Zapp family call into Newcastle during their 17-year world tour

Zapp family call into Newcastle during their 17-year world tour

13 September 2017

THE site of a classic 1928 car turned heads as it trundled along local roads last week and while the vintage vehicle is truly remarkable, the story of the Argentinian family on board is even more fascinating.

After 17 years, 100 countries and countless memories, the Zapp family will soon end their round-the-world adventure having ticked Northern Ireland off their list of destinations. They visited Newcastle last week and stayed in Annalong before heading south on their latest adventure.

When Herman and Candelaria Zapp left Argentina 17 years ago, they had £3.00 in their pockets, with their children Pampa, Greenboro, Paloma and Wallaby born on the road in different countries.

“We never thought it would be possible to travel for so long,” said the parents. “People ask us if we are not tired driving for so long, but how can you be tired arriving in beautiful places like this and meeting people every day and learning about so many cultures?”

The Zapp family say the kindness of strangers has enabled them to keep on the road, providing accommodation, food and petrol for their car. They have also been supporting their travels through the sale of a book documenting their journey.

“We had our old car and no knowledge of what we were going to do, but we were willing and I really believe if your dream can be accomplished with money, then that’s a cheap dream,” said Herman, with wife Candelaria admitting it was a challenge to give birth in different countries. She said the children were born in the USA, Argentina, Vancouver Island and Australia.

“It is more of a challenge to educate them along the way. The school is on wheels but the school is also the world,” she revealed. “I use the world to apply all that we learn and it’s great because we went to NASA to see a space shuttle taking off, we went to the Great Wall of China and we visited the pyramids in Egypt.”

Candelaria doesn’t feel that the children are missing out by not attending school or engaging in a formal education, explaining they know languages, they know about religions, food, culture and how people live in different countries.

She continued: “We’ve spent 2,000 nights in family homes all around the world with all kinds of religions and every house has prepared a bed for them and they learn so much.”

The couple said the highlight has been the people they have met and the kindness of strangers, revealing the hardest part was the first day when they left Argentina.

The Zapp family will travel to Dublin before they visit Wales and then travel on to The Netherlands with their belongings packed into their vintage car and will soon return to Argentina, with Candelaria hoping their journey inspires others to follow their goals.

She added: “We thought we weren’t ready for our dream, but then we realised that the world was ready to be part of our dream.”