Hi! We're Charelle and Marcel, two likeminded Dutchies who love the freedom of the open road. As Rolf Potts puts it in his book Vagabonding, we refuse to exile travel to “some other, seemingly more appropriate, time of our lives.” We live now.

For us, travel means adventure. It means discovering the unknown, growing with every challenge, and waking up each day knowing it matters. It’s not about ticking boxes. It’s about feeling alive.

With Char Is Far, we don’t just want to take you along for the ride. We want to inspire you to go out and create your own path. On your terms. This is our invitation to break free, chase your dreams, and see the world that’s out there waiting for you.

Because no one else is going to do it for you. And trust us, it’s worth it.

 

 

Charelle Kooy founded Char Is Far in 2019, hence the name. She’s a freelance copywriter and content strategist by trade, and the voice behind everything you read here. Charelle runs the blog, manages the socials, edits the videos, and somehow still finds time to lift heavy, sip good coffee, and chase sunrises from mountaintops or barefoot on quiet beaches.

Marcel Toet traded his job running an engineering department for a full-time life on the road in 2024. He now works as a freelance advisor, helping companies solve complex challenges with fresh perspective and sharp technical insight. He’s an excellent drone pilot, loves a winding mountain road, and isn’t scared of much. Actually, we’re still figuring out if he’s scared of anything at all.

 

"For us traveling is about adventure, exploring the unknown, freedom, personal growth and the feeling that every day is lived to the fullest."

 

Two different personalities

Where Charelle reads the world like a story, with depth, creativity and intuition, Marcel dives straight into the moment, with fire, vision, and a relentless drive to live life with full conviction.

She feels deeply, he moves fiercly. She dares to dream, he dares to push forward. And somewhere in that space between, growth begins. Along with adventure, freedom, and real connection.

We don’t travel to escape life, but to live it head-on. We choose roads that stir up dust, conversations that spark something deeper, and places that humble us as much as they awaken us.

Along the way, we’re building something that doesn’t need walls to feel like home: a life that feels right, because we shaped it ourselves. We’re two strong characters. And yes, we clash sometimes. But above all, we complete each other. Not in spite of our differences, but because of them.

He’s the one who makes the impossible seem possible. And she’s the one who notices it, feels it, and turns it into something others can hold onto.

 

Driving from The Netherlands to Singapore

In March 2024, we set off on our biggest adventure yet: driving overland from our hometown Utrecht in the Netherlands all the way to Singapore. After 232 days and 35.000 kilometers, we arrived in Singapore with our Toyota 4Runner on the 10th of November.

We crossed the full stretch of Eurasia: through Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia, China, and finally Southeast Asia. No flights, no shortcuts. Just the open road and everything it threw at us. Needless to say, it was epic.

Whenever possible, we take the rougher route. Off-road trails, remote passes, and the kind of tracks that leave both dust and stories behind. If the road is bad, the story’s probably great. Curious about the full journey? You’ll find all the wild details on our Expedition Overland page.

We love working with brands that share our passion for freedom, adventure, and the road less traveled. Interested in collaborating? Reach out to charelle@charcontent.nl.