Couples who travel and blog: Chanel and Stevo

As you know, we have started introducing you to our favourite traveling couples and decided to make this a series. Next up in our spotlight are Chanel and Stevo of the blog How far from Home, two creatives living by their “wanderlist”.

Chanel & Stevo – Two creatives living by their wanderlist

If you once told me that a blind date could lead to one of the best travel adventures I would ever hear of, I would have probably looked at you sceptically and laughed very loudly. But everything changed when I recently came across Chanel and Stevo’s story. These two award-winning creatives met five years ago, in South Africa. Back then, their lives were pretty steady and their daily routine filled with family, friends, amazing jobs and a beautiful home. But one knows that there’s nothing as boring as perfection, right? That’s why the couple decided, after a few years of dating, that it was now time to step out of their comfort zone and, as they recount, “say yes to the world”.

At the beginning of 2015, Chanel and Stevo were ready to embark on their first RTW journey. However, before taking off to their first destination, the imaginative duo spent some time brainstorming ideas of how they could document their trip differently, as a part of one of their many creative experiments. When I ask them about how the HFFH concept was born, Stevo recalls: “I screamed “What about How Far From Home?” one night whilst taking a shower, and Chanel replied, “Ah that’s cool! And then we can show how far we’ve travelled…like those distance markers!?” and so the brainstorming carried on.

Apart from the “distance markers” concept, the couple also created a “Wanderlist”: understand, a list of things that would drive them to travel to the places they would soon visit. Their travel wishes were as diverse as “Go dancing in Berlin”, “See the Midnight Sun”, “Survive one month on just 5 euros per day”, “Sleep in an igloo”, “Visit a meditation temple in the East” or “Camp in the Outback”. Chanel and Stevo then published the final draft on their “How Far From Home” blog , inviting their readers to add their own suggestions to the wanderlist. Soon, tons of followers started recommending places to go to and things to do to the couple while they would be on their creative journey.

And once the traveling actually began, their original concept also brought the creative duo a lot of attention from the Media. Adweek, The Daily Mail, Cosmopolitan, The Huffington Post… Numerous publications covered their adventure, just after a few months of being on the road. When I ask Chanel and Stevo if they expected such a press coverage, they are unanimous: “Definitely not!” Chanel adds: “We’re extremely surprised and feel fortunate with the support and interest in our story. We originally thought we’d document our journey for our friends and family, and fellow creatives who were maybe thinking of doing the same, but we never thought we’d have so much support on a global scale. We hope that, if anything, we can inspire people to push themselves out of their own comfort zones, and spend their time on Earth exploring!”

While recalling the unexpected success that their adventure encountered, Chanel and Stevo tell me that this trip has also brought a lot of other good changes into their lives. Chanel explains: “We’ve made some incredible friends along the way. We’ve seen and experienced more than we thought we ever could. We’re feeling wiser and invigorated, and we’re aiming to live the change we want to see in the world. We’re also proud of how we have adapted to this lifestyle, despite how difficult some of the times have been.”

The couple then underlines the fact that traveling is not necessarily an easy thing and that they had to face some challenges as well. “Our budget is definitely the biggest issue, as it decides whether we’re walking 6km to find our accommodation, or whether we’re catching a bus. It dictates where we’re eating and sleeping, and how many items on our Wanderlist we can tick off. Sure, there’s moments of doubt and demotivation, but having each other normally wipes that away and keeps us thinking about the bigger picture: we came on this journey to be out of our comfort zones, so that’s exactly what we need to do (and enjoy).”

My last question is probably the hardest to answer, as I ask them how they picture their life in the near future and if they think they will ever tick off every item from their wanderlist. Once again, the couple is on the same page and Chanel replies: “Hopefully it will never be completely ticked and we can carry on exploring forever. As mentioned, if budget wasn’t an issue, we would probably do this for as long as possible, but for now, we know we need to be back in South Africa in February for prior commitments, and after that – we have no idea… We’re trying not to think that far but rather stay in the moment and enjoy the ride now. We’ll figure it out eventually – we’ve already come this far…”.

You can follow the adventures of Chanel and Stevo on their (awesome) Blog, Twitter and Instagram.

 

____________________________

This post was written by Elisa Fourt.

Elisa Fourt was part of the Travelettes team from 2015 to 2017.  Elisa usually describes herself as a world citizen. She has lived, studied, worked and traveled in more than 60 countries throughout her life and she loves to share her passion for the world with others. When she is not planning her next trip or writing about the last one, Elisa likes to help people in need and get involved in various not-for-profit projects. She currently works for a NGO in the Middle-East. Follow her on Instagram @lisou.me