Somewhere around 30 years ago I said to Julie that when we retire I wanted to drive around the world in some sort of camper.  It was a crazy notion at that time but kind of fun to have as a future goal, even if it was unlikely to come true.  And other than saying the words we put very little definition or details around the notion at that time, instead just let it hang there as if to tease us.  But as Tramp pulled into my mother’s driveway in California it signified the completion of that crazy dream all those years ago.  We did it!

The last couple of days before arriving in that driveway were a blur to Julie and I, getting closer to completing our crazy goal, roads becoming more familiar to us, our excitement mounting.  From the Nevada desert we crossed into California, dropped down to Lake Tahoe for some familiar scenes at the family holiday home there, and then visited Nimbl Vehicles in Colfax, the friendly and supportive company that superseded the original manufacturer of Tramp all those years ago. 

We finished the day at my sister Diane’s house near Sacramento and had the first of our celebration dinners out with her.  Like many of our family and friends, Diane has been an important part of our support team over the years, especially in the early days when we were using her home as a base for getting Tramp ready for the road.

From there it was down to my childhood hometown of Salinas, that familiar driveway that Tramp had not seen for six and a half years, and a big celebratory hug from my mother who has been our biggest fan and supporter throughout this entire project.  It was from my Mom and Dad’s home – where I grew up – that Tramp pulled out of the driveway in March 2017 and which we finally returned to on a bright sunny California day. 

Julie and I had spent the last few days reminiscing about our epic journey, all the wonderful – and not so wonderful – camping spots, the amazing places we had visited, the friendly and helpful people we met along the way, the wildlife we saw, the challenges we faced and how we overcame them. 

We definitely had mixed feelings about the whole thing – of course we were over the moon we had completed our journey safely and soundly without any major problems, completing that crazy dream from all those years ago.  It was an accomplishment few others can claim.

But we were also a bit sad because our journey had become part of us, Tramp had become our home and exploring new places had become our way of life.  We were already formulating new travel plans but we knew in our heart that we could never duplicate our Follow the Sun trip – nor would we want to.  

During Follow the Sun we occasionally met fellow overlanders and read the stories of others on their blog or watched them on their YouTube channel.  The overland community – that is, people who live and travel in their vehicle over an extended period of time, is very small and we knew that we were in a unique and elite club, plus being in our mid 60’s meant we were amongst the oldest to try – and complete – this sort of crazy thing.  We are quietly proud of all that.

We spent the next ten days based at my family home, catching up with our extended family, enjoying a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration – which is always the best family time – going to a college football game with my brother Ken, particularly hanging out with my sister Kathy and her husband John’s fun extended family, hitting a couple of great Mexican restaurants, playing cards into the night and raising a glass or two with those around us.   It was the absolutely best way to end our Follow the Sun journey.

So here’s a few fun facts about our trip which give some scope and scale to what we did:

• Five continents over six and a half years
• A total of 755 days on the road
• 168,650 kilometres (104,790 miles) or 223 km/day (138 miles/day)
• 70 countries
• 42 American states (out of 50) plus Washington DC
• All Canadian provinces and territories except Nunavut (no roads to get there)
• Cheapest fuel – Ecuador, US$1.50/US gallon or A$0.60/litre
• Most expensive fuel – Greece, US$7.94/US gallon or A$3.18/litre
• Shipped Tramp on transport ships five times
• Only one speeding ticket (in Manitoba Canada, a sleazy speed trap)
• Paid only two bribes (very reluctantly but that’s out of probably a hundred attempts)
• Two blown shock absorbers, two blown rear differentials, one exploding fan belt
• Approximately 8 flat tyres and countless plugs and patches along the way
• Lost three hub caps and broke both side view mirrors (twice)
• So many battery problems in the truck and camper we couldn’t count them
• 47,900 photos
• 225 blog posts
• No serious illnesses or injuries
• No robberies, no attacks, no threatening or scary situations, no problems at all
• No car accidents, only a few minor blemishes that were my fault
• We each caught Covid once (that we know of)
• A wonderful 40^th wedding anniversary in Istanbul
• An uncountable list of people who helped us along the way and for which we are forever grateful
• An infinite collection of travel memories and boring travel stories
• A bonding with Tramp, our home, transport and security, which we can’t describe
• Supportive family and friends in the US and Australia who cheered us on

What will we do next?  The future is wonderfully unclear but one thing is for certain – we are going to spend an extended period of time with family and friends in Australia reconnecting with them and reintegrating into the real world while we let our Follow the Sun journey sink in.  And we’re going to love it.

For those who have followed our journey here, thank you for your interest.  We can tell from the website stats there have been thousands of people who have followed along with us and hopefully we’ve inspired a few to get out there, take a few risks, explore this beautiful world and have an endless stream of wonderful experiences like we did.  Enjoy!

Cheers to all,

Bill and Julie