Hola! If you’ve noticed things have been a little quiet around here recently — thank you for bearing with us. We took a few weeks away from uploading to figure out the best way to move forward with the channel, and we’ve come out the other side with a decision we feel really good about.
We were going to start a second channel just for our travels. But after a lot of honest conversations, we’ve decided: everything stays right here on Renacer McGlynn.
🌍 One Channel — The Whole Journey
The reason is simple. We don’t want to spread ourselves too thin. This channel deserves our full commitment, and more than that — we want to share our whole story in one place. Not just the farm. Not just the travels. All of it.
So from now on, Renacer McGlynn is the home for:
- 🌱 Off-grid farm renovations and our Spanish homestead journey
- ✈️ Family travels — starting with Asia and then South Africa
- 🏡 What homeschooling actually looks like when the world is your classroom
- 💷 The real, honest costs of living this lifestyle — from farm bills to plane tickets
- ❤️ The good, the hard, and everything in between
Whether you came here for the farm, the travels, or just to see what life looks like when you try to do things a bit differently — you’re in the right place.
🇬🇧 Back in the UK — For Now
Right now we’re back in the UK, recharging and catching up with family and old friends. But in just a few weeks, we’ll be heading off to Asia and then on to South Africa, and we genuinely cannot wait to take you with us.
The reason we travel so much isn’t just wanderlust — it’s practical too. Because of the Schengen 90-day rule, we can only spend 90 days in Spain out of every 180. So when we’re not on the farm, we’re on the move. And since we homeschool Hayden and Amaya, the world really does become the classroom. Different cultures, real experiences, and learning that you genuinely can’t get from a textbook.
The kids are happy. They’ve made friends everywhere we’ve been — in Spain, the locals have been so incredibly welcoming — and back in the UK we reconnect with the people we love at home. It really does feel like we’re building community wherever we go.
💸 Why We Changed — The Numbers That Made Us
Part of what drives this whole journey is a question we asked ourselves a few years ago: is our conventional life actually working for us?
Here’s what our monthly household bills looked like back in the UK:
| Bill | Monthly Cost |
|---|---|
| Mortgage | £1,400 |
| Council Tax | £25 |
| Electricity | £140 |
| Water | £34 |
| Gas | £18 |
| Total | £1,617 |
And that’s before insurance, food, memberships, subscriptions, and all the other everyday expenses that quietly drain the month away. We were working until Thursday every week just to cover the bills — before we’d even started living.
We knew we wanted something different. So with a little savings and a small bank loan, we bought our character-filled abandoned farm in rural Andalusia, Spain for €40,000. When we later sold our house in the UK, we paid that loan off completely. Our Spanish farmhouse is now fully ours — no mortgage, no debt.
🇪🇸 What Life Costs Now
The contrast is pretty striking. Here’s how things look today:
- Mortgage: €0 — the house is paid off
- Solar: covers our electricity entirely
- Water: around €35 a month
- Gas: one bottle at €18 — and it’s lasted us a whole year so far
- IBI (Spanish council tax): somewhere between €100 and €250 for the whole year
And at the same time, we have our trusty motorhome Dave — an old but wonderfully low-mileage van that came with us knowing that the Schengen limits would mean adventures in between renovation stints. Dave has taken us on some unforgettable journeys already, and there are plenty more ahead.
The big open question — the one this channel is now going to help us answer — is: can we really see more of the world and live more freely for less than our old UK life cost? We think yes. But we’re going to show you exactly how it works out in real life, not just in theory.
▶️ What’s Coming Next
We’re so excited for this next chapter. The farm isn’t going anywhere — there’s still so much to do in Andalusia, and you’ll be with us for all of it. But alongside that, you’re going to see what family travel in Asia looks like, what South Africa holds for us, and the honest, transparent breakdown of what it all actually costs.
This is our life. The full version. And we’re so glad you’re here for it.
📺 Watch the Full Video
👉 Watch the full channel update on YouTube
📲 Follow Along
- 🌿 Instagram: @renacer_mcglynn
- 📘 Facebook: Follow us here
- 🛠️ YouTube: Renacer McGlynn Channel
¡Hasta la próxima! 🌻