An escape from Nazi-occupied Europe during WWII A story from a father to his children based on real life incidents The Journey is a work of fiction but is based on true incidents in the lives of the author's parents and grandparents. The Laenen family made the journey through Nazi-occupied Europe over the route defined, and encounterd all those obstacles described. However, the dialogue and many of the incidental characters and places are a product of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales may be entirely coincidental.