Claudia Eustergerling
Designer and managing director at Claudia Eustergerling Design
What was the first car you owned? A 2006 black Mini Cooper Cabrio with Chromeline. Still my dream car. Years before I invested in a second-hand VW Golf 1 from 1980 for €250, which had at least a sliding roof.
What is your favourite driving route in the world? All routes beyond the highways.
What is your dream vehicle? That’s a question of circumstances and purpose. As I live in the city centre it has to be small, smart and sporty. I love our Mercedes Benz SLC. But, all in all, for me the mixture of public transport, bike or scooter and car-sharing is ideal.
How do you usually commute? Non-electric scooter, car and bus.
Do you plan to switch to hybrid or electric in 2021? Not yet.
Have you ever changed a spare tyre? Of course, I have had to. If it wasn't as part of the preparation for the driving licence, then out of my interest to prepare for an emergency. I like to be independent and know how things work and what I can do. We are talking about times when you still had a spare tyre.
Jorge Valente
Co-founder of diariesof travel magazine
What was the first car you owned? A Lotus Elise. My first motorcycle was a BMW F650GS
What is your favourite driving route in the world? There are so many... but just to name a few: Ruta 40 in Argentina, Carretera Austral in Chile, the Chuysky Trakt in the Altai Republic in Russia, some spectacular roads in the Japanese Alps and any steppe (off) road in Mongolia...
What is your dream vehicle? Motorcycles provide an incomparable sense of freedom and adventure… Well, on my list there are still many models, like the BMW R90 from the 70s but also an old Ural and an old Indian Royal Enfield. As for recent models, I can’t wait to try the BMW GS1250 Adventure.
How do you usually commute? Motorcycle
Do you plan to switch to hybrid or electric in 2021? I would love to, but preferably on two wheels
Have you ever changed a spare tyre? Yes, in Kyrgyzstan. It was my first ever flat tyre. Luckily, I was not too far from a village with a small service shop. So, all I had to do was remove the tyre from the bike, get a lift to the service shop and in less than one hour I was back at the motorcycle and ready to ride.
Daniel Tesch could see himself in a “cool” PAL-V mini-airplane. Photo: Roschetzky Photography/Shutterstock
Daniel Tesch
Head of ULESS (Luxembourg Union for social economy)
What was the first car you owned? An orange 2 CV I acquired in exchange for my grandmother’s lawnmower
What is your favourite driving route in the world? The BR 040 from Rio de Janeiro to Belo Horizonte. It has the most beautiful scenery and is at the same time a microcosm of the Brazilian economy with trucks filled with commodities, cars filled with business travellers and more.
What is your dream vehicle? I don’t fantasise about cars, but I could see myself in one of these new mini-airplanes like the PAL-V--pretty cool stuff.
How do you usually use to commute? I live 3,2 km from my office, but I decided that I will constrain my work practice to avoiding commuting. So, commuting is a matter of distance and the weather: for short distances around 3km, I walk; for medium distances, say around 5km, I take my bike, and for longer than 10km I take the bus. I don’t use my car unless I have no choice. In some emergencies, I would consider using a Uber-like taxi solution, as long as it is cheap enough and the supplier guarantees best environmental practice.
Do you plan to switch to hybrid or electric in 2019? I don’t think so. I’m not convinced that any of these solutions are the real answer to the larger environmental problem of CO2 emissions. If I can work just as well in terms of results without having to shift to another location, I don’t need to use any mode of transportation at all. If I can’t avoid going to some place in particular, for whatever reason, I choose the most adequate solution in terms of CO2. The same thing accounts for my long-haul trips. Do I have to go to Bali to have a good time with those I like? That is the question.
Have you ever changed a spare tyre? Sure! Quite often
Josh Island
What was the first car you owned? Opel Astra Sports Tourer
What is your favourite driving route in the world? Through the lush greens and mountain landscapes of La Gomera, a small Canary Island
What is your dream vehicle? Tesla Model Y
How do you usually use to commute? Car. I often need to get to places that don't have great public transport connections, plus I'm carrying lots of gear such as instruments and speakers.
Do you plan to switch to hybrid or electric in 2021? For now, it’s too expensive and the range doesn’t satisfy me for long-distance trips, but definitely within several years.
Julie Kohlmann loves the iconic Aston Martin DBS. Photo: Roland Woon / Shutterstock
Julie Kohlmann
Wealth manager at BIL
What was the first car you owned? Easy! A Land Rover Defender 110. My previous cars were leases--more standard cars.
What is your favourite driving route in the world? Being a rally driver, eastern and southern Morocco are very wild and preserved areas of the country.
What is your dream vehicle? Aston Martin DBS. I love the pure and powerful sound of the Aston engines. Aston Martin is the most iconic British sport car brand.
How do you usually commute? I walk a lot! Almost 10km per day. I live in Luxembourg city, which helps. The city is perfect for long walks. You can also easily get to the forest, like the Bambesch, for instance, by walking from the city centre.
Do you plan to switch to hybrid or electric in 2021? For my personal car, not yet. I will keep my Defender. But for my off-road rallies, I would love to switch to the electric car category. This is a very challenging category that needs both strategy in terms of piloting and also for the battery management during stages. It adds some technicality to the exercise.
Have you ever changed a spare tyre? Yes, during rallies it can happen that you have to change a tyre. And twice in Luxembourg that friends called me for help. Both times, it was men with big cars, so having a lady change the tyre was really fun. My friends know they can always count on me to help them with their car issues.
An edited and illustrated version of this article first appeared in Delano's February 2021 edition.