

This Couple Sold Everything They Own To Travel The World On An Endless Honeymoon
Waking up on Monday mornings isn't something that Jacques and Dahcia Bastien dread, nor are they counting down the hours until their weekend escape. For these two entrepreneurs, everyday feels like a vacation, complete with lunch breaks at local restaurants in Bangkok, and weekend jaunts to Khai Nai Island in Phuket.
"The world is too big to stay in one place," reads the caption on their Instagram page, One Way For Two.
The couple took up residence in Jakarta, Indonesia when they made the decision to ditch their former way of living just days shy of their four-year anniversary. They sold all of their material things before leaving the U.S. to travel around the world, meanwhile continuing to run their portfolio of digital marketing companies and building remote teams worldwide.
The self-identified "entrepreneurs in love" are no strangers to making the most out out of life. In March 2014, their wedding proposal video went viral, which led to their special day being sponsored by Fox News NY, Galia Lahav, and more. Two months later, they were gifted with the wedding of their dreams and said "I do" at the Central Park Boathouse. The couple's $25,000 wedding gown, wedding bands, and a multitude of other decorative arrangements were all free.
"But our wedding day was also a humbling one," the couple writes on their blog.
Their wedding day bliss was cut short following the departure of their guests. Soon after the ceremony, they headed back to their hotel to do what they knew how to do best: work.
At the time, despite running their own marketing company that they started together in college, they were barely able to afford a cab ride. A honeymoon was definitely out of the question. That night, they promised one another that within 365 days, when they were in a better financial position, they would incorporate monthly honeymoons into their marriage.
The following year, they took their first weeklong trip to South Florida. It was just the experience that they needed to prove that they could marry their love for one another and travel, with their love for building brands.
Honeymooning as a lifestyle didn't come easy.
Like many entrepreneurs, it was difficult to step away for hours without having to put out fires upon return. Determined to make their new lifestyle work, they adapted their schedules. Their mornings were dedicated to growing and maintaining their businesses, and in the evening and on weekends, they would hit Venice Beach in Los Angeles, walk the strip in Las Vegas, or dig their toes into the warm Florida sands. Soon their trips carried them internationally as well to places like Canada, Costa Rica, and Indonesia, and for the next two years, they traveled the globe—finding places they'd never been before as they worked through the day and relaxed once the sun set.
In April 2017, their endless honeymoon came to a halt.
While on a two-week trip with family across the globe, the couple found themselves entrenched in the heavy demands of running a business. Their time was spent working, as opposed to enjoying the temples, forests, and waterfalls that the country had to offer.
Up until then, most of their travels kept them in a similar timezone, making it easier to coordinate schedules with their growing team. But this time, a 12-hour time difference meant that instead of seeing the beautiful country that they had traveled nearly 30 hours to see, the couple would spend the majority of the trip in meetings, or dealing with time-sensitive business demands.
"The trip showed us a lot of weaknesses in our companies and in our lives. For starters, all of our companies depended entirely too much on us. It was difficult for us to be off the grid for more than 10 hours without something going wrong. It also showed us that although the monthly-retainer business where clients pay us one monthly price to manage their marketing initiatives was a great way to know exactly how much money you're going to make each month, it also meant that we worked 24/7 for our clients and had to be available to react when anything went wrong (no matter the time of day... or night)."
The final wakeup call was realizing that they had spent a lot of money for a trip that they didn't even get to enjoy. Similar to their wedding night, they promised each that by the following year, they would change their circumstances, which would require a complete overhaul of their businesses.
But first, they had to answer one question: Was their team more productive at home or in the office? Afterall, their companies would only remain as strong as their teams were effective, and they couldn't just assume that the remote lifestyle was a good fit for the many personalities that they managed on a daily basis.
Shifting to a 100% remote workplace experiment proved to be a success, and after only six weeks, they closed their three offices and allowed employees to work completely from home. Their full-service marketing agency turned into a firm that focused on short-term consulting and team training projects, and they launched a photo booth company that would serve as to be a low maintenance and high-profit business. These changes allowed their core team to focus more of their time on growing their influencer talent management agency.
Since then, they've snagged work with companies such as McDonald's, Marriott, Square Inc., and CVS Pharmacy, and launched Nappy and CreatorBio.co— all while working in our pajamas from their living room. Today, they have team members working around the world, from New York to the Philippines.
"2017 was a transformative year for us that led to a lot of changes, both personally and professionally. It wasn't an easy year, but it was one where we learned from our past mistakes and started planting new seeds. By the end of the year, we had a lot more 'free' time to live our lives and do the things that we've always wanted to do...best of all, we could do all of these from practically anywhere in the world."
Today, the couple has turned their love for traveling as entrepreneurs into a permanent lifestyle. For two weeks to three months at a time, they travel the world, all while working on growing their businesses. Without hesitation, they broke their lease, sold their car and furniture, and donated 85% of their clothes to charity, fitting their entire lives into two suitcases and two carry-ons.
"We both love learning about different cultures, but after spending one month in a place so different than the places you're used to, it really makes reorganize your priorities, consider your privileges, and how minuscule our 'problems' really are in the grand scheme of things."
This past April, the couple caught a one-way flight to Jakarta, Indonesia to kick off their world tour and redo the 2017 trip. The couple spent the last three months traveling to Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand (Phuket, Bangkok, and Chiang Mai). They also have plans to travel to Haiti and other destinations abroad throughout the next couple of years, only returning to the States for work, speaking engagements, and to spend time with family.
"We both feel very privileged and fortunate to have been able to experience the world together. One of the most important things we've taken away from this first leg of our world tour is that we are each other's center, no matter where we are, the feeling of being 'home' is the feeling we get whenever we're together."
Their story is proof that we are the masters of our own lives.
Though it was undoubtedly challenging to transition multiple companies with full-time employees to a 100 percent brick and mortar-free lifestyle, it was more than worth it. Everyday, they're waking up and exploring new parts of the city together and doing what brings them joy. That alone is priceless.
Follow Jacques and Dahcia on their channel @onewayfortwo. And follow them individually at @JacquesHBastien and @__dahc.
Kiah McBride writes technical content by day and uses storytelling to pen real and raw personal development pieces on her blog Write On Kiah. Follow her on Instagram and Twitter at @writeonkiah.
Smile, Sis! These Five Improvements Can Upgrade Your Oral Hygiene Instantly
This article is in partnership with Sensodyne.
Our teeth are connected to so many things - our nutrition, our confidence, and our overall mood. We often take for granted how important healthy teeth are, until issues like tooth sensitivity or gum recession come to remind us. Like most things related to our bodies, prevention is the best medicine. Here are five things you can do immediately to improve your oral hygiene, prevent tooth sensitivity, and avoid dental issues down the road.
1) Go Easy On the Rough Brushing: Brushing your teeth is and always will be priority number one in the oral hygiene department. No surprises there! However, there is such a thing as applying too much pressure when brushing…and that can lead to problems over time. Use a toothbrush with soft bristles and brush in smooth, circular motions. It may seem counterintuitive, but a gentle approach to brushing is the most effective way to clean those pearly whites without wearing away enamel and exposing sensitive areas of the teeth.
2) Use A Desensitizing Toothpaste: As everyone knows, mouth pain can be highly uncomfortable; but tooth sensitivity is a whole different beast. Hot weather favorites like ice cream and popsicles have the ability to trigger tooth sensitivity, which might make you want to stay away from icy foods altogether. But as always, prevention is the best medicine here. Switching to a toothpaste like Sensodyne’s Sensitivity & Gum toothpaste specifically designed for sensitive teeth will help build a protective layer over sensitive areas of the tooth. Over time, those sharp sensations that occur with extremely cold foods will subside, and you’ll be back to treating yourself to your icy faves like this one!
3) Floss, Rinse, Brush. (And In That Order!): Have you ever heard the saying, “It’s not what you do, but how you do it”? Well, the same thing applies to taking care of your teeth. Even if you are flossing and brushing religiously, you could be missing out on some of the benefits simply because you aren’t doing so in the right order. Flossing is best to do before brushing because it removes food particles and plaque from places your toothbrush can’t reach. After a proper flossing sesh, it is important to rinse out your mouth with water after. Finally, you can whip out your toothbrush and get to brushing. Though many of us commonly rinse with water after brushing to remove excess toothpaste, it may not be the best thing for our teeth. That’s because fluoride, the active ingredient in toothpaste that protects your enamel, works best when it gets to sit on the teeth and continue working its magic. Rinsing with water after brushing doesn’t let the toothpaste go to work like it really can. Changing up your order may take some getting used to, but over time, you’ll see the difference.
4) Stay Hydrated: Upping your water supply is a no-fail way to level up your health overall, and your teeth are no exception to this rule. Drinking water not only helps maintain a healthy pH balance in your mouth, but it also washes away residue and acids that can cause enamel erosion. It also helps you steer clear of dry mouth, which is a gateway to bad breath. And who needs that?
5) Show Your Gums Some Love: When it comes to improving your smile, you may be laser-focused on getting your teeth whiter, straighter, and overall healthier. Rightfully so, as these are all attributes of a megawatt smile; but you certainly don’t want to leave gum health out of the equation. If you neglect your gums, you’ll start to notice the effects of plaque buildup, which can irritate the gums and cause gingivitis, the earliest stage of gum disease. Seeing blood while brushing and flossing is a tell-tale sign that your gums are suffering. You may also experience gum recession — a condition where the gum tissue surrounding your teeth pulls back, exposing more of your tooth. Brushing at least twice a day with a gum-protecting toothpaste like Sensodyne Sensitivity and Gum, coupled with regular dentist visits, will keep your gums shining as bright as those pearly whites.
Smile, Sis! These Five Improvements Can Upgrade Your Oral Hygiene Instantly
This article is in partnership with Sensodyne.
Our teeth are connected to so many things - our nutrition, our confidence, and our overall mood. We often take for granted how important healthy teeth are, until issues like tooth sensitivity or gum recession come to remind us. Like most things related to our bodies, prevention is the best medicine. Here are five things you can do immediately to improve your oral hygiene, prevent tooth sensitivity, and avoid dental issues down the road.
1) Go Easy On the Rough Brushing: Brushing your teeth is and always will be priority number one in the oral hygiene department. No surprises there! However, there is such a thing as applying too much pressure when brushing…and that can lead to problems over time. Use a toothbrush with soft bristles and brush in smooth, circular motions. It may seem counterintuitive, but a gentle approach to brushing is the most effective way to clean those pearly whites without wearing away enamel and exposing sensitive areas of the teeth.
2) Use A Desensitizing Toothpaste: As everyone knows, mouth pain can be highly uncomfortable; but tooth sensitivity is a whole different beast. Hot weather favorites like ice cream and popsicles have the ability to trigger tooth sensitivity, which might make you want to stay away from icy foods altogether. But as always, prevention is the best medicine here. Switching to a toothpaste like Sensodyne’s Sensitivity & Gum toothpaste specifically designed for sensitive teeth will help build a protective layer over sensitive areas of the tooth. Over time, those sharp sensations that occur with extremely cold foods will subside, and you’ll be back to treating yourself to your icy faves like this one!
3) Floss, Rinse, Brush. (And In That Order!): Have you ever heard the saying, “It’s not what you do, but how you do it”? Well, the same thing applies to taking care of your teeth. Even if you are flossing and brushing religiously, you could be missing out on some of the benefits simply because you aren’t doing so in the right order. Flossing is best to do before brushing because it removes food particles and plaque from places your toothbrush can’t reach. After a proper flossing sesh, it is important to rinse out your mouth with water after. Finally, you can whip out your toothbrush and get to brushing. Though many of us commonly rinse with water after brushing to remove excess toothpaste, it may not be the best thing for our teeth. That’s because fluoride, the active ingredient in toothpaste that protects your enamel, works best when it gets to sit on the teeth and continue working its magic. Rinsing with water after brushing doesn’t let the toothpaste go to work like it really can. Changing up your order may take some getting used to, but over time, you’ll see the difference.
4) Stay Hydrated: Upping your water supply is a no-fail way to level up your health overall, and your teeth are no exception to this rule. Drinking water not only helps maintain a healthy pH balance in your mouth, but it also washes away residue and acids that can cause enamel erosion. It also helps you steer clear of dry mouth, which is a gateway to bad breath. And who needs that?
5) Show Your Gums Some Love: When it comes to improving your smile, you may be laser-focused on getting your teeth whiter, straighter, and overall healthier. Rightfully so, as these are all attributes of a megawatt smile; but you certainly don’t want to leave gum health out of the equation. If you neglect your gums, you’ll start to notice the effects of plaque buildup, which can irritate the gums and cause gingivitis, the earliest stage of gum disease. Seeing blood while brushing and flossing is a tell-tale sign that your gums are suffering. You may also experience gum recession — a condition where the gum tissue surrounding your teeth pulls back, exposing more of your tooth. Brushing at least twice a day with a gum-protecting toothpaste like Sensodyne Sensitivity and Gum, coupled with regular dentist visits, will keep your gums shining as bright as those pearly whites.