When 28-year-olds Nick Chazee and Mathilde Vougny packed up their belongings to travel the world three years ago, they chose to do it in an unconventional way — in their Land Rover.
Chazee, who was working at a technology startup, and Vougny at the United Nations, were already exposed to frequent work travel. But that did not abate their craving to explore even more.
“Anytime we had free time, we would go around and travel, even if it was just five hours away from home,” said Vougny. Their passion for travel made them realize that they wanted to do it full-time.
They thought, “Wouldn’t it be so cool if we could just keep driving and go to Turkey and then to Central Asia, and then all the way to Singapore… and do the whole world,” said Chazee.
### Financing the Trip
It took the couple nearly two years to save up the money to realize their dreams. Initially, the trip was completely self-funded, according to Chazee.
However, after they started documenting their travels on social media platforms, they began to rely on that income stream to fund their journeys. The couple admitted they had not intended to monetize their social media presence at the start.
“We’re already doing those videos, but it was for friends and family, so there was no pressure,” said Vougny.
They planned to stop their journey when finances ran out, but “the money started coming when we were doing it not for the money. We’re lucky,” Vougny told CNBC Travel.
Their expenses typically cover diesel and maintenance for the car, Wi-Fi, Netflix and music subscriptions, visas, and shipping containers to transport the car. These costs total an estimated $41,000 per year.
The couple saves on utility bills, rent, and avoids hotels, resulting in a lifestyle much cheaper than before they started traveling for a living.
Since Chazee and Vougny need to ship their car whenever they fly to another country, they try to save money by booking flights at the last minute. This strategy ensures they never have to reschedule a flight if their shipping plans are delayed, saving them considerable money, as shipment costs account for a large portion of their expenses — averaging around $6,000 per year.
Travelers who book shipments and flights in advance risk having to rebook flights with additional costs to accommodate unpredictable shipping schedules, Chazee explained.
“We literally buy the plane ticket the same day that we want to leave, so we pay maybe 10% more than what it cost two months ago, but at the end, we saved so much more.”
If shipping ever delays their car, they continue traveling by motorbike.
“We don’t take planes usually anywhere, unless it’s between our car and our motorbike,” said Chazee.
### Managing Daily Routines in Their Land Rover
Their Land Rover is well-equipped for life on the road. It features a 65-liter water tank refilled at fuel stations, a full-sized shower head, a dual-fuel stove system, and a 45-liter fridge.
Laundry is done every two weeks, either at public laundry machines or through third-party services.
“The car setup is perfect in many places, except for the heat,” said Chazee. “We use fans for the night when we sleep, but it’s still too hot sometimes, and so we’re sweating. It’s hard to sleep.”
On the other hand, when temperatures dropped to -15°C in Alaska, “we were inside in T-shirts and shorts because we had a diesel heater and a hot shower,” he added.
### Bittersweet Moments
In their three years of traveling in a Land Rover, the couple has experienced some rough bumps along the way.
One such moment occurred shortly after they shipped their Land Rover to Australia — a move that cost around $7,000.
“Five days after we started driving in Australia, the engine broke down entirely. Worst experience possible,” said Vougny.
After just 10 minutes, a local stopped to help. “We eventually spent 21 days at his home; he helped us fix the car. We were cooking for them, and they were cooking for us,” she recalled. “So even though I can’t recall it as a bad memory, it would totally qualify as a bad moment for us.”
Apart from mechanical challenges, being far from family meant they had to keep their car parked safely abroad while they returned home.
“But again, we’re lucky because of the community we built online,” said Vougny. “We have people in every country, and they’re always so welcoming. Usually, they take really good care of our home because if they follow our journey, they also know our car very well and care about it as much as we do.”
### Highlights on the Road
The couple has a little tradition: every time they enter a new country, they try to find a local from that country to stick the country’s flag on their car, said Vougny.
“And that was super nice because, you know, we tend to be scared of strangers, and yet he was scared of us. Eventually, we talked,” she shared. “For me, those small interactions are my best memories.”
Their car naturally draws attention, with its French license plate and a left-hand drive steering wheel.
“So when we go eat, we usually get a bit of chit-chat. You meet people,” Vougny said.
One of the highlights of their journey spanning over 160,000 kilometers is that more than 300 people worldwide have invited the couple into their homes.
“I save all of their names and their locations, so when we get to these countries, we write to them again,” said Chazee.
Despite what they thought would be exhausting constant travel, it has never worn them out, said Vougny.
Though they plan to end the trip in two years, there are already ideas for the future: “a new, bigger vehicle and travel to the continents that we really want to do again, or that we feel like we haven’t seen enough,” said Chazee.
Another possible plan is to set up a home base to welcome other travelers in the future and “give back what we received on this trip,” Vougny added.
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/10/21/this-couple-left-their-jobs-to-travel-160000-km-across-the-world-in-their-land-rover.html
