After saying “good-bye” to our family and friends we started a new chapter of Herbie’s World Tour by heading all the way to Genoa, Italy, where we’ll go on board a cruise ship named “Fantastic” by “Grandi Navi Veloci” to Tangier in Morocco, Africa.

We drove about 1,000 miles (1,600 km) through Austria and Italy. We reached our destination, Genoa, on time. Herbie and the camper are waiting outside while we’re connecting to the world wide web at a fast food restaurant.

Tomorrow we’ll celebrate Domi’s 29^th birthday somewhere in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea. On Monday we’ll arrive in Tangier, Morocco.

Next week, on December 1^st, we’ll leave Europe by taking a ferry across the Mediterranean Sea to Tangier, Morocco. From there we’ll be heading towards Rabat, Morocco’s capital, in order to get visas for upcoming countries like Mauritania and Mali.

We’ll celebrate Domi’s birthday (December 2^nd) while we’re on the ship, reaching Morocco on Monday, December 3^rd. The ferry boat which will be carrying Herbie, the camper and us is operated by an Italian company called “Grandi Navi Veloci”.

The so-called “Carnet de Passages en Douane” (CPD) or simply “Carnet” allows travelers to temporarily import their motor vehicles and trailers without having to leave a cash deposit at the border. It is an international guarantee for payment of customs expenses to a government should the vehicle not be re-exported from that country.

We just got it issued by the Austrian Automobile Association named ÖAMTC. We need that, as we’ll be touring to Africa. It is in general strictly required for countries in Asia, Africa, Oceania and the Middle East. Therefore we also had it when we started Herbie’s World Tour in 2009. The “Carnet” is valid for not more than one year.

Recently some folks and their VWs from our club “DLV – Aircooled Community” had a photo shoot at a shopping mall parking garage in Vienna. Christian, Georgy, Benjamin, Flo, Aly and Domi showed up and took some pictures. Afterwards we all gathered at Friedrich’s shop in Vienna’s second district (see final image).

At this point we want to say thank you to all supporters of Herbie’s World Tour! We would particularly like to thank the following people for their valuable contribution:

Our longtime friend and master mechanic Friedrich Hübsch from Vienna.

“Mick” from Mick Motors Australia, who we have met on our tour around the world.

And all the friends from our club “DLV – Aircooled Community”.

As you can see on the map below, we discovered another way to get to Africa. Therefore we’re planning to drive to Genoa, Italy, in order to take a ship to Morocco.

In Austria it was getting quite chilly within the last weeks. About a week ago we already had the first snowfall. So, hopefully we’ll be leaving our home country this month.

As Herbie’s World Tour isn’t going to end soon, we’ve been looking for sponsorships in order to continue what we’ve begun three years ago. “Mick Motors” from Brisbane, Australia, is one of those sponsors! We got to know Mick when we traveled all across “down under” and Herbie started leaking motor oil. The Love Bug needed new oil cooler gaskets very badly… After all, Mick was the one who helped us out!

Domi finished his work on the engine of Herbie No. II. Instead of the fuel injected 1,600 cc, the Love Bug got now his original 1,200 cc back. The motor came from a burnt out Volkswagen Bug made in Mexico. Domi installed brand new cylinders and pistons as well as an additional modern type oil filter. Herbie is now ready to go A-F-R-I-C-A!

Flo from DLV and Friedrich helped Domi putting the “new” engine together and also surprised him with a very special feature – a light for the engine bay. At this point we want to say thank you for all your help and support on Herbie’s World Tour!

This week Domi and Flo drove to Bavaria, Germany, where they picked up again another Volkswagen Bug “1600i” for their friend Friedrich. On the way, Herbie made a stop in Salzburg, the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Flo and Domi strolled around downtown and had a little coffee break. They enjoyed this trip a lot!

Recently we cut a Volkswagen Bug into halves and hung its passenger’s side up on the wall of Friedrich’s shop in Vienna. The Bug is from the mid 90ies made in Mexico.

See the hanging Bug at Helenengasse Viaduktbogen 23 in Vienna’s second district!

This week, Domi and Flo made a trip over 1,700 miles (about 2,700 km) to Germany. They picked up a Volkswagen Bug “1600i” (fuel injected 1,600 cc) from 1995 for their friend and mechanic Friedrich. They also got some special spare parts for him.

Flo and Domi started their trip in the morning and were gone for almost 48 hours.

On the freeway they met a Volkswagen Bug “Ovali” (with the oval rear window).

The picture above shows its proud owner and Flo at a rest area in Germany.

After 24 hours Domi and Flo arrived at the car dealer and their bought car (left).

VW “1600i” are very rare in Austria. They are featured with a fuel injected engine.

But the Bug wasted a lot of oil on their way back – unbelievable two gallons!!!

Probably the gaskets of the oil cooler were the reason for this big oil loss. Anyway they made it back to Vienna and are safe. Next week they will make another trip to Germany in order to pick up a “1600i”, but this time they just have to drive to Bavaria.

Here are the pictures of the first “DLV Late Summer Ride”, which took place yesterday. We were driving our new friend “Trabi” and we had a blast! You can find more photos by following this link. The whole event was a full success. More than 50 air-cooled vehicles showed up. We are already looking forward to next year’s ride!

On September 16, there will be the first public air-cooled drive called “Late Summer Ride” along Vienna’s longest street, the world famous “Höhenstraße” winding through the forest of Austria’s capital. Herbie’s friends from DLV will organize this event, at which all air-cooled vintage cars are invited to take part. You can find more information by following this link or by clicking on the picture above!

Herbie’s World Tour got featured in the latest version of “The Campervan Life” – a British air-cooled VW magazine. By clicking on the article below you’ll get to its website.

As you’ve probably read the article above, Herbie is still looking for sponsors for his ongoing trip around the world. If you are interested in supporting the Love Bug, please get in touch with us! We would love to have you as a part of Herbie’s World Tour!

As we said, Herbie’s World Tour is not over yet! We are planning to explore Africa in Herbie No. II during the upcoming winter. Our first destination in Africa would be Cairo, Egypt, because we want to travel across Africa by going along the East Coast all the way down to South Africa. Originally, we thought that there are different ways to get there, but it turned out to be much more complicated. Is this a mission impossible?

1. Primarily we were thinking about taking a ferry from somewhere in Italy directly to Alexandria, Egypt. BUT all ferries got suspended in the last years.
2. Israel has a border with Egypt (Sinai Peninsula), so we were searching for a ferry to the Middle East. BUT also these ferries aren’t existing anymore.
3. So we thought, why not taking the long way to Cairo – via France, Spain and Gibraltar through the African Arab countries. BUT Algeria and Libya require special permissions to enter the country (“invitation letter” etc.).
4. Domi’s friend, Manuel, was traveling across Africa via Syria in 2009, BUT this seems to be impossible in 2012. Thanks Mr. Assad!

We’re still planning on continuing Herbie’s World Tour by traveling Africa, BUT on the one hand, there are no ferries from Europe to Africa across the Mediterranean Sea and on the other hand, countries like Syria or Libya make it almost impossible to cross.

Where there is a will, there is a way! BUT where? Too many “buts”?

Our second Herbie drove us and “QEK Junior”, the camper, all across Europe last year and should put even more miles on. We’re planning on another road trip with Herbie!

Domi bought Herbie, a “Volkswagen Type 11 Luxus”, on June 1, 2007, from Ewald Artmayr, who was owner for six years and who lived in Stadt Haag, Upper Austria.

Originally our Herbie No. II was manufactured in 1963 and got sold to a farmer called Leopold Reisinger from Haibach, Upper Austria, on June 19 of the same year.

Domi and his friend Flo made another trip to Germany in order to pick up a blue Volkswagen Bug from 1989 for their friend and mechanic, Friedrich. They left Austria on Wednesday in the evening and got back Friday morning. However, as it transpired, this trip should get a challenging and nerve wrecking adventure for both of them.

The tow bar was a back up if they couldn’t get the blue VW running. The engine was dismantled and they had to put everything together before actually driving it.

They got the car running, but the dynamo was broken! They decided to drive without using it and changing the batteries from one car to the other every time they stop.

They even disconnected the wires of the dynamo in order to save energy and just used the batteries to keep the car running. It was exhausting changing batteries so often.

But during the night and the need of lights the cars were sucking more energy than one car could produce, so they had to tow the blue Bug for the rest of the night.

It is prohibited to tow a car on the freeway, so they depended on highways. Therefore they had to use the GPS, but they had no cigarette lighter (see above).

Just 34 horsepower (1,200 cc) towed another Bug for more than 370 miles (600 km) all the way from Germany to Austria. But it worked, even though it took forever.

We just bought another cult car! It is a “Trabant 601S de Luxe” manufactured in former East Germany before the Iron Curtain came down. Even though, the “Time” magazine rated the so-called “Trabi” as one of the 50 worst cars ever made, Domi loves to drive it – and it has an air-cooled two-stroke powered engine with 26 horsepower and 600 cc. The “Trabi” will be our daily driver, while Herbie goes around the world.

Domi and Flo drove to Germany again, in order to pick up two cars – a Trabant for Friedrich and another Bug for Flo. They decided to go there in a VW pulling a special tow bar. They were just two guys driving three cars, but everything worked out!

On the way to Germany Flo and Domi met Friedrich and his “Última Edición” (right) – a Volkswagen Bug from 2003 – close to his family home in Upper Austria.

Domi and his friend Flo took Herbie for a ride to Bavaria, Germany. On their way Herbie lost all case studs of one of the cylinder heads. The wildest nightmare got reality, but the Love Bug made it back to Vienna and Friedrich’s VW shop safely.

Domi noticed a weird and loud noise in the back. He knew immediately that Herbie is loosing his right cylinder head, where cylinder one and two are operating.

It got worse and Herbie lost all case studs. Flo and Domi couldn’t hear each other talking, because it was getting so loud. Herbie sounded like a tractor!

Moreover Herbie shed a lot of motor oil on the freeway, but he eventually made it and got back to Vienna, where Domi and Friedrich will repair his Brazilian engine.

Domi is still working on a 1,200 cc carburetor engine for Herbie No. II at Friedrich’s shop in Vienna. We’re thinking about taking the Love Bug for a final ride continuing Herbie’s World Tour, after we’ve traveled more than 95,000 miles (150,000 km) so far.

A special feature is the additional oil filter including a bigger oil pump by BOCAR.

Furthermore, Herbie gets a high performance coil and an electronic ignition system.

But we’ll stick to a simple dynamo as they are more resistant than generators.

On the occasion of Zainab’s birthday, we went together for the first time to the drive-in on Monday. This is the only drive-in theater in Austria, it is called “Autokino Center Wien” and is located in Groß Enzersdorf, just outside of Vienna. We had a blast!

Christian, Georgy, Flo, Matthias and Domi visited the 4^th Friday Night Cruising by “Altblech” – a community for classic cars in Austria. Every last Friday of the month vintage cars from all over meet at the parking lot of Vienna’s biggest shopping center.

We wanted to say “thank you” to our friends from Paraguay, Natalia Florentin and Jorge Ortiz (left on picture below) and of course their Classic VW Club for everything they’ve done for us while we were traveling across South America this year.

Therefore we just sent Jorge two original German made headlight lenses by BOSCH as a present from “good old” Europe. He told us back then, that he would love to have such lenses on his true to original restored Bug from 1965.