Chris and Marianne –“Tread(ing) the Globe”

“I’m going to quit my job to travel the world!”

How many times have you heard it, said it or wished you were brave enough to do it?

Well, Chris and Marianne Fisher said it and yes, they did it!

Chris and Marianne are …

Tread The Globe

Chris and Marianne sold up, bought a 14-year-old camper van named Trudy, and in January 2020, left Shropshire to visit every country in the world.

Chris and Marianne - "Tread(ing) the Globe" — Chris, Marianne and their home, a campervan named Trudy

They planned to spend three weeks travelling across Turkey, three days of which they would spend in Istanbul …and then this happened.

BBC Midlands: Camper van couple self-isolate in Turkey car park

A British couple who set off on a round-the-world trip in a camper van now find themselves trapped in a deserted public car park in Istanbul, Turkey.

The coronavirus outbreak has left them as the sole residents of a £10-a-night car park, although they do have access to washing and toilet facilities at a neighbouring sports ground.

Sources: BBC Midlands/TRT World

After 95 days in Istanbul, Chris and Marianne resumed their travels and Fethiye Times caught up with them in Fethiye last week.

Here’s what they had to say…

What made you decide to pack up and ‘Tread the Globe’?

When Chris lost a friend in his mid 40’s and Marianne’s best friend had kidney failure and needed a kidney transplant, we realised that we are not going to live forever and that we need to make sure we live life to the fullest.

We were worried about the possibility of not making it to retirement and doing the things in life that we really wanted to do. With the house paid off and the kids having left home, there was no time like the present.

Marianne donated a kidney to her friend, which saved her life, we quit our jobs and TREAD the Globe started.

What were the highs and lows of being stuck in Istanbul for 95 days?

The highs have to be the friendships that we made, friendships that will last the test of time. We also had all the facilities that we needed to be able to stay in Trudy, our home on wheels; water, electric, washing machine, and shops. This meant that we did not have to book into an Airbnb or hotel and our garden in the car park, which was actually a flowerbed all the way around the tarmac of the car park, became a raised vegetable plot where we grew tomato plants, aubergines, chillis, cucumbers and some herbs. This distracted us and gave us hours of entertainment, which was a godsend to combat boredom.

The lows – the city noise and being in a covid hotspot! The hardest part was the not knowing – would we there for a week, a month or a year – who knows. We made full use of the time by filming and documenting it, learning new skills online and doing regular online live chats.

What route did you take from Istanbul to Fethiye?

When we left the car park we headed south, stopping in Gölyazı on a small peninsula on Lake Uluabat.

From there we went to Pamukkale, Kalkan, along the coast to Antalya and Side. In August the temperatures were soaring and too hot for van life so we
headed to Cappadocia for most of the month before heading up to Rize and
driving the length of the Black Sea coast back to Istanbul.

From there we headed south again via Tekirdağ, Gelibolu, Canakkale, then down to the coast. We stopped in lots of places along the way including, Ayvalık, Ephesus, Bodrum, Marmaris and Dalyan. We stopped and filmed as many places as we could on the way. There is no chance we can see all of the sites, but we try to see the best and try to inspire others by giving a taste of what is out there.

What are your impressions of Fethiye?

We are super lucky to have hooked up with Mick Amca and his lovely wife
Trudie and getting to know the best places to visit whilst we are here. We are loving the market which is massive, and seeing young turtles on our first visit to the marina blew our minds! People have told us that Fethiye is not at its best, obviously due to Covid and low season and we’re sure it would feel different in normal times. But we are now at home in the offseason vibe and the friendship that we are enjoying with Trudie and Mick has been wonderful. Over the past week, we have explored the surrounding area and there is no doubt it is a beautiful part of Turkey.

Where are you going next – both from Fethiye and when you leave Turkey?

We will slowly continue along the coast, heading East to Hatay and then
we will head north up to Malatya, Van and Kars. We get lots of suggestions for sights on our route, which we will endeavour to visit.

Our ultimate goal on this adventure is to drive around the world, so we plan to go into Georgia, Russia, Kazakstan, Mongolia, Vladivostok (far Eastern Russia), ship to South Korea and then to USA or Canada
and continue east until we get back to the UK.

Favourite thing about Turkey?

Turkey is a magical place and the thing we love the best is the people.
The Turkish people have a very special culture and, as a visitor, it is the most welcoming country we have been to. Turkey is a wonderful,
diverse country with lots of unique places to visit such as Cappadocia, and
you can visit blue-watered beaches or drive into the mountains on the Black Sea and see the tea plantations.

Least favourite?

Like everywhere in the world the least favourite thing is the rubbish!

Is there anything you know now, that you wish you had known before you left the UK? (Apart from a global pandemic)

No, we did lots of research, but as plans have changed due to the global pandemic, we are finding out that we are resourceful, flexible and learning that we can adapt …. well we are having to, LOL

What advice would you give to anyone wanting to pack up and hit the road?

Do it … fear is a killer of dreams and the worst thing that can happen is you wake up one day and realise that you didn’t attempt to live your dream!

Is there anything you would like to say to our readers?

If you need inspiration, entertainment and some positivity on your TV
screen, join us on YouTube at TREAD the Globe. We document all of our travels and publish new videos every Wednesday and Sunday. We also post regular updates on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

And there we leave Chris and Marianne as they enjoy their last few days in Fethiye before moving onto the next stage of heir adventure.

Have a look at their day out in TLOS…