I met Stav (29) on Zicatela beach in Puerto Escondido in Mexico. The reason why I started talking to him was that I really liked his dog – Kimba ☺ Very soon I found out that Stav was a really nice guy to talk to. Stav is originally from Israel, but he has been living in Mexico for some years now. When I met him, he has been travelling in his old-school VW Kombi for a while and he has been absolutely loving it. He was the first person that I interviewed for the #Travellerswithcourage series and I’m really happy that he agreed and shared his story with you and me. I was very impressed by his organization of things in the kombi and his positive way of thinking. Thanks for that Stav!

How long have you been traveling in the VW kombi for?
For about 2.5 years.

Why did you choose to travel in a kombi?
I had this dream since I was 16. So I just wanted to do it.

Where did you buy your kombi?
I used to live in Mexico. I asked around and bought it 2.5months before I started traveling. It was in a good mechanical condition, but it was really bad for camping. So I built all furniture and made it perfect for traveling.

Do you remember the first night when you slept in the kombi?
It was in Texas and I had that feeling that “I made it”!. I was alone and it was my first trip. It was the hottest day of my life and I traveled the whole day. It me took 12 hours to get from my place in Mexico to Texas. That’s how it has all started.

Why did you choose this model of the van?
This is the coolest model from the 70’s and I think the 70’s were the coolest of all times. The ideas were big and beautiful. These ideas are slowly starting to appear again in the society.

The kombi!

Do you travel alone or with someone?
I like to travel with someone, because alone is not healthy. And I’m not talking about sex here hehe. Doesn’t matter if it’s a man or a woman, I like to travel with someone.

How do you choose your travel buddy?
I don’t know they just come and find me. I know it by feeling, I believe that I know how to read people.

Did you have any “bad travel buddy” experience?
The worst experience is when you fight with a friend and then you have to sleep in the same car. But no, I didn’t have any bad experience.

Kimba the kombi dog 🙂

What was the funniest moment on this trip?
It was actually a dangerous moment, but it made me laugh. The kombi was parked on a cliff. I was with a friend and we were asleep in the kombi. Suddenly, the kombi started moving down, but luckily my friend and I managed to jump out and stop it. My kombi almost killed me… I laughed so much afterwards ☺

Do you have any future plans?
I have a plan, but I don’t trust it. The plan is to finish my studies and travel south to Ushuaia/Argentina. I want to travel all around the world. It will take me 10years, or maybe 20years…

I want to share this exciting story…
I was alone, in New Mexico. It was in the middle of a rocky dessert and the place was a huge area covered with sand. It started raining and I though that the car will fall apart. It rained so much that it looked like I was in the middle of a lake. Suddenly it was sunny and the water disappeared. It was very cool, it was like a Fata Morgana.

What does it mean for you to travel in a kombi?
It means that peace, love and happiness can be real, it’s not just a sign on the wheel of my car.

Thank you Stav for this great interview! Safe travels to you and to lovely Kimba ☺