This Couple Has a Cautionary Tale About Quitting Your Job to Travel

Chanel Cartell and Stevo Dirnberger quit their lucrative careers in advertising to travel the world, but they warn not everything is as idyllic as their Instagram account makes it seem.

any of us have dreamt of leaving everything behind to travel the globe, perhaps with our life partner by our side. That’s exactly what Chanel Cartell and Stevo Dirnberger did earlier this year. The South African couple quit their lucrative advertising jobs to see how far they could travel, as well as document their journey on a blog called How Far From Home.

Looking at their Instagram photos, their life together appears to be flawless. Magical, even.

https://instagram.com/p/6YNCKgrqCg/

https://instagram.com/p/6lBT5ULqGP/

But the couple has a few words of caution for those considering the same move. While they don’t regret a thing, they acknowledge that their lifestyle isn’t always easy. What the pictures don’t show is the couple scrubbing toilets, polishing wine glasses, and shoveling gravel to make ends meet.

“Browsing through our blog posts and Instagram feed, it seems like we’re having the time of our lives.” Cartell wrote in the couple’s blog. “And don’t get me wrong – we are. It’s bloody amazing. But it’s not all ice-creams in the sun and pretty landscapes.”

Cartell continues:

“So far, I think we’ve tallied 135 toilets scrubbed, 250 kilos of cow dung spread, 2 tons of rocks shovelled, 60 metres of pathway laid, 57 beds made, and I cannot even remember how many wine glasses we’ve polished. You see, to come from the luxuries we left behind in Johannesburg, to the brutal truth of volunteer work, we are now on the opposite end of the scale. We’re toilet cleaners, dog poop scoopers, grocery store merchandisers, and rock shovelers.”

The couple notes, however, that it’s all worth it.

“There’s nothing quite like swopping million-rand advertising budgets for toilet scrubbing to teach you about humility, life, and the importance of living each day as if it were your last.”