1 year ago
88 Bradley Williams "absolutely hated" his archetypal occupation aft graduating from college.
The 28-year-old said the bureau situation wasn't for him — and helium discontinue successful 3 months.
Williams' girlfriend, Cazzy Magennis, had conscionable finished her grade astatine the University of Exeter, wherever they met. While their friends were starting their careers successful London, Williams and Magennis were unfazed by the societal pressures to settee into firm jobs.
Instead, they decided to backpack to South America, they told CNBC.
An unthinkable 4 months followed — they camped overnight successful the Amazon rainforest, went paragliding successful Bolivia, surfed successful Peru and saw the Iguazu Falls successful Argentina — which they chronicled connected a blog called Dream Big Travel Far.
Cazzy Magennis astatine the Golden Gate Bridge successful San Francisco.
Source: Bradley Williams, Cazzy Magennis
But their wealth rapidly ran out, Williams said.
The mates started doing freelance copywriting to marque ends meet, which raked successful betwixt $1,000 and $1,500 per period each, Magennis said. It was capable to let them to backpack comfortably done Southeast Asia for 18 months, she said.
They continued to blog, sharing question tips, itineraries and illustration packing lists with their audience. Eventually, they stopped copywriting and dedicated each their clip to the blog.
Now, the tract draws an mean of 250,000 monthly visitors and is connected way to gain six figures successful yearly gross soon, she said.
"It's a numbers game. You person to beryllium getting thousands of radical speechmaking your contented earlier you really commencement to marque immoderate money," Williams said successful a YouTube video astir however they marque wealth portion traveling.
Their main gross streams from their question blog are advertizing and affiliate marketing, Williams said successful the video. They person a committee erstwhile readers publication tours oregon hotels via links connected their blog, helium said.
"It's go excessively large for america to negociate connected our own," Magennis told CNBC, adding that 7 contributing writers assistance negociate the blog.
The mates besides has a YouTube channel, but successful the video Magennis said the mates don't marque overmuch wealth from it.
"We person made ... $382.85, truthful instrumentality from that what you will," she said connected the video with a laugh.
When Covid hit
When Covid deed and question came to a halt, the blog — their lone root of income — took a hit.
"Income benignant of conscionable went disconnected a cliff," Williams said. "Everything benignant of dried up."
The mates returned to freelance penning to marque ends meet, helium said.
"The bully happening astir having our concern arsenic a blog is that determination aren't immoderate large accepted expenses, similar rent," Williams said.
To prevention money, the mates spent respective months surviving with their families successful Northern Ireland and England.
During a four-month stint with Williams' parents, they embarked connected a caller task — converting a van to unrecorded successful erstwhile borders reopened.
A custom-built van
The mates needed a van that they could usage to thrust astir the world, according to their blog.
To plan it, they turned to online advice. "We took inspiration from the galore dozens of van tours we watched connected YouTube," Magennis said.
Bradley Williams and Cazzy Magennis said they spent 3 and a fractional months renovating their campervan.
Source: Bradley Williams, Cazzy Magennis
The van, which they named Helen, has galore of the utilities of a regular home.
It houses 2 beds and a seating country for 4 people, positive a shower, toilet and room area. A 480-watt star sheet connected the rooftop powers the electricity.
The room country successful the couple's campervan.
Source: Bradley Williams, Cazzy Magennis
"Most nights we navigator successful the van," Magennis said. "We person an oven successful here, truthful we tin navigator everything that you would successful a house."
The route
A representation connected the couple's blog shows the couple's planned driving route. When they spoke to CNBC, they were successful the United States.
Williams and Magennis' way for 2021-2023 is shown on the greenish lines, with the reddish arrows noting the absorption they mean to follow
Source: Bradley Williams, Cazzy Magennis
To traverse oceans, the mates alert and vessel their van crossed countries.
The mates changed people and are present avoiding Russia successful 2024.
Source: Bradley Williams, Cazzy Magennis
The mates wanted to question done Russia but the warfare thwarted their plans, Magennis said.
In different change, they present program to vessel their van from South America to Australia, wherever they volition question earlier exploring Asia.
Finally, they volition decorativeness the way successful Europe, wherever they began, she said.
Best and worst parts of van life
The champion parts astir surviving successful a van is that it encourages a minimalistic lifestyle, Williams said.
"You can't person 10 pairs of shoes and 7 coats — you'll recognize that you don't really request that much," helium said.
They emotion that their location moves with them, helium said.
"We tin beryllium parked up astatine the borderline of a cliff successful the mediate of nowhere, but erstwhile we unopen the doors and enactment the heater connected ... it's a truly cozy abstraction to beryllium in," Williams said.
But van beingness has its downsides too, helium said.
"If you're connected your ain and you're not precise sociable, it tin go rather lonely," helium said.
"Sometimes Instagram paints this representation of van beingness ... similar each nighttime you'll beryllium by this astonishing formation with the prima mounting ... but a batch of times it'll beryllium howling rainfall outside," helium said. "Or your van breaks down and you person to get repairs done."
Bradley Williams and Cazzy Magennis extracurricular their campervan.
Source: Bradley Williams, Cazzy Magennis
The mates estimation that they walk nary much than $2,000 annually connected van maintenance.
Dangers lurk connected the roadworthy arsenic well. They've had their vlogging equipment, projector and covering stolen portion the van was being shipped from the U.K. to Canada, helium said.
Someone attempted to interruption into their van astatine midnight, helium said. Fortunately, the intruder scurried distant erstwhile Williams came retired of the vehicle, helium said.
They promote radical funny successful van beingness to effort it retired archetypal earlier committing to it afloat time. "It truly isn't for everybody," Williams said, adding that immoderate radical whitethorn consciousness claustrophobic.
"We cognize we emotion it due to the fact that we did a fewer different van trips beforehand," helium said.
His apical tip? Hire a van first, past "just springiness it a go."
