World tour: around the world without flying

Lisa (28) and Julia (27) are hitchhiking their way around the world. The two German sisters chose hitchhiking as their mode of travel because it’s more environmentally friendly – the vehicles they ride with would be on the road anyway. But also because it meant they could keep meeting new people and hear new stories.

On the first few kilometres of their globetrotting trip, they hitchhiked through France and Spain. In Gibraltar, they wanted a lift to Las Palmas.

Crossing the Atlantic by sailing boat

With a stopover in Cape Verde, the sisters ended up sailing across the Atlantic. The ten-day crossing on the small boat wasn’t as romantic as you might think. No privacy, damp mattresses, boredom and the constant rocking of the boat left Lisa and Julia eagerly anticipating hitting the mainland.

From Venezuela, they gradually travelled further south. They hitchhiked, getting lifts from locals either in cars or sometimes in lorries. On reaching the Amazon region, they had to abandon the road option and take to the water. The two sisters bought a canoe and continued their journey.