Jacob & Nicola

Travel information

We are currently

Activities we are interested in:

We're interested in learning new skills, meeting new people, broadening our horizons, and having fun along the way.

Description

Hi there :) We're a couple (engaged to be married!) living in Glasgow - Nicola (32, Ireland) and Jacob (33, England). We met 8 years ago while volunteering with an organisation in northern France, preparing and distributing hot food to homeless refugees. We now live in Scotland where we both work for small charities supporting people seeking asylum. We chose to live in Scotland to be close to the mountains and the sea - we love hiking, camping and swimming.

We have decided that we would like to have children together, but before we do, we'd like to take the opportunity to have a bit of an adventure. We've been saving up, and we're planning on spending around half-a-year travelling.

Nicola: "After working in the Organic Produce industry for the last two years I am really excited to learn more about organic farming. In particular I would love to get some hands on experience with small scale farming and gain knowledge which I can take forward in the future when hopefully I will have my own small plot of land to grow on. Something else that interests me is woodwork and construction - Jacob and I spent two months in Iceland volunteering in a national park, fixing, building and maintaining hiking paths. It was so wonderful to work outside and learn some completely new skills in construction, so I would love a similar experience to that again."

Jacob: "I studied French and Politics at university, but so far in life I've found working with my hands - being creative, problem-solving, using my attention to detail to make something that I'm proud of - much more rewarding than whatever career my degree was supposed to land me. I have worked in construction, furniture-making and as a chef (in terms of skills-sharing, these are my most valuable offerings, I think). I've been lucky enough to travel quite a bit since leaving my hometown of Nottingham: I've travelled from England to East Timor over land and sea; I've taken the Trans-Siberian railway from Europe to Japan; and I've travelled across South America from coast to coast, on boats up the Amazon. I love experiencing other peoples' ways of life, learning new skills and new perspectives, and trying new foods (I'm yet to come across a single food that I dislike - honestly, I love everything!). I love cooking and sharing the experience of good food with others - this is one of my main motivations for travelling."

Interests

Politics / Social justice

Vegetarian or vegan

Sustainability

Team sports

Plant care

Photography

Outdoor activities

Nature

Hitchhiking

Languages

Mountain

Movies & TV

Music

History

Hiking

Gardening

Farming

Drawing & painting

Dancing

DIY & crafts

Cycling

Culture

Cooking & food

Carpentry

Camping

Books

Astronomy

Art & design

Animals

Languages

Languages spoken
English: Fluent
French: Intermediate
Irish: Intermediate

More details about my language interests
This workawayer has indicated that they would be interested in sharing their language(s) or learning a new language. You can contact them directly to discuss this.

Find a language buddy

Skills and knowledge we'd like to share or learn

We're interested in:  

Art Projects

Eco Projects

Gardening

DIY and building projects

Life at a Farmstay

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Some knowledge of:  

Charity Work

Teaching

Helping around the house

Hospitality/Tourism

General Maintenance

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Able to teach about:  

Languages

Creating/ Cooking family meals

Helping with Computers/ Internet

More details about your skills

Nicola and I have lots of experience working outside, working with our hands, and working hard. We met while we were both volunteering at a refugee camp in Northern France, where we cooked and distributed hot meals to displaced and homeless people in the region. We were there for a combined total of over two and a half years.

Our volunteer coordination and communication skills were spotted by a volunteer who was working with us, and he invited us to take a Team Leader position at a program that he organizes for the Icelandic Forestry Service. For 3 months, we led a team of volunteers doing trail maintenance, trail construction, tree planting and invasive species control.

I have since worked in construction and trail-maintenance in the UK, where I have built on the skills that I developed in Iceland. I also have experience working on farms in France, New Zealand and Japan, from jobs and Workaways that I have worked in these places - harvesting, orchard-work, cheese-making, firewood chopping and storing, chicken farming, organic farming, and more.

We bought a van in Iceland, converted it into a DIY-campervan, travelled around Iceland in it, then drove it back to the UK. We then put it on a container ship and met it on the east coast of Canada before driving across the continent to spend 2 years working in Vancouver. While in Vancouver, we worked in organic fruit and vegetable distribution. We are passionate environmentalists, so we're really eager to learn about sustainable farming and living.

We both love cooking. We learnt a lot during our time working at Refugee Community Kitchen, where we were always working alongside professional chefs. I also have a lot of experience working in restaurants including, most recently, working as a chef-de-partie at an award-winning restaurant in Glasgow, Scotland.

References are available on request!

Age

33 & 32

What else ...

Overall, to summarize, I'd say we have personalities that are nicely balanced between hard-working and laid back. We love adventure so are up for trying anything and we're very low-maintenance people who enjoy the simple pleasures of life.

Please don't hesitate to contact us with any questions, requests or offers. We look forward to hearing from you!

Jacob & Nicola

Some more information

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  Smoker

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  Driver's licence

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  Allergies
  No

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  Special dietary requirements
  We're vegan, but we're flexible. We can be vegetarian (and eat fish) if that better suits your diet and circumstances