- My name is Μyles McDowell
and I live on the canals and the rivers of England.
- [Narrator] This is relocated where we turn
the living situations of people
who choose to live off the beaten path.
- Welcome to my narrowboat.
I'm a content creator and film maker
and I'm currently based on the Grand Union Canal,
and I'm heading towards the river Thames;
It's been a lifelong dream of mine.
Before owning a narrow boat,
my wife and I were renting in London.
It started to become clear to us
that we weren't really saving any money.
We had to take the plunge to own something,
to own something that was ours.
It made perfect sense to me, to downsize our possessions
and move on to a narrowboat.
And we've never looked back.
We've been living on this narrowboat now,
about eight or nine years, seeing all of the waterways
as they meant to be seen from a boat.
And we wanted to make sure that it had a solar fuel stove;
on the winter times, it's one of the most efficient ways
of heating a boat.
Bathroom, a nice kitchen and we also most importantly
wanted it to be fully equipped inside
so that we could move right on it without any,
having to make any alterations, or DIY, or things like that.
The first time we stepped onto this boat
we did it with the one;
less than a week from putting down the deposit to moving on.
It was a very, very good process to do,
because it just makes you focus on the things
that you need in your life.
And you don't necessarily need that many things.
That was when our adventure on our boat started.
As soon as you own a narrow boat, you have to license it
and you have to ensure it;
that comes in at about a thousand pounds annually.
Other costs, like fuel, we filled, now about, up recently,
having traveled for a year without putting a drop
in the tank at all.
And that came out at about a hundred pounds.
Our biggest expense so far has been the setup
to charge the batteries.
It costs over a thousand pounds
for the two solar panels that I have.
I also have a wind turbine as well.
I also have an inverter to take power out of the batteries
and turn it into mains electric.
Not paying rent for the eight years,
we've been living on the boat, we've been able to save
that money and pay off debts that we ordinarily
wouldn't have been able to.
A lifelong dream, to just be free and to be debt-free
and to be happy.
But lots of people have said to me, you know,
a life is not complete without a few regrets.
But I think regrets really should only be reserved
for the things you didn't do, not the things that you did.
It was the perfect boat and the perfect time.
If we feel that we've been in an area too long
or if we feel like we need a change of scenery,
we just moved the boat.
If you are thinking about living on a boat,
or doing anything that is alternative,
I would say just do it, just jump.
Even if you feel that you're not ready,
by doing, you learn a lot.
Thank you for watching.
If you want any more information about Bustle
it's down below.