Photo by Deb Gau Flags of 16 countries decorate the outside of the Land Rover Breno Galvao and Renata Medeiros are traveling the world in. The couple have spent more than six months on the road, traveling from Brazil through South and Central America, and into the U.S. They stopped in southwest Minnesota this week to visit Pat and Barb Verly, Breno’s host parents when he was an exchange student at Marshall High School.

MARSHALL — Traveling the world was a dream Breno Galvao had saved for for years. The big question was how to make it possible.

“I wanted to do an around-the-world trip, and I didn’t know how,” he said. The solution Galvao and his fiancee Renata Medeiros found was a diesel-powered Land Rover. For the past six months or so, it’s been like home as they’ve driven from Brazil to Minnesota, making a stop in Marshall.

Galvao isn’t a stranger to Marshall. He was an exchange student at Marshall High School from 2000-2001, and graduated from MHS. This week, he and Medeiros returned to the area to visit his host parents, Pat and Barb Verly.

Galvao originally from Natal, Brazil, and later moved to Sao Paulo, where he met Medeiros. Galvao said he had been saving money for four or five years to try and travel around the world. Once the possibility of driving around the world came up, he researched the kind of vehicle and supplies it might take.

It was a plan Medeiros could agree with.

“I like to travel, and I don’t like planes,” she said, so driving works well for her.

The Land Rover seemed like a good choice of vehicle for a few reasons.

“It’s an old, tough engine,” Galvao said, and that was something they would need to have as they traveled through remote areas. The Land Rover was also old enough that all its parts were mechanical, and simpler to fix or replace. As an extra precaution, he also stocked up on spare parts to carry with them on the road.

If the Land Rover ever breaks down, Galvao said, “We just need to find a mechanic.”

Other gear for the trip included a portable stove and refrigerator, and a folding tent that attaches to the top of the Land Rover.

Galvao estimated it will take a year or a year and a half to complete their trip.

Galvao and Medeiros started traveling on Jan. 5, going from Brazil south into Uruguay, Argentina and Chile, and then north toward Central and North America.

Obviously, some parts of an around-the-world trip can’t be made by driving. Galvao and Medeiros said traveling from Colombia to Panama meant doing things a little differently. There are no roads connecting the two countries, Galvao said, so instead, they shipped the Land Rover ahead and traveled to Panama by sailboat.

“It was pretty cool. It was one of the highlights of the trip,” Galvao said.

So far, the couple have visited 16 countries. They’ve seen plenty of amazing things.

“Machu Picchu was great,” Medeiros said, talking about the ancient Inca ruins in Peru. Galvao and Medeiros said some of their other favorite parts of the trip so far included visits to the Galapagos Islands, Mexico and Yellowstone National Park.

Galvao said they’ve been traveling through the U.S. using county roads instead of freeways. They never travel more than 300 miles a day and never go faster than 55 miles per hour. Part of that is for safety, and for fuel efficiency. But at the same time, he said, “We’re not in a hurry.”

The people they’ve met along the way have been friendly, Galvao said.

“One thing that surprised us was that people not even related to us would help us,” he said. They’ve also connected with new friends on social media. A logo on the side of the Land Rover gives the couple’s Instagram handle, @hajachao, where they’ve been posting photos of their travels.

“Some people do see our car on the road and follow us on Instagram,” Galvao said.

Galvao said he was happy to be back to visit Marshall, and to see the Verlys.

“It was great to be back at the Verly farm. They treated me like a son while I was here,” he said, and it wasn’t any different now.

From Marshall, Galvao and Medeiros planned to head east, and make some stops to visit friends and family. The next stop on the journey would be the Twin Cities, and then later Chicago, Detroit, and Toronto. They eventually plan to meet up with Medeiros’ family to visit New York.

Galvao said their travels won’t end there, although their exact plans aren’t yet clear for that part of the journey. They will most likely ship the Land Rover to South Africa or Europe, and continue driving. If it all works out, Galvao said, he’d love to travel to Russia in time for the 2018 World Cup of soccer.