Elmer & Nicole

How it all started

THE BEGINNING - Terratrotter® came to life years ago; a place where Elmer shared pictures of off-road adventures with his Land Rover Defender and Jeep Wrangler -- 10 years of going through mud and desert all through Europe & Morocco.

SERENDIPITY - And then on a transatlantic flight, he met me, Nicole. A lot of coincidences took place so we could meet: A combination of using airline miles creating an extra layover, a strike delaying my first flight, then my connecting flight being delayed as well, a switching of seats to accomodate another couple and the media console in my "new" seat not working, resulted in an 8hr conversation with Elmer (only half way we discovered our native language was the same, Dutch). Serendipity? We let it up to you to decide. Not long after we met, we went on a fantastic 5-week road trip to Georgia. We drove through areas with no trees or hills to be found for miles on end -- not a place to keep any "mysteries" in the relationship.

THE DREAM - When this trip came to its end we didn't look forward to returning to our old lives (except for a nice hot shower and regular bathroom maybe). Over the weeks that followed it became clear to us that we wanted to travel more and slower. We hankered for the freedom and time to enjoy the little things, to discover how other people live, to taste their local cuisine, to experience their day to day life and to smell the outdoors. We were adamant about making this dream come true, making the world our home.

Elmer

  • The 4x4-expert of our team -- with his over 10 years off-road experience
  • The mechanic, plumber, electrician , ... overal handy-man -- with Nicole as his lovely assistant
  • The negotiator -- dealing with corrupt administrators or law-enforcement is his duty
  • The explorer -- somehow he is always the first one to climb on that rock to see what is on the other side
  • Driver's License: truck, car & boat

 

"Elmer is Dutch and was born 4 meters below sea level. He grew up in ..." Want to know more about Elmer (incl. video)?

Nicole

  • The enthusiast -- always keen to try or learn something new and to embark on an adventure 
  • The writer and webmaster -- with Elmer as proofreader
  • The promotor -- optimizing our daily life and have it run smoother; researching solutions for the problems we run into
  • The socialite -- loves talking to people, even in elevators, which is by the way a very non-belgian thing to do (video as proof) 
  • Driver's License: truck, car & motorcycle

 

"Nicole is Belgian,  grew up in Flanders and speaks Dutch. ..." Want to know more about Nicole (incl. video)?