In this section we hope to provide some insight into what is necessary to make a trip such as this one happen (it’s easier than it may seem). If we can convince just one person to take the plunge and live their dream than we’ll be happy (well, were already happy but we might just be even happier!).

Money

What the hell, lets get the big topic out of the way first so we can move on to the good stuff. A trip like this costs money, quite a bit of it. Here’s the good news; in 2000 we didn’t have any of it (money that is). We had just returned from a one year trip backpacking around the world and, other than great memories, we had some debt and no jobs. So why is this good news? Because we were able to get rid of that debt and save enough for the trip we are currently on. And if we were able to do it that means that others can do the same. Maybe not as long, maybe longer. Depends on the person reading this right now. We don’t want to get preachy but suffice to say that if you want something (and what we mean here is “really want something”) then it just becomes a question of making the right choices each day. So here’s some homework (OK, now were being preachy);

Take a pen and a piece of paper and go to each room in your home. Once you get in each room take a look at every object that’s there and ask yourself if you can live without that object. If the answer is yes, write down what it is and next to the name write down how much you paid for it (this list will be useful once you decide to do that thing you’ve always dreamed of and want to start selling stuff). As you are doing this one of two things will happen.

1) you will get distracted by the television as you are taking inventory in the living room and forget all about this exercise.

2) You will be thoroughly disgusted at yourself for how much you have spent for nothing and you’ll resolve to start selling and start saving! If this happens to you, we’ll see you on the road in the middle of nowhere sometime in the future. Oh, and could you bring a spare clutch cable? Ours snapped back in Colombia. Thanks!

Information

There’s a lot of info out there on how to plan a trip like this. The problem is most of it is scattered in different places. Some of it you’ll find in books, some by word of mouth, some on the web. Some resources are better than others so here is a breakdown of what we felt was useful in preparing for the trip.

WEBSITES:

www.horizonsunlimited.com

This is probably the most important site for those wanting to travel around the world by motorcycle. It’s run by a Canadian couple who has done it and its forum is populated by people who have been or are currently on the road. This site is the real deal.

www.advrider.com
This site has been useful for anything technical about motorcycles. If you’ve got a mechanical question about the bike you decided to go with, the people on this site will have the answer. If they don’t, you’ve got problems!

www.dodo.com
This site helps you prepare your trip. If you want to be backpacking, cycling, motorcycling or using other kinds of transports.

www.ultimatejourney.com
This is the site of an American couple who spent a few years on the road on two motorcycles. They have a section that breaks down the cost of their trip. This was of great help to us and very accurate.

www.benkapulko.com
This one is great for it’s power to motivate. She woke up one day and decided to go around the world on a motorcycle and she did it!

BOOKS:
- Adventure Motorcycling Handbook
- Lonely Planet guidebooks
- The motorcycle diaries (just kidding!)

MOVIES:
- Long way around (OK, I’m kidding about this one also. I can’t count the number of times we’ve been asked if we’ve seen this movie. It seems we are among the few who haven’t seen it)
- Midnight Express (something to watch before any trip abroad!)

Motorcycle

CHOOSING THE RIGHT ONE

This is the one that will keep you up late at night. The good news is that most websites and resources will tell you that any bike can make it around the world. This is probably quite true. But here are some basic considerations that you should keep in mind

You need a motorcycle that is reliable.

You need a motorcycle that has enough power.

You need a motorcycle that is comfortable to drive.

GETTING TO KNOW THE BIKE

So you bought the bike that will take you around the world or into the next country. Now you need to make sure that you made the right choice so go out there and ride the thing. A long test run fully loaded (with the same gear you will have on the trip) is a good idea. And if you can secure some time with your local mechanic to go over the basics with you, all the better!

RESEARCHING YOUR BIKE

You will need to research any flaws your model of bike has historically had. It is surprising to see how much information is out there on different mechanical issues and how to resolve them. Try to know what the solutions are before you leave.

THE SPARES

The spares you need depend on the bike you will take. Some websites have some useful info on this (you can check out what we brought for our 1100GS in the “packing list” section under FAQs) and you can also check out the Adventure Motorcycling Handbook for some very useful information.

Getting your papers in order

There’s a bunch of things that need to get done before you cant hit the road. We’ve separated them under different headings: finance, medical, identification and bike.

FINANCE

This is just a question of deciding how you want to organize your funds depending on the countries you are planning on visiting. You can consult travel guides and your bank, they can be very useful. It also depends how long your trip will be and how many countries you will visit. Bring more of the following if you travel longer or visit many countries.

- Credit card: One credit card for big expenses (airplane tickets) can be become very useful. Another one with a small limit (250$ or 500$) can also be practical.

- Debit card: If you can bring more than one do it (some banks don’t allow you to have more than one). The reason being that if it gets demagnetized the card becomes useless.

- Cash: This one can vary a lot depending on how comfortable you feel with having lots of money on your person. It is a good idea to have some USD hidden on your motorcycle for emergencies. We recommend USD for the Americas (except Venezuela) as they are easier to cash than euros. Always have a bit of USD on your person for when you need it (at border crossings). Other than that, we always use local currency.

- Travelers checks: They can be hard to cash and tend to have big commission fees. But if everything gets stolen you can claim them back, so bring just a small amount in case this happens.

- Online banking: We do it only in places where we stay for a long time and where we trust the internet. Some people will not feel comfortable doing it, some will. It is an individual choice.

- Taxes: If you will be away for the tax period be sure to prepare everything before you leave. An accountant could be useful.

MEDICAL:

- Vaccination: Your best option is to consult a doctor well in advance of your departure date. Most cities will have a travelers clinic and they will tell you what you need for the places you are planning on going to. You will want to do this well in advance as some of the vaccinations require more than one injection and are spread out over the course of a few months. We would recommend that you consult a year before you leave.

- Insurance: The following information is valid for Canadian citizens only.

*World Nomads:
Website: www.worldnomads.com
Covers as long as your provincial plan is valid. In Québec this means 6 months per year plus 1 full year every 7 years. Mention to them that you have a motorcycle. Cover is renewable every 6 months through internet. Company from Australia or New Zealand.

*Health Care International:
Website: www.healthcareinternational.com
Covers even when your provincial plan has expired. Company from England.

*TIC assurance de voyage:
Website: www.travelinsurance.ca
Covers even when your provincial plan has expired, including the waiting period when you go back to Canada. Canadian company.

IDENTIFICATION

You will need:

- A passport with enough pages left for stamp happy border officials

- Your drivers license

- An international Drivers license (get more than one)

BIKE

You will need:

- Vehicle ownership paper. Basically, this is proof that you own the vehicle. Do not forget this paper as it is required at every border crossing.

- Bring any invoices for work done on the bike in the recent past. Some of this work may be under warranty and who knows, that dealership in the middle of nowhere might just honor it.

- A repair manual on CD.

- We were once asked for vehicle registration so bring this too

- Some countries require a “Carnet de Passage en Douane”. Without it you will not be allowed to enter the country. You do not need it for the Americas but check www.horizonsunlimited.com for more info on this.