<div>
 <strong>Bebe, our home, is wrecked. We need help getting back to England and rebuilding our lives.</strong>
</div>
<div>
 <br>
</div>
<div>
 <strong>Summary</strong>
</div>
<div>
 After five years travelling the world as a family in Bebe, our expedition truck, an accident in Kazakhstan has left her catastrophically damaged. Thankfully, we all survived, but we've lost the home we built our lives around and there is no comprehensive insurance to fall back on. We’re raising £100,000 to help get our family and belongings back to England, deal with the aftermath of the accident and then begin rebuilding our lives.
</div>
<div>
 <br>
</div>
<div>
 <strong>Our story</strong>
</div>
<div>
 We've shared a lot from the road over the years. Thankfully never anything like this, until now.
</div>
<div>
 <br>
</div>
<div>
 Just about a month ago, we were in an accident. Our family, Jess, Dave, Isla (our 5-year-old daughter) and Otis (our 6-year-old Hungarian Vizsla), were travelling in Kazakhstan when we hit something. And we hit it hard. It flipped our truck, our home, our lives upside down.
</div>
<div>
 <br>
</div>
<div>
 But before we tell you what happened, let us give you a little background to our story.
</div><img alt="" src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/107226779_1787162769706098_r.jpg" width="100%">
<div>
 <strong>A little about us</strong>
</div>
<div>
 This truck has a name. She's not just a truck to us. She's our home, our office, our school, and honestly, a member of the family.
</div>
<div>
 <br>
</div>
<div>
 So, when we say Bebe is dead, we’re not talking about just a vehicle. We mean the place Isla has grown up in, the place we've built our whole life around, the place we’ve had countless adventures in: the place we call home.
</div>
<div>
 <br>
</div>
<div>
 You might look at Bebe and understandably think, “They must have a bit of money. Surely they can afford to replace this.” We can’t.
</div>
<div>
 <br>
</div>
<div>
 We made a conscious decision six years ago to build our life differently. We did the bricks-and-mortar living for a while, but it wasn’t for us. We wanted to show Isla the world and give her an appreciation for places, people and cultures far beyond English shores, and we wanted to experience more of the world ourselves. So we sold up. We sold everything we had, gave up our permanent home in the UK and put our life savings into Bebe.
</div><img alt="" src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/107226779_1787174139950757_r.jpg" width="100%">
<div>
 We also put everything we owned into it. And we mean that literally. The clothes we had in our wardrobe, the pots and pans in our kitchen, Dave's cameras, Isla's toys – it all came with us. It was our life. The life we had known for five years.
</div>
<div>
 <br>
</div>
<div>
 We still work. Our life savings didn’t cover anything beyond buying the truck and the first leg of the journey. We make it work by living frugally – yes, fuel is expensive in something like this! – through Dave's photography and by stopping for weeks, sometimes months at a time, wherever we happen to be, so he can head off for work. The life we have chosen to live involves compromises and sacrifices. We make them because we value the time, experiences and education this life has given us as a family.
</div>
<div>
 <br>
</div>
<div>
 <strong>So, what happened?</strong>
</div>
<div>
 On the way back from picking up some transit visas, we were driving along a road when the front tyre clipped an unmarked concrete plinth from a half-finished toll booth. In the bright summer sun, it was almost exactly the same colour as the tarmac because it hadn't yet been painted with its black and yellow stripes. The tyre blew and we lost control. The back wheel then caught the same plinth. It blew out too. This swung the rear round and catapulted Bebe into an 18-inch-wide metal post, flipping her onto her side.
</div>
<div>
 <br>
</div>
<div>
 We extricated ourselves through the broken glass of the cab and escaped up through the window of the driver’s door with the help of some passing locals who stopped. We were lucky they did. Dave was taken to hospital. Thankfully, after an overnight stay, X-rays, CT scans and other tests, it was concluded that he had escaped relatively lightly with concussion, whiplash and a few minor cuts.
</div>
<div>
 <br>
</div>
<div>
 Jess was shaken and bruised. Isla and Otis, somehow, thankfully, were completely fine. We’re convinced that Bebe protected all four of us and may well have saved Dave’s life.
</div><img alt="" src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/107226779_1787162809240642_r.jpg" width="100%">
<div>
 After a few weeks of to-ing and fro-ing with the authorities, we have been allowed to have a proper look at the damage. It's catastrophic. The chassis is badly bent, the cab has been shunted backwards and bent out of shape, the cab locks and hinges that keep the cab attached to the chassis are shattered, and the box, our actual home, has been severely damaged, leaving multiple large cracks in the walls and damage to the interior that goes far beyond a simple glue-and-paint repair job.
</div>
<div>
 <br>
</div>
<div>
 For those thinking, ‘Well, of course they’ve got insurance to cover something like this,’ the problem is that getting comprehensive cover for a truck like Bebe outside Europe is incredibly difficult. In fact, if you travel outside Europe in a vehicle at all, it’s really difficult to get cover that extends beyond 90 days. We had every type of cover available to us as long-term overlanders, but commercially viable comprehensive cover for a truck like Bebe on a journey like ours simply wasn't available.
</div>
<div>
 <br>
</div>
<div>
 It’s a risk that every overlander takes. It’s a risk that we weighed up before we left the UK. We, like many others in our situation, assured our friends and family that we’d be fine. That we’d be safe. We knew there was a risk. But in our heart of hearts, we never expected anything like this to happen.
</div>
<div>
 <br>
</div>
<div>
 <strong>What happens now?</strong>
</div>
<div>
 For those who follow us on socials, this is why we’ve been quiet. We’ve been struggling to process what happened. We’ve been in shock, dealing with Dave’s concussion and trying to navigate the legal system in a country where we don't speak the language. We've also been back to Bebe to collect our personal belongings, while trying to work out how to get the whole family safely back to England. Otis is proving to be a logistical nightmare, but he’s part of our pack and we’d never leave him behind.
</div><img alt="" src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/107226779_178716300342943_r.jpg" width="100%">
<div>
 Isla asked us, “Why did Bebe have to hurt herself to keep us safe? It wasn't her job.” We didn't have a good answer for her beyond saying Bebe did exactly what she was built to do.
</div><img alt="" src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/107226779_1787164074356312_r.jpg" width="100%">
<div>
 This isn't the first time this year we've had to search for strength we didn't know we had. We were off the road for months at the end of last year and early this year after a death in the family. We are tired in a way that's hard to put into words. But we're also, impossibly, lucky. All four of us are alive, and that is not something we take for granted for one single second.
</div>
<div>
 <br>
</div>
<div>
 <strong>Where the money will go</strong>
</div>
<div>
 We've never been people who ask for help easily. We’ve been lucky that we haven’t had to and we’re very aware and grateful of that privilege. We'd normally be the ones figuring it out ourselves, whatever breaks, wherever we are. But the numbers here are bigger than we can absorb alone.
</div><img alt="" src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/107226779_1787174359529976_r.jpg" width="100%">
<ul>
 <li>£1,500 - Recovering Bebe from the crash site</li>
 <li>£8,000 - flights and shipping our belongings back to England</li>
 <li>£3,500 - flights, vets and admin fees to fly Otis back to England</li>
 <li>£6,500 - legal costs so far</li>
 <li>£100,000+ - beginning the build of a replacement family home on wheels (Bebe cost £160,000 to build five years ago. The cost of replacing her today would be considerably higher)</li>
</ul>
<div>
 <br>
</div>
<div>
 The costs already exceed the amount we're asking for, and we don't expect donors to cover all of them. We're setting our goal at £100,000.
</div>
<div>
 <br>
</div>
<div>
 It's a big number to write down, and not one we ever imagined asking for, but reaching it would make an enormous difference in getting all four of us back to England, back on our feet and, hopefully, back on the road. We’ll be putting everything we can towards the rest of it ourselves.
</div>
<div>
 <br>
</div>
<div>
 If you've ever followed along with us, liked our posts and photos from around the world, or messaged us after one of our posts or stories, we'd be more grateful than we can say for every donation or share. Even if you can't donate, please share this with someone you think might connect with our story. Every person it reaches helps.
</div>
<div>
 <br>
</div>
<div>
 Right now we’re concentrating on how to get all of us back to England. After that, we’ll work on building a new home. We hope you’ll join us on that journey, and we’ll share regular updates as we rebuild.
</div>
<div>
 <br>
</div>
<div>
 Thank you for caring enough to read this far. We are truly grateful.
</div>
<div>
 Jess, Dave, Isla and Otis
</div><img alt="" src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/107226779_1787232322331045_r.jpg" width="100%">

Helen Robson

Julian Philips

Anonymous

Nick Chaplin

Lena Mühlparzer

Mahmud Choudhry

Richard Anderson

Phil Soderberg

BRUNO BARRINUEVO OSTAN

Sandra Higgison

Matt Phillips

Help the Global Traces Family Rebuild

platform

Platform is iOS

Android

Adyen Google Pay Development Audience

$opt_dummy_attribute

English only

Deprecate Stripe Legacy

dyn_template_ids

Adyen V6 Bene Transfer & MyMoney Campaign Organizers - test01

Bene transfer V6 and AdyenV6MyMoney Campaign Organizers - production

OneTrust next-app audience

fundCountryCode

NextDoor Share Option Users

Fundraisers with Reactions feature capability

fundCurrencyCode

US + Non-charity COs Only

locale

fund country is US and user language is English

personId

comms-internal-person-ids

Enhanced Story Experience Users

Suggested Goal Experience Users

user language is English and fund country: US, AU, DK, FI, IE, NO, SE, CA, GB; 

Poster share - new funds eligible (newest 9/18)

Streaming widgets beta user

paymentProcessor

3DS payment method

user language is English and fundCountry: US, AU, DK, FI, IE, NO, SE, CA, GB; 

GoFundMe Employees

ipAddress

Mark Rieth IP Address

Version 9.2.0 and above

Fund is in English speaking country

desktop

Android v12.11.0 and above

Platform is Android

paymentMethodType

checkoutType

Payment method type group to be vaulted on success

admin pr kit prod

EUR Donation Upsell

Share Text generation Skip Fundraiser

(prod) new funds eligible for amp12 (UGC gallery)

fintrac_cad_idv_form_v2 audience

paymentProcessorAccountId

fallback mode accounts

proCampaignId

p2p legacy startfundraising page

be_supporter_comments_enabled_supported_funds

AMP24 New Funds Only PROD (DO NOT MODIFY)

countryCode

charityId

UKCharities

Federated Search Internal Testing

route.pathname community

US Donation Upsell audience 

Auto Thanks Feature Audience

Supporter Comments Eligible Funds

International Only

fundId

braze fundraiser group 

Payment Identity Transfers ATO Risk Check (Targeted) - Production

Fundraiser Saved Payment Method Rate Limit Bypass (Production)

leaderboard-partner-id-audience-givepanel

Version 9.2.1 and above

AUD Donation Upsell audience

fundraiserCountryCode is US/EN

Active Fundraiser - Smart Default Cadence

DAF Internal

Vault on success card payment method

Platform is iOS v11.0.0 and above

Desktop users

Person ids

United States (US) users

allow yuno fundraisers for test

Mexico country code

Posters INTL

NPO Profile Opted-In

iOS at or above 12.4.0

non-US recurring donors

Canada Campaign Owner Group

Fundraiser Without Meta Link

Scheduler payment tester gorup

charityCommunityId

Charities allow to be claimed unclaimed (PRD)

Canada (CA) users

currencyCode

UC Tipping v20250115 International

pymk_production_xplr_fe_team

Android at or above 12.2.0

Profile photo entry point audience

smart goals (fundraiser/manage) on test01

Activity Tracking v1 Beta Testing

writePath

Stream Notification

start gfm intl allowed locales

Platform is iOS v11.2.0 and above

prod_ach_audience

AI Chatbot Audience

amp13 only new funds (prod) (anyword auto)

UC Flow Enabled (Prod)

Payment Identity Beneficiary Verification - Production

shared notification bell audience

Custom users

ach frontend audience

Android v11.0.0 and above

Users Receiving Payments Paused Notifications

smart goals test01

Manage Coach - US English Organizers Only + new funds only

Team EGG - IP Address list

Fundraiser Without Instagram Deep Link

Native 11.4.0 and above

UC Tipping v20250107

Users Receiving Braze KYC Validation Failed

Native 11.3.0 and above

Influencer - Prod

US fundraisers and US users

userEmail

template_id

userId

fundUrl

isCharityCo

email

appVersion

shouldBucketIntoExperiment

partnerId

donationCadence

isActiveFundraiser

isPartner

isMobile

npoProfileOptIn

fundIsLinkedWithMeta

hasSessionDonation

isCampaignOwner

fundHasInstagramDeepLink

Native 11.4.0 and higher

New funds eligible - Video Sharing (PROD)

GB Donation Upsell audience 

Auto Thanks V3 Rollout Audience

Thank you V3 testing whitelist

isRecurringFriendly

Is Recurring Friendly

Excluded funds - Video Sharing

Logged In Users

CH Donation Upsell audience

Android v10.6.0 and above

userCurrencyCode

Localized Currency

v11.5.0 and above

testAudience

pathname

Survicate

appVersion is at or above 12.8.0

Non-charity fund

isChallengeFundraiser

challenge-fundraisers

Payment Identity Launch Verification - Production

New funds eligible - Posters v2

CAD Donation Upsell Audience

Braze Email Tester

NPO Profile Opted-Out

iOS App Version

hasKnownDonors

PYMK has donors

iOS v12.3.0 and above

Help the Global Traces Family Rebuild

Still £73,246 to go. Help us build momentum.