Going on a road trip is one of the best ways to see the world. One of the only things that could make it better is being behind the wheel of a classic car. This has been the case for Bosnia born Amar Camo, who decided to drive around the world after buying a 1976 Zastava 750. Camo worked as a land surveyor in Australia and bought the car when he returned to visit Bosnia.
He named the car ‘Fica’ and made the decision to set off on his travels. Camo started his journey by driving through Bosnia, then went on to Italy. This proved to be a turning point for Camo, as he enjoyed discovering hidden gems that couldn’t be accessed on the normal tourist routes.
Camo could be likened to the 17th-century Ottoman explorer Evliya Celebi, who travelled through the Ottoman Empire over a 40 year period. He recorded his adventures in the book known as ‘Seyahatname,’ which translates as Book of Travel.
So far, Camo has visited 11 countries over a three year period. He’s been to Croatia, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Austria, Montenegro, Albania, Serbia, Kosovo, Greece and Turkey. Of all the places he’s been, Camo has described Istanbul as his favourite.
“While I was driving on the streets of Istanbul, some people stopped and asked if I needed any help. They must have thought I was lost. But they called me friend and invited me for tea. We drank tea and had a chat for two hours. When it was time for me to leave they even gave me a present. It was wonderful.”
Camo enjoys sharing his travels with friends and companions, calling them the ‘Ficacrew.’ He’s experienced a lot of hardships when travelling. “Sometimes when Fica breaks down, I have to push it just to help it jump-start. I sometimes ask for other people’s help on the road and everywhere I go, people are happy to do so.”
The young motorist is set to head off on his longest journey so far. “We will travel to Italy then head for Tunisia. From there Fica and I will travel through Algeria, Morocco and then to Spain. We will return to Bosnia across Europe.”
You can follow Camo and his exploits on his Instagram channel Ficacrew.
