MARKO POLO
GET ME ON THE NEXT FLIGHT TO ANYWHERE.
A conversation with Annette, who is one half of Chase for Adventure — a social media project and online business all about travel, lifestyle and of course, adventure. In 2018, she and her husband Daniel sold all of their stuff and decided to travel the world.
You guys are looking to go to every country in the world. How many countries have you been to so far and how long do you think it will take to complete your journey?
So far we’ve been to 42 countries between the two of us. We originally thought that we were going to be able to do all the countries in the world in five years. But with the recent changes to the travel industry, it might be a while before we can even get to an airport. With that said, we still remain optimistic and will adapt to whatever times are ahead.
What has been the most secluded place you guys have been to on your travels so far?
If we’re talking about “in-the-middle-of-nowhere” secluded, that’s where we are now in Koh Chang, Thailand. The house we’re living in is in the middle of the jungle surrounded by a national park. Our house also backs up to a river that will fill up during the rainy season. We feel like Jane and George of the Jungle. The most romantic place we’ve stayed in though is the Railay Phutawan resort on Railay Beach in southern Thailand. It’s nestled up on a mountain surrounded by cliffs. That’s where Daniel and I go whenever we need to take a disconnected weekend together.
That sounds beautiful. Now for a would-you-rather question. Would you rather go on a two-hour hike up a mountain at 3 am to watch the sun rise or have a care-free roam through the streets of a mysterious new city?
In our first full year of travel, we did a lot of hikes through South East Asia. We even ambitiously summited Mount Fuji in Japan just two weeks after starting our full-time travels — with no prior climbing experience. We were a little over hiking after that. We’ve done a few hikes here and there, but honestly, we love getting lost in a new city. Street food is the way to my travel soul!
Any interesting/cliché souvenirs that you’ve bought so far?
We aren’t souvenir people since we document all of our travels, but I did let myself buy a lehenga and a saree for the Indian wedding we attended last November. We carried that thing in our bag for months after our India trip until we could send it back home.
How do you decide on which country to go to next? Put up a map and throw a dart?
We go on Skyscanner and choose “flights to everywhere” for the departure month we want to leave. Then we simply just pick the cheapest flight we can find to a new country.
Now, for the most crucial question. How do you afford all this travelling and how do you make money whilst travelling?
Those are heavily loaded questions! We do a lot of things. Before the pandemic, we had a tour business. But now we have an online course that teaches people how to transition into the digital nomad lifestyle. We’ve also just opened up a boutique of travel accessories. So we have a few things going.
Let’s say one of you wants to go to a certain place, but the other isn’t interested. What do you do? Has this happened so far?
Gratefully, Daniel and I are on the same page about almost everything. The only place that has really divided us so far is Vietnam. Daniel really wants to go back, but I’m still getting over my culture shock from the last time we were there in 2019. I know I’ll warm up to it eventually, but I’m just not there yet.
What do you like to do to pass the time on a long journey?
I’m kind of a workaholic and love working on Chase for Adventure. That’s what usually consumes all of my time. If I’m on a motorbike and can’t have my laptop out, I’m obsessed with business podcasts like Entrepreneurs on Fire, The Goal Digger Podcast, Online Marketing Made Easy and Smart Passive Income.
Any tourist traps (anywhere in the world) that you guys would recommend avoiding?
We usually avoid touristy areas when we’re traveling, so we don’t have many to speak on. But out of all of them, I think Ubud, Bali was the worst. Don’t get me wrong, it’s totally beautiful; the food is great, and the Balinese are lovely people. With that said, there were way too many tourists there when we went in 2018. I think post-COVID-19 it might be a different story, but we’ll see!
Honestly, I quite agree with you about Ubud. So, back in 1271, it took Marco Polo around four years to get from Italy to China (with breaks). What would you do if this was the 13th century and travel was incredibly difficult, limited only to sailing, riding and walking?
I would definitely sail the world because the ocean is my happy place. On a side note, the show Marco Polo on Netflix is amazing!
I would probably sail, too. It would be faster than travelling on a horse, I guess. How about SIM cards? Do you get new ones for each new country you go to? And is it difficult to get SIMs in some countries?
So far, SIM cards have been a breeze to get in most places in Asia. You buy them at the airport for as cheap as $10 and you get a month of decent data. We get them for any country we will be in for longer than a few days.
Imagine you both have been marooned on a desert island with nothing but one knife and the clothes you’re currently wearing. The island is small with only a few trees and no wildlife. What do you do?
I wish I had a better answer for this, but if I didn’t have Daniel next to me, I would die. I have no survival skills whatsoever, whereas Daniel can make anything out of anything. He’s a super resourceful dude! So, I’d probably be in charge of making a tent out of palm trees, and Daniel will go out fishing with his bare hands.
What kind of visas do you get when you travel? Is a tourist visa usually enough?
A tourist visa has always been enough for us. Most countries are very generous and give us [US passport holders] at least a month.
Was travelling the world an idea that you both came up with together, or did one of you have to convince the other?
Daniel took a little bit of convincing at first, but that’s a whole different story!
You can see Annette and Daniel in action on their YouTube channel, their Instagram and also their website, where they host amazing online courses that teach people how to quit their soul-sucking 9-5’s and transition into the digital nomad lifestyle. Their Worker to Wanderer course is available now at chaseforadventure.com, as well as all sorts of other travel-related content like cheatsheets, travel guides, workbooks and more.
YouTube: Chase for Adventure
Instagram: @chaseforadventure
So far we’ve been to 42 countries between the two of us. We originally thought that we were going to be able to do all the countries in the world in five years. But with the recent changes to the travel industry, it might be a while before we can even get to an airport. With that said, we still remain optimistic and will adapt to whatever times are ahead.
What has been the most secluded place you guys have been to on your travels so far?
If we’re talking about “in-the-middle-of-nowhere” secluded, that’s where we are now in Koh Chang, Thailand. The house we’re living in is in the middle of the jungle surrounded by a national park. Our house also backs up to a river that will fill up during the rainy season. We feel like Jane and George of the Jungle. The most romantic place we’ve stayed in though is the Railay Phutawan resort on Railay Beach in southern Thailand. It’s nestled up on a mountain surrounded by cliffs. That’s where Daniel and I go whenever we need to take a disconnected weekend together.
That sounds beautiful. Now for a would-you-rather question. Would you rather go on a two-hour hike up a mountain at 3 am to watch the sun rise or have a care-free roam through the streets of a mysterious new city?
In our first full year of travel, we did a lot of hikes through South East Asia. We even ambitiously summited Mount Fuji in Japan just two weeks after starting our full-time travels — with no prior climbing experience. We were a little over hiking after that. We’ve done a few hikes here and there, but honestly, we love getting lost in a new city. Street food is the way to my travel soul!
Any interesting/cliché souvenirs that you’ve bought so far?
We aren’t souvenir people since we document all of our travels, but I did let myself buy a lehenga and a saree for the Indian wedding we attended last November. We carried that thing in our bag for months after our India trip until we could send it back home.
How do you decide on which country to go to next? Put up a map and throw a dart?
We go on Skyscanner and choose “flights to everywhere” for the departure month we want to leave. Then we simply just pick the cheapest flight we can find to a new country.
Now, for the most crucial question. How do you afford all this travelling and how do you make money whilst travelling?
Those are heavily loaded questions! We do a lot of things. Before the pandemic, we had a tour business. But now we have an online course that teaches people how to transition into the digital nomad lifestyle. We’ve also just opened up a boutique of travel accessories. So we have a few things going.
Let’s say one of you wants to go to a certain place, but the other isn’t interested. What do you do? Has this happened so far?
Gratefully, Daniel and I are on the same page about almost everything. The only place that has really divided us so far is Vietnam. Daniel really wants to go back, but I’m still getting over my culture shock from the last time we were there in 2019. I know I’ll warm up to it eventually, but I’m just not there yet.
What do you like to do to pass the time on a long journey?
I’m kind of a workaholic and love working on Chase for Adventure. That’s what usually consumes all of my time. If I’m on a motorbike and can’t have my laptop out, I’m obsessed with business podcasts like Entrepreneurs on Fire, The Goal Digger Podcast, Online Marketing Made Easy and Smart Passive Income.
Any tourist traps (anywhere in the world) that you guys would recommend avoiding?
We usually avoid touristy areas when we’re traveling, so we don’t have many to speak on. But out of all of them, I think Ubud, Bali was the worst. Don’t get me wrong, it’s totally beautiful; the food is great, and the Balinese are lovely people. With that said, there were way too many tourists there when we went in 2018. I think post-COVID-19 it might be a different story, but we’ll see!
Honestly, I quite agree with you about Ubud. So, back in 1271, it took Marco Polo around four years to get from Italy to China (with breaks). What would you do if this was the 13th century and travel was incredibly difficult, limited only to sailing, riding and walking?
I would definitely sail the world because the ocean is my happy place. On a side note, the show Marco Polo on Netflix is amazing!
I would probably sail, too. It would be faster than travelling on a horse, I guess. How about SIM cards? Do you get new ones for each new country you go to? And is it difficult to get SIMs in some countries?
So far, SIM cards have been a breeze to get in most places in Asia. You buy them at the airport for as cheap as $10 and you get a month of decent data. We get them for any country we will be in for longer than a few days.
Imagine you both have been marooned on a desert island with nothing but one knife and the clothes you’re currently wearing. The island is small with only a few trees and no wildlife. What do you do?
I wish I had a better answer for this, but if I didn’t have Daniel next to me, I would die. I have no survival skills whatsoever, whereas Daniel can make anything out of anything. He’s a super resourceful dude! So, I’d probably be in charge of making a tent out of palm trees, and Daniel will go out fishing with his bare hands.
What kind of visas do you get when you travel? Is a tourist visa usually enough?
A tourist visa has always been enough for us. Most countries are very generous and give us [US passport holders] at least a month.
Was travelling the world an idea that you both came up with together, or did one of you have to convince the other?
Daniel took a little bit of convincing at first, but that’s a whole different story!
You can see Annette and Daniel in action on their YouTube channel, their Instagram and also their website, where they host amazing online courses that teach people how to quit their soul-sucking 9-5’s and transition into the digital nomad lifestyle. Their Worker to Wanderer course is available now at chaseforadventure.com, as well as all sorts of other travel-related content like cheatsheets, travel guides, workbooks and more.
YouTube: Chase for Adventure
Instagram: @chaseforadventure
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