Fed-up with long-working hours and the high cost of childcare, Clair Prince, 46, and her husband, Daniel, 46, knew they had to make a change.

And so, the couple made a drastic decision and sold their home, most of their belongings and gambled everything for a nomadic life with their four children.

In just eight years Clair and Daniel say they’ve saved £100,000 by holidaying non-stop for free.

The pair, who have a holiday home in Thailand, travel by swapping their home with stunning chalets and villas across the globe.

Clair, who is mum to Kaitlyn, 17, Sophia, 14, twins Lauren and Samuel, 11, said: ‘Daniel was constantly working, and I was here there and everywhere looking after four children. We just thought, life has to be more fun that this. And we’ve done exactly that – we made life fun.

‘It’s hard to put a finger on how much we must have saved, but it could well be £100,000 – all we have ever had to pay for is the travel to get to each place.’

Clair and Daniel moved to Singapore in 1999 for Daniel’s work in foreign exchange. The couple enjoyed travelling around Asia, before settling down with the kids. But they found themselves stuck in a frustrating cycle.

Clair said: ‘The cost of childcare was so expensive that it was cheaper for me to look after the kids.

‘I was at home with the four kids, trying to keep up with the Joneses, while travelling here, there and everywhere for the kids’ ballet and music and school.

‘Meanwhile, Daniel was working 24/7 to get food on the table but we would never see him.’

Holidays were a rarity because of the cost. Clair said: ‘We would need two hotel rooms, which would be £150 a night, plus lunch and dinners every day, which could be £500 a day. It just wasn’t affordable.’

Desperate for a change, the couple began looking for a way out and stumbled upon lovehomeswap.com where – just like in the film The Holiday – holidaymakers swap homes with people across the globe.

Clair said: ‘It sounded amazing and we immediately thought, should we do this?’

After agonising over the decision the couple took the leap of faith in early 2014.

Selling their Singapore home and most of their belongings left Clair and Daniel their holiday home in Thailand to swap with other travellers.

Heading to house swaps in the UK first, to visit family and friends, the family then headed off to Croatia, Dubai, Thailand and Cambodia before arriving in Australia for Christmas 2014.

Clair said: ‘We stopped in Sydney, Perth, Melbourne, and ended our year of travels in New Zealand for three months, which was incredible. We couldn’t believe how amazing it was – we thought, why isn’t everyone doing this?’

With a steady income of around £1,000 a month they earned by renting out their Thailand home in between house swapping guests, while paying just £120 for their lovehomeswap.com annual membership, Daniel and Clair were able to live humbly.

Clair said: ‘When you swap your home, you pay for the electricity in your own home but the rental money we made would offset any bills.

‘All of the homes were so peaceful and comfortable and we were able to live on a reasonable budget.

‘Some days we would have zero-dollar days, where we wouldn’t spend anything and go explore and take a picnic or find a free activity to do.’

But Clair admits it took some time to adjust to their new lifestyle.

She said: ‘It took a long time to realise this was our reality.

‘With home-schooling we kept it very flexible, depending on where we were – so for example, when we were in Rome, it was a history lesson wherever we walked.’

After a stint in New Zealand, the family upped sticks again to home swap across the United States, starting in San Francisco before going into Seattle, Vancouver, New York and Virginia.

Clair said: ‘There were so many moments that blew our minds – like horse riding along the beach in New Zealand or sailing on a yacht out of the port of Marbella or having a picnic at Sydney Opera House on Christmas Eve.’

After two years of travelling, the family headed back to Europe. Clair said: ‘We had been travelling for two and a half years which was incredible, but we wanted our kids to learn another language.

‘So we house swapped around France until we were offered to rent one of the properties, and we ended up staying for the next two years.

‘We still did a bit of house-swapping for holidays while we were in France in 2018 – including a ski house swap in the French Alps.’

The pandemic meant the family stayed put in France, where Daniel began working as an online consultant before starting a financial podcast, Once Bitten! A Bitcoin Podcast, co-hosted by youngest daughter Lauren.

But now, Daniel and Clair are itching to start exploring again.

Clair said: ‘The difference it has made to the kids’ lives is amazing – they have such an incredible outlook on life and acceptance of different people regardless of wherever we are in the world.

‘For the twins especially, who were three when we started this, this is the life they have only ever known. They are all so independent, adventurous and confident.’

Follow the family’s journey on their travel blog, Princes Off The Grid

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