This story is about Bram and Anouk, a young Dutch couple traveling the world in their Land Rover. They set off from the Netherlands 540 (!) days ago, and are now in the final stage of their trip with only 3 more countries to go.

And as they traveled all these kilometers and days together in a tiny car, it is nice to see that their ideals and dreams are still so much alive today and maybe even stronger than when they left home. They are living their dream and are already thinking about the next dream to come true. And it will!

The urge to discover had been in both of us since we were young. Bram has been drawing possible itineraries on old world maps since he was in elementary school. He expected that by the time he was allowed to drive a car, there would be bridges in between all continents so he could go out there. And Anouk's mom keeps referring to the fact that even when she was a baby she would never be quiet if she could not look around, seeing what was happening around her.

This trip is really about meeting local people all over. The amount of hospitality we encounter is really unexpected and it never stops. We spend many nights at houses of locals who treated us like kings. However, whether encounters lasted for one afternoon or for a week, it is always sad to say goodbye. More than once we had tears in our eyes while getting in the car, but that is what we do, we always move on.

We are happy in a deserted place, a beautiful view, some sunshine or a campfire and a cold beer from our fridge. It is really hard to schedule time for yourselves if you live in a small car like ours. Of course that results in friction once in a while. However, since we never lived together before leaving, we can’t really compare it to an old situation. Maybe that’s easier…

We have really enjoyed the drive through the Cañon del Pato [in Ancash] and the car had a very hard time getting forward. The narrow canyon and the tunnels have made a lifelong impression on us, and we still find dust in the car...

The attention our car received from the Peruvian police was really stood out from all of the other experiences we had before. Especially on the Pan-American, police officers were begging for tips. Often we have been pulled out of traffic twice per day without any reason.

It has been very annoying and led to the decision to abandon the Pan-American highway, which was the basis of our trip. But we have also found a great deal of hospitality by Land Rover Club Peru, which has offered us an apartment and a lot of sightseeing and trips.

Anouk still strongly feels that The Netherlands is home, because that’s where our friends and family are. We are so used to the language and customs, that is where she feels at home. Whereas Bram can travel for the rest of his life without ever settling and live by the motto ‘Home is where the truck is’.

Going home is a topic we try to avoid thinking of, but with only three countries to go that’s getting harder. There are dreams of writing a book about hospitality all over the world, but most of the time we spend our nights thinking about the next trucks, other destinations and future trips. A jetski around Australia, a mototaxi trough India… who knows…

Everybody can live their dream. We’ve met so many people who have been dreaming about something for their whole live. Just start saving and dream out loud, then on one day, you will realize that dream.

You can read more about Bram and Anouk's trip on their travel blog.

If you are interested in Peru 4x4 tours, please check out this website or speak with our travel coordinator, Morten Bruun Jensen, at 51-1-221-9998.

If you are interested in visiting this or any of the countless beautiful places here in Peru, contact our travel consultant, Morten Jensen at mbj@peruexperience.com, www.peruexperience.com or 51-1-221-9998.

 

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