Quit jobs to travel, scrub toilets.

[Deleted]

Couple who quit jobs to travel the world end up scrubbing toilets for pay
South African bloggers find out adventure travel is a lot more expensive than it looks on Instagram

By Lauren O'Neil, CBC News Posted: Sep 01, 2015 10:56 PM ET Last Updated: Sep 02, 2015 7:51 AM ET



All that glitters is not gold on Instagram. The bloggers behind this breathtaking photo revealed in a blog post Monday that they've been scrubbing toilets and picking up cow dung, among other things, to buy food during their time abroad.

All that glitters is not gold on Instagram. The bloggers behind this breathtaking photo revealed in a blog post Monday that they've been scrubbing toilets and picking up cow dung, among other things, to buy food during their time abroad. (Instagram/@howfarfromhome)


The viral web is teeming with stories of people who have ditched dull corporate gigs to travel the world and "chase their dreams" — and there are so many of them that they've become a bit of an internet trope.



The glossy, adventure-filled Instagram feeds of former desk jockeys can make leaving everything behind to pursue a nomadic existence seem like a brilliant idea. Easy, even.



What's hard is figuring out how to afford spending days cliff diving in Greece, riding carousels in Paris or blogging surfside in Gran Canaria, for years at a time, and without decades worth of savings or rich benefactors.



As it turns out, some of these travellers can't.



Chanel Cartell and Stevo Dirnberger, both 29, quit their advertising jobs in Johannesburg earlier this year to "embark on a little creative exploration" through travel.

Since May, the couple has been taking photos to mark the number of kilometres they've logged away from home, and sharing them online.

Their most recent posts on Instagram show they hit 25,071 kilometres in Athens on Tuesday morning, but a blog post published by Cartell on Monday evening revealed it wasn't without struggle.



"After being gone exactly 6 months, I feel it necessary we share the uglier side of our trip," she says in her blog, snippets of which are presented here as written. "Browsing through our blog posts and Instagram feed, 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."





While some travel bloggers could quit their high-paying jobs by selling their homes, landing book deals or scrimping ferociously, Cartell and Dirnberger decided to get by on their savings while performing volunteer work in exchange for free food and accommodations.



And, as Cartell notes, it has been "painstakingly hard and dirty work."



"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," she wrote of the experience. "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."





Cartell wrote that, despite what can be seen in the couple's published photos, the past few months of their journey have been dirty, smelly and very tight financially.



"We've had to adapt with the least amount of necessities and food (and not because we're on some crazy crash diet)," she explained. "Whilst visits to town with our new friends in Norway meant buying beer and bags of candy for them, we've been forced to purchase floss (because you only get one set of pearlers, right?) and nothing else."



Sad as the thought of being able to afford only dental floss may be, many online users praise the couple for pulling back the curtain on how quitting one's job to travel isn't always as glamorous as Instagram makes it seem.









Despite their hardships, Cartell was careful to note the journey has still been one of adventure and growth.



"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," she wrote.



"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."

[laladypoet]

is it wrong that this makes me happy?

[Deleted]

Sept 2, 2015 9:56:36 GMT -5 laladypoet said:

is it wrong that this makes me happy?

If it's wrong, I don't want to be right.

I feel the same about people that quit life to go be homesteaders. I feel like my grandmother would rise from the grave and smack me upside the head and say "If I could have lived with electricity and running water and bought my food at the store, don't you think I would have?"

[pixy0stix]

So there's a former nestie who had a formulaic home design blog, who has turned into a formulaic travel the world blog. I can just see this happening to her in about a month.

[tacosforlife]

I am glad that they are now being honest that this is not all glitz and glamor. I always feel like Captain Bringdown when I read plans like this and point out all the ways it could go terribly.

[lissaholly]

Good for them. Good for them for accepting that their dream comes with a price and good for them for not endorsing that lifestyle without acknowledging the price.

[sfy]

I'm glad they're not neglecting their dental hygiene.

[ECB]

Sept 2, 2015 10:07:51 GMT -5 lissaholly said:

Good for them. Good for them for accepting that their dream comes with a price and good for them for not endorsing that lifestyle without acknowledging the price.

At first I was cynically "heh" about it.  But after reading it - I actually found it refreshing.  I'm glad they are being honest about the "cost" of this adventure while also still loving it.

[tacosforlife]

I have a lot of questions about this "volunteering," though. Are they essentially working under the table? Volunteering at actual charities? I thought it could be difficult to get work permits in other countries, and I would think that traveling around the world and doing odd jobs for money or other material gain would likely involve illegal off-the-books work. Or am I totally off base on that?

[sugarglider]

Sept 2, 2015 10:11:41 GMT -5 tacosforlife said:

I have a lot of questions about this "volunteering," though. Are they essentially working under the table? Volunteering at actual charities? I thought it could be difficult to get work permits in other countries, and I would think that traveling around the world and doing odd jobs for money or other material gain would likely involve illegal off-the-books work. Or am I totally off base on that?

You're probably right.

ETA: I say that based on the fact that s/o, with a U.S. passport, has to gain very specific paperwork if he so much as plans to play his guitar in a bar in the UK, even for no pay. And that's for a job that tends to be more transient than most and travel between two countries that have are very welcoming of tourists from the other.

[laladypoet]

I just think quitting your job to find yourself or whatever is really self-indulgent, and I like that they have to scrub toilets to do it. I'm a hater. don't care.

[sfy]

Sept 2, 2015 10:18:15 GMT -5 laladypoet said:

I just think quitting your job to find yourself or whatever is really self-indulgent, and I like that they have to scrub toilets to do it. I'm a hater. don't care.

What's wrong with grown people with no children being self-indulgent? 

My whole damned life is self-indulgent.  My kid is grown and I have basically no responsibilities.  I spend half my day playing on the web and the other half eating things I shouldn't, sleeping, taking bubble baths, watching television, talking on the phone and doing hoodrat things with my friends.  Good times.

Instead of hating, you should probably try to figure out how you can do more of whatever makes you happy, because they've figured it out and they don't seem worse for the wear.  Plenty of people scrub toilets and don't have half as much adventure, so I don't really get it.

[sugarglider]

Sept 2, 2015 10:22:47 GMT -5 sfy said:

Sept 2, 2015 10:18:15 GMT -5 laladypoet said:

I just think quitting your job to find yourself or whatever is really self-indulgent, and I like that they have to scrub toilets to do it. I'm a hater. don't care.

What's wrong with grown people with no children being self-indulgent? 

My whole damned life is self-indulgent.  My kid is grown and I have basically no responsibilities.  I spend half my day playing on the web and the other half eating things I shouldn't, sleeping, taking bubble baths, watching television, talking on the phone and doing hoodrat things with my friends.  Good times.

Instead of hating, you should probably try to figure out how you can do more of whatever makes you happy, because they've figured it out and they don't seem worse for the wear.  Plenty of people scrub toilets and don't have half as much adventure, so I don't really get it.

Love this. I wanted to respond to the same post, but couldn't find the words. Yes.

(Though I do share the skepticism about the legality of the work they're doing.)

[laladypoet]

I AM doing more of what makes me happy. I am happy to judge people. it's one of my favorite things. YOU DON'T KNOW ME.

[Vespasia]

Sept 2, 2015 10:11:41 GMT -5 tacosforlife said:

I have a lot of questions about this "volunteering," though. Are they essentially working under the table? Volunteering at actual charities? I thought it could be difficult to get work permits in other countries, and I would think that traveling around the world and doing odd jobs for money or other material gain would likely involve illegal off-the-books work. Or am I totally off base on that?

I suspect their "volunteering" is more like bartering. They get to stay at a hostel in exchange for cleaning the toilets and stuff like that. 

[pixy0stix]

I'm not saying this flippantly, is this a white people thing? Expecting to pay for their travel with a few hours work here and there?

Second, how is this not just a romanticized version of being homeless? Because they take pretty pictures?

Third question, why are we holding homeless immigrants being paid under the table to a different standard, than say the immigrants in our own country?

[Deleted]

I think romanticizing being homeless is totally a white person thing.

See also: tiny homes, homesteading.

[ttt]

Sept 2, 2015 10:11:41 GMT -5 tacosforlife said:

I have a lot of questions about this "volunteering," though. Are they essentially working under the table? Volunteering at actual charities? I thought it could be difficult to get work permits in other countries, and I would think that traveling around the world and doing odd jobs for money or other material gain would likely involve illegal off-the-books work. Or am I totally off base on that?

Another article I read said they are working through a company that basically pairs travelers with locals who need odd jobs done.

I actually love this, and I find their honesty about it refreshing. They're living their dreams and they're willing to pay the dirty, unglamorous price to do it.

[laladypoet]

and camping. fuck camping.

[sfy]

Sept 2, 2015 10:30:09 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

I'm not saying this flippantly, is this a white people thing? Expecting to pay for their travel with a few hours work here and there?

Second, how is this not just a romanticized version of being homeless? Because they take pretty pictures?

Third question, why are we holding homeless immigrants being paid under the table to a different standard, than say the immigrants in our own country?

NSIS, but one of my closest friends does this and she is black.  She has a law degree but she doesn't want to practice.  She's waitressed, cooked at an ashram, harvested marijuana and taught English (that was in Israel).  She's currently in the US, living in the Southwest and running a community farm. 

She's not homeless because she doesn't have to be homeless.  Please let's not label people who can afford to live somewhere if they want to homeless a la Bethenny Frankel.  It's obtuse. 

Who is we?  Do you think the same people doing this care about whether immigrants here are paid under the table?  I doubt it.

[skwcm80]

Sept 2, 2015 10:09:31 GMT -5 sfy said:

I'm glad they're not neglecting their dental hygiene.

That's what I thought. Maybe it is gross of me but floss would not be high on my priority list in that situation. 

[sugarglider]

Sept 2, 2015 10:30:09 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

I'm not saying this flippantly, is this a white people thing? Expecting to pay for their travel with a few hours work here and there?

Second, how is this not just a romanticized version of being homeless? Because they take pretty pictures?

Third question, why are we holding homeless immigrants being paid under the table to a different standard, than say the immigrants in our own country?

I think for the first and second the issue is that we all have different ideas of fun and maybe there are patterns wrt race. I don't want to scrub toilets to travel. I'd rather work my desk job 49 weeks of the year and travel for 3. But if that's their thing and they can without mooching off others, then kudos to them.
To your third point, I personally hold a radical libertarian-esque view on immigration wrt work.

[tacosforlife]

Sept 2, 2015 10:26:45 GMT -5 Vespasia said:

Sept 2, 2015 10:11:41 GMT -5 tacosforlife said:

I have a lot of questions about this "volunteering," though. Are they essentially working under the table? Volunteering at actual charities? I thought it could be difficult to get work permits in other countries, and I would think that traveling around the world and doing odd jobs for money or other material gain would likely involve illegal off-the-books work. Or am I totally off base on that?

I suspect their "volunteering" is more like bartering. They get to stay at a hostel in exchange for cleaning the toilets and stuff like that. 

Yeah, I guess I kind of have a concern about this. People (not necessarily the same people living this type of lifestyle) complain about illegal immigrants keeping wages down in the U.S. There are a lot of flaws with that argument, but there are some real concerns when you have people willing to work under the table for what may be less than the minimum wage and who may or may not being paying all applicable taxes.

I don't know for sure that's what these people are doing because I don't have enough information about the arrangements. But much in the same way that just giving shoes to poor children can actually cause harm to the local economy, I definitely see some potential problems with this kind of arrangement.

[meshaliuknits]

Sept 2, 2015 10:33:07 GMT -5 laladypoet said:

and camping. fuck camping.

[wawa]

Sept 2, 2015 10:22:47 GMT -5 sfy said:

Sept 2, 2015 10:18:15 GMT -5 laladypoet said:

I just think quitting your job to find yourself or whatever is really self-indulgent, and I like that they have to scrub toilets to do it. I'm a hater. don't care.

What's wrong with grown people with no children being self-indulgent? 

My whole damned life is self-indulgent.  My kid is grown and I have basically no responsibilities.  I spend half my day playing on the web and the other half eating things I shouldn't, sleeping, taking bubble baths, watching television, talking on the phone and doing hoodrat things with my friends.  Good times.

Instead of hating, you should probably try to figure out how you can do more of whatever makes you happy, because they've figured it out and they don't seem worse for the wear.  Plenty of people scrub toilets and don't have half as much adventure, so I don't really get it.

My hero!

[Cicero]

Sept 2, 2015 10:11:41 GMT -5 tacosforlife said:

I have a lot of questions about this "volunteering," though. Are they essentially working under the table? Volunteering at actual charities? I thought it could be difficult to get work permits in other countries, and I would think that traveling around the world and doing odd jobs for money or other material gain would likely involve illegal off-the-books work. Or am I totally off base on that?

There are european countries with visa categories/exceptions for people working on organic farms. I stayed at a hostel on one of these farms in Greece back in the day. It was completely staffed by American and Australian university students who were traveling around. One of the kids was legitimately getting a degree in Agg and worked on the farm but the rest of them were the housekeeping and kitchen staff for the hostel and restaurant. It's possible they're doing something like that.

ETA: europeupclose.com/article/wwoof-your-way-through-europe/

[cookiemdough]

Eh my adventure consists of nice restaurants, comfy hotels and good wine. So yeah savings is a requirement.

[skwcm80]

sfy I'd like to be you when I grow up.

[Deleted]

The last time I went to the UK/Europe was in 2003, and I was already getting tired of the hostel travel scene. I'm glad that people find a way to do this if they find it satisfying. But I am definitely one of those people who prefers a regular income, comfy bed, and nice travel accommodations when I do get the opportunity. There are definitely days I want to just pack the car and have this kind of freedom again, but I know it isn't that romantic in real life; you really have to have a laid-back temperment to do this kind of thing.

[iammalcolmx]