The Couple Who Quit Their Jobs to Travel the World: What Happened Next
The South African couple behind the travel blog How Far From Home quit their advertising jobs in 2015, spent their first year scrubbing toilets for free lodging on a tight budget, and kept travelling for a decade: by March 2025 they had visited 67 countries and covered more than 830,000 km, and they are now back in South Africa. Their 2015 story was widely shared as a warning. The full ten-year story is closer to a case study in how to make a quit-your-job trip last.
| Moment | What happened |
|---|---|
| March 2015 | Chanel Cartell and Stevo Dirnberger quit their jobs, sold almost everything, and flew out of Johannesburg with four bags and a one-way ticket; first blog post on 2 March 2015 |
| Mid-2015 | Halfway through the planned year, they posted about the unglamorous side: cleaning, farm work and a very tight budget |
| March 2025 | Ten-year anniversary post: 67 countries, over 830,000 km, back on South African soil |
Why did the couple end up scrubbing toilets?
They left Johannesburg planning a year-long adventure, starting with a flight to Abu Dhabi. They were 29 when they started. By mid-2015 they were in Norway, staying with their first Workaway hosts in Alta, in the county of Finnmark at the top of the country, where they worked in exchange for a place to stay.
Their blog post, titled “Why We Quit Our Jobs in Advertising To Scrub Toilets”, listed what that looked like: 135 toilets scrubbed, 250 kilos of cow dung spread, 2 tons of rocks shovelled, 60 metres of pathway laid and 57 beds made, plus wine glasses polished. They also wrote that they ate jam on crackers most days, slept about five hours a night, and carried heavy bags through cobbled streets because bus fares were not in the budget.
In the same post they said the lifestyle gave them time to brainstorm their own ideas and explore forests, fjords and cities. They called it a heaven for creative people, even with the hard work.
Was the trip a failure?
No. The 2015 headlines said the couple was “now poor”, but the headline described a stage, not an ending. They traded a comfortable salary for time, and they accepted the cost. Their ten-year post describes the decade as one of discovery, growth, hard work and evolution. The couple lived through a pandemic while travelling and ended up back in South Africa.
Some people criticised them at the time. The better question for anyone planning a similar trip is whether you have a plan for the hard months, not whether hard months will come.
What can you learn before you quit and travel?
This is our own take, not theirs:
- Set a floor, not a fantasy. Decide the minimum monthly spend you can survive on, and the point at which you go home.
- Trade labour for lodging deliberately. Work exchange can stretch a budget, but it is work. Expect cleaning, farm tasks and heavy lifting.
- Build income that travels. A creative skill such as photography or writing can travel with you, and this couple documented their trip as they went.
- Have a plan B. Know how you would get home, and how you would restart your career.
Keep reading
- The couple who quit everything and started traveling with their cat: another quit-and-travel story
- the mindsets that travel teaches you: what long trips teach
- How much does it really cost to live in a hotel?: the other end of the budget
FAQ
Who are the couple who quit their jobs to travel the world?
Chanel Cartell and Stevo Dirnberger, South Africans who left advertising jobs in Johannesburg in 2015 and blogged as How Far From Home.
Why were they scrubbing toilets?
They were doing work exchange for lodging on a tight budget, including cleaning and farm work for hosts in Norway, according to their 2015 blog post.
How long did they travel?
Their March 2025 anniversary post counts about ten years, 67 countries and more than 830,000 km.
Where are they now?
Back in South Africa, per their 2025 post.
Is it a good idea to quit your job to travel?
It can be, if you have a minimum budget, a way to earn on the road and a plan to get home. Their story shows it can last, but the first year is usually the hardest.
Last updated: October 2026.
