Madeleine Jaye was always used to the hustle and bustle of daily life.
She had spent years studying to give her a shot at a high-flying legal career.
And after four years studying law, Madeleine, 25, from Nottingham, was on track to land a job at a big city firm.
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But fate had other ideas.
She met Ram, 25, during a trip to Nepal and ditched the budding law career to live next to a jungle with him, along with wild tigers and leopards on her doorstep.
Now Madeleine splits her time between Britain and a small village 25 minutes from Pokhara, where she and her husband live without hot water, a fridge or washing machine and cook every meal over an open fire.
Despite the lack of modern comforts, Madeleine has never been happier.
The low cost of Nepalese life has even allowed her to save enough to buy a £170,000 property in the UK despite her young age.
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Her husband’s family pays £20 per month in rent, which she is not required to contribute towards. The family lives from the land, and her average monthly expenditure is approximately £300.
“I absolutely love my life in Nepal,” she told Luxury Travel Daily.
“I’m so much less stressed.
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“Spirituality is woven into everyday life, and I think that has changed me in ways I never expected.
“I knew pretty much straight away that we were going to be together forever.
“I got Ram’s name tattooed after two weeks.”
Madeleine says her outlook on life changed significantly after she lost her dad, aged 54, to cancer.
She said: “He died six months before getting to enjoy the life he worked so hard for.
“For a long time, the plan was simple: go to university, get a job at a big city law firm, make lots of money and build a successful career – because society teaches us that money, status and career progression are what success looks like.
“But after losing my dad to cancer, my perspective on life changed completely.
“I realised that time is so much more valuable than society’s version of success.”
Madeleine and Ram first met at a momo cooking class while travelling – they are now married and have been together for three years.
She has been living between the UK and Nepal since 2024, when she finished her law studies.
She undertakes long placements in care in the UK, typically lasting between 6 and 12 weeks, followed by an equivalent period of time off to spend time with her husband.
And Madeleine has come to love the slow, quiet life afforded to her by being in Nepal so often.
She said: “We let our goats and chickens out because they have to stay inside at night to protect them from the tiger.
“Many village dogs, goats and chickens have been lost, including two of our pet dogs.
“The village has a leopard too.
“Ram and I spend our days swimming, fishing, drinking tea, riding our motorbike, taking trips into the mountains or meeting friends.
“We don’t have hot water, a washing machine or a fridge, and we have a traditional Asian squat toilet.
“But we have a fire to cook on and fresh water from the Himalayas.
“There’s obviously a massive difference from the UK.
“I think it’s much harder for someone from the West to adjust to local village life, but after years of travelling, hitchhiking and coach surfing in over 74 countries, it was never a problem for me.
“I love being close to nature and living life how it was naturally intended for us to live.
“My least favourite months are July and August because of monsoon season and also January.
“We don’t have heating, so once the fire goes out it’s very cold.”
Friends and family have been very supportive of her decision.
She said: “I’ve never been one to do things by the book, so they weren’t surprised about anything.
“I chose Nepal because I prefer to travel to countries that aren’t typically big holiday destinations.
“I want to learn about new cultures, ways of life and have new experiences.
“Instead of just spending my time in well-known holiday destinations.
“I prefer adventure rather than just visiting holiday resorts and sunbathing.”
Her biggest supporter, her mum, flew over to Nepal to watch her daughter get married in a Hindu ceremony in May 2026.
“My mum has never questioned any of my decisions.
“Both she and my dad always told me that this is my life and that I should live it exactly how I want to.
“She has even been to Nepal.
“It was her first time ever leaving Europe, and she absolutely loved it.
“She embraced everything, including taking part in all of the Hindu wedding traditions.”
While Madeleine is content for now, she thinks she will probably return to law one day.
For now though, she runs her own personal assistant business providing 24-hour live-in care.
She works placements in the UK of around six to 12 weeks with accommodation included, then takes the same amount of time off in order to travel to Nepal.
And thanks to her modest costs in Nepal, she even managed to save enough money to buy her first home in Yorkshire.
Madeleine and Ram plan to buy property in Nepal too, where they also intend to retire.
She added: “I don’t need much money to live in Nepal; I’ve been able to buy my first property despite working only half the year.
“I don’t see choosing this life with my husband as sacrificing my career.
“I see it as choosing a life that makes me happy.
“If I had the chance to make all of these choices again, knowing everything I know now, I would make every single one of them, if it meant having the happiness I have today.”
And she feels she has the best of both worlds, adding: “I love England and I feel very privileged to have been born there, and I’ll always have so much love for my country.
“But Nepal has definitely given me a different kind of happiness.
“The slower pace of life has been amazing for my nervous system, and I think spending so much time here has actually made me appreciate the little things in England so much more, too.
“I look at nature differently now, even the sky.
“I don’t think we’re necessarily brought up in England with the same connection to the land.
“In Nepal, I’ve learned so much about where my food comes from, how to care for animals and plants, and how spirituality can be woven into everyday life.
“It’s taught me to slow down, be more present and find beauty in the simplest things.
“England wasn’t ruining my mental health.
“But being in Nepal helped me discover a different kind of peace and fulfilment, and it’s changed the way I see the world.
“If anything, it’s given me a deeper appreciation for both places.”
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