Man who lives in his Ford Fiesta spends ‘perfect Christmas’ alone in the woods

30 December 2023 , 08:24

1021     0

Yavor Dantzarov is leading the 'good life' after making a Ford Fiesta his home

A man who turned his tiny Ford Fiesta into a camper van has revealed he had the "perfect Christmas" on his own in a secret wood.

The HGV driver used to live in a "disgusting" shoebox flat in London before taking to the road in his new home, and has covered 7,000 miles since he made the life-changing decision in July. Yavor Dantzarov, who has no wife or children, shunned the commercialism surrounding the festive season because he doesn't like "fancy things" or spending money.

The 33-year-old managed to persuade the owner of a private woodland near Ashford in Kent to let him stay for the holiday where he had Christmas dinner surrounded by pheasants. He says it was very peaceful and just what he needed, with his meal of burgers with chips, mushrooms and coleslaw, which he enjoyed with a bottle of red wine, being cooked on a camping stove. He then nodded off in the secluded location.

Yavor says he has everything he needs in the car to lead a simple life

Speaking to KentLive, the Bulgarian said moving out of his tiny £150 per week flat was the best decision he's made. He said: "For me it was the perfect Christmas. It was a nice and quiet night. I had to open the windows and my boot because it was very hot – especially when you drink a bottle of wine. I’m loving living on the road more and more. I never regret my decision – it’s amazing. I feel completely re-energised and connected to the earth."

Yavor said he has spent the past six months travelling around the UK in his converted 2001 MK405 Ford Fiesta, which he bought on Facebook Marketplace for £800 last summer. He had become sick of city living and the cost of renting a studio apartment in the capital, which he described as "honeycomb" living.

Shop prices 'are yet to peak and will remain high' as inflation hits new heights

Yavor cooked burgers with chips and coleslaw and enjoyed a bottle of red wine for Christmas dinner

Since then, Yavor has been to around 100 places across the country, spending nights in car parks, at beaches or in his personal preference, woodland. He had been touring the Kent countryside when he came across the private wood. Yavor said: "I found this wood and this guy, who’s around my age, came and asked who I was and what I was doing. I said, 'nothing, just relaxing under your pine trees and enjoying the view of the stars'. He said, 'all right, no worries. You can stay – just don’t leave any rubbish'. There were a lot of pheasants and other birds – that was my music for the night."

Asked if being on his own at Christmas was a problem, Yavor said: "When you are alone and don’t have a wife or kids, it’s just another day. For me, life isn’t about buying fancy things and spending money – these things won’t make you happy. I didn’t want to do anything special, just prepare a good meal. Simple but good."

Yavor initially built a wooden frame in the back of his Fiesta which supports his single bed made from padded wheelchair cushions and provides room for storage. He has carpeted the frame and is considering adding an extra battery to charge his three phones, a tablet and drone.

With regards to the winter temperatures, Yavor said: "I’ve got very heavy, five-layer, thick insulation across the entire body of the car. If you knock on the roof you could think it’s [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s bulletproof limo." And the inventive traveller has solved the problem of having no shower by buying a £23-a-month gym membership which gives him access to hot showers and toilets at more than 300 sites across the UK.

Liking the simple, more earthy things in life, Yavor is proud that he has cut his energy consumption, adding: "I don’t have a television, microwave or anything like that. I’m C02-friendly." He is also saving money, as he spends only around £150 a week, mostly on groceries and McDonalds. And while he has no plans for further work on the Fiesta, he does have ambitions to repeat the process someday with a Porsche Panamera S Turbo.

Paul Donald