Gert-Jan and Sonja have been traveling around the world in their car for four years

The living space of Sonja (65) and Gert-Jan (67) is smaller than small. Their Land Rover Defender has a small kitchen, a bench and a built-in bed. “But that’s all we need, just the two of us,” says Sonja.

The couple from Etten-Leur have been traveling for four years and have visited countries such as Uganda, Tanzania and Iceland. Everything with a 1998 Land Rover that now has about 550,000 km on it. “After the trip to Tanzania, we got a taste of it and decided to travel more. Just because it’s possible and fun.”

There is a large water tank in the Land Rover. “Now we let it heat up in the sun, then we can take a hot shower or throw our clothes in. Once we start driving, that’s our washing machine.”

During those four years, the Land Rover inevitably broke down once and Gert-Jan got stuck in the sand several times. “But for us this is a very reliable car. Otherwise you cannot travel with it for four years.”

Sonja and Gert-Jan have been in Saudi Arabia for two months. By chance they met Dakar Rally and also Rob Vroon from Breda. They met before in Armenia. “We get along very well with Sonja and Gert-Jan. Then you look at each other and see where you will meet again.”

Rob (68) has a rental car and sleeps in a small tent. He travels alone while his wife works from home. “Sometimes he sends money so I can stay away a bit,” the resident of Breda says with a laugh. During his tour, Rob visits his children who are working abroad, including in Saudi Arabia.

Three people from Brabant are really enjoying the Dakar Race and are standing at a distance watching all the cars passing by. “What you see here is quite a spectacle. We stop with our car a hundred meters from the bivouac and see all kinds of things happening. It is a great pleasure to be here,” says Gert-Jan.

They still don’t know what the journey will bring. “One moment you are cheering for 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.”