Marianne and Chris Fisher, also known for their YouTube channel Tread theGlobe, have just completed an epic world tour in their FIAT Ducato campervan, knownaffectionately as ‘Trudy,’. Travelling more than 90,000 miles and visiting 29 different countries, the pair finally returned to their home in Shropshire, UK, four and a half years after setting off.
In 2018, Marianne (56) and Chris (54) from Telford, decided to embark on a life-changing, globe-trotting adventure following a series of personal challenges. Marianne had recently donated a kidney to save her best friend’s life and was in hospital recovering when Chris found the perfect van to make their world-wide trip a reality, a 2005 FIAT Ducato Adria Twin Conversion campervan.
The couple specifically chose Trudy, the FIAT Ducato campervan, on the advice of Marianne’s 93-year-old father, who owned the exact same model and knew it was one of the few campervans with a transverse bed long enough to comfortably fit Chris’s 6’3″ frame, making it the perfect home on wheels for their journey.
Quickly becoming known as ‘Trudy’ after their niece, Molly, playfully suggested the name, saying, “Trudy the Tread van sounds cool!” the FIAT Ducato aka Trudy features a 2.3 litre petrol engine, and impressed the couple with its size, fuel efficiency and impressive performance on challenging terrains such as mountainous areas.
Throughout their travels, Trudy proved to be an exceptional companion. Despite being nearly two decades old, the campervan handled extreme conditions with ease, including -12 degrees Celsius in Yellowstone, US, 47 degrees Celsius in India and navigating precarious mountain roads in Georgia that most would only attempt in a 4×4.
Trudy’s distinctive floral decorations often drew curious onlookers, with many mistaking her for an ice cream van. Yet, this humble campervan has crossed borders, oceans, and countless miles, enduring everything from tornado warnings and wildfires in the US to earthquakes in Japan.
The adventurous couple have travelled 29 countries with Trudy in total, shipping the campervan from one continent to the next when travel on land wasn’t possible. In total, Trudy covered 66,000 miles on the road and 26,000 miles by sea.
“With the right spirit, passion and dedication, anyone can travel the world,” say Marianne and Chris “of course, it helps to have a solid and reliable companion like Trudy to travel in.”
Damien Dally, Managing Director of FIAT UK, expressed his excitement for the heart-warming story of Marianne, Chris and Trudy.
“People like Marianne and Chris are an inspiration for anyone to embrace the challenge and create the adventure of a lifetime for themselves. We are thrilled to see they’ve made one of our Ducato vans into a home during their travels – it only proves the multi-purpose use our vans can serve.”
When the Covid-19 epidemic struck, the couple lived in Trudy in a car park in Old TownIstanbul for 95 days before becoming residents of Turkey for 18 months while the borders were closed, pausing the couple’s initial travel plans. However, Marianne and Chris fell in love with Turkey and the FIAT Ducato van served as a wonderful home that would allow the couple to experience every inch of the country.
The FIAT Ducato, with more than 1 million driving throughout Europe, has been in production for more than 40 years, making it one of the brand’s most iconic and versatile vehicles. Produced in Italy since 1981, the Ducato has become the European leader in the recreational vehicle sector, with approximately 75% of recreational vehicles on European roads being built on a Ducato base. Latest innovations within the Ducato line, include the new automatic AT8 transmission, which when paired with the new Multijet 4.0 engines, continues to set the standard for driving comfort and efficiency.
