Five Million Joint Steps

They had not been married when they had an insistent vision to spend at least one year adventurously wandering around the world. They underwent the expedition as “Harovci”.

Thirty-somethings Lenka and Dávid Haring recently, at least mentally, acknowledged that it is good everywhere, but it is the best at home. However, those who know them know they will soon be tempted by a new travel dream.

Currently, during their Slovak “stopover,” they are attending one debate after another. When recollecting their trips, they sometimes wonder what they experienced over 416 days in 27 countries (19 Asian and 8 African). They explored completely neglected tourist destinations on their own and together without a fixed itinerary.

Scandinavian Experience

Of course, they already mediate experiences on an ongoing basis, mainly through YouTube vlogs. They have great experience from geographically and climatically quite different areas—Lofoten, Faroe Islands, Iceland…

“Now there are 183 videos,” says the Piešťany native.

He got to his original leisure hobby curiously. In 2010, he began attending a festival abroad, where he regularly made videos. He then bought his first GoPro camera, which he used for filming. Well, in 2017, he purchased a professional camera and a drone.

A Nice and Cozy Place to Live

David has enjoyed geography since an early age, and Lenka cut out nice pictures of places from magazines that she would like to see with her own eyes one day. First, they explored their native Slovakia from top to bottom, then the Nordic countries, which became the closest to their hearts.

When she started studying in Denmark in 2015, David found a job in a Copenhagen design company: “It is a very nice and cozy city with excellent infrastructure and endless possibilities.”

Award-winning Northern Lights

He also “played” with product photography, mainly in the HoReCa segment, but his landscape videos and images resonated so much that five years ago, he was formally approached to join the global long-term #Zcreators campaign.

“It undoubtedly helped me become visible not only in the Slovak and Czech markets but also continue to build my brand. It was a great chance to present my work to the general public,” David acknowledged.

For 2022, his picture of the aurora was among the 25 most beautiful images of this type, according to the Capture the Atlas interest platform. He did not even register for the competition. “It found him” thanks to social networks and friendly followers.

Instead of a Stereotype

However, recording on frosty nights to a fascinating natural phenomenon is at least temporarily tedious.

“We wanted to go somewhere else and further, get to know the everyday life of local people and the diverse nature. After the stereotype at work, this idea came in handy. Since traveling is financially demanding, we decided to go on a long-term expedition with transfers by land – buses, trains, shared taxis, carriages, on foot,” describe Harovci.

They had the idea for such a project for several years. It was clear to them that they had to save up for the trip in the first place. The management itself took “only” a few months. David resigned, and Lenka arranged to work remotely. They fixed the insurance, met the vaccination requirements and deadlines, and set off.

Spontaneous Plans

“We planned Lebanon, Iraq, and Syria in detail, as the logistics there are more demanding, and we had limited time. However, we planned other countries on a day-to-day basis. Sometimes even from hour to hour,” say the restless spouses.

With a conspiratorial smile, they report that they have a really synchronized walking pace: they both took exactly 4,853,759 steps. Where will the future ones go? “There are still many beautiful places in the world that remain on our bucket list – this is our inspiration.”

Text: Miki Kočan jr., photos: Lenka & David Haring – Travel with us | Travel with us