Rio de Janeiro

ABOUT US

AS THEY SAY: YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE and WHEN YOU DO IT RIGHT

ONCE IS ENOUGH

21 years on the road (2025) and still going

We are a Dutch couple who moved to Australia 40 years ago and have been dreaming of traveling the world in an off-road vehicle. Between 1982 and 2009, we covered approximately 300,000 km throughout Australia, with the last 140,000 km covered between 2004 and 2009. We love the deserts, remote places, beautiful scenery, bush camping, and campfires. After many years of discussing the possibility of a world trip, we decided to semi-retire and start our global journey.

Between 2009 and April 2023, we traveled 343,000 km, crossing Africa (East and West), Europe to Mongolia (via Russia), Mongolia to Singapore covering China, Tibet and South East Asia. and the sub-continent India–Nepal–Pakistan–Iran and the Middle East. In 2016, we shipped our vehicle to South America and, to date, have covered Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Brazil, Uruguay, French Guyana, Guyana, Suriname, Peru, Ecuador, Galapagos Islands and Colombia. We’ve covered every country in South America except Paraguay and Venezuela.

In 2020, we shipped from Colombia to Central America. In 2023, we entered the United States from Mexico and explored the Western USA In 2024, we continued our journey through the Central USA, Route 66 and returned to Northern Mexico before heading towards Key West in Florida. Currently, our vehicle is in Defuniak Springs, Florida

In 2025, we plan to explore more of Central USA and Eastern USA before heading into Canada, the last country on our overland journey. What was initially a 5-year trip has now extended into 21 years, with an additional 3 years planned before we reach Alaska.

Robert Van den Hoven

Born on June 24, 1955, in Arnhem, Holland, Robert has lived in Holland, the Caribbean, and Australia. He served as a Royal Dutch Marine from 1974 to 1977, and in 1977, he married Clary Lingeman. The couple moved to Australia in 1981, living in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, and for the past 35 years, in the small village of Palm Cove, just north of Cairns. Robert has been involved in the hospitality industry most of his life, holding executive positions with Nestlé, Sara Lee, and Sinclair Halvorsen, before becoming self-employed and working in food manufacturing, wholesale, import, and export. For 20 years, he and his wife Clary owned Apres Beach Bar & Grill in Palm Cove, which they sold in early 2018. Robert’s hobbies include traveling, bush camping, swimming, and music.

Clary Van Den Hoven

Profile Picture Clary

Clary was born on October 28, 1956, in Dieren, Holland. She lived in both Holland and Australia and worked as a teacher in Holland before migrating to Australia with her husband, Robert, in 1981. Due to Robert’s frequent job transfers, Clary worked in various roles across Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane. While Robert was involved in the import/export industry, Clary purchased and ran the Apres Beach Bar & Grill in Palm Cove, North Queensland. When Robert sold his own business, he shifted his focus to supporting Clary with hers. Clary enjoys traveling, bush camping, swimming, reading, and gardening.