Couple quit £6,000-a-month jobs to find cheap vacation
A couple who quit work to travel for a living are now earning £6,000 a month helping others find budget deals.
Ex-doctor Jenna Carr and ex-civil engineer Joao Paias, both 33, met on Tinder in 2017 while vacationing in her native Portugal and fell in love over their shared passion for the trips.
They traveled through Portugal and the UK, as well as France and Switzerland before heading to Asia and visiting the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia and Bali.
And when they got pregnant with surprise baby Leo, who is now three, they ignored the criticism and took him on holiday when he was just two weeks old.
Sharing travel tips for parents on TikTok and its website The travel mom, Carr’s following grew. She gave up her stressful job as a locum doctor in February. The site has become so successful that Paias recently quit his job as a civil engineer to help out.
Now they go on holiday most months and fund their life in Worksop, Nottinghamshire, entirely through advertising and visits to their site and social media.
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“We won £6,000 last month from our website and realized we could do everything we used to do, just with a baby,” says Carr.
“We don’t have to live a boring life to support him. We’re getting to the point where we can travel, be nomads and live the life we want. Taking Leo to Portugal at two weeks old was so easy – he slept the whole flight and was quite happy in Portugal.
“We had bought tickets for the Glastonbury Festival before we found out I was pregnant and I decided to bring Leo with us.
“It went really well and we realized we could do whatever we wanted to do and that would make him confident and adaptable.
“The income we get is big enough for both of us to survive and we know that’s the life we want.”
Watch now: Vacation trip with baby in tow
In April 2017, Carr attended a bachelorette party in Albufeira, Portugal, and upon leaving she decided to stay and see more of the Algarve.
Then training to be a doctor, she ditched the flight and booked a hostel in Lagos – then found herself on Tinder looking for someone to go out with.
After corresponding with Paias on the app, the couple spent a few weeks exploring the country’s beautiful beaches and spending time together.
Carr says: “I explained I was in Portugal for a few weeks and he showed me the lesser known beaches – we went camping on this beach and cooked outside and just had the best weeks , everything seemed really natural.
“I had texted my friends after one of the first times I had met him, saying ‘I’m going to marry this man and have his babies’ as a joke.
When she had to leave, they continued to talk on WhatsApp – and Jenna quickly booked another trip to the Algarve to see him again.
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In August, they decided they wanted to try and began a long-distance relationship, meeting in England and Portugal, and traveling together to the Philippines and Bali.
In April 2018, Paias moved to England to be with Carr who was living in her parents’ house at the time – and it wasn’t until months later that they found out they were expecting a child.
“He moved in with me in England and only a few months later I found out I was pregnant – I had already been trying for a baby for years and was told I was infertile” , she said.
“I told all this to poor Joao and said we didn’t need to be too careful, so when I found out I was pregnant I was shocked.
“It felt like it was a bad time, but secretly, deep down I wanted a baby for so long and I knew Joao was a good guy – we had already established that it was a serious thing.
“I knew when we looked back we’d think it was the perfect time and now we’ve been trying for a second baby for two years and it hasn’t happened so Leo is definitely a bit of a miracle baby. .”
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Leo Carr-Paias was born on March 15, 2019 and the couple quickly realized they could do everything they used to do – just with a baby for the trip too.
When Leo was two weeks old, they traveled to Portugal so Joao’s family could meet him and his trip to the Glastonbury Festival came when he was just 12 weeks old.
Then, with Leo in tow, they explored Cyprus and the Greek Islands in 2019, as well as Italy, before traveling across the United States – with a short jaunt to the Bahamas – and finishing in New York.
So far in 2022 they have spent time in Italy and plan to visit Japan later this year.
The couple’s top five tips for traveling on a budget
1. Pack light by using a backpack as a free personal item so you don’t have to pay extra for checked baggage.
2. Travel mid-week when flights are less in demand and therefore cheaper.
3. Travel out of season – April to May and September to October are usually still sunny with significantly reduced prices compared to the summer months.
4. Use flight and hotel comparison sites to find the best deals – package deals are often more expensive than doing it yourself.
5. Look for rooms with a kitchenette and a supermarket nearby – a little effort to cook a meal or two can save you a lot of money.
Additional SWNS reports.