Across Continents by Truck, A Dutch Family’s Road to Oman

For the family behind Once Upon a Truck, life does not unfold between four walls, it moves.
Douwe and Karlijn, along with their four children, Sophie, Tobias, Pepijn and Olivier, left the Netherlands with a bold objective, to trade routine for connection, and possessions for experiences. Accompanied by their two cats, Fox and Izzy, they now live full-time in a self-built home on wheels, a converted 1975 Mercedes 1113 firetruck that carries not just their belongings, but an entirely reimagined way of life.
The idea began modestly. Four years ago, a six-month road trip across Europe in a small, aging van was meant to be a one-time adventure. Instead, it revealed something deeper. Despite breakdowns, unpredictable weather and the pressures of life on the road, the family discovered a sense of closeness and clarity that their fast-paced life back home rarely allowed.
Returning to the Netherlands felt inevitable, but temporary. The question was no longer if they would travel again, but how. They needed more space, more durability, and more freedom. The answer came unexpectedly in the form of an old firetruck, reliable, spacious, and full of potential. Over the course of a year and a half, they transformed it themselves, designing and building nearly every detail. What emerged was not just a vehicle, but a philosophy, live simply, spend less, and prioritise time together.
They sold their home, let go of most of their belongings, and set out with no fixed end date.

Oman was always part of that vision.
For Karlijn, the country holds a personal history, she lived in Muscat as a child in the 1990s, and the memory of it lingered for decades. But rather than returning as tourists, the family chose a slower, more immersive approach, to drive there, experiencing every mile in between.
Their journey took five months, crossing Eastern Europe, Turkey, Iraq and the Gulf, before they finally entered Oman at the end of February.
What greeted them was not what they expected, it was more.
After long stretches of desert across the region, Oman revealed itself in layers, rugged mountains, winding wadis, and villages that felt both timeless and alive. Their first stop, a remote wadi, set the tone. “It was quiet, raw, and incredibly beautiful,” they recall. “It felt like we had arrived somewhere special.”

Since then, their days have been shaped by Oman’s natural rhythm. They have hiked through valleys like Wadi Shab, where turquoise pools cut through stone, and explored lesser-known wadis where the journey itself is as rewarding as the destination. For the children, it is a playground without walls, space to run, climb and discover freely.
Yet, it is the people who have left the deepest impression.
Across Oman, the family has encountered a kind of hospitality that feels instinctive. Strangers offer food, water, and help without hesitation. Conversations begin easily, even without a shared language. “We had to learn to accept that generosity,” they admit. “It comes from a place of genuine care.”
Moments of connection have become part of their daily life, sharing the joy of Eid al-Fitr celebrations, exchanging stories on the roadside, or simply being welcomed into someone’s presence. These encounters, small yet profound, have reshaped their understanding of community.
Through it all, their truck continues forward, across mountains, through wadis, and along coastal roads, proving as resilient as the family inside it.
And with every passing mile, one idea becomes clearer, home is no longer a destination. It is the life they have built together, carried across borders, and deepened in places like Oman, where the road does not just lead somewhere new, but reveals something essential along the way.