We’ve always wondered what it would be like being “digital nomads.” We’ve no doubt in our minds that we’d love the lifestyle. There’s the excitement of being on the road, staying in quirky accommodation spots and exploring new places. And then, the best part, sharing it with the world. But how on earth do you sustain yourself?
How DO you sustain yourself? This is a question we ask ourselves over and over again each time we ogle over the accounts of the “travel couples” and “digital nomads” we follow on Insta. The bios are almost always the same. “We decided to give up our day jobs and travel the world.” “68 countries and counting,” or the one that really gets me is when there are just little flags of all the places they’ve been to. And secretly, you test yourself to see how good your travel knowledge REALLY is by seeing if you can recognize the countries. There are endless images of said digital nomads kissing in exotic locations, sitting in steaming bath tubs on the edge of mountain cliffs and watching the hot air balloons drift across Cappadocia from some undisclosed location. And they are almost ALWAYS dressed beautifully and drop dead gorgeous. You get the picture. Is this stuff for real?
Ok, so actually we are probably just envious. But at the same time we are also curious.
It has occurred to us that we should possibly have looked into this years ago, before we started “adulting.” When you are in your early twenties, you have pretty much zero responsibility. No bond, policies, insurance, medical aid or business running costs. These are the baddies that eat chunks out of your monthly income once you become a little more established in the world. Then again, you read of people in their 60’s doing this. But I am sure these guys pretty much have nest eggs should things not work out.
We’ve been known to make rash decisions while braaing and after copious amounts of red wine. Should we sell the house? Should we just hop in the car and see if we can do this? Should we buy a camper van? But when sobriety and reality set in we get cold feet. And here we still are, asking the same questions.
Except now we try to justify how we can make this work. We have cameras, and for the past 18 years people have been paying us for our photography. I think I can say with a clear consience that we are actually pretty darn good at what we do. I’ve been known to string a few words together. Andre spent years in the motor industry and he is super knowledgeable (and passionate I might add) about any kind of vehicle (yes, that’s a little hint to those car dealerships out there) Andre has a background in both sales, management and auditing, me in teaching and tourist guiding. So if there’s anyone out there reading this who is in need of any of the above, you can take that as our cv in short.
All jokes aside.
Recently we had one whole week of being digital nomads. Did we like it? We flipping LOVED it.

Our week started off along the Breede River at Olifantskrans River Cabins. This was not work, but in fact a weekend away booked nearly a year in advance. June and July are celebration months for birthdays and anniversaries. Our escape to Olifants has become somewhat of a tradition now.

Less than two hours from Cape Town, Olifantskrans River Cabins is the perfect weekend getaway. There are seven fully equipped cabins all within 20 metres of the river. Or if you visit when we did, literally less than a metre! Each cabin has a deck with a built in braai as well as an enclosed lapa which makes it perfect for your furkids to come along too. Situated within the Breede River Wine valley there are a host of wonderful estates close by. If you’d rather stay put, there are kayaks, you can cycle, walk or literally just laze around with a good book.