Canadian Couple Sold Their Properties And Quit Their Jobs To Travel The World: And It Was Wonderful

Nick Wharton and Dariece Swift

Nick Wharton and Dariece Swift

I cannot imagine the balls it would take to up one day and just decide to quit everything and travel the world, but a Canadian couple did just that and are now quite well off for it.

Nick Wharton and Dariece Swift took that decision back in 2008, when they sold their car, house, quit their jobs, and embarked on a world tour. Right now, the couple have seen five of the Seven Wonders of the World, been in 45 countries, and currently run a travel blog that actually partly funds their lifestyle.

If that is not success, I do not know what is.

Obviously it is not wise for everyone to think they can quit their jobs and survive a world tour. For one thing it’s financially ruinous, and depends on many other variables like whether you have kids of your own and whether the spirit of adventure is present. And no matter how you slice it that is a decision that is going to be hard on friends and family.

As the Telegraph catalogues, it was not an easy process to the current financial independence of the couple. Initially, the decision to sell of everything and embark on their travels seemed pretty nuts to their friends and family.

“Our decision to quit our jobs and sell our home, vehicle and belongings was a pretty sudden and drastic one, and although no one directly told us, we could see the concern on many of their faces,” Dariece told the UK site.

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“Perhaps it was concern for our safety, concern for the fact that we had only been dating for a little over a year, or maybe it was simply the fact that they were going to miss us.”

The decision to travel was taken after a one week trip to Mexico triggered their adventure genes.

“Visiting underground caves and having Mexican children run up to us with huge smiles on their faces really sparked something in us.

“We returned home recharged with a new found love for the unknown.”

 

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After Dariece said she’d love to travel to South East Asia, the first leg of their travels involved trekking through Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, India, Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore before eventually returning to Canada.

After their return and regaining to their old jobs; Nick at a printing press and Dariece a paralegal- they refilled their bank accounts to recommence another leg of travel. The year of travel made the grind of regular employment seem mundane, and they were back on the road after another year.

They toured Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia; before deciding to settle in China. They have taught English, worked as freelance writers and video producers, and taken other jobs to earn income. Most of all they run a blog Goats on the Road, which is the main source of income now: having blown up due to the intense interest in their adventurous lifestyles, which they helpfully catalogue for their readers.

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It has not all been rosy, but the couple have had fun traversing the world. Their most important insight, which I guess they’re qualified to make; is that often media portrayal of a place might be the most accurate descriptor.

“We’ve learned that media doesn’t always portray places and people the way that they deserve to be represented and there is often an ulterior motive behind many of the things that we see on TV back home,” Nick said.

“We’ve learned that despite our endless differences and fascinating cultural uniqueness, we are all the same in this world. We all have the same core values and we all love each other.

“We’re all human and we’re all in this together. That’s probably the most important thing that we’ve learned from travelling, and our life is better off just by knowing that simple truth.”

Theirs is a very interesting and perhaps unique story, because in recent times I recall reading about a similar couple whose journey did not go so well.

Undoubtedly there is a lure to the romanticism of it all; the ultimate travelling experience that ends well. But will it always be so?

What do you make of the Nick and Dariece’s decision to sell everything and travel the world?

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