Couple Quit Jobs To Become Travel Influencers-Doesn't Go To Plan
Quitting stable jobs to chase a dream of full-time travel influencing is a fantasy shared by millions scrolling Instagram-but, for one couple, the reality has been far tougher than expected.
Tom and Maura (@expeditionsomeday) joked about how their plans quickly unraveled in a reel on Instagram.
The text overlay reads: “Us 2 months ago: we will quit our jobs and become travel influencers and travel full time.” It then cuts to a more-sobering update: “We are now unemployed burning through our savings. We've only gained 2,000 followers. We still have 14 countries to go.”
Research from IZEA found that more than half of adults aged 18 to 60 say they would consider quitting their jobs to become full-time influencers, reflecting the powerful pull of the creator economy. Yet only a fraction ever reach the level needed to earn a stable income, with many creators juggling content creation alongside other work.
While influencer marketing as an industry is booming-worth tens of billions globally-competition is fierce.
Industry data also shows that most brand partnerships still go to creators with larger or highly engaged audiences, while smaller accounts often struggle to monetize early on. Experts note that growth can be slow, particularly in saturated niches such as travel, where thousands of new creators post daily.
Despite the financial strain, Tom and Maura's honesty has resonated with viewers, many of whom see themselves in the couple's journey in the comments. The couple captioned the clip: “A year to go still.”
“I'm rooting for you since this is my dream!!” one user wrote. Another added: “Same! Like literally the same boat minus any followers…lol [laugh out loud] but still the dream of a lifetime.”
Some commenters shared similar leaps of faith. “We are doing the same thing but with our 3 kids, 3, 4 & 8-I'm sure our savings will burn even faster,” one parent said.
Others offered long-term perspective: “We left two years ago and we're still going,” one follower commented, while another reflected on taking a different path abroad after burning out on blogging.
Encouragement poured in alongside realism. “Being a travel influencer is overrated anyway. Enjoy your ride, with or without the followers,” one user wrote.
“You just gained a new follower though. Keep going, guys!” said another.
For Tom and Maura, the journey is still unfolding. Although they shared a more-modest follower count, it has increased to over 7,500 at the time of writing.
According to their page, the couple are exploring Jaipur-a vibrant city in India.
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This story was originally published March 11, 2026 at 10:51 AM.