Now THAT’S a holiday photo album: Couple who sold everything they own to travel share 15 jaw-dropping shots from their exotic globetrotting, from Bali to Bangkok
Blonde beaches, infinity pools and bathtubs full of roses.
Enter the world of Ruan Griessel and Lee-Chazelle Oberholzer, who tied the knot on April 27 last year and have been traveling non-stop ever since.
The couple, from Pretoria, South Africa, sold everything they own to travel full-time and documented their journey through breathtaking photography online, gaining millions of views and 79,170 followers on TikTok, Instagram And YouTube.
With their permission, MailOnline Travel has handpicked 15 of their photos guaranteed to spark your wanderlust.
The reason they photograph their travels? They said: ‘It’s our way of experiencing it fully, while capturing these memories that we can look back on 50 years from now. It’s also a reminder of how far we’ve come.”
Ruan, 28, and Lee-Chazelle, 23, sold everything they own to travel together full-time and are now posting stunning photography online. Here they are pictured at the breathtaking Villa Cella Bella in Ubud, Bali
On the left you see the happy couple enjoying the pool at Cretya Ubud, a day club and restaurant in Bali. In the image on the right, Ruan is depicted holding Lee-Chazelle on a surfboard. This unique shot was taken on the island of Siargao in the Philippines
The couple told MailOnline Travel that their photography is a ‘reminder of how far we have come’. Here they are pictured on the island of Lombok, Indonesia
They go to great lengths to capture the perfect photo, using a combination of photography equipment including drones, the Sony A7iii camera, various lenses and GoPro models, and their trusty tripod, which they named Stan.
Sharing the highlights of traveling as a couple, they said: ‘We experience the most beautiful destinations in the world together, taste the most amazing food together and create unforgettable memories together that we will remember forever.
‘Traveling together has also brought us much closer together as a married couple, because everything around us is suddenly strange and new and the only familiarity we had was each other.’
Although not based in a ‘unique’ place, the couple spends most of their time in Bali between trips.
The dramatic cliff-lined road to Pantai Batu Barak beach in Bali is in the background of the photo on the left. The image on the right shows them enjoying the luxurious rooftop infinity pool at Amara Bangkok
The two are pictured on the left at Leopard Valley Eco Retreat, a two-hour drive from Cape Town, South Africa. In the photo on the right they are in Soi Rommanee, a short and colorful street in Phuket
On the left, Ruan is seen spinning Lee-Chazelle around Thean Hou Temple in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The pair said: ‘Travelling together has brought us much closer together.’ They are pictured on the right at Diamonds Thudufushi in the Maldives
Some of their favorite places they have captured are the Maldives, Bali and the Philippines.
But the archipelago of the Maldives comes out on top.
They said, ‘There’s just something magical about the Maldives that we just can’t quite explain. The sea life, the people, the food, the turquoise waters and everything in between. Being in the Maldives brought us a sense of peace that we have never experienced anywhere else.”
One destination that surprised them is Gili Trawangan, one of the three Gili Islands off the coast of Lombok, an island in Indonesia.
The couple said: ‘We didn’t expect it to be so great. Gili Trawangan is by far the best place we have ever been to snorkel with sea turtles.’
While some may think their life is an endless honeymoon, the couple says a lot of work goes into creating their content.
In the photo on the left, the pair walk hand in hand as they explore the lush green forests of Bali. On the right they are pictured next to a ‘flower pool’ at the Magic Hills resort in Bali
In Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the couple stopped to take a photo next to this striking flower wall (pictured left). On the right they are shown in a rock pool in Uluwatu, Bali. The couple wrote in an accompanying Instagram caption: ‘It was filled with small sharp stones but it was so worth it’
The couple told MailOnline Travel that their photos allow them to ‘create unforgettable memories together’. They are pictured here on the colorful beach of Naithon, Phuket, Thailand
In addition to their travel photography, Ruan works as an online fitness coach, and Lee-Chazelle earns passive income through her clothing rental business. They also create content for brands and hotels and sell online products such as travel guides.
They said: ‘On social media it may seem like we’re living life and just having fun, but the truth is there is so much planning and work that goes into the content we create. We have no days off, weekends or holidays, every day is a working day for us.’
They added: ‘For all the unforgettable highs, there have also been many lows. Missing flights, sleeping on cold airport floors, getting ripped off, getting into a bike accident, and the list goes on.”
But the secret to success, they claim, is communicating openly and prioritizing spending time together.
They added: “Don’t let your life partner become just a business partner.”
For more from Ruan and Lee-Chazelle, visit their Instagram (@once_upon_a_plane_), TikTok (www.tiktok.com/@once_upon_a_plane) and YouTube(www.youtube.com/channel). Or find their website at Onceuponaplane.com.