He worked in a circus and now travels around South America with a Fiat 147 and retires from INSS

In the world of work, it is important to plan not only your career, but also what comes after: retirement. After decades of work, Adolfo Fröhlich, 72, from Curitiba, decided to use his retirement money by traveling alone abroad, on a Fiat 147. He has been backpacking around South America, totaling 24,000 km traveled so far.

Fröhlich worked in a circus, was a baker, a banker, a tire salesman and, finally, he had a magazine and convenience store.

“I worked from Sunday to Sunday,” he says. He has been retired for eight years. “I wanted to live well after I was old, so I chose to pay attention to the INSS. Within my retirement, I have my comfort”, he explains, who claims to have no other source of income.

It documents trips in the account @147naamericadosul, on Instagram. Check out his story below.

Traveled 24 thousand km alone in his Fiat 147

With the exclusive company of his small Fiat 147, from the year 1980, former Curitiba trader Alberto Fröhlich, 72, traveled alone through countries such as Argentina, Bolivia, Peru, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay, as well as Brazil. The beginning of his journey into this lifestyle, however, was troubled.

“It was a huge mess,” jokes Fröhlich, who has three children and three grandchildren. In December 2017, one of his sons, married to a Peruvian, invited him to spend Christmas in Lima, Peru. With their daughter-in-law, they decided to go by car. On the way, they had a disagreement due to difficulties related to bureaucracy and the condition of the Fiat 147 and gave up on continuing the trip that way.

“We had to sort out our documents to cross the border into Paraguay and it got late, we wouldn’t have time to get there for Christmas. Furthermore, the car is old, weak. To go up ramps, for example, someone had to get out in the car with luggage”, explains the Curitiba native.

As a result, he was left alone in Foz do Iguaçu. “When they got out of the car and turned the corner, I started crying,” he says. His sadness was noticed by a person from the city, who offered him shelter for the night. The next morning, he woke up determined to continue his journey, even without company.

The first destination was Paraguay, where he took the opportunity to buy several “trinkets”. With just the help of a map of South America, he continued to Argentina. “I started to like the business and I kept going,” he says. Afterwards, he went to Chile, where his cell phone was stolen.

Delighted with his destinations, not even the loss of the device discouraged him. He was advised to go to Bolivia to buy a new device, as it would be more affordable. He followed the advice and decided to travel the six hours to the country. With the cell phone purchased, he returned to Argentina and continued on to Peru.

In Peru, Fröhlich feared meeting his son and daughter-in-law, as he had no longer spoken to them. Then he returned to Chile. Between one city and another, he was welcomed by police officers in a battalion, found company to accompany him part of the way and stopped at gas stations to fill gallons of fuel.

Old and without much power, the Fiat 147 remained his faithful companion during the backpacking trip, but made some moments more challenging. “I stopped to take photographs in the Chilean desert and, when I came back, the car wouldn’t start. After a while, I managed to get it working and left. But the car started making a strange noise and I noticed that I had blown the tire on a rock” , reports.

At the time, he found a store nearby and bought a new tire. When looking for a mechanic to fix the car, he learned that there was a history of theft of parts there, so he went to Uruguay, where he finally repaired the vehicle.

His final destination, 45 days after the day he left his home with his family, was Brazil, when he returned alone to Curitiba in February 2018.

Along the way, he made friends with many people who, knowing his story, offered food and accommodation. But, most of the time, he slept at night in the parked car, with the seats reclined, and, when necessary, paid to take a shower at campsites.

“If we consider that, on average, a simple accommodation can cost R$ 150, with this amount you can put around 30 liters of fuel. This way, I can travel at least 450 km and, therefore, get to know more places and people”, exposes.

In total, Fröhlich spent R$9,000, including R$5,000 on fuel and the rest on food, the fees charged by campsites for using the bathroom and the “trinkets” he bought along the way.

At the end of 2022, he went backpacking again across South America, this time covering 9 thousand kilometers. He went to Argentina, Chile and Peru. At the second destination, a couple on a motorcycle recognized him and invited him to go to Atacama, where he drove accompanied by 39 motorcycles.

“They were worried about me because I was alone, in an old car,” he says. “I agreed to go with them, but I told them right away that I don’t stay in a hotel, nor do I eat in a restaurant”, she highlights.

A few days later, the Curitiba native arrived in Peru at the time when the then President of the Republic Pedro Castillo was deposed and arrested, in December 2022, after a frustrated attempt at a self-coup d’état. “I had to run out of there,” he reveals.

Alberto Fröhlich has been married for 48 years to Célia Cristina, 67, from Curitiba. “She’s not going to [nas viagens], he thinks it’s crazy. I think she is missing a great opportunity”, he says. At the moment, he is at home in Curitiba, taking short trips around the state and Santa Catarina. He has the desire to return to the Andes, possibly after the winter.

“It’s an impressive thing. Nothing happened in my life and, in such a short time, I experienced so many interesting things…”, he reflects. Much of his trip is documented in photos posted on Instagram. The records of the first trip, however, were published three months after the end, between April and May.

“I lost some photos when they stole from me, but that’s okay. And I didn’t even know how to publish them, so it took me a while. For me, it’s a pleasure to know that other people want to do what I do and that they can be encouraged with me to venture out, I had no idea about it”, he says.

Fröhlich says he undergoes medical examinations frequently, and that “everything is in order.” “Maybe this way of life will give me this health,” he considers. Today, he says he would be proud to “sign his name on the canvas he painted with his life.”

“When you are born, you are given a canvas, watercolor and brush, and you start painting. When the final moment comes, will you want to sign your name on the canvas?”, he asks.