Mirjam & Jon Erik
Kramer

The Scandinavian countries were under their belts. ‘It was ten times more fun in a camper van than having to stay in some boring hotel,’ Mirjam exclaimed enthusiastically. The Mercedes was replaced by a real Citroen HY, which was not only a huge step forward but, looking back, was also significant in a historical sense.

‘How did you end up in a 675 cm long Mercedes Benz 1224, and a 4×4 at that?’ Various answers popped up around the barbecue, where Jon Erik was showing off his cooking skills. ‘It’s a dream we’ve made come true after quite a long search. It was a challenge dealing with the bigger expedition vehicle manufacturers… It was as if only THEY knew what WE needed. Really, we visited more than five manufacturers in Switzerland and Germany. They only offered a kind of standard vehicle and didn’t seem interested in listening to our requests. We had a serious budget but we weren’t made to feel welcome.’

‘Then we got in touch with Twiga and they started the conversation by asking what WE wanted. And thus began a client-builder relationship that continues to this day.’ Jon Erik serves the first hamburgers of the BBQ to the Thijssens. ‘You can look at it this way, we’re all travellers, each with our own unique set of circumstances. I feel as of I’m taken seriously, as if we were building the expedition vehicle together. That’s how it feels.’

Their expedition vehicle cloaked in an unconventional turquoise now graces stand C30 of Allrad Abenteur 4×4 in Bad Kissingen. The couple were forced to stay in a hotel (how boring) because they were not allowed to sleep in their travel vehicle on the stand. They talk about their dreams: Pan-America, Asia and the Silk Road. But first Scandinavia, because they want to take their time exploring the vehicle’s capabilities.

We also have another special story to add about this vehicle. It is easier to get a vehicle registered if it is a Swiss vehicle and you live in Switzerland. So Twiga searched for a suitable vehicle in Switzerland from within the Netherlands. The vehicle turned out to be from the same municipality in which Mirjam & Jon Erik live in Switzerland: Herisau. It was the fire engine from their own municipality that had returned to its original home. And as if that wasn’t coincidence enough: the vehicle was registered on 5 January 2018, which is also their wedding anniversary. Their son was born in 1995, the same year that their expedition vehicle was made. And so it seems the stars were all aligned for this couple…

If you have any questions, please feel free to mail mirjam.kramer@bluewin.ch