A Perthshire couple who used the Covid-19 pandemic to start their own campervan rental business have expanded its fleet.
Stravaig Motorhome Rental was launched during lockdown by commercial airline pilots Sarah Fitzpatrick and William Findlay.
The Kinross-based business now has six luxury campervans available for tourists to take on road trips across Scotland.
Running campervan firm while flying planes?
The couple continue to run Stravaig Motorhome Rental alongside their day-to-day roles as pilots.
They decided to launch the business during the pandemic when they were furloughed.
Now they juggle their responsibilities for Stravaig with working part-time for their respective airlines.
Sarah works for British Airways and William for EasyJet.
William said juggling running the business alongside their work as pilots can be difficult for the couple.
“It’s a massive juggling act,” he said.
“I’m already laying in the framework for next year to try and get the summer off with leave, so I’m off on our busiest days.
“Sometimes it’s just about calling on relatives for a bit of help, too.”
The couple aim to alternate their work, so when one is flying aircraft, the other looks after the business.
“With a bit of forward planning, it’s not as bad as it sounds.
“It sounds like it’s a nightmare but we manage pretty well.”
Perthshire campervan firm wins £50k loan
After a successful first season, the couple received a £50,000 loan from Transmit Startups, a delivery partner of the Start Up Loans scheme, to turn their plans for expansion into reality.
Sarah said: “I have always fancied owning a campervan and while the airline industry was obviously quieter during lockdown, we saw the opportunity.
“Business picked up quickly, especially when travel abroad was off the agenda, so we turned to Transmit Startups to support our expansion plans.
“The process was straightforward and quick, which meant we could get the new vans ready to go in time for the peak period.
“We have welcomed lots of international tourists this summer.”
The business’ two and four-berth motorhomes are already fully booked for the remainder of the summer, with reservation inquiries for next year also now beginning to come in.
Future plans for campervan business
The couple don’t plan to add to their fleet soon, as William explained.
“If we add more vans, we need to take on staff, and we’re not really in a position to take someone on full-time.
“We’ll continue as we are for now. But who knows what the future might bring?”
Conversation