Phil Kelly is the co-founder of The Gap Decaders alongside Izzy Nicholls, and an experienced overland and motorhome traveller with more than 25 years of military vehicle and off-road experience.
Since leaving the UK to travel full-time in 2018, Phil has travelled through more than 40 countries by motorhome, overland truck and motorcycle. His practical experience covers expedition vehicles, motorhome systems, off-road driving, vehicle recovery, route planning and long-term off-grid travel.
Background & Experience
Before The Gap Decaders, Phil spent 25 years in the British Army, where vehicles and driving formed a significant part of his working life. He later worked as an off-road driving instructor and brings extensive experience of driving large and specialist vehicles across challenging terrain.
His driving experience includes desert, gravel, dirt, mud, clay, snow and ice, as well as water crossings and vehicle recovery. He holds a Category C driving licence and a full motorcycle licence.
Phil is also a qualified plumber and has extensive practical experience of the systems required for independent vehicle-based travel, including water, heating, solar and electrical systems.
Motorhome & Overland Travel
Since 2018, Phil and Izzy have travelled full-time in two A-class motorhomes and an overland truck, covering more than 130,000 miles across Europe and beyond.
Their travels have taken them throughout Europe as well as Morocco, Turkey, Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan, with Phil also completing self-supported motorcycle trips in Morocco, Spain and France.
YouTube & Video
Phil is the driving force behind The Gap Decaders YouTube channel, where he films and shares our overland travels, truck builds, motorhome adventures and life on the road.
Since launching the channel, Phil has documented everything from travelling through Europe and Morocco to the realities of living in an overland truck, vehicle upgrades, technical systems and the challenges that come with long-term travel.
He also documented our latest overland truck build from start to finish, following the project from buying the base vehicle through the construction and installation of the habitation, electrical, water and heating systems to getting the finished truck on the road.
The channel gives Phil a way to share the practical side of our travels in much more detail, showing the vehicles, systems and problems we encounter in real-world conditions.
Watch The Gap Decaders on YouTube.
Phil’s Expertise
Phil’s expertise comes from decades of practical experience with vehicles, off-road driving and problem-solving, combined with years of full-time motorhome and overland travel.
His areas of expertise include:
As a qualified plumber, Phil also brings professional knowledge to water, plumbing and heating systems, alongside the practical experience gained from living off-grid in motorhomes and overland trucks.
Building & Travelling in an Overland Truck
Phil was closely involved in planning, building and developing our overland trucks, drawing on his vehicle, driving and practical experience to make decisions about everything from vehicle capability and recovery to water, heating, power and off-grid systems.
Living and travelling in these vehicles means that his advice is based on systems and equipment we actually use on the road, often in remote locations and challenging conditions.
Media & Appearances
Phil and Izzy’s decision to leave their careers and travel full-time, along with their experience of motorhome and overland travel, has been featured in national media, industry publications and travel podcasts.
National Geographic Traveller
Phil and Izzy were featured in National Geographic Traveller’s article about the rise of the ‘golden gap year’. The feature documents their decision to leave their careers and travel full-time, their move from motorhomes to an expedition truck, and their travels through Europe, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkey. It also specifically references Phil’s Army background.
Read the National Geographic Traveller feature
Sterling Insurance
Sterling Insurance followed the build of The Gap Decaders’ latest overland truck, documenting the challenge of completing the conversion in under 12 months and the work involved in creating a vehicle for long-term travel. The feature records that Phil worked around 60 hours a week for almost a year during the build.
Read the Sterling Insurance feature
Lancaster Insurance
Lancaster Insurance has twice featured The Gap Decaders, first naming Phil and Izzy among its top UK motorhome bloggers and later selecting The Gap Decaders as one of the best YouTube channels for motorhome and campervan owners. The latter highlights the practical travel knowledge they share through the channel.
Read the Lancaster Insurance feature
The All-Around Adventure Podcast
Phil and Izzy were guests on The All-Around Adventure Podcast, discussing their decision to leave conventional careers for full-time travel, their experiences travelling around Europe by motorhome and what they had learned from life on the road.
Listen to The Gap Decaders on The All-Around Adventure Podcast
Published Work
Phil has contributed to travel content outside The Gap Decaders, sharing first-hand experience of road trips, motorhome travel and destinations explored during our years on the road.
Adventure In You
Phil and Izzy contributed a guide to Tarifa, Spain, for Adventure In You, where they are credited as local experts and authors under “Izzy & Phil Kelly aka The Gap Decaders”. The guide covers their first-hand recommendations for visiting and exploring Tarifa.
19 Things to Do in Tarifa, Spain
Selling Up to Live in a Motorhome
Phil is co-author with Izzy Nicholls of Selling Up to Live in a Motorhome, a practical guide based on their experience of selling their home, leaving conventional careers and transitioning to full-time motorhome travel.
Follow Phil & The Gap Decaders
The best place to follow Phil is on YouTube, where he shares our overland travels, truck builds, vehicle projects and the practical realities of life on the road.
You can also follow The Gap Decaders on Facebook and Instagram for our latest travels, road trip inspiration and behind-the-scenes updates, or subscribe to our newsletter to keep up with what we’re doing and where we’re heading next.
Want to know more about how we went from conventional careers to life on the road? Read our story and find out more about The Gap Decaders.
