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A doctor disclosed that he stepped down from his position as a GP in 2024, attributing his decision to post-pandemic fatigue and his desire to embrace a lifestyle of traveling the world by van.
Gary Grant, aged 47 from Lancashire, decided to pursue this new way of life after experiencing a personal transition, living alone in a rental property in Lytham St Annes following his separation from his wife in 2021. He has been sharing his experiences on TikTok, showcasing his decision to leave a £4,500-per-month job as a GP to follow his dream of van living.
Using his TikTok handle @doctorbinfire, the father of two emphasizes his preference for ‘happiness and peace over status and material possessions’, while managing shared custody of his six- and four-year-old sons.
Through various videos, the GP, who has already visited ’16 countries this year’, explained his brave choice to divest himself of all possessions and leave behind the conventional nine-to-five routine.
Amongst his reasons were encountering ‘exploitation by major companies in the UK’, pollution issues like water companies discharging sewage into lakes, along with the climbing costs of living such as increased bills and food prices.
He has taken his two young sons on adventures across Europe, including countries like Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, and France, and has also embarked on solo trips to places such as Qatar, Greece, Turkey, Slovakia, and Bali.
In one clip, which racked up over 210,000 views, he claimed most people in his life warned him not to give up his ‘stability’ and ‘security’.
He said: ‘I sold largely everything I own in order to fund travelling, against the advice of lots of people who said what’s important is security, safety, stability and a steady income, all these really exciting things beginning with the letter ‘S’.
Gary Grant, 47, from Lancashire, revealed that he left his role as a GP in 2024, citing post-pandemic exhaustion as a key factor in his decision to embrace van life and travel the world
In a series of videos, the GP, who has travelling to ’16 countries so far this year’, shared the reasoning behind his bold life decision to sell all his possessions and escape the routine of the traditional 9-to-5 lifestyle
Gary pointed out that in France, service stations allow travelers to pull in and rest freely, whereas in the UK, you’re typically limited to two hours before charges start to apply
Sitting on a beach in Bali, he sarcastically continued: ‘They said I’m an idiot, I’m just thinking how much I would rather be on the commute to work now, having that safety and stability.
Lifting a cocktail to drink, Gary added: ‘I am the idiot, I am the idiot.’
In a series of videos, the former GP revealed that his top reasons for giving up his career in favour of a newfound lifestyle of freedom were to sleep under the stars, enjoy more fun and meaningful life experiences while traveling, and to live more authentically.
In one clip he explained: ‘I have very little to show off about nowadays. I have no time for people who are all show and are fake and are only interested in appearances.
‘I’Il just do me now. If I ever want to go back to work as a doctor I will do that. I’m living a life that is on my terms, and that, when we live in a world that we feel trapped all the time, is massive.’
In another clip, which he called the ‘ranty one’, Gary fumed about the rising bills in the UK.
He said: ‘In the news today the council tax is going to go up, the price of things in the supermarket is going up, everywhere you go in Britain you are shafted.’
As an example, he pointed out that in France, service stations allow travelers to pull in and rest freely, whereas in the UK, you’re typically limited to two hours before charges start to apply.
Sitting on a beach in Bali, he sarcastically continued: ‘They said I’m an idiot, I’m just thinking how much I would rather be on the commute to work now, having that safety and stability.
Taking to his TikTok account, the father-of-two, who shares custody of his six-year-old and four-year-old son, revealed he values ‘happiness and peace, not status and things’
Gary now lives in his campervan and parks up at holiday parks and service stations as he tours the country
Gary said his experiences have been ‘life-changing’ and he values his freedom
Gary said the role of a GP became ‘ridiculously tough’ after the pandemic and he was ‘exhausted’
He has explored Europe with his two young sons, which included Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany , Switzerland and France , and embarked on solo trips to Qatar , Greece , Turkey, Slovakia and Bali, to name a few
In a series of videos, the former GP revealed that his top reasons for giving up his career in favour of a newfound lifestyle of freedom were to sleep under the stars, enjoy more fun and meaningful life experiences while traveling, and to live more authentically
Many rushed to the comments with plenty of questions about Gary’s alternative lifestyle
Gary added: ‘They say, take a rest, tiredness kills, but if you manage to go to sleep in a service station you have to pay £25-£30 depending on the vehicle, and if you stay two hour and five minutes you get a bill.
‘Now, I don’t have to deal with that anymore, and best of all you know those water companies who pour sewage into the lakes, well I fill my water from a tap and I don’t pay for it.’
In July, Gary revealed he fell into medicine ‘by accident’ in 2008, saying NHS has always been on the ‘verge of crisis’, especially after the Covid-19 pandemic.
He explained: ‘Waiting times for hospitals after Covid skyrocketed so we ended up seeing really complicated things that specialists should be seeing, but we were left trying to deal with it.
‘People’s mental health also took a hit and trying to help someone in 10 minutes, it was very hard.’
‘In the morning I would think, “Right, come on I can do this”, but by the afternoon I would say to myself: “The stress of this is going to kill me”.’
Many rushed to the comments with plenty of questions about Gary’s alternative lifestyle.
One person asked: ‘What source of income do you have to live your dream ?’
To which the former GP replied: ‘Selling every unnecessary thing in my life; end of contract pay from work; doing occasional online work of different types.’
Another said: ‘My dream is being able to travel but I don’t want do it in a van.’
To which Gary replied: ‘Fair enough but, one, I didn’t visit 10 of the countries in the van, it gives you financial freedom that way, and two, it’s easier than you might assume.’
Someone else added: ‘It’s bloody hard at times. The push back from family. The loneliness. OK if you have the money in the bank.’
Gary replied: ‘Yeah it’s not perfect. Brakes failed the other day, but the positives for me outweigh it a million times over.’
A fourth added: ‘You must have studied hard to be a doctor! Just goes to show that your personal happiness outweighs any job.’
