A 2005 Volvo XC70 with more than 550,000 km on the clock has been crossing Europe on a final journey inspired by its late owner. Dutch photographer, writer, and wilderness guide Thijs Heslenfeld is now heading toward Romania, where he hopes to donate his close friend Fleur’s car to an organization providing medical services in communities with limited access to healthcare.
Heslenfeld, 61, left his hometown of Driebergen, near Utrecht, on October 22 and reached Istanbul on November 2. The approximately 3,800 km journey took him through the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, briefly Ukraine, Moldova, Bulgaria, and Turkey.
“The main route was Driebergen – Kraków – Satu Mare – Maramureș – Chișinău – Brașov – Constanța – Bulgarian Black Sea coast – Istanbul,” he told Romania-insider.com.
After several days in Istanbul, he plans to return through Turkey and Bulgaria toward Romania, possibly with a short detour through Serbia. The journey is expected to end in Bucharest next week.
“I haven’t planned every kilometer or any overnight stop. That freedom is an important part of the journey,” Thijs Heslenfeld said.
Map the old Volvo’s journey; ©Thijs Heslenfeld
A final promise between friends
Thijs Heslenfeld met Fleur aboard the Stad Amsterdam, a Dutch three-masted sailing ship. Fleur worked as the ship’s doctor, while Heslenfeld was a photographer and taught photography masterclasses.
“We shared many interests and got along extremely well. Fleur was an independent-minded man who didn’t shy away from life’s contradictions or difficulties. He certainly wasn’t an ordinary, predictable character,” he recalled.
The two sailed together several times, including in the Caribbean, and became close friends.
“Fleur loved his Volvo. It’s a 2005 XC70 D5 AWD, now 21 years old, with more than 550,000 km on the clock. Like my father before me, I’ve driven Volvos for much of my life, so I appreciated the car too,” Heslenfeld explained.
Before Fleur died in 2025, the two friends discussed giving the vehicle one final adventure.
“I promised him I would take his Volvo on one final adventure,” Thijs Heslenfeld stated. “I knew the car was in excellent condition, despite its age and mileage. But in the Netherlands, an old diesel with 550,000 kilometres has very little commercial future. I thought that was a shame, because mechanically the car still has a great deal to offer. So the idea was to drive it across Europe and eventually find somewhere it could continue to be useful.”
The old Volvo; ©Thijs Heslenfeld’s website
Their last journey together
A few weeks before Fleur’s death, Heslenfeld drove him to England in the Volvo to visit Ross Revenge, the ship associated with Radio Caroline.
The offshore station had been part of Fleur’s life since he began listening to it as a pirate radio broadcaster operating from a ship in the North Sea. He later supported the station financially and helped restore Ross Revenge.
“The independent, rebellious spirit of Radio Caroline appealed enormously to him,” Heslenfeld said.
The car still carries Radio Caroline stickers, while its radio remained tuned to the station’s 648 AM frequency when the Dutch adventurer began the current trip.
Possible donation to Romanian medical organization
Thijs Heslenfeld said it is now in contact with Asociația Caravana cu Medici, a Romanian nonprofit whose volunteer doctors provide medical services to communities with limited access to healthcare, including in rural areas. He discovered the organization after asking his social media followers to suggest a useful new home for the vehicle in Romania.
“I’ve since spoken with one of the organisation’s founders. They bring volunteer doctors and medical services to communities with limited access to healthcare,” he told Romania-insider.com.
The two sides are now discussing a possible handover in Bucharest next week, but Heslenfeld stressed that the donation has not yet been finalized.
“The connection is particularly meaningful because Fleur was a doctor himself,” he said. “I think he would have loved the idea of his car continuing its life helping doctors reach people who need medical care.”
The old Volvo durin the journey; ©Thijs Heslenfeld
A longstanding connection with Romania
Thijs Heslenfeld first visited Romania around 20 years ago during the winter, traveling through Bucharest and Brașov and going skiing.
“One memory has stayed with me particularly vividly: the Aro Palace Hotel in Brașov. At the time, it was a magnificent Art Deco hotel that had barely been renovated. Everything seemed to be in its original state, with all the character and imperfections that come with it. With snow covering the streets outside, it was one of the most memorable hotels I’ve ever visited,” he recalled.
His interest in Romania began even earlier, while watching the fall of former communist dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu’s regime in 1989.
“I was 24 when I watched Nicolae Ceaușescu’s final speech on television and saw the crowd begin to turn against him. Those images made an enormous impression on me.”
Fast forward to present day, during his current journey, Thijs Heslenfeld said he particularly enjoyed Satu Mare, Maramureș, and the Romanian countryside.
“I find something in Romania that I increasingly miss in Western Europe: a combination of toughness and gentleness, spontaneity, and genuine human connection,” he stated.
View during the journey; ©Thijs Heslenfeld
Adventure beyond spectacular destinations
The Dutch adventurer’s career has included work as a laundry driver, newspaper reporter, lawyer, and copywriter before photography, writing, travel, and wilderness guiding gradually became his profession.
“I’ve always needed variety, independence and new challenges,” he said. “Spending my life behind a desk or working for someone else was never going to suit me.”
His travels have taken him to Antarctica three times, aboard traditional sailing vessels for weeks or months and into remote wilderness areas. He has also worked with Indigenous communities and photographed refugees in Lebanon and Jordan during the Syrian war.
“Antarctica is unlike anywhere else on Earth. The silence, the scale, the complete absence of human civilisation in so many places – it’s difficult to describe. But I wouldn’t say those experiences are necessarily more meaningful than photographing refugees in Lebanon and Jordan during the Syrian war, spending time with communities in Africa, or even this relatively simple journey across Europe,” he said.
“Every place has its own story. Sometimes a conversation with a stranger leaves a deeper impression than the most spectacular landscape.”
Now, he says, the trip to Romania inspired him to consider organizing similar journeys once or twice a year.
“What this Volvo journey has reminded me is that adventure doesn’t necessarily require crossing the Sahara, sailing to Antarctica or spending weeks in the African bush. Sometimes all you need is an old car, a passport, and the willingness to set off without knowing exactly what will happen.”
Thijs Heslenfeld shares his work and expeditions on his official website.
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