Woman quits her boring office job and spends £500 turning her minivan into a home so she can travel the world with her rescue dog

A woman who hated her office work and felt she was too caught up by materialism has ditched her day job to travel the world with her dog. 

Italian-born Marina Piro, 25, and Labradoodle Odie now live in a five door 2001 Renault Kangoo which she turned into a miniature home by herself for £500, installing a bed, curtains, kitchenette and lights. 

Nicknamed Pam The Van, Marina - who has lived in the UK for five years - chose the vehicle as she knew many kinds of transport and accommodation would be off limits with a dog, and she didn't want to leave Odie behind.

In the past 11 months they have  visited lakes in France,  been hiking and bikining in Italy and enjoyed the seaside in Brighton and Marina plans to continue travelling for the foreseeable future.



While Marina used to have a long-term office job, she didn't feel happy and felt that she was becoming too concerned with the material trappings of her traditional existence.

Marina says: 'Through my interest in small communities, families and individuals working hard for a better world for future generations, I decided that I wanted to make my contribution to this movement and learn how to live a life more in tune with the earth and its inhabitants.

'I wanted something small as I suck at parking and loved the idea of not having to find a place to sleep every night.'  

Marina spent two months on research before embarking on restoring the van. which she managed to do for £500. 

Now she's loving her new life on the road and plans to keep travelling for the foreseeable future, living off of savings, picking up casual jobs and working remotely.