Athlone's Amy is travelling the world in a Land Rover!

"We wanted to take risks and live out our dreams, no matter how scary they were."

Those were the words of Athlone's Amy Donoghue as she explained why she and her partner Daniel Wlazlak decided to set off on a remarkable adventure in which they're currently driving through much of the globe, from Ireland to Singapore, in a self-converted Land Rover.

The couple embarked on their epic journey on February 4 last, after planning it for the best part of three years.

"So far, we have driven 12,000 kilometres, visited 11 countries, 3 hospitals, 4 mechanics, and trained Brazilian Jiu Jitsu at 10 different academies, all the while creating priceless memories and meeting people from all walks of life," Amy told us this week.

A native of Baylin, and a former student of Our Lady's Bower, Amy previously represented Ireland at international powerlifting competitions. In 2016, at the age of 18, she was named as an Athlone Regional Sports Centre Ambassador.

She and Daniel, who is from Gorey in Wexford, have been together for the last three and a half years. On Monday, having just arrived in Montenegro, Amy took part in an email interview about their travels to date.

When asked about the background to their journey, she said that, after finishing college in 2019, they were keen to live a meaningful life and to "explore different cultures and visit places outside of your typical holiday destination."

Their life 'on the road' started two days before the Christmas of 2020, when they moved into a self-converted sprinter van.

"We lived in it for one year, allowing us to save money on rent. We eventually sold the van, and bought our Land Rover Defender, as it was more suited to our lifestyle and demands," she said.

The planning for their long-term adventure of driving to Southeast Asia involved three years of research, money-saving, and logistics co-ordination. Preparing the vehicle itself, a 2008 Defender 110, "took us seven months, and was probably the most demanding part," Amy said.

Since their departure from Ireland in February, she and Daniel have travelled through Spain, Portugal, Gibraltar, France, Italy, Switzerland, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro.

"It has been a very challenging six months, but also very educational and memorable. The adversity of life on the road has taught us both a lot," she said.

The most difficult period of the trip came in Northern Spain, when an accident resulted in Amy suffering second degree burns on her feet from boiling water. This was a challenging time for the couple both physically and mentally, as Amy had to attend hospital every two days and was in a lot of pain for a month.

On the road, they sleep in their vehicle, and help to manage costs by avoiding hotels. "If we are lucky to get invited into a local's house, we capitalise on the opportunity to shower and wash our clothes," Amy explained.

"For food, we cook everything ourselves, either on a small gas stove or on the fire. Budgeting depends on the country we are in, as prices vary, but we are very strict with our money and don't participate in any touristy attractions or unnecessary spending.

"We are currently in Montenegro, and we are already seeing a huge difference in costs of life, so we expect this month to be a lot cheaper than previous ones, meaning we can travel for longer."

They said the best part of their trip so far had been their encounters with people along the way.

"Living an ordinary life can be quite monotonous, and limits your exposure to different people. We have met some really good, kind, and inspiring people while travelling," Amy said.

"They have given us hope that there is a lot of love in this world, and shown us that humans can be good to each other.

"The help we receive, even if it's just an invitation for a cold beer or a coffee, presents us with the opportunity to learn more about different cultures and ways of life. For us, this is very important and we are very grateful for it."

When asked about the next stage of the journey, they said Albania, North Macedonia, Greece, Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Iran were on the itinerary.

"From there, we will assess the current political situation of neighbouring countries, but we hope to cross through the Middle East and make our way down to Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand," before ultimately finishing the journey in Malaysia and Singapore.

As for how long this will take, Amy said they had not put a time limit on it.

"If it takes us one year, or two years, we don't know. We want to enjoy every moment of the journey, and not drive through it in a hurry," she said. "If we have to stop and work along the way, we will. We are looking forward to the Middle East and Asia."

She said she and Daniel were very much looking forward to the next stage of the expedition, and they are documenting their travels online, on Instagram and YouTube (The.AD.Venture).