Dubai: UAE Became A Pit Stop For Couples Travelling To 17 Countries Without A Plane

Nine months ago, the German couple started their adventure using buses, cars, boats and ships for transportation.

It must be an adventurous trip, travelling worldwide without using an aeroplane. A German couple, Theresa and Dennis, are the ones doing it. They have been travelling for over nine months and made a pit stop at Dubai earlier this week. The UAE became the 17^th country on their list since they started their adventure.

"We have been using buses, cars, boats and ships to get to and from places," said Dennis. "The idea to travel without flights was first taken on a whim, but now we have realized that we are inspiring a lot of people around the world. So we are trying our best to stick to it as much as possible."

To honour their commitment, the couple chose a 23-hour bus journey over a one-hour plane ride in Iraq for visa-related reasons.

"Iraq has two types of visas- one for the Kurdish region and one for the rest of the country," said Dennis. "We had the option to take a one-hour flight from the Kurdish region and get our visas at the airport, but we instead chose to get on a bus to Turkey and then re-enter Iraq through a different border."

However, the couple is still exploring options for their journey in the UAE. "We want to go to either India or Pakistan by boat," said Theresa. "But we have not been able to find such a travel option. Our other option is to travel by boat to Iran, however, German citizens have been advised not to go into Iran and Russia because of the political situation. We are adventurous, but we do like to have a safety net." The couple began blogging about their travel experience on social media, accumulating an Instagram following of over 20,000 and making friends in nearly every city they have visited. 

Connecting with people

The main highlight of Theresa and Dennis's journey is the individuals they encountered. "While in Turkey, we got a message from a guy called Ibrahim who lived in Amasya inviting us to visit his family," said Theresa. "It was an eight-hour detour from our planned route. We debated whether to go or not and then decided we really wanted to meet him."

An exceptional adventure awaited for them at Amasya. "Ibrahim's wife had cooked a feast for us," said Dennis. "They even had a small chocolate cake with our names on it. They then took us around the place. It was the best decision we took despite the fact that we had to spend 20 hours on the bus to make it happen. These are the kind of encounters that make our trip worthwhile."

They met a wealthy Sheikh in Mosul who hosted them in his mansion and danced with a stranger for her birthday in Georgia. Theresa understood the true meaning of hospitality in the Middle East.

"The hospitality of this region is one of a kind," she said. "Whether in Kuwait or Saudi Arabia or here in the UAE, random people have stopped to help us when we were trying to figure our way out. They have given us a lift and even paid for our taxi. It has been the most amazing experience coming here."

Travelling Light

Theresa and Dennis have been travelling with just 4-5 pairs of clothes on their trip for the past nine months. "We carry everything in our backpack, so we try to travel as light as possible," said Theresa. "We have a water and windproof jacket, sports clothes and one outfit for the city. We use fabrics like merino wool, which don't have to be washed often. Having said that, we try to wash our clothes at least once a week."

Additionally, the couple carries one pair of regular shoes, hiking shoes and sandals. In addition, they carry a medicine bag, cosmetics, a neck pillow, a laptop, a camera and a specialized bottle. "The filter bottle is a plastic bottle with a filter on top of it," said Dennis. "Wherever we are, we can drink the water. We just have to put water in it and let it filter. It has been a lifesaver." They also carry a foldable bag during the day, a torch, a Swiss knife and a set of cards with photos of their friends whenever they miss home.

Creating a bond over a coconut tale

The couple met over eight years ago and first bonded over the story of 'how a coconut almost killed Theresa.'

"I had done an internship in the Indian city of Bangalore, and while walking back home after a meal with a friend, a coconut fell on my head," recalled Theresa. "It gave me a major concussion, and I had some difficulties because of it for months. When I returned home to Munich, a friend introduced me to Dennis at a party and said that he, too, loved to travel."

The two individuals bonded over the course of the evening as they recounted their experiences travelling through Southeast Asia. "When she told me the coconut story, I remember thinking to myself ', Oh, she is interesting'," said Dennis. The couple arranged to travel together and accumulated funds throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2023, they decided that it was now or never.

"We knew that we wanted to have one epic adventure, and we had plans to travel for an entire year," said Theresa. "However, we have been travelling slow, taking in all the experiences and the people. So I think we will be travelling for more than a year. We are only planning a few countries ahead at a time now. We will see where the universe takes us."

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