About the Book
Have Thumb - Will Travel! provides a fascinating glimpse into Europe of the 60s, pre-EU, when the Berlin Wall was still standing, Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia were still under communist rule, a time when bed and breakfast accommodation in Youth Hostels cost 6 US cents per night and when hitchhiking was the accepted norm for young people to see the world. This is a book about and for real travellers, those who regard themselves as more than mere tourists. We hope that you, too, will enjoy this journey into the past! This is the tale of three young South African blondes who set sail on a Union Castle mailship from Cape Town to Southampton to begin the hitchhiking adventure of a lifetime. For the entire year of 1968, they criss-crossed the European continent, meeting kindly and often unusual folk along the way. They subsisted on an unbelievable shoestring budget, travelling free of charge, through good fortune and the grace of perfect strangers, their only currency being their thumbs and cheerful smiles. During that one year, Elrae, Pearl and Colleen each travelled approximately 12,000 kilometres, from the southern tip of England, north to Scandinavia, east to Berlin, Yugoslavia and Greece and south to Spanish shores. On their return to the United Kingdom, they explored England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. At one point, their paths diverged and they met up with other hitchhiking companions along the way. The locals they encountered on this long, audacious route, the enthralling sights and experiences ensure a thrilling rollercoaster ride for all readers who enjoy travel to far-away places, as well as for armchair travellers of all ages. The countries visited in this incredible travel adventure include: England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, West and East Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Yugoslavia, Greece, Spain, France and Monaco. The author of Have Thumb - Will Travel is Elrae Combrink, with former hitchhiking companion, Pearl Harris as contributing writer and editor.
About the Author: Elrae Combrink, née Cousins, was born in Vryburg, Northern Cape, South Africa, the youngest of six children. She matriculated at Eunice High School, Bloemfontein, and obtained a Business Diploma from the East London College. Elrae spent most of her working life in different banks, her great interests being investments, property and mortgage bonds. In 2005, she and her husband, Brian, retired in Dundee, Kwa-Zulu Natal. Her interests are travel, reading, maidenhair ferns, cross-stitch and the history of European Royalty. Since 2007, Elrae has survived a heart attack, heart by-pass surgery as well as cancer, and is now a two-time survivor. She has a daughter, Samantha, and two grandchildren. This is her first book.
