A German Instagram couple who were criticised online after asking for €10,000 from their followers have decided to ‘step away from social media’ for a little while.

Catalin Onc and his wife Elena Engelhardt, who upload photos on Another Beautiful Day, created a GoFundMe to raise money for their tandem bike ride from Germany to Africa, asking for €10,000 (£8,866/$11,165/AUD $16,229) to do it.

The married couple, who have travelled extensively across Indonesia, Italy, France and Australia, said Catalin’s mother was working two jobs to help them live their globetrotting lifestyle but couldn’t afford this expense, which sparked heavy fury online.

On Wednesday they broke their silence by sharing an image of Catalin’s ‘look within’ facial tattoo, telling their 41,000 fans they would be taking a break from the app. 

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‘And with this post, I will step away from social media for a little while,’ Catalin said.

‘I mentioned that I’ll be doing the hardest thing I’ve ever done mentally and physically soon.’

That ‘thing’ turned out to be a walk, which Catalin said would involve moving for as long as possible with no sleep, social media or distractions.  

‘This first came to my mind in the Himalayan mountains, where I got to experience what my mind, body and soul are capable of. Now I’m going to take it even further,’ he said.

‘I am ready to face whatever is buried deep inside me. Time to do some soul work.’

Unsurprisingly, the post was not particularly well received by followers, many of whom slammed the couple with scathing comments. 

‘Try walking to a job interview,’ on person wrote, while another added: ‘Hope you make it to Africa so that you can really see who needs a GoFundMe page.’

A third chimed in: ‘Look within your mother’s purse more like. Don’t beg people to fund your trashy vain lifestyle. I bet you won’t last more than an hour on your walk, but hopefully it’ll be long enough for you to wake up.’  

‘Maybe when you “look within” you might see what the rest of us see, that this superficial lifestyle of yours helps no one and you are contributing nothing,’ another comment read. 

‘Stop taking money from your mother and strangers who work hard and wake up.  

The mysterious post comes just days after their GoFundMe went live. It is still active but the pair have lost 3,000 followers as a result of their financial request. 

‘Your mum works two jobs to pay for your trip, don’t you think that’s impacting her mental heath? It’s sad this isn’t all a joke, the self importance you have is ridiculous,’ one person wrote.

‘Or, like, you know, get a job and pay for your little cycling trip yourself?’ Another said.

The couple claimed in the fundraiser that getting a job would be ‘detrimental’ and there aren’t many trades they are qualified for.

‘Some will just tell us to get jobs, like everyone else and stop begging. But when you have the impact we do on others’ life, getting a job is not an option,’ they wrote. 

‘We could model and make fast money, but we don’t want to advertise consumerism. A normal job at this point would be detrimental.’ 

Having raised less than €100 of their total target in the last week, the pair mentioned how ‘grateful’ they are to Catalin’s mother

‘At this very moment, my mother is funding us, she works two jobs and has not much herself. We didn’t ask her for money but she loves that she is able to help,’ he said

Having raised just €312 (AUD$458) toward the African bike trip in the past week, the pair mentioned how ‘grateful’ they are to Catalin’s mother. 

‘At this very moment, my mother is funding us, she works two jobs and has not much herself. We didn’t ask her for money but she loves that she is able to help,’ he said.

‘Mum, I want you to know, that it is not only us but hundreds of others that benefit from your help.’

Daily Mail Australia has contacted the couple for comment. 

The funds they hope to raise on the page will go towards the ‘bike and gear, food and accommodation (when needed), internet and SIM cards in every country to keep you up to date, insurance and emergencies’, they said.

‘Every dollar, every message, every couch or garden for our tent, any help you can offer will help us go further. We hope you all enjoy and learn with us.’

The couple said the trip would raise awareness about mental illness but some of their followers questioned how. 

At the time of publication the fundraising page was still open, but only five people had contributed

Catalin draws attention when the couple are outside because he has a number of facial and bodily tattoos, while Elena has far fewer

He has phrases like ‘mind games’, ‘I love life’, ‘uncomfort’ and ‘look within’ scrawled across his head, as well as ‘ha ha’ cheekily placed on his backside

‘I like you both a lot and have been following your posts for a while now but I just don’t really get how this helps people with mental health issues like myself?’ one man asked. 

‘This just seems like an adventure and a fun trip for you both and it has no significant reason to help anyone else in any way.’

At the time of publication the fundraising page was still open, but only five people had contributed.

Catalin draws attention when the couple are outside because he has a number of facial and body tattoos, while Elena has some on her fingers.

Despite his German nationality, he has English phrases like ‘mind games’, ‘I love life’, ‘uncomfort’ and ‘look within’ scrawled across his head, as well as ‘ha ha’ cheekily placed on his backside.

There are a number of bible verses on his chest as well as ‘freedom’ written in block letters on his neck.    

The married couple first created their Instagram account in 2017.