- Zach and Annie moved their family from California to Scotland for a simpler life.
- The couple, who have three young children, loved California but thought it was too fast.
- They say that life in Scotland reminded them of their childhood in the 90s.
Zach, 38, and Annie, 37, packed up their lives and moved their family from the US to Scotland earlier this year.
They had been living in California, where Zach – who was originally from Scotland – was working with the highway patrol.
Because of his work, the couple and their three children had to move frequently across the state. Even though they had a chance to live in places like Sonoma County and around Silicon Valley, life always felt “extremely fast,” Annie, who works in health care, told Business Insider.
“Life just seemed to be work — or school for the kids — a little break and then it’s back. It seemed hard to fit in a lot of quality family time or fun little adventures,” Zach told BI.
The couple loved California, but felt it suited a simpler, slower lifestyle. Zach and Annie / The Simple Scottish Life
The couple, whose children – two sons and a daughter – are under 10, asked to be identified only by their first names to protect their privacy.
They wanted to live a simpler life with their children, away from the rat race and the pressure to constantly keep up with the Joneses.
Annie had always wanted to live in Scotland, and late last year – after a decade of living in California – it finally felt like the time was right for their family to seriously consider taking the plunge.
Preparation for movement
In some ways, the move felt like it was 10 years in the making.
“Ever since I met Zach, I’ve wanted to live in Scotland. I’ve been slowly wearing him down and trying to get him to come back,” Annie said.
The timing for their move was right, in part because their children were still young.
“We knew if we were ever going to make this move, we had to move before our kids had real friend groups and were too far into their academics where that transition would be difficult,” Annie said.
The couple knew they wanted to be in the East Lothian area just outside Edinburgh because it was close to where Zach grew up. It was also a place their children knew.
“We made an effort almost every year, except during COVID-19, to travel back to Scotland,” Zach said.
Apart from the recognition, their children were also excited about the move because they had made many good memories in their past visits.
The house is in the East Lothian area, just outside Edinburgh, close to where Zach grew up. Zach and Annie / The Simple Scottish Life
“They love Scotland because they’ve been here so many times and every time they come they think it’s magic because their grandparents spoil them and take them to all the best places,” Annie said. “So when we said we were moving to Scotland, they were all for it for the most part.”
While Zach and their children had UK passports, Annie had to apply for a spousal visa, which she said took about two months to be approved.
Then came the exciting part: looking for a home. Thankfully, the process wasn’t too difficult, even though they were still living in California at the time.
It is a three bedroom house. Zach and Annie / The Simple Scottish Life
“Annie’s hobby is looking at houses around the world, she’s constantly browsing for fun,” Zach said.
When a cozy three-bedroom house came up for listing, the couple jumped at the chance.
“When it came out, I thought it was ridiculously cheap,” Annie said. “It was actually the only house that Zach’s parents went and visited for us.”
With the encouragement of Zach’s parents, the couple decided to make an offer on the house and ended up getting it.
They spent several months renovating the place. Zach and Annie / The Simple Scottish Life
They preferred to keep the exact amount private, but said they paid about 15% more than the original asking price of about 200,000 pounds, or $340,000.
“In terms of the budget, our goal was always to try not to have this huge mortgage over our heads. It was something we felt we had in the United States, especially in California, where house prices are crazy, Zach said.
Settling in their home
Zack and Annie are part of a wave of Californians who are choosing to leave the state.
Between 2021 and 2022, 817,669 people left California — making it US state with the largest number of people moving.
Several former residents BI spoke to previously said the rising crime rate and high cost of living were factors in their decision to leave California.
Their three children, who are all under 10, only saw the house when the renovations were completed. Zach and Annie / The Simple Scottish Life
Zack and Annie closed on the house in February, but only arrived in Scotland with their children in May.
Since the couple bought their home without seeing it in person, they were a little worried that it would feel too small for their family of five.
“We just moved from a fairly large four-bedroom house that’s at least 2,000 square feet in the States to about 950 square feet in Scotland,” Annie said. “That’s a big difference. But when we walked in, the rooms were all nice sizes, and they just felt right.”
They spent about two months renovating the place while living with Zach’s parents. It wasn’t until the end of July that they finally settled into their new home.
The couple says they love how walkable their neighborhood is. Zach and Annie / The Simple Scottish Life
“The kids never saw the house unfinished. The moment they walked in the door, their room was decorated and they had their beds made with all their toys on it,” Annie said. “They come in and think everything is beautiful when we actually put blood, sweat and tears into trying to make it a home, but it was definitely worth it.”
It is also very easy for the family to move around their neighborhood on foot. Their town’s main street – where there are cafes, shops and a grocery store – is only a 10-minute walk away, Annie said.
“We have trails outside our doorstep where the kids can go exploring. There are beaches not far away,” she said, adding that there is no need for a car unless they are taking the children to their grandparents.
The main street of their town is a 10 minute walk away. Zach and Annie / The Simple Scottish Life
“It’s a process to load every kid into a car, so we wanted to reduce that as much as possible. And now we just walk everything we do, and I feel like we’re healthier for it,” she said.
If they’re ever up for a little adventure, they can easily drive 20 minutes to the various small towns around them, Zach said.
“Whereas in the States, if we wanted to go do something different or outside of our little area, it’s maybe a 45-minute drive and then it becomes more of a day trip,” he said.
A simple life
The couple say life in Scotland is simpler – which is exactly what they were looking for.
Although they’ve only been here for a few months, the couple say they’re enjoying life in Scotland – so much so that they even started a YouTube channel documenting their adventures in the country.
The couple says they feel less pressure to keep up with the Joneses. Zach and Annie / The Simple Scottish Life
Although the couple loved living in the US, life in Scotland reminded them of their childhood.
“Seeing what the kids could get by being here was kind of nostalgic. It brought us back to the ’90s childhood we had,” Annie said. “You go out and play until the street lights come on, and we just felt this sense of peace and security in Scotland.”
Have you recently built or renovated your dream home? If you have a story to share, contact me at agoh@businessinsider.com.