From my own experiences and through reading the Hubb for the last couple of years Its become very clear that there are many different types of traveller..

The biggest differnce iv noticed is that some people prefer to travel alone and some in a group..

Im very much a group person. I love to ride with a buddy, girlfriend or group.

Theres always someone to watch your bike, back you up in a sticky situation, go for help if needed and more importantly than anything else, people to share experiences, jokes and chores with..

I love to ride alone too but for long trips I do prefer company. I dont really enjoy sitting alone in a bar when i dont speak a word of the language etc.

Maybe its just me but much prefer company on the road.

Whats your preference ?

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www.touringted.com

I have to confess,when riding, I like my own company, and for trips around western europe am happy to be on my own. However when the riding stops, it is better to have company, and when the riding gets tough it is better to not be alone.

Ride in company and miss the company of those you came to meet.

I'm a firm believer that anything worth doing in life comes with a certain amount of pain, (perhaps my Catholic upbringing), but often that means dealing with things alone, whether sitting in a bar, by the side of the road or otherwise. You can, and probably will go home someday; to your mates, family, (over-eating sisters included), and of course speaking Scouse.

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How much does a man live, after all?
Does he live a thousand days, or one only?
For a week, or several centuries?
How long does a man spend dying?
What does it mean to say “forever”? - Pablo Neruda

I've done some of both.

Well this site is interesting and I just got back from a month trip in SA. I ended up going alone after talking with about 30 different guys about trying to put something together. I made some great friends before I even left and we have emailed back and forth a lot. I have ridden to lots of places with one or two others before and it seems when I did that I really might have just stayed home as someone else kind of planned on where we were going and when we were leaving and where we were going to stay. When you are going alone you have to plan every part of it. Passports, shots, ferry crossings, tickets, times, tools, money, parts, the works. I might have had some experiences where I just left to much up to others but it seems that the alpha male always comes forward and just does it. Some times I do not have a problem with that but if you really want to experience it you need to just do it. I have taken trips where I get back and I can hardly tell you the names of the towns that I have visited because I did not do any of the planning for it. I can not speak for others but I think I am definetly a solo guy from here on. My wife might get invited if she changes her ways.

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Larry Davis

Geez!!! Just spotted an Antipodian motorcycle traveller here in Colombia, (Medellin), travelling with a cat! It had a bit of a windswept look on it's face, and I'd love to be there on a river crossing. But hey, I thought those things didn't like to be moved from their fireside cushion or come to that, a change in their favourite tinned food. At least it obeys the rules: sit down, shut-up and hang on, (watch the upholstery!).

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How much does a man live, after all?
Does he live a thousand days, or one only?
For a week, or several centuries?
How long does a man spend dying?
What does it mean to say “forever”? - Pablo Neruda

[QUOTE=tedmagnum;127455]From my own experiences and through reading the Hubb for the last couple of years Its become very clear that there are many different types of traveller..

The biggest differnce iv noticed is that some people prefer to travel alone and some in a group..

Im very much a group person. I love to ride with a buddy, girlfriend or group.

Theres always someone to watch your bike, back you up in a sticky situation, go for help if needed and more importantly than anything else, people to share experiences, jokes and chores with..

I love to ride alone too but for long trips I do prefer company. I dont really enjoy sitting alone in a bar when i dont speak a word of the language etc.

Maybe its just me but much prefer company on the road.

Whats your preference ?[/QUOT

The folk on the XRV site ride not in herds, but in incestuous cliques. That's a new one!

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Les cigarettes tue, mais la pipe detend.

Cami,

The way you snore I'll bet you don't stay in a group for long

Cheers Derek.

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Roads are for journeys.
-Not destinations.

I'm a solo...groups tend to become more quest than adventure (can't stop for 100 miles...bug in the shirt or not).

I also prefer to be the sole presence amongst strangers...that way no one says the wrong thing from mis-reading the surroundings...and I don't have to assume loyalty to fools buzzed on sugar, caffeine and prejudices.
there's no trauma with scheduling when I have to whiz...and if something catches my eye I can investigate without a vote.

I figure we die alone anyway so we may as well get with the program and find the comfort zone.


every time I travel with others I end up serving their needs ...and my magnanimous nature suffers. I hate being rushed... or waiting...my timing is impeccable without that external pressure to perform or babysit.


and best of all... I'm adequate with repairs, good sense of direction, and a chameleon with strangers...anything I need, I can usually find "out there"...and that's probably the most satisfying part of the adventure...needs are met generating faith.

I don't mind hooking up and riding a few miles together, but my thoughts settle back to a comfortable "home" when we split up again.

I've done organized tours a couple of times: one in Mexico was pretty good, but one in India was terrible. The tour itself was good, but the group I was travelling with were, with two or three exceptions, a bunch of jerks. (That's about as polite as I can be when talking about them!)

I prefer travelling on my own. I set the schedule and the pace, I do whatever I want, etc.

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Bruce Clarke --- 2005 Kawasaki Ninja EX500

As a very good examply of what CAN go wrong,=

Hello!
Well, I've never been travelling by motorbike with others. BUT, twice in my life I've been on "adventure" tours.
Once when I graduated from Uni, I went to Egypt 3 weeks on an adventure sort of trip (we were about 15). Another time with my hubby the 1st time we went to Africa. we did a Kumuka adventure trip rather than our usual backpaking, 3 weeks again via South africa, Zimbabwe and Zambia with a group of around 14 people. Wonderful stuff on both trip. But GOD after 19 days I would have killed half the group!!!!
I will never EVER travel around for a long period of time (i.e. more than a week end!) with anyone, including most of my friends. It just does not work. Even in semi organised trips, where the goal, way of travelling etc is very well define in advance, it's just a nightmare!
So in conclusion, Ted if you're going to travel with someone,make sure you organise weekends away, and include a clause saying that any of you can ride off any time without bad feelings.
As you're leaving next year only try to meet people at the next Ripley meet. Someone called Mike did just that and set off with a girl and another guy that he met at Ripley. Now the girl has become his girlfriend and he seems very happy according to his blog! Isn't that romantic? Argentina-Alaska

I love happy ending stories!
So keep us posted on your soap opera adventures!

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Maria

www.franglais-riders.com

Riding in a group has been the most 'unfun' aspect of motorcycling for me. OK.. a spare bod is usefull for helping with breakdowns, pulling bike out of ditch etc etc but the payback is high.
Constant stops for a pee, smoke, burger, or whatever, everyone having a different idea of what's interesting or which route is best. Having to stop riding hours before you want to because your companion has a sore ass. People wanting to stop everytime it rains, Having to deal with slow, fast, crazy, incompetent riders. People who want to spend the last few hours of daylight looking for a comfortable hotel rather than pushing on and dossing down where they stop. Generally having to deal with people who don't want to do it the way it ought to be done....my way!
Do yourself a favour... ride alone and meet up with the others where and when it is convenient to you. Sorry but group travel is for lemmings, wannabees and Saga tours.
If you must burden yourself with a travelling 'companion', take a previous posters advice and have a golden rule from the start that you can split at any time...or better still... go alone and have a bunch of fun.
Regards. Nick.

"A trouble shared is a trouble doubled..!"

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If you never make mistakes, you ain't trying..

The largest group I've ever ridden with is 3 other riders. 99% of my miles are solo riding. Everybody's needs, interests and expectations are different. I think, by nature, most riders on this site are the independent type, not needing others to enjoy a trip. If I were to ever have a serious breakdown when with a group (needing to wait on parts shipments), I'd appreciate help in getting to a secure location with modern communications, and then I'd tell them to go on without me.

The best part of riding with others is drinking at the end of a day.......

...unless of course, she's drop dead gorgeous, has a savings account with 6 figures in front of the decimal point, and rides her own bike!

Solo is the only way to go - no one to piss on your tent like the boys talking about accessing traveling companion suitability.

Heck, after 11 months on the road now, I could skip gorgeous - good sense of humor would work instead.

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quastdog
Chiang Mai, Thailand
doing the RTW thing since April, 2006
http://web.mac.com/quastdog/