Friday 13 January 2017

4-year-old covers 17,000 miles and visits 41 European countries

Vladimir Barbu is only four years old, but chances are this adventurous youngster has seen more of the world than many adults.


That's thanks to his parents revving up the itinerary for their summer holiday last year and taking him on a four-month adventure through 41 European countries covering 17,000 miles - in a trusty sidecar.

A 2014 Ural Ranger model fondly nicknamed Zair.

And the photographs look incredible.

In total, the Romanian family - Mihai Barbu, 36, his girlfriend Oana and Vladimir - covered 17,398 miles during their trip, taking in sights like stunning snow-capped peaks in Switzerland and taking part in activities such as camel riding in the Moroccan desert.

The trip was supposed to be to just a handful of countries - a 'warm-up tour' for a bigger adventure.

The Family never imagined their expedition would end up as long or exciting as it was.

'Vladimir was very happy,' photographer Mihai Barbu, 36, said to MailOnline Travel.

'I don't think there's one single child on this world that would not love riding in a sidecar.'

To keep costs down, the Barbu family camped in camp sites or in the wild, checked into cheap hotels, or stayed with friends.

And other nights were spent sleeping under the stars in Morocco on a hotel roof.

By day, little Vladimir can be seen exploring spectacular mosques, playing with monkeys and gazing down on spellbinding mountain valleys.

'In my opinion, motorcycles are the only option when it comes to travel and seeing the world,' photographer Mihai Barbu, who forked out £10,660 for the unusual mode of transport, told MailOnline Travel.

'With cars and planes you don't get to experience that much. You don't get to feel warm when it's hot and wet when it's raining.'

For Mihai, exploring new destinations by road felt fairly familiar.

'In 2009 I did a solo trip to Mongolia, on a BMW F650GS Dakar,' he said.

'I love motorcycles, I used to own two bikes, and when Vladimir came into our lives I had to buy a third one, with three seats.

'We bought the bike with the only wish that it would keep us away from home for as long as possible.'

When reminiscing about the trip, Mihai said it felt like a dream.

'I often look at the pictures and wonder if it's really us that did that,' he said. 'I can't say we have any future plans to hitting the road, but we dream a lot.'

For highlights from their trip and Mihai's photographic work, see his Instragram page.

COUNTRIES VISITED ON THE GIANT SUMMER ADVENTURE  
Romania
Scotland
Ireland
Spain
Portugal
Morocco
Andorra
Monaco
Italy
San Marino
Switzerland
Liechtenstein
Slovenia
France
Hungary
Slovakia
Austria
Czech Republic
Germany
Poland
Lithuania
Latvia
Estonia
Finland
Norway
Sweden
Denmark
Luxembourg
Croatia
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Montenegro
Kosovo
Serbia
Albania
Macedonia
Greece
Turkey
Bulgaria
Netherlands
Belgium
England
Along the way, the family collected stickers from all the locations they visited. Mihai putting the last one. 

(Source: Dailymail)

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