A hundred years ago, an adventure pioneer redefined the boundaries of the world of exploration. This is Canadian Aloha Wanderwell (1906-1996). She was the first woman to drive around the world in a car, a status recognized by the organization of the Guinness Book of Records.

Winnipeg-born Idris Galcia Welsh was only 16 when she became Aloha Wanderwell. Under this pseudonym she embarked on her long journey in December 1922 with Captain Walter Wanderwell. This controversial adventurer, whom she will marry three years later, is actually a Pole named Valerian Johannes Pieczynski.

However, by January 1927, when their journey ended, the young couple had traversed 43 countries in a Ford Model T provided by the Ford Motor Company, a sponsor who even accompanied Aloha on his travels in the 1930s after the mysterious death of the captain.

From the petrol-powered Model T to the electric Explorer

Today, while Ford is busy electrifying its car line, another young woman intends to follow in the Canadian globetrotter’s footsteps. This is Lexie Alford, a California influencer and YouTuber better known as Lexie Limitless. The 24-year-old will soon be traveling around the world in a Ford Explore new generation; a vehicle that will have an electric motor.

To use the manufacturer’s advertising language dearborn, Lexie will reinvent the Aloha World Tour at the wheel of a reinvented Explorer. The expedition, which will take Lexie to all corners of the world, is slated to begin later this year, Ford tells us in a press release issued March 21. However, the master builder and the young globetrotter neither give the date of departure nor the route they will follow.

holder of a title Guinness Book of Records

As a side note, Lexie Alford is also in the cast Guinness Book of Recordswhich bestowed on him the title of “Youngest person to have toured every sovereign country on earth” in October 2019.

Like Aloha Wanderwell, who was a researcher, lecturer, photographer, documentary producer and writer, Lexie Alford will share her travel experiences on the internet and no doubt through other communication mediums.

“We can’t wait to see what our new Explorer and Lexie Alford can achieve together on this expedition, inspired by the incredible journey of Aloha Wanderwell,” said Martin Sander, general manager for Europe, Ford Model E, the new division of the Company founded in March 2022, dedicated exclusively to the development of electric vehicles.

Photos: Ford, Aloha Wanderwell Archives and Lexie Limitless

The text 100 years after the Canadian Aloha Wanderwell, the American Lexie Alford will travel around the world in a Ford comes from The Yearbook of the Automobile – Automotive News