One Woman and her Dog
What do you get when you mix a Defender with an Airstream and a French Bulldog?
NICOLE Seo is not your average Land Rover owner. Aged 26 she recently packed up her life in San Francisco and in her words has been living a vagrant lifestyle, with her dog Daisy, a four-yearold French Bulldog, and an Airstream (more on that later). One of four siblings, Nicole’s parents would often whisk the family off on amazing adventures and it has clearly had a huge impact on her. “They trusted us with situations that were a little over our heads looking back and I suppose I became addicted to the rush of being in a new situation, learning about a new culture, and about yourself a person,” she confesses.
She started travelling as early as she could and her first big
Story: Louise Woodhams Pictures: Nicole Seo
“When I first left Silicone Valley, I felt like I was putting my career on hold to travel, but now I feel like I’m doing both at the same time”
trip abroad without her family was in ninth grade with an international field hockey team that toured Europe. After high school she took out a gap year to live in Paris, where she attended Le Cordon Bleu as a pastry student learning about the veritable art of French Pâtisserie. She immersed herself in a wholly artistic culture and lifestyle, but also took trips out as much as she could and that’s how she’s lived life ever since, in between careers.
More latterly Nicole’s dog has kept her company and is by all accounts her rock during her adventures. “We move around a lot, and I can see that it freaks her out sometimes, but she’s the most adaptable girl and always finds a way to be happy. I’m very lucky to have her with me,” she says. Just before the pup came the other most important companion in her life and one that facilitates her nomadic lifestyle – her 1997 Defender 90 LE.
Nicole’s love for Land Rovers stems from her father, who she’s looked up to her whole life. He’s an engineer at heart (and attended Massachusetts Institute of Technology where Nicole herself studied Computer Science & Molecular Biology), and fascinated by all things mechanical and quirky. “He told me about the Defender when I was looking for my first car, and I fell in love immediately. The classic look was one thing that drew me in, of course, but they’ve just got so much character, history and are wildly fun to drive. I toyed around with the idea of other 4x4s, but I always came back to the Defender.
“I’m obsessed with them and I often nerd out over these cars with my dad – he’s been toying with the idea of getting a Defender 110 for a while now, and it’s probably what I will get as my next car – albeit the pick-up version.”
Back to this particular model, which Nicole was attracted to due to its limited nature, and the fact it was the last year that NAS Defenders were imported into the States. Her’s is number 152 out of 300. She found the car at a specialist dealer in Massachusetts called Copley Motorcars. She takes up the story: “To be honest, I was looking for something in top-notch condition – I was very busy at that point and didn’t have time to rehab a car, but the Willow Green paint, only seen on the 1997 LE, wasn’t in too shabby condition and other than the obligatory health checks he didn’t require any major work before his first road trip.
“I knew right away it was a dude, and so I nicknamed him Ivan as I felt it reflected his sturdy yet rugged nature. That’s not to say it hasn’t had a few mechanical hiccups through the years, as have most, but I try to stay on top of repairs. My Defender is actually a bit special in that, about three years ago, I converted it from an automatic to a five-speed manual
transmission. My alternator died, and there was a huge amount of rust in the undercarriage, so I decided to do a big revamp. I wanted a manual transmission, as I thought it was just more fun to drive, so as part of the overhaul I decided to fit a gear box from a 1995 Defender 90,” she reveals. “I also fixed the air con and installed a new audio system, as well as remove all that aforementioned rot.”
All of the 1997 LES were automatic, and most, if not all, have been kept that way, so Nicole’s could be the only manual one out there. If anyone else reading this has made the same conversion or knows of someone who has, Nicole would love to hear from you.
So, why an Airstream rather than convert the Defender to a camper expedition vehicle? “I wanted to be able to set up camp somewhere, settle in and then take the Defender out for a spin. I also had a kind of emotional reaction to the idea of changing the Defender so drastically. It’s my baby and I think it is perfect the way it is – why would I want to change anything? With an Airstream, I can have a tiny home to carry around with me while preserving my beautiful Defender,” she answers. It’s a fair point.
It’s had its downsides though, like in Pennsylvania when she was trying to make her way south to West Virginia, and had to go over a mountain pass. The Airstream is at the upper limit of the Defender’s towing capacity (3100 lb), and going up the steep switchbacks with it dragging behind her was quite a tricky thing. “I think I was cruising along at 15 mph in second gear for about 30 minutes, with a line of terrified drivers behind me. A tense moment to be sure and I swear Defenders can smell fear on you! But we all made it out alive,” Nicole recalls.
Most of the time, it’s a very enjoyable experience cruising along in her Defender with her pup by her side and she has had amazing reactions to her rig when she travels: “I attract a lot of old-timers who love to look around my Defender and reminisce about the good old days. I think the combination of an old Land Rover, a new Airstream, a young woman and a spunky French Bulldog really tickles some people, so we find friendly faces wherever we go.”
Nicole has now clocked up 145,000 miles, between the East and West Coast of America, but when it comes to planning to her travels, less is most certainly more. I’ll let
Nicole explain: “I plan my route the way I plan my life — one step at a time. I think that over-planning can really limit you, and not to mention stress you out, so I pretty much just look at a map, decide where I want to go next, hop on the computer to find camping grounds in the area, and go. I like to work on farms and ranches, so I use that to pave my way as well.”
While farming and ranching activities ticks her desire for good old-fashioned labour she also gets very restless if she doesn’t have an intellectual outlet. So, her other line of work that she indulges in (if you can call it that) while she travels is business strategy consulting. “I started my career in tech, first as a software developer then as a product manager for IBM Watson Health, so I apply my learnings from that world to help companies that are trying to keep up with the relentless tide of technology. All the work is remote-friendly, so as long as I have cell service I can tether in and do my work. I’m in the process of setting up my one-woman shop, which has been a dream of mine for a long time. It’s perfect for me because it’s flexible, challenging and interesting work. When I first left Silicon Valley, I felt like I was putting my career on hold to travel, but now I feel like I’m doing both at the same time.”
So what’s next for the trio? Well, Nicole has just reinstalled her roof rack (she had to take it off to fit into city garages) so she can take more gear with her which ultimately means she can do a lot more off-roading with it.
If you ever wanted proof of embracing the spirit of your Land Rover in any way you can – small or large – then this woman is it. When she left her life in Silicon Valley, she took a huge leap of faith but discovered how much things open up for you when you do what you love. Her work-life balance has never been better, and instead of feeling satisfied in just one or two ways, she gets fulfilment in whatever direction she takes.
I’ll leave the last words to Nicole: “Even if you can’t pack up your life, take an adventure, get outside your comfort zone. Your Land Rover will be there for you the whole time.”