Around the world 🌎in ....22 years!

Picture for illustrative purpose only

An Argentinian family concludes a "crazy" travel trip Around the world.. It lasted 22 years and visited 102 countries!

On Sunday, March 13, 2022, an Argentine family concludes in Buenos Aires a rare and crazy journey by car that was supposed to last six months, but lasted 22 years, and included more than 100 countries, during which the couple gave birth to four children, and "Everything was more beautiful than we imagined," That was the most important to the family.

When the couple set out, they were 31 and 29 years old, they wanted to fulfill their old dream of taking a road trip for six months, from Argentina to Alaska.

Someone offered them an old 1928 Graham-Big for sale with wood-wrapped tires and barely able to drive, unfit for a trip like this. However, the couple liked it, so they decided to use this "archaeological" vehicle on their journey.

The Zapps identified themselves with a sticker they put on the car, indicating that they are a "worldwide family." With the "Graham-Big", which became the star of the trip, the number of countries it toured reached 102. The car traveled 362,000 kilometers even though it only traveled a few hours at each stop, and not at a daily pace, given its age.

"It doesn't have the best seats, it doesn't have the best shock absorbers, it doesn't have air conditioning," Hermann told AFP. "It makes the driver attentive, but it was amazing." It is noted that it crossed the hearts of people, thus it constituted a source of joy for them, and prompted them to extend a helping hand to him and his wife.

While changes were made to the car since the first kilometers of the journey, which was limited on the day of its launch on January 25, 2000, to fifty kilometers, before it broke down for the first time, and the family had to undergo a number of repairs, and then made a major change in it represented in enlarging its size and adding 40 centimeters to it because the family has grown, and includes Bamba, who is currently 19 years old, born in the United States, Tehio (16 years old), born during a visit to Argentina, Paloma (14 years), who was born in Canada, and Alabi (12 years), who was born in Australia. Not to mention Timon the dog and Hakuna the cat.

The car often represented the main residence of the family, as the children slept in a tent on its roof while the parents slept inside, while the entire car was covered with cloth to preserve privacy. "The house is small but the garden is large, with beaches, mountains and lakes," Hermann jokes. "If you don't like the place, you can change it!"

But in fact, the Zap family often slept with residents in the areas where they settled, as they were hosted by more than 2,000 families in the world, according to Hermann, who added: “We would never have imagined that people in the world could be so kind. The humanity to which we belong is wonderful," adding that "many people helped us because they wanted to be part of a dream."

The trip was not always perfect and beautiful, as they faced great difficulties after witnessing conflicts and crises, experiencing bird flu in Asia, Ebola in Africa, dengue fever in Central America, and Hermann contracting malaria.

Every three years the family would return to Argentina for two or three months to visit their relatives, and then they would leave not only because they were drawn to the landscapes that pervade regions and countries from Namibia to Everest and from Egypt to Peru, but because their most important discovery was people.

In a related context, it is difficult to predict the future after two decades full of details mentioned in a series of three books entitled "Capture Your Dream", of which 100,000 copies were sold, and part of the proceeds contributed to financing the adventure.

While Hermann points out "thousands of options," he points out the possibility of taking a cruise around the world. Children are not enthusiastic about the idea of ​​face-to-face learning in a school after spending years learning through correspondence or the help of their mother, and geography lessons were unparalleled during them.

However, a delay may face the family in light of the successive crises the world is witnessing, which are pushing people to stay in their countries. Hermann believes that there is no reason to change plans, and says: "We are coming out of Covid to enter a huge war, and if we wait for the right moment, there will always be a reason not to achieve our dreams."

The moral of the story can be the sentence Hermann said: “We would never have imagined that people in the world could be so kind. The humanity to which we belong is wonderful," adding that "many people helped us because they wanted to be part of a dream." and despite all the natural challenges and long time and numerous countries they have travelled, they managed to cope and adapt to the world they are travelling in. it is so beautiful to read that more than 2000 families hosted his family and were able to understand and contribute to the success of his dream!

Date: 13-3-2022

Source news :www.Arabicpost.net