What it’s really like to be a social media couple traveling the world
Travel the world as a social media couple: "Being a nomadic couple, making a decent living through social media and blogging definitely seems like the perfect life," says Jarryd Salem of Nomadasaurus. But Salem and his partner Alesha Bradford say it isn't always perfect.
courtesy Nomadasaurus
Nomadasaurus: Salem of Nomadasaurus says people should be aware that behind each beautiful Instagram photo might be hours of work, logistical issues, planning and money.
courtesy Nomadasaurus
IdleTheoryBus: Kit Whistler and J.R Switchgrass, behind the popular Instagram account IdleTheoryBus, have lived in a 1976 bus named Sunshine since 2012. "Everything we own is in the bus. Every single thing," says Whistler. "We don't have a storage unit anywhere."
courtesy IdleTheoryBus
'Van-life' challenges: "Sharing 80 square feet can definitely take its toll on our relationship. We fight, often, especially in winter when it's cold and there are 12 hours of darkness," says Whistler. "The fights are bad sometimes. I've locked J.R. out of the bus all night, no joke. He's left me on the side of the road with only a backpack."
courtesy IdleTheoryBus
NoDestinations: In 2014, Chris and Danika Garlotta quit their jobs, sold their stuff and left San Francisco for an epic around-the-world trip. The husband-and-wife pair hasn't stopped since and has documented their travel on their website/Instagram account NoDestinations.
courtesy NoDestinations
On traveling together: Traveling and working together as a couple has left no room for secrets, but they wouldn't do it any other way. "Traveling alone is great, but when you're there with someone to share those moments, it makes it more special," says Chris.
courtesy NoDestinations
Salt in our Hair: Hannah Spelt and Nick Noordijk post sun-drenched scenes of frolicking through fields in Holland, swinging from palm trees in Sri Lanka and lounging by pools in Marrakech on their shared account Salt in our Hair.
courtesy Salt in our hair
Their romantic moment: In Da Nang, Vietnam, the pair rode scooters at sunset and stopped at small food markets. "It's not known as a romantic city, but it's our kind of romantic," says Spelt.
courtesy Salt in our hair
Kara Buchanan and Nate Buchanan: YouTubers Kara Buchanan and Nate Buchanan set off last year with a goal of visiting 100 countries by 2019. They support their travel by vlogging daily on their YouTube channel and other related activities.
courtesy Kara and Nate
Working together: "The majority of our arguments stem from having different creative visions for our videos. Kara has a more casual style, and I like polished and professional," Nate tells CNN. Kara says having to make 100 times more decisions on the road than they did at home is another source of tension.
courtesy Kara and Nate
AdventureFaktory: Dubai-based Instagram couple Mitch Hyde and Thuymi Do of AdventureFaktory sometimes share stressful moments of their trips using Snapchat and InstaStory.
courtesy AdventureFaktory
A part of travel: "Travel wouldn't be the same if you didn't have stressful moments," says Hyde. "We think that makes us relatable. Travel is not always happy and perfect Instagram shots. Things can go wrong."
courtesy AdventureFaktory
FindUsLost: After falling in love in Southern California seven years ago, Selena Slavenburg and Jacob Taylor have roamed sun-drenched locations around the world.
courtesy Find Us Lost
Be realistic: The important thing with traveling as a couple is to know your limits before hand. "Don't embark on a journey you aren't comfortable with. You can always change your mind," says Slavenburg.
courtesy Find Us Lost
AnnaEverywhere and ExpertVagabond: Anna Lysakowska from AnnaEverywhere and Matt Karsten from ExpertVagabond keep both their sizable Instagram brands separate.
courtesy ExpertVagabond and AnnaEverywhere
A relationship test: They note that traveling together is a great relationship test due to the endless highs and lows. Lysakowska advises others to start with short "test" trips before jumping off the deep end and traveling full time.
