This couple was afraid to work for themselves - but after making the leap, they earn 6 figures while traveling the world

In 2010, Karen Sargent and Paul Farrugia had $15,000 of savings burning a hole in their pocket.

At first, they thought they would buy a flat in London, where they were living.

However, Sargent remembers, "We'd daydream about traveling, and we decided the money was better spent on travel." Instead of putting a down payment on a home, the couple left their jobs - Karen, a business psychologist for a business training company, and Paul in retail - to spend a year traveling from London through Asia by land.

"Six months into our trip," Sargent says, "we realized a year would not be enough."

They ended up traveling for 18 months, and today, they've built a life that allows them the best of both worlds: half the year in a London flat and half of the year spent abroad, a lifestyle they chronicle on their website, Global Help Swap, and on their Instagram. They spoke with Business Insider about how they've made it work.