A Duncan of Jordanstone graduate from Fife and her partner are planning to become “digital nomads”.
Alicia Storie and her Danish boyfriend Hasse Simonsen are converting a van into a campervan and plan to travel the country, working from some of Scotland’s most remote and scenic locations.
The couple met in London and have been together for five-and-a-half years. After leaving London four years ago they travelled the world, going to South America and Asia, where they discovered the Workaway app.
“It lets you sell your skills in return for things like accommodation and food,” Alicia explains. “We used it in Thailand and Sri Lanka. Hasse worked as a teacher in Sri Lanka and I worked with an organisation that creates jobs for women. I helped build an eco-hut that helped them to bring their children to work with them.”
Learning new skills
Alicia, 28, studied design at Duncan of Jordanstone in Dundee. She’s since set up her own interior design company, specialising in eco-refits.
“I designed the interior for an Airbnb in Ballater,” she says. “Wherever possible I used reclaimed, secondhand or upcycled materials. All my projects focus on sustainability and a low-carbon footprint.”
Hasse, 32, works in digital marketing, focusing on search engine optimisation and website design. He currently works as a freelance but is in the process of setting up his own business.
Since returning to Scotland the couple have continued to use Workaway. They currently live in a tiny cottage in Huntly, Aberdeenshire, and are helping build eco-cabins in Ballater.
Hasse explains: “We’ve picked up lots of skills like furniture making, building, how to make a gate. I wouldn’t say I’m an expert at it but I’ve got the fundamentals.”
The couple bought a Citroen Relay and are converting it into a campervan. The skills they’ve learned through Workaway have helped them do much of the fit-out themselves. They are insulating the van, installing a fixed bed, a kitchen, a workspace, and solar panels.
“I’m going to be cutting holes to fit the windows into,” Hasse explains. “I never thought I would have the confidence or ability to do that myself.”
Ready to roam
Having left London the couple have no plans to return to the city life. “We can’t imagine living in London again,” Alicia says. “We’ve got so used to the space and the views we have here.”
The couple are using mainly secondhand or reclaimed materials for the conversion. Once the campervan is ready the couple plan to travel Scotland, working from wherever they can get a phone signal.
“We have phone contracts with two different networks to maximise our chances of getting coverage,” Alicia says.
“We’ve both explored a lot of the world but lockdown made us realise there is so much of Scotland that neither of us have seen.
“We plan to explore the West Coast, Highlands and Islands in our van and the plan is to be able to work wherever we go. We want to be digital nomads.”
Photography by Anna Cervinkova: www.ceranna.com
Main image by Megan Redden
We want to speak to other people who have snubbed the modern world for a simpler life.
Have you swapped your house or flat for a caravan or a tent? Or have you decided to switch off the electricity at home, or to remove televisions and gadgets?
Perhaps you have opted to be off the internet, or simply got rid of your mobile phone?
If you have done any of the above and would like to talk about your experiences for a feature, please contact Stephen on seighteen@dctmedia.co.uk or call 07583 122 968.
