About
Chris and Sara are a husband-and-wife creative duo from Chattanooga, Tennessee, who have carefully built a prominent space within the cinematic travel vlogging community. Operating under their first names—a single secondary source on Chattanooga's official tourism website identifies them as Chris and Sara Pochiba—they have cultivated an audience of over 148,000 subscribers on YouTube. Their channel is defined by a public commitment to "authentic storytelling" that avoids common platform tropes like "clickbait" and "bikini thumbnails." This philosophy has guided their evolution from documenting a four-year van life journey across all 50 U.S. states to producing expansive, multi-episode series on international overlanding expeditions. Behind the polished travelogues lies a diversified, multi-platform media business that extends far beyond simple video creation.
Chris and Sara: History and Growth
The partnership's origins predate their digital presence, beginning in June 2014 when Chris and Sara met during a cross-country charity bicycle ride from Seattle to New York City. Two years later, in June 2016, the couple eloped in Washington's Cascade Mountains and established a base in Seattle. A formative experience in October 2016—a remote work project in Chiang Mai, Thailand—solidified their ambition to pursue a digital nomad lifestyle. This led them to a life-altering decision in May 2018, when they sold most of their belongings and moved full-time into a self-converted Mercedes Sprinter van.
Their digital journey officially commenced on November 9, 2018, with the creation of a YouTube channel, initially branded "Let's Be Us." The channel found its footing with unexpected velocity in February 2019 after their first video, a detailed van tour, went viral, ultimately accumulating over 5.4 million views. After two years of documenting their travels across the United States, a strategic shift occurred. In November 2020, using proceeds from the sale of their first van, they purchased a home in Chattanooga, Tennessee, establishing a permanent "basecamp" to facilitate more ambitious international travel.
Around 2021, they executed a significant rebranding, changing their channel name from the conceptual "Let's Be Us" to the personality-driven "Chris and Sara." In their 100th video upload, they explained the decision was made to simplify their brand and avoid potential confusion with the NBC television show "This Is Us." This move signaled a maturation of their business strategy, aligning with a pivot toward more personal media. The expansion continued around May 2023 with the launch of their podcast, "What No One Tells You." As of 2024, their content has entered a new phase, chronicling a major overlanding expedition that began on the Pan-American Highway and involves shipping their vehicle to Europe for further exploration.
Chris and Sara's Content and Style
The core of the Chris and Sara brand is cinematic travel vlogging, characterized by high production values and a narrative-driven approach. Their content has progressed through several distinct phases. The initial US Van Life era (2018–2022) established their audience by documenting the practicalities and landscapes of nomadic life within America. Following the establishment of their Chattanooga home base, their content pivoted to International Travel (2022–2024), featuring in-depth series from destinations including Mexico, Brazil, South Korea, Ireland, and Scotland. These videos showcase specific local experiences, from visiting the Shilasdair Yarn & Natural Dye Shop on the Isle of Skye to exploring Edinburgh's Victoria Street. Their current phase, International Overlanding (2024–Present), uses a 1988 Toyota Land Cruiser for long-distance, vehicle-dependent journeys across continents, representing a significant evolution in both logistics and storytelling.
How Chris and Sara Make Money
Chris and Sara operate a diversified media business that extends well beyond YouTube AdSense. Their official website, chrisandsara.com, serves as the brand's central hub, hosting SEO-optimized travel guides, show notes for their podcast, and an email newsletter called "Field Notes." Their monetization is built on several key pillars. Affiliate marketing is a cornerstone, with systematic links in their video descriptions for services like SafetyWing travel insurance, Going flight alerts, Musicbed for video soundtracks, and equipment from retailers like B&H Photo Video, REI, and Backcountry. This is supplemented by direct video sponsorships with brands such as Going and SafetyWing.
Two strategic ventures represent a significant portion of their business architecture. The first is their online course, the "Make A Video Course," hosted on the Teachable platform. Priced at a one-time fee of $99 for lifetime access, the approximately six-hour course codifies their entire video production workflow for beginners, creating a scalable digital product that decouples income from the constant demand of content creation.
The second is their podcast, "What No One Tells You," which is distributed on a dedicated secondary YouTube channel, @WhatNoOneTellsYouPodcast. This deliberate separation prevents algorithm disruption on their main channel and cultivates a distinct community around long-form interviews. This podcast also functions as a powerful networking engine. The scaling of their operation is further evidenced by their use of two distinct email addresses: [email protected] for business inquiries, as seen in older channel data, and the more recent [email protected] for general contact.
Chris and Sara's Collaborations
The couple is deeply integrated into the travel creator community, primarily through their podcast. Their guest list serves as a map of their professional network, featuring prominent figures from across the travel and digital media landscape. They have hosted fellow overlanders like Dan Grec (@TheRoadChoseMe), The Dangerz, and Joe and Kait Russo (@WereTheRussos); influential travel authors and bloggers such as Matt Kepnes (@NomadicMatt) and Jackie Nourse (@TravelingJackie); and niche experts like YouTube strategist Katie Steckly. This strategy of hosting peers with established, relevant audiences facilitates symbiotic cross-promotion. They have also extended their network by appearing as guests on other podcasts within their niche, including the "Day Fire Podcast" and the "Winging It Travel Podcast."
Chris and Sara: Public Reception
A thorough review of their public presence reveals no significant controversies, legal disputes, or negative incidents associated with the Chris and Sara brand. Their media coverage remains within niche and local outlets, including a feature on the VisitChattanooga.com tourism blog and mentions of their podcast in online roundups on sites like activetraveladventures.com. The only event that could be misconstrued as a controversy was their self-described "clickbait" video title used to announce their rebranding from "Let's Be Us." This was a transparent and self-aware marketing tactic to maximize viewership for the important announcement, not an act of audience deception.
Chris and Sara: Philanthropy
While the duo does not currently promote any formal philanthropic initiatives, the origin of their partnership is rooted in such an effort. Chris and Sara met in June 2014 while participating in a cross-country bicycle ride from Seattle to New York City organized to raise money for refugees.
Chris and Sara Today
As of 2024, Chris and Sara are fully immersed in an international overlanding expedition, a venture that represents the current apex of their travel storytelling. They operate a mature, multifaceted media business that has successfully navigated a transition from a project-based identity to a durable, personality-driven brand.