I have to get my bus and some belongings back to England, Im hoping to hang onto my Bulgarian home but financial issues mean I may have to sell to save my festival Catering Business in the UK.
Anyway to help pay the £700 bill to get back I am considering advertising on the blabla.com website where people join you for all of or part of the journey and contribute funds, but there is a notice that is putting me off that the Driver is responsible for any luggage that may belong to any passenger, in other words they could be smuggling something but it would be ME that gets carted away if caught.
I wouldn't normally take such risks but needs must, has anyone else done this ?
wynnie

just a thought, if the people who are running your business in the UK are causing you problems then this will always happen and as a business person like yourself if you can sell it, if you like the life you have in BG, because if you don't you will always be having to fix the problem.
in my case I will be keeping my business but running it from an office in the village once the house is built, but think do you really need this grap, you have only just got to BG if I remember, so enjoy your life.
on your main note fly back if it is a short trip, and if you drive tell them that you will check the packages and cases if that's a problem to them then you know not to take them with you.
deep down you already know the answer and sorry.

There are no major problems with my business in the UK, just immediate cashflow due to getting a home here, its very seasonal so its only a short term issue and it is doing well and has priority over my place in Bulgaria, I dont really want to sell but I wont be too bothered if I do, the place I bought is fine, the village OK, if a bit deralict and Bulgaria is OK....ish but im finding rural life really boring, so plan on moving to Gran Canaria as soon as I can for some winter sun and excitement. Anyway time will tell, just need to get over this hump and get my van back to england. SO please folks if you hear of anyone needed to move stuff back to blighty send them my way.

Hi
hope everything works out for you as you would wish. I can't help with the journey sharing but am interested in your estimate of the costs at £700. I've just bought a camper to come over and thought (hoped!) we could do it on around £500 each way
We bought our house in Srem - not far from you in Elena - a couple of years ago and although we would not claim to understand the country or people completely we have an unfailing affection for the individuality of both.
We wish you all the luck whether or not Bulgaria is for you

Carol and Annette

Since the collapse in the price of crude oil and the lower prices at the pumps it should be cheaper for the return journey.
I do the journey to Burgas for about £300 in Fuel at around 35mpg, so i reckon your Bus must be achieving less than half that.
How many seats in the Bus?

Ooh I think ive figured how to insert a pic
This is my bus, Shes an ex 17 seater welfare bus, all the seats have been taken out and replaced with an office /sleeping quarters where people sit for travelling, about 3 comfortably but we have had 8. In the back is a freezer room and dressing room, it has been adapted to suit a team of travelling drag queen cooks, so now perfect for what its used for in England during the summer festival season.
These are the cost I have calculated to get back to england
Vignettes £120
Ferry £100
Campsites en route £100 ( though I hope to share the return journey so wont need as many)
Diesel £476 average of 95p a litre at 18 MPG.
total £796
I currently have 2 levs to my name !
Its the same old story of over spending on unforeseen things, the house cost 5 grand and ive spent more than the same again installing a bathroom, septic tank and various other repairs and of course re-locating here. If I had know what I do now back when I bought I wouldn't have.

Are you saying your stuck in Bg with no money ? or are you back in the uk now.

Nice truck and good luck.

yes gina, without the proverbial pot to p@ss in !! well until I can get the septic tank finished that is.

Forgive me for asking but did you intend to stay in Bg or return to the uk?

Camp Cooks wrote:

yes gina, without the proverbial pot to p@ss in !! well until I can get the septic tank finished that is.

Maybe you didn't think this through, have you someone who can send you money to get back, or even for food ffs!

The Plan was always to be in England April to October to tour festivals with my catering business whilst hopefully renting my small holding here out and Bulgaria October till april.
I have enough food not to starve and had budgeted enough to last the winter, get back to UK and pay various pre season start up costs but as I say there have been quite a few additional expenses. Like £300 currency conversion charge when I paid for the house. It was also advertised with INSIDE WC, this turned out to be a bucket and no sewage / drainage whatsoever, the cellar walls are wet and crumbling from years of kitchen sink water just running down, I could go on and on.
I wish I hadn't bought blind now but thats life.
Anyway I hope I don't have to but it looks like I may have to sell just to find the 2 grand needed to keep my uk business afloat, which is a shame cos we have some great events coming up in summer and stand to make a good profit.
If I had a partner maybe I would be more upset to leave this country life but I wont miss it......ahh well lifes a bitch and then you die !

Could you not find someone going to the first show who would take your trailer there?

if so I would leave everything in BG and go back once you are sorted out a bit in better weather and get used to it in good weather?
I have done shows for many years in the uk and would think someone you know from one of them could be talked into taking your trailer to and from the first place to get the cash to buy a uk van to tow it?

The winter is a bad time to get used to a house that needs work

What shows do you do?

its not really an option just to get a temporary van, our trailer is a vintage american airstream and weighs 3 tonnes so needs something beefy to tow it, we've tried with transits etc but they struggle even for short journeys. Its full of things needed too for the shows, is wired for electric brakes etc etc.

Awesome airstream!