Yasmin Hunziker and Stefan Kremers are two young travellers who recently stopped in to Kimberley for the first time, four months into their two year adventure.
You might have spotted them while they were rolling around town, in their zebra print Toyota Land Cruiser. The two have been travelling in their ‘zebra’ since April 4 of this year; Hunziker’s birthday.
“I’ve always wanted to do an around the world trip,” said Hunziker. “Then I met Stefan, and we purchased the vehicle and shipped it over to Canada.”
“It’s a zebra – probably the most recognizable. North America needs a zebra,” Hunziker said with a laugh. “We bought an old car because Stefan can repair almost anything on his own. I just sit there and look nice.”
Hunziker and Kremers are living out of, and sleeping in, their car for the duration of their journey.
“We sleep in the car if it is cold or not safe for us to camp, but we also sleep in the rooftop tent,” Hunziker said. “It’s very comfortable, there’s more space than you would think.”
Hunziker is from Zurich, Switzerland, while Kremers is from Dusseldorf, Germany. The couple started their Canadian voyage in Halifax and have travelled across the country, landing in Kimberley on Wednesday.
“I love it [in Kimberley],” Hunziker said. “I’ve always said I could live in Canada, but not for the winter; it’s too hard with the cold. But actually, I could live here. I’ve heard it’s not as cold as up north. Everyone is so laid back, I could imagine myself living here.”
When asked how they decided on visiting Kimberley, Hunziker replied, “we met a friend, Shannon, in Ontario who took us in. She asked around [on Facebook], and Shannon’s friend Blair commented saying we should visit Kimberley. We messaged him the day before and said, ‘we’re coming tomorrow if that’s ok’.”
Today, Thursday June 20, they will head out to White Boar Lake and Grey Creek Pass, and from there continue on to North Vancouver. They plan to head to Burning Man in Nevada and travel to main land Mexico, and other than that their schedule is wide open.
“Anything else isn’t really planned,” explained Hunziker. “You know, when you plan and then life happens’ sometimes it’s better to not. The plan is, there is no plan.”
