Gert-Jan and Sonja have been living in a converted Land Rover for four years. Since October 2019, the couple from Etten-Leur has been traveling around the world in their car. They have already been to 54 countries and now they are in Saudi Arabia, where the Dakar Rally can also be seen. “It’s icing on the cake.”
The living space of Sonja (65) and Gert-Jan (67) is smaller than small. Their Land Rover Defender has a mini kitchen, a bench and a bed built on top. “But that’s all we need, just the two of us,” says Sonja.
The couple from Etten-Leur has been traveling for four years and has visited countries such as Uganda, Tanzania and Iceland. Everything with the 1998 Land Rover that now has about 550,000 kilometers on it. “After a trip to Tanzania, we got a taste for it and decided to travel further. Just because it is possible and fun.”
“What you see here is quite a spectacle.”
There is a large barrel of water on the Land Rover. “We now let it warm up in the sun, and then we can take a hot shower or throw our laundry in. As soon as we start driving, that is our washing machine.”
During those four years, the Land Rover obviously broke down once and Gert-Jan got stuck in the sand several times. “But for us this is a very reliable car. Otherwise you can’t travel with it for four years.”
Sonja and Gert-Jan have been in Saudi Arabia for two months. By chance they came across the Dakar Rally and also Rob Vroon from Breda. They had met before in Armenia. “We get along very well with Sonja and Gert-Jan. Then you keep an eye on each other and see where you can meet each other again.”
“One time you are at the Tour de France and now at the Dakar Rally.”
Rob (68) has a rental car and sleeps in a small tent. He travels alone while his wife works from home. “He sometimes sends some money so that I stay away a little longer,” says the Breda resident with a laugh. During his tour, Rob visits his children who work abroad, including in Saudi Arabia.
The three people from Brabant are thoroughly enjoying the Dakar Rally and stand at a distance watching all the vehicles that pass by. “What you see here is quite a spectacle. We stand with our car a hundred meters from the bivouac and see all sorts of things happening. It is quite an experience to be here,” says Gert-Jan.
They don’t yet know what the journey will bring next. “One time you are cheering on Mathieu van der Poel at the Tour de France and then you are at the Dakar Rally. We are driven by curiosity and then we see where the journey takes us.”
