Every day, we’re made to feel guilty by not traveling the world. Articles online keep preaching the value of taking time off, or quitting one’s job, to pack up and just travel. Our friends share these stories, wishing that they could do just that, silently hoping that they would find themselves or ignite their passion in life by leaving the country.
One couple does exactly this, and realized that it’s not as glamorous as what websites say it is. It turned out… it wasn’t pretty.
Chanel Cartell and Stevo Dirnberger, a South African couple who worked in advertising, quit their jobs in order to travel the world. Along the way, they documented their experience through their blog and Instagram pages. And somewhere in Greece, after traveling 25,000 kilometers, they posted an entry on their blog, titled, “Why We Quit Our Jobs In Advertising To Scrub Toilets.” In the post, they shared what they called the “uglier side of our trip.”
The couple shares:
it seems like we’re having the time of our lives. 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. Noooooo. 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.
Cartell and Dirnberger became volunteer workers to support themselves. They also had to adapt to living with less, like buying only floss to clean their teeth.
So don’t let the bank of gorgeous photography fool you. Nuh uh. I am not at my fittest, slimmest or physically healthiest. We eat jam on crackers most days, get roughly five hours of sleep per night, and lug our extremely heavy bags through cobbled streets at 1am, trying to find our accommodation (because bus fares are not part of the budget, obviously).
But even if the couple describes their trip as the “dirtiest and smelliest,” they believe it’s worth it:
Even though we probably have more greys than when we started, dirt under our nails despite long showers, and cheap snack food as a main form of nutrition, this crazy lifestyle allows us to enjoy the freedom of exploring rich Swedish forests, never-ending Nordic fjords, Italian cobbled alleyways, and cosmopolitan cities. We have time to brainstorm our own ideas, and push our own creative experiments. It’s like heaven for us.
Check out the complete blog post on www.howfarfromhome.com
What do you think? Will you quit your job to travel the world?
