8 Travelers, 3 Plastic Cars and $300,000 to Raise

Lovejoy: The route was planned out specifically to see as much as possible. Obviously, there will be drifting if we hear about certain sights, events, organizations or people en route, but visa expirations and money dictate the amount of time we can spend in each country. Besides filming as much as possible, the tasks are arranging press en route and visiting with NGOs [non-governmental organizations] we lined up prior to departure.

How does a Trabant handle?

Perez: The Trabant is a wonderfully simple car to drive. The cars themselves shake and rattle a lot, and for the most part I always feel like something is just about to fall off the car. Luckily, the Trabant Klub in Budapest beefed up our suspension system with rally parts, or else the cars would

never have stood up to the punishment on the road.

So you're funding yourselves. How much is it costing you per day and week?

Lovejoy: It is hard to calculate per day or even per week, as countries and costs vary so drastically. For instance, in Turkey we were paying over $8 a gallon, and in Azerbaijan, right around $2 per gallon. Visas cost nearly $900 a person, all the cars cost $11,300 and China was an $8,500 expense [to cover licenses, a mandatory guide, insurance, etc.]. Daily expenditures per person rarely exceed $20, even when staying in hostels.

How do people on the road react to your mission?

Perez: Most people think we are crazy when they figure out what we are doing. Others find it humorous, but for the most part everyone just looks and shakes their head.

Drury: People, particularly kids, love the cars. Which was the idea. We cannot go 10 meters on any road without a honk, a flashing of lights or a yell from a car window asking us where we're from and what we're doing. Most react to our response, "driving to Cambodia," with a mixture of awe and disbelief.

Your diets have probably taken a hit.

Lovejoy: The long days on the road through nothingness such as the Karakoram desert left us with a loaf of bread each for the entire day. It amounts to about one main meal a day, though there are days when we even miss that meager portion. Starch has been something lacking from our diets.

Shaslik, busah and kebabs are the main meat dishes. The roads tend to be lined with small shacks stacked four feet high with hundreds of watermelons. I will say that right now the three of us talk constantly of eventually finding a Burger King and pigging out on a Double Whopper.