Friends save £4k travelling by making back of Corsa into bed - and now plan to do Scotland’s North Coast 500

A woman spent just £15 a day while travelling through eight countries in Europe for five weeks thanks to a £25 car hack.

Madeleine Jaye, 23, has always loved travelling and decided to embark on the epic road trip with her friend Ashla Prakash, 24, in July last year.

To save money on accommodation, the pair decided to convert the back of Madeleine's Corsa into a bed - complete with a double mattress, duvet, pillows and space for their luggage - allowing them to sleep in the car.

Madeleine's grandad, Keith Davies, 83, fashioned a bedframe out of wood and cut a memory foam mattress to size - which cost just £25.

Madeleine says they spent £450 on fuel, secured free parking and saved more than £4k in accommodation costs.

The pair travelled around Germany, Belgium, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, France, Italy, Slovenia and Switzerland in just five weeks - sticking to a £15-a-day budget.

The keen traveller said not only did it "save money", but it was also a "vibe".

Madeleine, a live-in carer, from Nottingham, said: "I'm 5ft 7ins and I had loads of room.

“In Switzerland it's €100 plus a night for a hotel or even €60 for a hostel. We saved so much money. We saved £2k and a bit each - so £4k combined."

Madeleine met Ashla in Japan in 2023 while on a working visa and the pair decided they wanted to see Europe together.

She said: "We spoke about doing a road trip. But the prices of accommodation were so expensive - I thought why don't we do it in my car?

"That's where my grandad came into play. He's very good at DIY - he's a mechanic. I asked if he could help me and he ran with it. He went all out and made an amazing bed. He was so proud of it. He really enjoyed making it - he did it with love."

Keith made the bed from three bits of wood - and even made it so the bottom plank could come out to make a table out the back of the boot.

The friends set off in July 2024 in Madeleine's 2009 silver Corsa she'd had for five years.

Madeleine did the driving and cooking and Ashla did the setting up and washing up.

They used a Home Bargains gas cooker to make most of their meals so they could save their cash - but did buy the occasional Aperol or pizza.

The pals would find safe places to park up overnight before continuing their travels.

Madeleine said: "In Slovenia we tried to find a place to park using an app. We couldn't find anywhere around Lake Bled. We rang up a campsite and that was €40 a night - just to park the car."

Instead the duo found somewhere rural to park.

She said: "You could wake up anywhere and hear the birds."

They had a collapsible pink bucket to wash but also relied on public toilets - which they would usually rush to first thing.

Madeleine said: "The public toilets are amazing in Europe."

She said the only down side was the heat and the mosquitos.

Madeleine said Slovenia surprised her the most and she loved driving through and waking up to mountains.

Now she is planning on doing the North Coast 500 in Scotland in her Corsa.

If she does a day trip in the UK, she will also sleep over in her car, instead of paying for a hotel.

She said: "It saved money and it's a vibe. People think you need a big van but you can work with what you've got. It was the best adventure."

France

Belgium

Luxembourg

Germany

Switzerland

Italy

Slovenia

Back to Italy, France, and Switzerland

Liechtenstein

Ended in Tomorrowland festival, Belgium