The Hungarian World Bus & DX-Pedition or Globexpedition (in Hungarian: Globexpedíció), also known by the radio call sign HA5BUS and its variations, was a DX-pedition with the aim of traveling around the globe with a bus. The expedition lasted 614 days from 23 October 1991 to 27 June 1993, and its team traveled through or visited places in Hungary, the Soviet Union (which was in the process of dissolution at the time), Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Singapore, Australia, the United States, Canada, Germany and Austria. The participants were three Hungarian men, all licensed amateur radio (or "ham") operators; bus driver Gábor Kovács (nicknamed "Gabi", call sign: HG5BKG), Volánbusz mechanical engineer István Himberger ("Pista", HG5CHI) and Rádiózás magazine's then chief editor Imre Páskuly ("Imi", HA5HO). The team used a long, custom-built Ikarus 350 coach manufactured by the Hungarian company Ikarus, which was outfitted with various radio equipment and comfort-enhancing amenities. Among others, the expedition was supported by the Budapest-based Globex Foundation and MOGÜRT, Hungary's automotive foreign trade company. Idea and preparations Bus driver Gábor Kovács was driving on a long-distance private charter route between Budapest, capital of Hungary and Istanbul, Turkey in the spring of 1988, and during this trip he was reminded of the successful circumnavigation of the Earth achieved in the previous year by his fellow countrymen Nándor Fa and József Gál, and their sailboat St. Jupat. This gave him the inspiration to embark on a similar journey across the globe, but done by using a bus. By the time he arrived back in Budapest, he already had a notebook filled up with sketches, calculations and itineraries. In the following months, Kovács spent his time organizing a journey, soliciting sponsors and developing a detailed itinerary. He was joined in his endeavor by his childhood friend István Himberger, who was a mechanical engineer at Volánbusz, and Imre Páskuly, who was then chief editor of the Rádiózás amateur radio magazine. In a publicity stunt to gather sponsors, Kovács set the Guinness world record for endurance bus driving when he drove an Ikarus 256 coach on the Hungaroring race track non-stop for 30 and half hours on 5–6 November 1988. By the end of 1988, all of the planning work was done and the team already gathered some sponsors, but they still lacked a vehicle. As they were determined to use a Hungarian Ikarus bus, they contacted the company's trade