For most families, a long car journey is the bane of any trip. But for the Zapp's, their 83-year-old vehicle has become a home for the last 11 years, as they travel around the world on a never ending trip of a lifetime.
Spanning four continents, Herman and Candelaria Zapp have covered an incredible 142,000 miles while becoming parents to Pampa, eight, Tehue, five, Paloma, three and Wallaby, one.
Instead of returning home to buy a house, the couple decided to keep driving and show their family the sights of the world. Former IT specialist Herman, 42, and his wife Candelaria, 40, set off from Argentina in 2000 and began driving across South and North America, as well as Australia, New Zealand and now Asia. Herman, who was born in San Francisco, moved to Argentina to work on his grandfather's cattle ranch when he was a boy. While in Argentina, 10-year-old Herman met his child hood sweet-heart Candelaria when she was only 8, and the couple have been together ever since. They married in 1996.
When the money quickly ran out on their first trip, they decided to rely on the kindness of other people who give them shelter, food and petrol.
'We were happy, we had everything a young couple could want, but we felt we had to go,' said Herman, currently in the Philippines with his family. 'My grandfather knew that we wanted to travel and to never stop so he gave me the old Graham-Paige car he used on his farm and gave me some advice. 'He told me, 'If you want to get far, you need to go slowly', so what could be better than a vintage car.' Arid: Herman and Candelaria Zapp in 2000 in the Atacama Desert, Chile. The picture was taken on their first jaunt before their children were born. They say there is no plan to end the journey yet Remarkably, each of their kids has a different nationality, with Pampa, eight, being born in Greensboro, North Carolina, Tehue, five, being born in Argentina, Paloma, three, a native of Vancouver Island and little Wallaby, one, obviously from Australia. Each night the six Zapps either sleep in or around a tent set up next to their car, but more often than not they find a friendly local who will put them up for the night. 'This isn't just a feat by my wife and my young family,' said Herman. 'This has a roll call of 12,000 people who have helped my family over the past 11 years. 'Almost 90 percent of the time we stay in people's homes. 'Once in the Philippines we were in a family's home which had only one room. 'They gave us their only piece of meat to eat, their only bed and when we left they apologised for not having more.' Home: Baby Pampa resting on the family car in 2002 in Washington D.C. The car has become home for the Zapp family and their four children
| __._,_.___
. __,_._,___
|
No comments:
Post a Comment