"We are Melina and Thiago, a couple of Brazilians traveling aboard a 2005 VW Kombi through the Americas! We met in 2008 and since then we have discovered that we have two passions in common: VW Beetles and Kombis. After buying our 68 Beetle, we called it ‘Warrior’ and it was easy to decide which car would be responsible for our adventure. The VW Kombi, named by us ‘Adventurer’, is perfect for road tripping adventures! It has simple and universal mechanics, it has the space we need, a great cost benefit and beyond all this it opens doors with your sympathy.

The decision to make the trip to be on the road full time through the Americas gradually developed, especially from 2014, the time of our first drive to the Atacama Desert in Chile, where we spent 30 days visiting beautiful places. In 2016 we set out for a second car trip, when we explored the The southernmost region of the South American continent, driving to Ushuaia, this time staying in campgrounds and sleeping in a tent.

Since then, our desire to travel on four wheels only increased and a dream began to come to life: live on the road full time and continually explore natures wonderland! Because of our short but intense experiences, the idea of dropping everything to start this adventure was somehow calm and natural, since it was already being matured for years of going on shorter road trips that we didn’t want to end.

Tent camping road trip that started the love of life on the road

It was two years of planning, since we returned from our trip to Ushuaia in 2016. We had part of a property that was already paid, and to make the trip we decided to sell it and use the money to make our dream of full time travelling from a rolling home come to life. As we only managed to sell the property at the end of 2017, the year 2018 ended up being the most intense, since we had a date to leave and we were in full steam with the preparations of the Kombi.

@giraffesontheroad Instagram

Giraffes on the road

Since we started the trip, leaving Brazil in November 2018, we have traveled to Argentina, Bolivia, Peru and now we are in Ecuador. We intend to pass through at least another 12 countries of Central America and North America.

This time living on the road means so much to us, it has been very important to take a break from the intense routine of work and studies that we both had in Florianópolis, the city we live in Brazil. We believe that in addition to knowing that many new experiences would be waiting for us, to distance ourselves from our common lives for a while is to give the chance for other interpretations and ways of seeing them, and from there to live with even more hearts and minds open. And living on the road has been an incredible experience, which at the moment, we would not trade for that opportunity."

Thanks for reading and being a part of our journey

Melina & Thiago