TORONTO — Exactly six months ago, 30-year-old Chanel Cartell and 29-year-old Stevo Dirnberger decided to embark on the adventure of a lifetime. After quitting their jobs in advertising, the two said goodbye to Johannesburg, South Africa, and hello to a journey around the world. Their goal was to live outside their comfort zones and say ‘yes’ to a whole bunch of crazy cool experiences.
Judging from the couple’s Instagram photos, which show just @howfarfromhome they’ve gone, it’s been a trip.
Before you get too jealous with wanderlust, though, in their latest blog post titled “Why we quit our jobs in advertising to scrub toilets,” the jet-setters reveal what happens behind the scenes of those photos:
“We’re toilet cleaners, dog poop scoopers, grocery store merchandisers, and rock shovelers.”
“So far, I think we’ve tallied 135 toilets scrubbed, 250 kilos of cow dung spread, two tons of rocks shovelled, 60 metres of pathway laid, 57 beds made, and I cannot even remember how many wine glasses we’ve polished.”
They’ve also had some cool jobs. Like walking Husky puppies in the Norwegian woods.
It’s all part of what they signed up for when they signed on with workaway, a company which pairs travellers with hosts in different countries who are willing to give them a place to stay in exchange for their time.
When it comes to other expenses, the budget is tight. Floss is their only luxury. And sometimes “creativity (and small pep talks)” along with “mild crying fits” are needed to get by.
That’s despite saving 15 per cent of their salaries each month for a year.
On the health front, despite the yoga shot, Cartell admits she’s not her fittest or slimmest.
“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 1 a.m., trying to find our accommodation (because bus fares are not part of the budget, obviously).”
They also have occasional bouts of homesickness and, believe it or not, boredom.
But at the same time, it seems they wouldn’t trade their trip for the world. So far, it’s taught them:
- That you really, really, really can do anything you set your mind to
- That you should never settle for a life that isn’t fulfilling, challenging, creatively stimulating and different
- That it’s possible to trade one per cent hard work for 99 per cent dream-fulfillment
- That you can have an eye-opening experience when you’re not drowning in routine
“We also understand ourselves better, knowing how we want to spend our time on Earth, and what our passions and skills are,” Cartell said.
READ MORE: Edmonton couple spends 10 years cycling the world
The couple was partially inspired by designer Stefan Sagmeister. Every seven years, he closes his New York studio for a yearlong sabbatical. In his TED talk below, he explains “the often overlooked value of time off.”
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