When things get a little stressful at work or at home, I think many have thought about packing it all in and running off to a remote tropical island.
I mean, going from the hustle and bustle to peaceful beaches and beautiful landscapes sounds like a no brainer - but is it all what it's cracked up to be?
Well, someone who can provide an answer to that question is Marjolein and her partner An who ditched their regular jobs for a new life in the Mentawai Islands in Indonesia.
Advert
The couple live off the land and surf any time of day they want.
At this point I'm rushing to get my passport, but is it all sunshine and rainbows?
Well, Marjolein and An provided an insight into their unique lives in a documentary from Exploring Alternatives.
Advert
“We live on a tiny island in Indonesia. The island we’re on is about 5km in diameter and there’s no villages or roads, so all the transport is done by boat with wooden boats handmade locally,” Marjolein explained.
She added: "We are completely off-grid. What I love most about living here is the sense of independence. We can provide our own electricity, our own water, our own food and that’s pretty cool."
The coupe's love for surfing is really what brought them together, having met on a surf resort.
Advert
And they decided to pack in their jobs and buy a plot of land on the Mentawai Islands.
While they may be living their dream, Marjolein and An do find some challenges with their new life.
Trying to find a cell phone service is quite the mission, so it's quite difficult for the couple to keep in touch with their family and friends who live on the mainland.
Advert
"To actually order stuff from the mainland, we have to drive out with our small boat, find some better signal try and send a message to the shop on the mainland,” Marjolein said.
"[Then we] hope that they’re online wait for a reply and yeah… that can take days just to order one little thing. So that’s why things don’t really go so quickly here."
On top of that, you've got unpredictable weather, threat of deadly snakes and lack of people making it difficult.
“Since we live so remotely it can definitely get a bit lonely at times and that’s not always easy,” Marjolein admitted.
Advert
"I would say for me that’s definitely one of the biggest challenges of living here."
Callum Jones