Vincent & Annelies
De Jong

Vincent & Annelies De Jong

Somewhere on the border of northern Chile, just before they enter Peru, we have a WhatsApp conversation from Millingen aan de Rijn with Vincent & Annelies. Earlier they had already indicated that they would like to become ambassadors for Twiga Travelcars. Hence.

How did you actually find Twiga? Simple, via Google and Facebook. Nice and active club with lots of nice messages in the community. When we once on a Saturday appointments was there exactly the vehicle we had in our heads, we were actually already sold. Guided tour of Willem & Willie, two proud owners who know what they are talking about. But most of all: the ambition exploded. Yes, and if you still speak Pier during the process, you also hear what travel experience is present, well, then you have no doubt.

Hebben jullie meer reiservaringen dan de trip die jullie nu ondernemen?
‘We hebben veelal gefietst. Op Bali, Cuba en Sulawesi bijvoorbeeld, heerlijk om te doen. Maar al reizend groeide langzaam de idee dat we meer land wilden coveren, minder kwetsbaar wilden reizen, maar liever niet in een witte Tupperware. Een truck vinden we te groot, dus bleef eigenlijk onze fantastische Toyota Hilux over. En daar hebben we geen dag spijt van gehad.’

You have a beautiful website, nice black and white pictures too, but how do you get the name A3discoverstheplanet? ‘A year and a half ago my mother Adrie died, hence A3. This way she always travels with us.

How did the construction process go? Exactly 9 months from drawing the order to driving away, as promised. And actually everything went well. You feel part of the team, you build together. They are open to suggestions, are willing to implement them, but you notice that they have built a lot of vehicles already, so they know what is the best solution for me as a traveller. It is important (and also fun) to drop in regularly, to be there when they are realizing your dream.”.
‘Precies 9 maanden vanaf het tekenen van de opdracht tot het wegrijden, zoals ook beloofd. En eigenlijk is alles prima verlopen. Je voelt je onderdeel van het team, je bouwt samen. Ze staan open voor suggesties, zijn bereid die uit te voeren, maar je merkt dat ze fors wat voertuigen al hebben gebouwd, dus weten wat voor mij als reiziger de beste oplossing is. Het is belangrijk (en ook leuk) om regelmatig binnen te vallen, om erbij te zijn als ze je droom aan het waarmaken zijn.’

How is the journey going now? It is a dream to release yourself for so long. Saying goodbye to what you temporarily leave behind and being open to new things. Your life will be recalibrated. We have not experienced any crazy things, no technical problems. And oh yes, what I love is the group app with Willem & Willie. Do I have a question about anything about technology; is one message enough. That gives me peace of mind and I feel privileged to have so much technical knowledge so close. We have now driven 30,000km in 6 months, we would like to have another year and a half, but fortunately nothing is certain. We prefer not to commit ourselves and enjoy what we see today and tomorrow. Overall, we think we are still in South America in August and September, but after that’?

Any practical tips? Enough, a funny one is our business card, produced by Vistaprint. You know, many people along the way ask how we got our vehicle, who built it. Well, on the front of the card are our names, but on the back we have the Twiga logo and contact details. Two birds with one stone. Maybe a nice idea that Twiga customers get a ticket like that, too?

For the rest? Enjoy!