It's the kind of trip where you're not likely to hear the words, "Are we home yet?" Swiss couple Emil and Liliana Schmid hold the Guinness Book of World Record for the longest drive, covering 641,115 km in their Toyota Land Cruiser (using the same car and engine since they started) and visiting 162 countries and territories since Oct. 16, 1984, according to the record book's latest figures online. The couple launched their epic car journey 26 years ago when Emil, then a computer software developer, was undergoing the mid-life blues.
In fact, the couple is still on the road and now in Colombo, Sri Lanka. They continue to break their own record, now at 168 countries and territories, 653,394 km and counting as of press time, with recent trips to the Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia and Sharjah, the United Arab Emirates - nearing 170 countries as of press time. Literally living out of their car, they make the most of the situation using $33 per day from their savings and inheritance from Liliana's late mother. They even discovered their own 'tumble washer' by putting clothes in soapy water when the road gets bumpy and using their vehicle engine to heat water for tea, the BBC Caribbean.com reports. Even without the comforts of home and the occasional dangers, they appreciate the friends they've made along the way and realize the "people of the world are not as bad as they are painted to be in the news and on television." Out of all the places, Chile is their favourite because of its diverse landscape of glacial hills and desert.
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