Today we visited Zainab’s most favorite place in the United States – Canyon de Chelly, located in Northeastern part of the Navajo Nation in Arizona. We hope you enjoy our pictures as much as we enjoyed this natural wonder in reality.

In the afternoon we crossed the state line entering Utah and stopped by the Canyonlands Motel in Mexican Hat, where we’ll stay for the night, before moving on.

Even though it is much more expensive to travel without a trailer, we decided to leave our camper in California, because we are on the road for just only five weeks this time and we wanted to enjoy the advantages motels offer, just as showers, internet access, refrigerator and other comfy stuff like that.

This will be our last night in New Mexico. We are in Farmington, a city located in the very Northwestern part of the state. Tomorrow we’ll enter Arizona again in order to visit one of our most favorite places – Canyon de Chelly nearby Chinle.

The Love Bug is running pretty well! And we really love touring cross country with him! At the moment we’re making around 200 miles (or 320 kilometers) a day.

However, we want to thank you for still following Herbie’s World Tour after so many years of traveling! We’ll keep blogging and we hope you enjoy accompanying us!

The UFO Museum in Roswell, New Mexico – We have been in Roswell already more than once, but we haven’t been to its world famous museum on UFOs.

We decided to give it a chance and we actually enjoyed it. Below you can find some pictures of the exhibition. After our visit we drove all the way North to Albuquerque.

More than four years ago we visited the New Mexican Caverns of Carlsbad the first time. Today we returned to this magnificent piece of America’s natural treasury.

Before going underground we passed by the Guadalupe Mountains National Park in Texas hosting the highest peak of the state with 2,667 meters (or 8,749 feet).

New Mexico, the Land of Enchantment – We entered this wonderful state by driving along highway 70 towards Lordsburg. From there we hit the interstate and ended up in Las Cruces, where we’ll stay for the night before heading further South.

There we checked in at the Day’s End Motel. From here we’ll continue cruising on interstate 10 to El Paso, Texas. And we’re planning to visit the Carlsbad Caverns as well. So we’ll just stay in Texas for a day, heading back into New Mexico. From there we’ll heading North, all across the state towards Arizona again.

Filling up Herbie is pretty convenient in Arizona compared to other states and especially in comparison to Europe. The gallon is down to $ 1.99 here.

As we would pay at least € 1.15 per liter right now in Europe, we’re getting gas for € 0.48 per liter in Arizona, which is actually less than the half of the price.

Today were heading further East and we’re staying for the night at a motel in the town of Safford. Tomorrow we’ll enter our state no. 3 on this trip – New Mexico.

After a long drive across the desert of Arizona, we reached Phoenix, where we met our friend Jay, who we got to know in Yuma and who we haven’t seen since five years. Tonight we had a blast, hanging out at a bar in downtown chatting with him.

After crossing the Imperial Sand Dunes of California, we reached Yuma, Arizona.

Right there we were able to buy our favorite Medjool dates from Bard, California.

This picture was not taken in Saudi Arabia! These are sand dunes in California.

Tomorrow we’ll be heading on Interstate 8 towards Arizona’s capital – Phoenix.

In the meantime we were already enjoying dates with a delicious vanilla coffee.

Today we left our camp in Ridgecrest. We headed South and passed by Elmer’s Bottle Tree Ranch in Oro Grande on old Route 66 near Victorville.

In the afternoon we reached Twentynine Palms, a city famous for its Marine Corps Base. And here we’ll meet our dear friend Pablo, who’s stationed here.

But Twentynine Palms is also famous because of the Joshua Tree National Park, we’ve already visited twice. Tomorrow we’ll be heading to Yuma, Arizona.

The reason why we’re taking this route to Yuma, is because we want to buy some dates there. We love them! And we especially love those from that area!

After two years of sitting here in the desert, Herbie is running again. We just bought a new battery and did a little service including a motor oil change.

Before hitting the road across the United States, we went on a test ride today, heading to Palmdale and Lancaster, passing by Red Rock Canyon and Mojave.

We are happy to be back in the US, driving the Number 53 around! And we are excited to get started and to continue Herbie’s World Tour. On Thursday we’ll probably leave Ridgecrest, heading South towards Palm Springs and Salton Sea.

After more than two years we returned to California. The last time we’ve been here was for our wedding in May 2014. We’ll stay in the US for the next seven weeks.

Our dear friend, Lyle Gregory, invited us to stay at his world famous OZ House in Ridgecrest, Kern County, where also our beloved car, the Love Bug, resides.

Just after we woke up we were looking after Herbie and the camper. They were still here, waiting for our return. Today we’ll try to reactivate Herbie for another trip.

Due to the heat of the Mojave Desert the cover got broken, but we hope, that this is the only damage caused by standing there for more than two years. Let’s see!

Domi got his visa for the United States! In 2014 we traveled to the US the last time. This summer we’ll return to California and tour across the Southwest of the United States.

In July we’ll get Herbie back on the scenic roads of North America. And of course we’ll share our continuing tour on this site. Keep following Herbie’s World Tour!

Close friends of ours, Eva and Flo, just started their own road trip. They’re heading West in a Volkswagen Bug from 1966 pulling a QEK camper, just like our Herbie did.

They already passed the border to Switzerland (picture above) as their first leg should lead them to Spain, visiting a mutual friend of ours, Monserrate Espinosa, a fellow traveler, we got to know in Spain and who toured the world in his Toyota 4Runner called “Bruno”.

At this point we wish Eva and Flo all the best for their journey. Travel safe and enjoy life! And please tell Monserrate our warmest regards! Yours, Domi & Zainab

You can follow Flo and Eva’s Euro trip at www.dlv.co.at.

Our Herbie is protected by RustStop® – an electronic rust protection system we highly recommend since we installed it in the year 2013 while we were on our Africa trip!

Meanwhile Domi ended up selling this unique product together with his friend Friedrich as its European master distributor. And here’s the entire story about this journey…

After we reached the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa, the most southwestern point of the African continent, we received an invitation by the fellow travelers Arno and Elize van der Merwe from Mossel Bay. We spent memorable times together.

Arno’s travel companion was a Toyota Hilux named “Bakkie” and Domi wondered about its remarkable good condition. Even though they lived right at the sea, we couldn’t spot any rust on it. Eventually Arno let the cat out of the bag and showed Domi an electronic module called “RustStop®”, which was mounted to the car.

Needless to say that we were eager to get such a device for Herbie too. So we did! While heading East we stopped by the head office of RustStop®, as this is a South African company. They already invented this kind of rust protection system back in the 80ies. Normally Domi would have to polish the chrome parts at least every month in order to avoid rust, especially on the cheap repro bumpers and hub caps. Since RustStop® is installed, Domi has never polished the chrome again. And within two years of driving in various weather conditions we cannot spot any new rust!

So it came to pass that we decided to take this unique product back home and sell it as its European master distributor. And here we are – you can find Domi’s and Friedrich’s RustStop® shop at www.ruststop.at. Look and see yourself!

The automotive magazine “Petrolicious” just published an excellent story on Herbie’s World Tour called “Herbie: One of the Special Ones”. Thanks to its writer Brian Garrity!

The article tells about “Jim Douglas Special” or rather Herbie, the Love Bug, as we use to call him and of course the passion of a so-called “Petrolista”. Read the story here!

We wish all our followers, friends and family members a Happy New Year 2015!

These are some Christmas presents we got from our best friends and our family.

On the occasion of the Fall of the Wall 25 years ago we met today to drive our two-stroke cars from the old GDR (German Democratic Republic) around Vienna’s city center.

Due to the collapse of the GDR and the German reunification the era of East German cars ran out as well but there are still some folks driving them through town…

As always Herbie served as a daily driver in the summer season. But now the winter is coming and Domi got him ready to hibernate in a little town on the countryside of Austria.

Thanks to our friend Flo, Herbie and the camper found a shelter at his rural property about 120 kilometers northwest of Vienna, where they’ll stay at least until April next year.

Austrian winters are harsh. In order to de-ice the road, they put salt on the streets which causes a lot of corrosion. Therefore people are storing their vintage cars indoors in winter.

On Saturday, the legendary Late Summer Ride 2014 will take place. It is the only vintage Volkswagen and air-cooled Show of Vienna and celebrates its 3^rd year of existence.

As a club member of DLV, Herbie will be there as well of course. You can find more information by visiting the website of DLV – Aircooled Community. See you there!

Volkswagen just released their brand new television commercial with pop star Helene Fischer and our Herbie. Click here or on the picture below to watch the spot!

Herbie just returned from a shooting for a television commercial by Volkswagen.

The Love Bug was picked up by a Volkswagen Amarok pulling a trailer sent by Porsche Austria heading to the Carinthian Wörthersee where the shooting took place.

At the “Volkswagen Beetle Show of Stockerau”, arranged by the KDKF Austria,  Domi got the prize for the “dirtiest Bug” as Herbie’s engine compartment is still covered by the red mud of Africa – the award of course should rather honor Herbie’s World Tour.

Georgy, Flo and Domi spent the entire Sunday together – first at the show and later on harvesting cherries at Flo’s place in his native town Gerasdorf, just outside of Vienna.

After we returned to Austria we woke Herbie No. II up from his winter sleep and Domi just visited together with friends of our “DLV – Aircooled Community” a vintage Volkswagen show in Upper Austria. On their way they followed the Danube river upstream driving through the world famous Wachau valley, a UNESCO world heritage site.

Thanks to the air-cooled VW club “Käferfreunde Strudengau” for the wonderful event!

This is the most amazing wedding present! Michele Lee, the co-star in Walt Disney’s “The Love Bug”, congratulated us on our marriage by signing personal autographs for us. Lyle Gregory, dear friend and our Californian camp host, introduced Herbie’s World Tour to this lovely actress from Los Angeles. Thank you both so much for this!

“Domi and Zainab – You  are as amazing as this car!” (by Michele Lee)

“Domi and Zainab – The Bug loves you!” (by Michele Lee)

“Domi + Zainab, Happy Tour! Happy Herbie! Happy marriage!” (by Michele Lee 2014)

Before we were heading back home to Austria again, Domi took Herbie for a final ride following the railway tracks towards Trona and its Pinnacles, a national natural landmark.

It’s always sad leaving Herbie behind but our Californian friends will keep an eye on him!