'I don't want to sit at a computer in a small box': S'pore aunties travel the world in camper van - The Straits Times

SINGAPORE - The two women were alone in their camper van in the wilderness when they noticed a man walking nearby with a machete in hand.

As night fell, the surroundings became shrouded in darkness. Without any electricity or Internet connection in a national park in Honduras, the women grew increasingly paranoid and called the park manager for help.

But as it turned out, the man was just a security guard patrolling to ensure the women would have a peaceful night.

This is just one of the many stories Ms Noor Soeb, 54, and Ms Susie Chua, 59, have collected over their roughly 460-day overlanding trip through the Americas on the Pan-American Highway.

Overlanding – the word used by enthusiasts – is a type of travel covering vast distances and exploring relatively remote areas over a long period of time. Overlanding travellers, like Ms Soeb and Ms Chua, often get around with large recreational vehicles which double up as affordable long-term accommodation.

“It was scary, but we knew we were safe in our house, our little box,” said Ms Soeb, who used to work in sales, of the travelling duo’s $47,890 truck camper.

The pair left Singapore on June 18, 2022 and returned on Sept 21, 2023.

The trip stemmed from Ms Chua’s desire to see the historic Route 66, a famous highway stretching from Chicago to California that is celebrated as a symbolic icon of the United States in many films, literature and songs.

It was their second overlanding trip, having gone on a two-year sojourn in Europe in September 2019.

Adblock test (Why?)