By Claire Cooper

“I grew up in South Africa in a small coastal town in the Eastern Cape called East London,” said Dale Reubin, who arrived in England after leaving college when he was 19. “I chose England as it was the only place that offered a two year work travel visa.”

After spending some time in London, Dale quickly discovered that he was definitely not a ‘big city person’. “Fortunately I had a friend from Haywards Heath who invited me to check out the country.”

It was a decision that was to change his life. “Shortly after moving to Haywards Heath I met my future wife Laura,” he said. “We were introduced by a mutual friend.” 

By the time Dale’s visa ran out and he had to return to South Africa the pair were inseparable. “For the next two years we had a long distance relationship. It really worked, and we ended up being more in love than ever!”

When Dale returned to England the couple were married and settled in Laura’s home village, Horsted Keynes – but not for long! 

“I still had a burning desire to travel and explore,” said Dale. “As a boy I dreamt of driving across the length of the world.” Luckily Laura shared his dream and the pair began to plan their adventure.

“A couple who had done a similar journey advised us to buy our vehicle and then take a year to plan the trip. That way we were committed to going.

“We blew most of our savings spending £4,500 on a Land Rover and saved for a year,” Dale recalled. “I was lucky enough to get a shoot at the 2012 Olympics which went a long way to helping fund the trip.”

The Olympics finished in August and the couple left Britain in October. 

“We started by getting the ferry from Newhaven to Dieppe, and over the next six months we travelled 19,000 miles through 22 countries, ending up at Cape Town before driving to my home town,” said Dale.

[Read the full article in March's issue of Lindfield Life magazine]