The top traveling tip I gave recently was to buy a car. I did this on my last travel and had the time of my life, having your own mobile accommodation is a great way to see lots of things and have a really unique experience.
I bought my car in Germany and over the course of several months drove from Munich in Germany to Lagos in the southern corner of Portugal and back again and everywhere in between.
I was with my brother at the time and for the most part it was a very smooth ride but this one time something bad happened… (well at the time it was bad, now it’s a great story…read on)
We were driving in France just north of Bordeaux near Arcachon on the highway. We were in a 1998 VW Transporter van and my brother was driving. All of of a sudden the gear completely slipped out while shifting from 2nd to 3rd. The look on my brother’s face was priceless and I doubt I will ever see it again, I also won’t mention the words that accompanied the look.
The first thought that came to both of our minds was that the gearbox was gone and we would have to abandon the car. Stuck in traffic my brother starting playing with the gear stick and managed to find 3rd and 4th gear. 1st, 2nd and 5th gear were locked out completely. Luckily it was a diesel car so starting off from a complete stop in 3rd gear was possible, although not something you should do if you can avoid it.
We managed to make it to Arcachon using 3rd and 4th gear. Although without 5th gear the max speed we could manage was around 90 km an hour (55 miles per hour). The speed limit on the highway was 130 km per hour, needless to say there were some angry frenchmen – luckily though we had German license plates!
We discovered the next day (after a long earned rest), that one of the bolts connecting the gears to the transmission had effectively rusted or corroded away. Long story short, we fastened the gear arms with rope and duct tape, the car shifted better then it ever had, we drove around Europe like this for months and had a blast!
Pictures tell a thousand words:
Here is the Dune of Pyla, near Arcachon in France, this is where we ended up after this mishap:
(See more of my France Photos)
Have fun traveling, some times things can go wrong, keep a clear head. When you look back on your time, you will have some interesting stories to tell.
I like the fact that after it was rigged up the car shifted better than it ever had before! Awesome story.
haha mate,
why is that the first time I hear about this gear story?
did u let it fix before u sold it? luckily I didnt buy it from you
Great webside man, Id love to have like half your business ambition