driven over, any change you can do a long form video showing the journey map, and tolls, borders, crossings, vignette and other requirements etc. Cant wait to see the 2024 projects.
Really pleased you've found it informative. There's quite a few videos out there documenting in length the journey. We decided not to, as our focus is on our off grid lifestyle out here in Bulgaria 🇧🇬❤️
Very informative video , thank you. We are venturing out to Bulgaria end of may , in our car and seeing this video has eased a lot of my worries tremendously . We will also now book with DFDS , thanks again . All the best to you and your family in your new home x
That's great to hear! Great to hear you've booked with DFDS too 👍😊
So amazing how far you've come since the hospital congratulations to you're family you have done the best thing leaving UK, with children good look keep videos going seen you in bulgaria 🇧🇬 wen we get out
It's certainly been quite the rollercoaster ride but we are still standing strong ❤️😊
Welcome home to Bulgaria Phil, Kayleigh, Alex and Ember. Kayleigh, congratulations on your rehab, you appear to be walking really well 👏🏻. Wishing you sll the vety bedt with your upcoming prohects......let the work commence 😊
Thank you very much - yes definitely have a long to do list to be getting on with now!
Welcome back. Can't wait for the next video and those projects to get in motion.
We can't wait either! So many projects to get started! Next video will be on Sunday - we're aiming for weekly videos now ☺️
@@OffGridWithTheUdens nice! You have my full support with likes and watching the videos.
Glad to see you are back there and getting on with your life there Phil.
Thanks - yes great to all be back together again.
glad to see you all back and look forward to your videos of your journey how is your wife's leg now hope she's getting stronger xx❤
Thanks for watching! Kayleigh's leg is much better but she has a lot of physio to do, it's a long process but she's very determined 👍😊
why do I always tear up at your videos!!! (Em here, not Lee obvs!) Lovely seeing Ember potter about, and seeing you all chill together, well deserved rest at the end xxx
Aww Em! I won't lie, we all had a tear or two in our eye at the end of this one. It's so easy to forget why you've made such big life decisions and taking the time to sit back and see what you've already achieved is so important. Very proud of Alex and Ember ❤️
@@OffGridWithTheUdens This is so lovely.
Hi we are Bulgarian happy to see amazing people welcome to home Bulgaria hope you are very happy so much freedom enjoy hugs from your family ❤❤❤❤❤
Thank you so much. We absolutely love it out here! ❤️😀
Lovely to see you all so happy
Good luck with all the forthcoming projects 😘
Thanks so much - we're excited about the next steps!
Fantastic video. So pleased you’re all back in Bulgaria. Onwards & upwards 😊❤
Theres that quote, 'Life is not about how many times you fall down. It's about how many times you get back up.' 🙃😉
Welcome back! So good to be at home in this wonderful weather!
Absolutely beautiful weather and so good to hear the birds singing too ❤️🇧🇬
welcome back look forward to your next video
Thanks very much - should be every Sunday moving forward 😎👍
I know it possibly doesn't feel like it with everything you have been through, but this moment has come around fast. Congratulations to you all - so pleased that you are home again. 13 mins into the video you did exactly what we did when we arrived in Bulgaria and the glorious sunshine (breathed it all in). You all look so happy and well and sending Kayleigh loads of positive thoughts for her complete recovery.
Thank you. Yes, think it's so important to take a few minutes, breathe and appreciate how far you've come. We're all very happy and so pleased to be back ❤️
@@OffGridWithTheUdenshi are you BG born
@@FreyaRae1510 No, Kayleigh was born in Wales and I was born in England.
Thank you @DFDS !
Absolutely - was an absolute pleasure and we genuinely were impressed with the trip!
Well done to you and your family. It's great to see you back and your wife is now fairly mobile. You came back to nice weather, but now where we are in BG it's now turned cold again. Looking forward to your next video. Take care.
Yes she's doing really well thank you! It's got a lot colder the last few days but that makes it easier to work in 😊👍 Appreciate you watching, thank you.
You guys look so relieved and content!
Yes we really are - although the length of the to do list means we have alot to be getting on with 🤣🫣
Glad to see you all back at home! I love your videos, back to my favourite thing to watch your videos on my journey home on the N15 bus to East London after Sunday night shift.
We're pleased we can keep you company on your trip home. Thanks for watching our journey!
Congrats on your return, isn't it great when you get home. I will be back in June after a year away and I cant wait. Have the best summer 🙂
I bet you can't wait! Every year brings new challenges but we are just so happy to be back here sooner than expected.
@@OffGridWithTheUdens good luck with everything and I hope your channel goes from strength to strength
So glad you all back together in Bulgaria. Well done x
It's a great feeling 😁
Was just thinking about your videos the other day. So glad to see Kayleigh back on the move! Alex is such a great big brother to Ember. I can't wait to see what happens from here!
He's an incredible big brother and takes it all in his stride. Kayleigh's worked really hard to get back up on her feet - she's pretty determined!
We are so happy that you are all happy together again in Bugaria❤Many blessings beautifull people😍Enjoy 😊
Thank you 🥲 We feel extremely fortunate to be back together and in this position, things could have worked out so differently. Thank you for following our journey ❤️
@@OffGridWithTheUdens ❤️ You are a blessed family.We love to follow you.Looking forward to your next video.☺️😍
@@RuinsRebuilt Thank you. Hopefully, a new video out every Sunday moving forward 😄
Awe, this gave us "Happy End" feels. Welcome back!
Always a happy ending somewhere ❤️☺️
Us too!
I’m so happy for you guys 🎉 you look so delighted to be back to Bulgaria ! I hope everything goes well for you ❤All the best
Thanks ever so much - means alot ❤️
Glad you all back together spending some quality time together, great video.
This was so long ago but yeah it always feels so much better when we are together. We're a tight family unit ❤️
Nice one Mate, got couple of questions for you. How many hours did you drive each day? Where did you sleep at nights?
What was It like going through the borders , especially Romania to BG , did you have to pay anything at customs ?
Did you need to get any permission to have the caravan on the land ?
And how did you manage to blag that free trip on the ferry.?
Oh by the way, glad to see you guys back in BG and hope health allows you to accomplish your mission.
The drive over wasn't rushed, but Phil stopped to sleep whenever he needed to, mainly overnight. We had no issues at the borders, but then had no reason to have them. Just like others, we have partnerships with brands - we only work with those we are happy to recommend or truly back.
Thank you - we are very pleased to be back home ❤️
We like DFDS, enjoy getting out of the van and having a walk about the ship. Kayleigh is walking well, I am sure the lovely warm weather will aid recovery. Will you be getting the campervan put onto BG plates?
Yeah she's doing really well 😊 totally agree - walking around the ship really breaks up the journey. We don't intend to import the camper as it won't be driven anywhere for now. It's parked up on the land and when/if we decide to drive it back to England we will obviously ensure it's legal. We are in the process of sorting out the Land Rover for importation but had a few delays!
new follower that's binged all videos in a day. It's notable how much your editing and camera work has improved through the episodes.
Thank you very much - not going to lie, it's the result of many hours of hard work so I appreciate you noticing. 👍😊 We will continue to improve as time goes on I'm sure 😊
Hi Dear Family,
I love your channel.
I am Bulgarian live in London UK, but I have a country house in Bulgaria too.
Thinking go back home .
Your videos are very inspiring for me.
Good look and see you next time.
Love
Harry from Bulgaria
Hi Harry 👋
We have heard of many Bulgarians who are moving back home. I think you can learn so much by traveling and spending time in other countries. Thank you for watching our journey ❤️
Thrilled all of you are back.
☺️🥰 Thank you for your support along the way!
Great sea views with hot breakfast rolls? Looks like you had such a smooth crossing 😌⛴
Absolutely - it was a mini holiday in itself! 😍
Lovely video as always. Thank you.
Thank you ❤️
Subscribed 🙌🙌 With you all the way 👍👍
What an an inspiration you all are 🥰
Wishing you a speedy recovery Kayleigh, you are doing absolutely amazingly.
I only found your channel today as I too am looking to take the plunge once I've saved enough pennies. A little older at 52 but still have the adventure within me. Your channel is such a help & gives me a new zest for life. I too have some mobility issues, waiting for a knee op soon. Can't wait to be walking around 'normally' ready to make the move.
I will be watching you all on your incredible & brave journey here on in 🙂
Thank you ever so much. Recovery is such a long journey but it's so worth it - wishing you all the best with yours. I spent alot of my recovery watching others as a form of inspiration and it really helped keep up my drive to keep going ❤️
Wellcome back, Friends. Enjoy your time here!
It's SO good to be back! ☺️ It's our happy place ❤️
Hi, Udens,
I live your videos! And i watch every single one of them. My family and I have spend 20 years in the UK (Kent area) but have noticed it is getting more and more dificult to live in the UK. So recently we have sold out UK property and moved back to bulgaria (we are orgiginaly from Bulgaria). I have a question for you guys:
Have you noticed a decline in the standard of living in the UK? For our family it was getting harder every year and at the end we did not feel middle class any more where we both had a prety good jobs, we owned our house and only 1 child to look after.
We wish you all the best guys and we are looking forward for your future videos.
Hi! Thanks so much for watching our videos - we're pleased you're enjoying our journey. We moved from a particularly expensive part of England, all of our costs were rocketing and we decided before COVID struck to escape the rental rat race - that's why we converted a van and lived there full time. We have both always worked and it just felt we were working to survive. We have a much better way of life over here and alot happier. 🇧🇬❤️
@@OffGridWithTheUdens I am so pleased you are all back in Bulgaria and all in good health. I hope there will be a larger British comunity here in the future! As i must admit i realy miss the fish and chips and the pubs. So i hope one day you guys (british expats) will start opening some of them here :)
@@valentin_danev hi, i am also contemplating to bulgaria from turkey. hows life in bulgaria? are you happy to living there now?
move*
@@valentin_danev I think that is already happening further up north but certainly not something we would need down here. We love Bulgaria for Bulgaria 🇧🇬❤️
Добре дошли в България! Успех и много щастие!
Благодаря ти. добре е да се върна у дома. ние притежаваме нашия имот от няколко години. обичаме го тук.
Nice one guys. I think that the mileage and summary in £s for diesel and tolls and time was a great bonus. Puts things into perspective.
Your children are great! Welcome back to Bulgaria... Xx
Yeah they're alright for tiny humans 😜 We hoped it would be useful as we know prices are forever changing, so thank you for the feedback ❤️
It's crazy the difference in the weather at the start of the video and when you reached the bridge between Bulgaria and Romania. I could feel the Vitamin D through the video ooohh😊there is no better mood pill than a going out in the sun with perfect blue sky. I'm so happy you guys are doing well and back in Bulgaria. Hope you have an air conditioner for the summer. May is the month when it rains the most. If you can see if the student graduates in a town nearby parade in their gowns and suits. In smaller towns they do this bc its no trouble for the police to close the roads for them. Cars drop them off one by one on the street near the school and they walk on foot to the school for one last time. I remember it was fun to see what they would wear.
Thank you - we're back and doing really well! ☀️
all the best
Thank you 😊
Curious to know how far above sea level your village/place is? And soooo good to see Kayleigh doing so well and you all back on your homestead. ❤❤
We're about 120m above sea level I think 🤔 Thanks for your continued support ❤️
@@OffGridWithTheUdensThank you for your answer. Are there many villages around 1000m above sea level? (You don't need to answer, I know it's a bit of a 'how long is a piece of string' kind of question).
@@angelay1925 it's not something I've ever really thought about. I'm intrigued to know why you've asked though! 😊
@@OffGridWithTheUdens there are many reasons, (we are currently in VT on holiday and seriously thinking of finding a property and making a permanent move). We love mountain life and thought it might help us narrow the search area down but we don't necessarily want to be in a touristy area. We are looking for a quiet, edge of a village type place to hopefully build the self sufficient, off grid as possible life we started in France. Sadly, bureaucracy and rising costs (mostly the bureaucracy) have ground that to a halt.
We do know that, high up the winters can be brutal (and lower down too) but mostly wondering which side of the balkans offers the highest villages, the VT side or the Stara Zagora side (we aren't beach and beer people, nothing wrong with that, it's just not us)
@@angelay1925 ah ok that makes sense! We also love the mountains but had to make some decisions and we're so pleased where we are. The VT Elena region is absolutely stunning. I hope your search goes well ❤️
Wow - this video made me smile from beginning to end - so happy you are all back together in BG and that you are healing so well Kayleigh❤ - just a quick route question for Phil - which border crossing did you do into BG and were the Romanian roads you took decent? I’m driving back to BG this summer🎉 but I really want to avoid the terrifying Romanian mountain passes this time even though I’m North East BG!!!😅
As far as I see on the video, he crossed the Danube River at Vidin-Kalafat bridge.
Thank you - yes you're absolutely right. We personally love the mountain roads so that was the route we took 👍
Thank you for watching. Looks like someone was able to answer before us but yes, Phil used the Vidin-Kalafat crossing. ⛰️
Well, we don’t have many bridges over Danube river, unfortunately, only the ones at Russe and Vidin. Not very difficult to tell which is which, as I said- unfortunately 😄😄🙁🙁.
Fab video! Where in Bg are you? We bought in Bg last year and have our caravan there too! Currently in the UK for our first embassy appointment on Friday for our residency! Can't wait to get back, missing it so much!
Congratulations - hope everything goes well at the embassy for you. We are in the Haskovo Province. 👍
@@OffGridWithTheUdens aah fab we are just next door in Yambol Province!
Dear Family,
It's a pleasure for me.
❤❤❤❤❤❤welcome back❤❤❤❤
🥰Thank you - it's so good to be home
Hi great video, Do you have a video about applying for permanent residency and work? Thank You
Hi. Thanks for watching - We got our residency pre-Brexit so no we won't be doing any videos on this.
you all look happy to get set up now, I have a question could you give me a brief guide to country's you passed, Tolls, and how many stops, as we are thinking coming over later this summer, T.I.A.
There's text that appears on the screen detailing each country Phil drove through, the fuel cost and the toll costs for that country 👍🙂
@@OffGridWithTheUdens I am worried about bringing kitchen appliances and other household stuff is there much inspections going through borders and will our belongings be able to get through safely.
@@skinteastwood2358 not sure why you are concerned about kitchen appliances? Hundreds of people crossing the borders everyday. Check online at the legalities of your items but confused as to why you think you will have issues.
@@OffGridWithTheUdens Thanks for getting back I'm an OAP so just worried but you have put me to rest, I will hopefully be travelling end of July. My regards to all the family.
@@skinteastwood2358 No problem at all. ☺️👍
Hi, in this video you list the tolls you pay, but you don't mention the vignettes required ? Are those costs included in the toll fees ? Thank you.
Yes the vignettes are part of the tills total 😊
Was there any boarders check throughout your journey?
What kind of border check?
What city did you depart from to arrive in Dover at 6am?
We were in Ashford in Kent which was very close to Dover 👍
Hello
Do you know what documents they want at the borders for the luggage that we will carry in the van, the things from our apartment?
Because we want to go home to Bulgaria.
Thanks.
If anyone knows please write me.
❤
We weren't asked for any documentation with regards to the contents of our van. It was all personal belongings. I would look at the Bulgarian government page - Lots of Facebook groups that I'm sure will be able to help too 👍
Thank you very much and I appreciate your help.
I wish you all much happiness and health.
How did you slepé in your full can over 3 day/night drive across EU?
The van is fully converted into a campervan. We lived in it as a family full time before. It has a shower, toilet, kitchen, seating area and double bed. 👍☺️ Sleeping was no problem.
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Thanks for watching our journey ❤️
Yes, drive on the right. 😅
On busy roads it's not so bad but it's on the quiet roads you keep second guessing yourself which side you should be on 🤣
When Using A Flag On You Thumb Nail For A Country Make Sure Its The Correct One For England
We've used the Union Jack to symbolise the United Kingdom 👍
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Tidy
😉Thanks for your support
Wow how did you dodge their right hand drive road rules.
Lots of rules out here - which one are you referring to? 🚐
@@OffGridWithTheUdens lolllls true, I meant all of it. I visited sofia first time ever last month, wanted to rent a car, couldnt make sense of any of it. I used their Maxim Taxis everywhere which was not as easy as it should be. Need to build some courage I guess before I drive there.
@@taterspater470 we have driven on the right hand side many times before so it's not an issue for us. We haven't 'dodged' any right hand drive rules though ☺️
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