Your Daily Dish

Feeding Outrageous to you Daily

Hide Advertisement
  • Animals
    • Farm
    • Pets
    • Zoo
    • Wildlife
  • Family
    • Grandparents
    • Kids
    • Parents
  • Health
    • Exercise
    • Food
    • Medical
  • Humor
  • Lifestyle
    • News
    • Science & Tech
    • Travel
  • Videos
Site logo
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Couple Find Their Stolen Van Thanks to Facebook

By Valerie Cools 3 min read
Advertisement - Continue reading below
Source: Le Parisien
Source: Le Parisien

We like to joke that Facebook is all about cat memes (and, these days, arguments about politics), but sometimes it can really make a difference.

French couple Fanny and Loïc had just had a baby, and decided to spend their first summer as a family in style: by taking a road trip across Europe. They had been saving up for this, and bought a brand new yellow Volkswagen van to travel and sleep in. In early July, they set out on this adventure with their 2-month-old daughter.

Advertisement

Some days later, they parked near Barcelona, in Spain, and spent the day exploring. Upon their return, they were horrified to find that the van, and everything in it, had been stolen.

“We only had a five percent charge left on our cell phones,” Fanny told Le Parisien. “We had no chargers, no ID, no milk, and no diapers. And we didn’t speak Spanish.”

The couple managed to contact their insurance company, and the family was flown back home. They had lost 60,000 euros (over $67,000 dollars) worth of gear and equipment, including the van. It seemed the adventure was over. Or was it?

Fanny took to Facebook and posted about the theft, giving all the details and asking people to share the post with the slim hope that someone would spot the van and report it. She even created a Facebook page, Find The Yellow Van, and had her original French message translated into Spanish, German, and English.

“Wherever you can be, France, Germany, Spain, Italy…” said the English translation, “please share this message as much as you can! Keep your eyes open if you are on holidays or on the road… a yellow van is pretty uncommon?!”

Compassionate people immediately answered their call throughout Europe.

“It was insane,” said Fanny. “People were sending us pictures of yellow vans from Belgium and Portugal. People were writing to us from all over Europe with suggestions of pages we could post to, such as one for French people in Barcelona.”

Two days and over 100,000 shares later, their efforts paid off. A trucker reported seeing a yellow van in a town near Barcelona, where an illegal payment had been made on one of the couple’s bank cards. Fanny and Loïc looked up the place on Google Maps and called a nearby hotel, where the receptionist stepped outside and confirmed the car’s license plate number.

The van was immediately secured by local police, before Loïc flew in to retrieve it. While all of its contents had been taken, and the car itself was slightly damaged, it was in working order.

The grateful family has moved on from the incident and isn’t letting one bad travel experience deter them. They are currently exploring the beautiful shores of Brittany, proving that this mishap has not soured them on adventure.

It just goes to show, in these hyper-connected times, a long shot can be all you need. As the family concludes in their post, “Solidarity is stronger than the injustice.”

Advertisement - Continue reading below

This New Stress Ball Will Make You Go Nuts
Apple
YDD Contributor 1 min read

This New Stress Ball Will Make You Go Nuts

What Goes in the Empty Square? Hint: It’s Not Number 6
Apple
Staff 2 min read

What Goes in the Empty Square? Hint: It’s Not Number 6

Judge Has Amazing Reaction to Defendant’s Parking Ticket
Apple
Brian Delpozo 1 min read

Judge Has Amazing Reaction to Defendant’s Parking Ticket

Owen and Haatchi: Just A Boy, His Dog And The Power Of Love
Lifestyle
Felissa Allard 2 min read

Owen and Haatchi: Just A Boy, His Dog And The Power Of Love

Former Rescue Dog Returns the Favor and Saves 3-Year-Old Girl Stuck in the Woods
Apple
Margo Gothelf 2 min read

Former Rescue Dog Returns the Favor and Saves 3-Year-Old Girl Stuck in the Woods

This Nursing Home Took in a Stray Cat and Gave Her a Home and a Permanent Job
Apple
Margo Gothelf 2 min read

This Nursing Home Took in a Stray Cat and Gave Her a Home and a Permanent Job

Greener Skies Ahead as Airline Uses Fuel Made Partly From Tree Branches
Apple
YDD Contributor 2 min read

Greener Skies Ahead as Airline Uses Fuel Made Partly From Tree Branches

Baboon Left Speechless After Zoo-Goer Performs Magic Trick
Apple
Lauren Boudreau 2 min read

Baboon Left Speechless After Zoo-Goer Performs Magic Trick

Seth Rogen, Rose Byrne and Zac Efron Take Down Sorority in First Look at ‘Neighbors 2’
Entertainment
Margo Gothelf 2 min read

Seth Rogen, Rose Byrne and Zac Efron Take Down Sorority in First Look at ‘Neighbors 2’

EpiPen Maker Pledges Price Reduction After Outcry Over Price Hike
Apple
Jason Owen 2 min read

EpiPen Maker Pledges Price Reduction After Outcry Over Price Hike

Teen Battling Cancer Inspires Acts of Kindness With #BeccaToldMeTo Movement
Apple
Brian Delpozo 3 min read

Teen Battling Cancer Inspires Acts of Kindness With #BeccaToldMeTo Movement

A Production Company Has Been Fooling the Internet With Fake Viral Videos
Apple
Lauren Boudreau 2 min read

A Production Company Has Been Fooling the Internet With Fake Viral Videos

sidebar

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

sidebar-alt

  • About
  • Contact Us
  • Terms of Service
  • Privacy Policy
  • For Advertisers