A Maltese couple told Ben Fogle how they spent their savings to buy 42 acres of land in the Portuguese desert and left their country behind to start a new life from scratch.
Luke, 45, and his wife Sarah, 44, appeared on tonight’s episode of New Lives In The Wild, which airs at 9pm on Channel 5, to tell the presenter how they stopped being “slaves of their businesses” at home, where they end up working “18-hour days” and focused on enjoying their lives.
Five years ago, the couple spent €58,000 (about £49,331.61 today) to set up their dream home near the Serra da Estrela.
Their land, a deserted sheep farm sprawling over stunning green hills, includes a river and ancient ruins; one of which the couple hopes to one day turn into their dream abode.
However, for the moment they live in a cozy cabin in the area, which is “completely off the grid”: it has solar energy, a water well and a toilet with a vermicomposting cistern.
A Maltese couple told Ben Fogle how they spent their savings to buy 42 acres of land in the Portuguese desert and left their country behind to start a new life from scratch.
They also have pigs, chickens and a garden, where they grow about 30 different fruits and vegetables.
The couple, who grew up in Malta, met when Luke was 20 and Sarah was 19, after “getting drunk in a bar”.
Since then, for 25 years, the couple has fallen in love and enjoyed traveling the world together.
They spent 10 years backpacking through different countries before settling back in their home country to run a highly successful food truck.
But two years of grueling work and “18- to 20-hour days” took their toll on the duo, so they decided to “pack their bags, sell everything and embark on their next adventure.”
They considered New Zealand, Scotland and Mexico before deciding on their new life in Portugal.
Sarah opened up to Ben about having an idyllic and happy childhood in Malta, despite her family’s financial problems, and said that running the food truck with Luke showed them that money isn’t everything.
“We were really financially secure when we were in Malta with the food truck, but we were slaves to our business and worked too hard,” he revealed.
Luke, 45, and his wife Sarah, 44, appeared on tonight’s episode of New Lives In The Wild, which airs at 9pm on Channel 5.
Five years ago, the couple spent €58,000 (about £49,331.61 today) to set up their dream home near the Serra da Estrela. Ben photographed on site.
And then one day Luke said to me, “If you die, if we die tomorrow, will you be happy with how you live today?” And my answer was no, because we were not happy.
‘We didn’t spend quality time together even though we spent 24 hours a day together. There was no life for us.”
The couple, who first lived off their savings when they moved, also began documenting their journey on a successful YouTube channel, which has more than 29,700 subscribers and earns them around £700 a month. This is “enough for them to live on”, so the couple are also working on other online initiatives to help generate cash.
Luke also spoke about the tension he felt while working at the food truck in Malta.
“I put myself in a position where I was indispensable,” he said. ‘Like if I was really sick I would have to close… In business terms, it just doesn’t make sense.
“I’m passionate about food, but the work is hard.”
He also discovered that there are “too many people” in Malta for his liking.
“I mean, we really try, because my dad, really, all he wants is for Sarah and I to be in Malta and have kids,” he added. ‘That’s what he really wants. But… it’s not for us.
The couple, who first lived off their savings when they moved, also began documenting their journey on a successful YouTube channel, which has more than 29,700 subscribers and earns them around £700 a month.
The couple, who grew up in Malta, met when Luke was 20 and Sarah was 19, after “getting drunk in a bar”.
The couple have also been through a health scare together, as Sarah told the show about a “big growth” she had on her neck area.
“It got pretty big, it was definitely putting pressure on my respiratory system,” he said.
But Sarah says her optimistic attitude helped her remain carefree throughout the process.
“If you spend your time worrying, it won’t change the outcome,” he said. ‘I mean, it might actually make things worse.
“So honestly, the only thing I was worried about was that it was in my thyroid.
‘So they had to remove half of my thyroid. Your thyroid is like your happy thing…it makes you happy. And he was thinking, would I be totally depressed once everything was taken away from me? That was just my concern for a second.
“But that didn’t happen.”
“Living a life like this is physical and it takes a toll on the body,” Ben said.
“But actually, when you think about the benefits they’ve had in terms of mental health and living a healthier life, I think it far outweighs the downfalls and bumps in the road.” And they adapt very well to each other.
Ben Fogle: New Lives in the Wild airs Tuesday February 13 at 9pm on Channel 5