Story 8 | Passionate Explorers
Simone and Lucia (@smontic)
During travels on his motorcycle through Romania, Simone met Lucia – where he became instantly connected to her through their shared passion to explore. Since then, the couple spent about 20 years on their motorcycle to visit deserts and less populated country (Mongolia, Siberia, Africa, Ladakh, Nepal). On their travels in Mongolia, they began discussing moving in a different way with more comfort, so they could dedicate more time to discover the people and places where they parked.
After their trip, Simone and Lucia decided to buy their first truck - a Unimog that they found in Germany and named Kamillo. Kamillio was originally an ambulance for the military and was selected due to its off-road capabilities. To make the truck into a comfortable home on wheels, the couple spent a year converting Kamillio so they could spend more time at the places they visited. After 5 years with Kamillio, they began to become unhappy with life as an employee and waiting for holidays, so they began to think about permanent life on the road and bought a new truck for more comfort and freedom.
The couple now lives in their new truck they call Valentino, which was built so they can live on wheels as long as possible, given the road cooperates. As part of the build, Simone and Lucia built to their needs and incorporated Motorcycle storage, a full size bed and a decent bathroom with comfortable living space. To protect these investments, Simone used his skills as an internet security expert to wire the truck with home automation, so he can keep control of battery, water temperature, water pressure, heating/cooling systems and alarms for water dispersion and pressure loss. For all these extras, the couple built Valentino on a longer 15’ Wheelbase versus their prior 10.5’ with Kamillio.
Since building Valentino, Simone and Lucia sold all of their things and rented out their home in Italy. They have visited Italy, Germany, the Balcan’s region and now are currently in Morocco. From time to time they have taken short jobs on the road, but have maintained their lifestyle by minimizing expenses to find a life less expensive than the one in Europe. As part of their strategy, they also have traveled to countries where Diesel is less than a bottle of Coke, which minimizes costs.
For more from Simone & Lucia follow their Reformed Life on their Instagram @smontic