TWO CREATIVE KIDS FROM THE SOUTH HAD A DREAM TO EXPERIENCE THE WORLD.

Nine years ago, we met in the study room of our college dormitory in Savannah, Georgia. Our co-ed suites were two doors down from each other, and at the end of the hall was the communal work space. Claire was illustrating a graphite still life with great concentration, and Chad was writing in his journal, admiring Claire’s artistic skills from the other side of the table. Maybe it was because we both grew up in the South, or because we were both nervous freshmen looking for community, but we quickly became best friends. Over the next few years, we dated and traveled to a handful of countries around the world while studying abroad in both Europe and Asia. It was during our senior year of college that Claire decided to ask Chad to join her in trying to make full-time international travel a reality. 

Although we were freshly 22 years old, we were lucky enough to have a savings to start us out. Claire began working at the age of 11, teaching little kids to how to draw at a local art studio. She entered every visual art competition in the school, county, and state, and she was lucky enough to have placed in many of them. All monetary prizes and cash earnings were saved, alongside any birthday, Lunar New Year, or Christmas money received from family and friends. Once high school came around, Claire started waitressing at a fine-dining restaurant in Midtown Atlanta, whilst taking on realistic art commissions and portraits on the side. All payroll earnings and tips went straight to the bank.

Chad didn’t devote his entire childhood to saving (as how most normal kids don’t haha), but he certainly did put in some hours working at an inflatable bouncy house facility and hosting children’s birthday parties while in high school. During college, he scored a spot as a Resident Assistant to incoming freshmen, before whole-heartedly supporting Claire’s artistic endeavors as the local delivery guy for any of her purchased pieces. With us both in the same mentality of working hard, never spending, and always saving all throughout college, we were able to get to a point where we felt somewhat comfortable, financially, to go down a less traditional career path upon graduation.

Shortly after announcing our big plan to travel the world with family and friends, Chad (very publicly) proposed to Claire at a big department art show, where Claire’s work was being displayed. It was just a couple weeks after our engagement when the entire world shut down due to the global pandemic. That pushed us to switch our international travel plans to a year-long road trip around our home country, and we decided that the cheapest way to see the States, that would also allow us to save even more money, would be through a tiny and extremely budget version of “van life.”

MOVING INTO A SELF-CONVERTED TINY VAN–

We spent that summer selling all of our belongings, including Chad’s first car, all of our college furniture, and all of Claire’s fine art pieces from college, and began converting a 2013 Ford Transit Connect into our very own home on wheels. Two days after our small, backyard wedding, we hopped into our van and began our one-year road trip around the U.S.A. We checked off 38 states, driving over 30,000 miles through sunshine, rainfall, snowfall, and so much more, and to conclude our first chapter as a married duo, we sold our darling adventure-mobile to fellow traveler. 

JUMPING FROM COUNTRY TO COUNTRY–

We downsized once again, but that time, from a tiny van to two carry-on suitcases, and with passports in our hands, we said goodbye to the U.S.A. and departed for full-time international travel. We fell in love with the life-changing experiences of world travel and how it continued to push us out of our comfort zones time and time again. It showed us that there’s no right way to live and that we should always strive for growth, change, and open-mindedness. We both grew a desire to visit at least 50 countries around the world during our lifetime, and we’ve been slowly making our way around the globe, one country at a time.

FINDING A HOME BASE IN SMALL TOWN AMERICA–

Something we’ve always tried to prioritize in our life is living for the present and the everyday. Just like how there’s no better time to travel than the present, there’s also no better time to start a garden, connect with a local community, and make a home of our own. After telling ourselves for years that it isn’t possible to have a solid home base while ALSO traveling the world as frequently as we do, we finally found a way to make part-time travel possible, while also being pet parents and taking care of our very own house.

In between our many world adventures, we’ve created a special life in the Blue Ridge Mountains that focuses on the joy of the everyday and understanding that life is more than just work. As small business owners, the list of things to do will always be endless, and it’s ultimately our choice on whether we want to prioritize (1) our health, happiness, and the loved ones in our lives, or (2) the never-ending work load of content creation.

After years of individual reflection and self-growth, we’ve found a healthier and more fulfilling work-life balance that has made all the difference in our daily, weekly, and monthly routine. In between every big trip abroad, we find time to cook meals together using the seasonal herbs and vegetables from our back garden. We take our dogs on walks every evening and watch the rabbits and deer feast on the tall grass of the countryside. We read, crochet, garden, bake, swim, paint, host, wood work, hike, and share weekly meals with local friends during our chosen days off. This time at home replenishes us and inspires us to plan and dream about our next big trip abroad, and we truly cherish these days just as much as our world adventures.

We run this small business from wherever we are in the world, and whenever we’re back home in the mountains, Claire creates travel-inspired treasures and fine art pieces from our sunny home office. We hope to bring nothing but joy and encouragement to others as we continue to document our life together.

Follow us on YouTube (Chad and Claire) and Instagram (@chadandclaire) to see where we go next, and a huge thank you to those who choose to support us on Patreon! You all are a huge reason as to why we’re able to do what we do. To be the first to know updates on our personal life (and much more), join our free monthly newsletter. And if you’re interested in traveling with us, you can join us on one of our exciting group trips.