An Austrian trio on a grand tour… Artisan and mechanic Regina Hochecker, filmmaker and photographer Thomas Hadinger, and “Edelweiss”, a Volkswagen Kombi T3, home to the couple for the past two years, have been on an open-ended journey with a self-proclaimed goal to reach India, eventually.
The adventurous trip of Regina Hochecker (34) from Rohrbach, and Thomas Hadinger (38) from Vienna, to reach India by travelling overland from their home country, Austria, nearly came to a premature end when their trusty companion – known as the Kombi Bus in South Africa – suffered a breakdown in the middle of the Bulgarian outback.
The gears refused to shift, and they could do nothing about it. Luckily, a Bulgarian they had met on their travels quickly got hold of a mechanic in Sofia, and the Austrians very slowly coasted towards the capital city with “Edelweiss” just maintaining 30 km/h in second gear.
This setback could have meant the end of their dream, as it usually would cost thousands of euros to repair the gearbox back home in Austria, and to get hold of a good second-hand unit would take a long time. However, they were in for a surprise.
The mechanic in Sofia, using Google Translate, asked them whether he should install a new gearbox there, as he had a few used ones lying around in his spare parts store. “We were stunned, and asked tentatively what it would cost. 230 Euros (about R5,000) including labour, a special price for fellow Volkswagen T3 lovers,” Regina recalled.
Three hours later, the trio was back on tour. “Things have a way of working out when you are on the road in a Bulli (as the Volkswagen Transporter is known in Austria and Germany),” she added. Their adventure, with no specific timeframe, began in October 2021, and the idea was to travel overland from Austria to India.
22,000 KM LATER
Roughly, the route would take them through the Balkans, Greece, Turkey, Iran, and Pakistan, and since then, the trio has covered around 22,000 km. “Edelweiss” has proven very reliable, as well as a home with a panoramic terrace and a mobile workplace. As Thomas says, “It is more than just a vehicle – it is a family member and travel companion.”
Before setting off on their journey, the couple did thorough preparation. Thomas, who caught the travel bug as a child on camping holidays in a Volkswagen van, achieved his dream of owning his own camper van in 2010: a T3, originally a standard van built in 1988 and then converted into a camper van.
From then on, he spent almost every free minute exploring the countryside in his camper, christened “Edelweiss”. With the Kombi Bus came the next dream – a trip to India. When Thomas met Regina in 2016, one of the first questions he asked her was: “Could you imagine going on a world tour in a camper van?”
With no previous camping experience, Regina was soon won over by Thomas and “Edelweiss”. Three years later, they decided to quit their jobs (Regina from her position as an accountant in a large company, and Thomas as a journalist at a radio station) and leave behind their everyday routines.
The T3, by now a little long in the tooth, was completely overhauled, repainted and refurbished. Most of the work was done by the couple themselves – electrical system, solar system, water filter and interior, all done “in-house’. Regina rediscovered her craftsmanship skills during this period and entered the world of car mechanics. She now knows “Edelweiss” like the back of her hand.
It took 18 months to prepare the Kombi, by now 33 years old with 209,000 km on the clock, for the tour and transform the recreational vehicle into a comfortable home, and the couple finally embarked on their adventure.
They planned their routes at short notice, with Thomas usually researching while Regina drives. “We decided not to make any definite plans, and instead to simply wait and see what happened. We live by the philosophy that ‘the journey is the destination’.”
When this article was written, the Austrians had already travelled through Slovenia, Croatia, Montenegro, Albania, Greece, and Bulgaria, and recently crossed into Turkey. They spend several weeks in each country, sometimes months. They have taken bicycles, fold-up kayaks and walking boots with them to discover the countries in many different ways.
Where they can, they set up camp in remote places with their camper van but always respect nature and the locals. For them, it is important to live as self-sufficiently as possible; for example, they generate their own electricity. They enjoy living in the countryside and are grateful for their experiences.
As a freelance photographer and filmmaker, Thomas can work on the road. In this case, “Edelweiss” becomes a mobile production studio. He is also primarily responsible for their Instagram content (edelweiss.on.the.road), which is used to keep family and friends up to date.
There have been a few incidents on the road, too, like when the Turkish police rudely awoke them one morning because they failed to notice a No Camping sign in the dark. They apologised and were soon given the number of the police should they have an emergency, as well as some sightseeing tips.
Regina also became lost whilst hiking alone in the Albanian mountains, and a shepherd that came to her rescue and even went out of his way to escort her home safely. They both went down with coronavirus in a remote region, and the two travellers’ assistance was organised via Instagram.
LAST WORD
The Kombi van has proved popular everywhere, whether it be a beach in Greece, a fuel station in Croatia, or a village street in Turkey. “Seeing how people react to ‘Edelweiss’ is so nice. As a traveller, you are a foreigner at first. However, people hoot their horns, smile, and wave at us when we are on the road.
“The T3 is a great conversation starter and resulted in us making a lot of friends. It is like driving through the region with a smile,” Thomas said. “It has almost become a little star and is often photographed. A lot of people tell us about their own experiences with VW Bullis, and T3 fans are well connected – if you have a problem, it does not matter what country you are in, someone will help you!”
It is still unclear where their route will take them next. However, the objective is clear: to enjoy the intensive life on a grand tour and to arrive in India at some point. But only with “Edelweiss”, as Regina stressed: “It is a part of us. We could not go on without it.”
Report by SUPPLIED/VOLKSWAGEN COMMERCIAL | Images © THOMAS HADINGER
