El Donya 'the journey is the destination'

I (Ingetje) started travelling at the age of 17. The first country was Israël in 1976 where I worked 6 months in a Kibbutz . (Those where the days!) Not long after that I travelled -in an old Datsun- with friends through the US, than Mexico, Belize and Canada, which took over 8 months. ( I had a quick look in Iceland on the way to the US ). The travel bug than sent me hitchiking from Holland through Belgium, France and Spain to the Southern point in Portugal.  After saving more money I than flew via the US to travel to Puerto Rico. Not long after it was South America's turn - Venezuela, Colombia, Equador, Peru and Bolivia, for almost a year, (on a bugdet of 10 guilders a day ! ) Money was made and spent and Egypt was next. Some European countries where visited in the meantime, Norway, Sweden (kayaking with a Dutch Company to find new routes- which was not successfull) later on Italy. Africa was next and Senegal was visited while I was working for a French Travel Agency " Nouvelles Frontières" and finally I made it to India ( I've been there now nine times and absolutely love India !) The Seychelles was ticked of my 'to visit' list - which I visited with Romani. Kenya was a great experience . We married in 1985 in Egypt, where I lived for almost one year and visited so many times after. We spent a few months in Benin, Burkina Faso and Ghana. Also we where lucky to have visited "The Festival in the Desert' in Mali (what a wonderful experience-nowadays it's not happening as to much troubles in this part of Mali. Bali was visited several times and Sumba is one of our favorites, besides Raja Ampat in Indonesia. Thailand we travelled through a few times, it is the Philipinnes we highly recommend. Vanuatu and Fuji are also on the list and I went to Papua New Guinea myself to visit the Goroka Festival.  In Morocco we spent two times with our kids which we loved. Cambodia, Turkey and Dubai are on the list as well. In 1991 Romani and I emigrated to New Zealand, as we both had hitchhiked through Australia we applied for emigration but this was denied. So the choice was made, New Zealand it will be. We had never been to New Zealand but it was close to Australia. It all was approved fast and with our six weeks old baby (Djamil) we emigrated in 1991. We lived in NZ for twelve years.  Our daughter Jasmijn was born in 1992. We started an Egyptian Kebab Shop and every year we closed our shop for 2 months to travel with our two children. After selling our Restaurant in 2000 we travelled almost 2+ years with our kids through India and countries already listed above. ( I started home-schooling but as I'm a inpatient person I burned all the books in India, as "travel itself is school " I said. We worked in Spain too and almost moved there but decided to travel through Australia instead which we did for almost one year in an old Toyota Landcruiser. Our kids are now two beautiful adults (25 and 27 yrs). Our son Djamil soon becoming a dad, is working as a Sous Chef in Rotterdam and our daughter Jasmijn has started an Egyptian Food Van in Broome, Western Australia. Both are gifted cooks like their dad! 

After selling our Restaurant in Broome in August 2016 we than travelled overseas to visit our family in Holland, France and Spain where the idea was born to hit the road, again through Australia as there's still so much we hadn't seen. So here we are "just on our way", the plan is at least to travel five months in Australia and in between we will visit New Zealand too as we have a lovely home there and miss our dear friends. In May we will go to Holland as we are becoming grandparents! and we miss our son Djamil. We hope to stay two months and visit family -again- in France and Spain. Than we hope to go to Mongolia in July, so i keep you posted!  

​

Just feeling very fortunate, happy and so relaxed to be on the road again!