HU Travellers Meeting Canwest 2024

Sue Bossley, Adventure Pacific Moto Tours Conquering Fears: Unveiling the Soul Have you ever considered exploring Mexico on a motorcycle, but are concerned about your safety from what you hear on the news?

Have you ever considered exploring Mexico on a motorcycle? Wide-eyed stares were my usual greeting when I announced my solo recon mission for future tours. "Are you crazy?" was quickly followed by "Did you feel safe?" These are valid concerns, especially for a woman. Mexico, like many countries, faces unique challenges. However, media often amplifies negativity, creating a skewed picture. The truth though, is that I felt just as safe riding in Mexico solo as anywhere else. The experience was incredible! Mexico boasts a rich and colourful tapestry of history and culture and friendly locals add an extra layer of charm. Join me on an exciting journey beyond the stereotypes! Prepare to be surprised by hidden gems, captivated by the warmth of the Mexican people, and experience a glimpse of the Soul of Mexico firsthand.

SUE BOSSLEY (Adventure Pacific Moto Tours & Throttle West Moto Festival) is a solo rider, tour guide, moto-festival presenter, and general explorer who has traveled in over 30 countries and ridden in Canada, U.S.A., Mexico, Thailand, southeast Africa, U.K., and Canary Islands so far. Her goal is to ride "everywhere", and she is working on it!

Francis Walsh Vive Mexico! / Rwanda: the Africa You Didn't Expect

1) Vive Mexico!
Three winters of exploring Mexico with a simple plan: FIFO/MOMO Ride, store the bike, fly home, fly back, repeat.

Mexico is an amazingly beautiful and diverse country, filled with incredibly welcoming people, that often doesn't get the attention it truly deserves as many overlanders simply pass through it as a waypoint on their ride from Alaska to Ushuaia. I've been exploring Mexico for the past three winters using a simple plan: FIFO/MOMO. In the fall, I head south from Vancouver Island, riding for a month, before storing the motorcycle and flying home. A month later, I fly back south to continue my travels, repeating the cycle until spring when it's a good time to ride back to Canada. Join me as I share the grandeur of Barrancas del Cobre, the wilderness of Baja California's backroad tracks, the seductiveness of the unique cultural phenomenon Dia de Los Muertos, and the enchantment of Mexico's Pueblos Magicos. Vive Mexico!

2) Rwanda: the Africa You Didn't Expect
A February 2024 ride around Rwanda - not your stereotypical African country.

Rwanda is an African country unique in so many incredible ways. Although its small size makes it very easy to explore in just two weeks, there's a lot packed within its borders. The Land on 1000 Hills, with its national parks brimming with wildlife, verdant tea and coffee plantations throughout, and people everywhere constantly on the move carrying everything and more imaginable on their heads or their bicycles makes Rwanda visually stunning. I share my experiences travelling around Rwanda, an unbelievably beautiful country.

FRANCIS WALSH has been a "Wandering Wonderer" for 40+ years, winding his way mostly on two wheels through 70+ countries on six continents, sometimes sailing across oceans to connect the dots, driven by curiosity and a need to see things for himself.

Rene Cormier, Renedian Adventures The Pros of Solo and Tour Group Travel Why talk cons? We're travelling!!

Let's be honest, if your only decision is to explore the world by yourself or explore the world with a guided tour, you are already doing really well. Stop by to hear some compelling reasons to continue your planning and get going. Rene Cormier is well-versed to offer tips and tricks for both sides, having completed a mostly solo, 4.5-year round-the-world trip before running guided tours with Renedian Adventures around the world for the last 14 years.

RENE CORMIER completed round the world motorcycle trip in 2009, and the same year started Renedian Adventures, a guided motorcycle tour company operating in Mongolia, southern Africa, South America, and Canada. He is the author of The University of Gravel Roads: Global Lessons from a 4 Year Motorcycle Adventure.

Carrie and Glen Cullen Italy to Spain: Fall 2023 / Morocco!

1) Italy to Spain: Fall 2023
We travel from Milan into the Dolomites and then down to the south coast of Spain

We pick up our travels in Milan where Pepe, our trusty 2014 Wee Strom, is patiently waiting for us and head north into the Dolomites. From there we work our way west through the Pyrenees and then south into Spain. We meet up with friends from Canada (two different couples!) and then ride along the east coast into Andalucía. A quick run back up to Madrid where we leave Pepe until we return in the spring of 2024

2) Morocco!
One month in Morocco in the spring of 2024

Picking up Pepe our motorcycle in Madrid, we head south to meet friends and then join forces to head into Morocco for a month long tour. Hitting all the tourist traps like Fes, Marrakesh, and the like, we also find ourselves in the Atlas mountains and taking a camel ride. From there we take in the Todra and Dades Gorges, then west to the coast. We learn to navigate the Midinas and old towns along the way.

CARRIE and GLEN CULLEN started their motorcycle travelling in 2013 and, shortly after that, attended HU Canwest. Since then, they have travelled around Europe and will be going through Morocco in the spring of 2024.

Chantil and Travis Gill, Viajar Moto How Much Does Full-Time Travel Cost? / 3.5 Years in Europe and North Africa

1) How Much Does Full-Time Travel Cost?
Full-time traveling in Europe was less expensive than living in a home and raising a family. We share how much it cost us.

Full-time traveling is expensive, right? Not exactly. Travis and Chantil recently finished a 3.5-year overland tour of Europe and north Africa where they spent far less than what it cost them to live in a house in the United States and raise their family. They will share the complete cost of full-time motorcycle touring, including: accommodations, food, fuel, maintenance, ferry/parking fees, entertainment, and miscellaneous expenses. They will share their strategies for saving, budgeting, and getting the most out of a travel budget.

2) 3.5 Years in Europe and North Africa
We started a motorcycle journey of a lifetime in March 2020. After 3.5 years, 85k miles, and 53 countries, we're still loving it!

Travis and Chantil relocated to Europe for work in 2017 with nothing more than their two adventure motorcycles loaded with gear. While at their job in Germany, they realized they just couldn't travel enough with their limited vacation time, so they did what we all want to do - quit to start full-time traveling. However, their start date of March 2020 was not ideal. Despite a world-wide pandemic and the restrictions of a 90-day travel visa, they managed to ride through nearly every European country and a bit of north Africa.

They will share some of the highlights and challenges of full-time traveling over their last 3.5 years through 53 countries. They will discuss how to get insurance for a U.S. registered motorcycle, strategies for navigating the 90-day Schengen travel restrictions, and five tips for having a successful motorcycle adventure.

CHANTIL and TRAVIS GILL attended HU California 2015 where they were inspired to travel sooner than later. Since then, they've ridden most through Europe and a bit of north Africa over the past 3.5 years of full-time motorcycle overlanding. They share their adventures via UPSHIFT magazine and viajarMOTO.

Ekke Kok Round the World - One Year at a Time / Munich to Calgary, via Iceland

1) Round the World - One Year at a Time
Audrey and Ekke took four year-long leaves of absence to travel the world

After being inspired by Grant and Susan Johnson in 1998, Audrey and Ekke took four year-long leaves of absence from work over a span of 20 years. They travelled to 83 countries (plus Antarctica) and covered more than 150,000 kilometres. This presentation will cover the highlights of their travels, provide a few lessons learned with an opportunity for an interactive discussion about travel afterwards.

2) Munich to Calgary, via Iceland
Riding home from Munich, via Iceland and the Trans-Labrador Highway

After completing the ride with GlobeRiders from Muscat, Oman to Munich, Germany, Ekke had to get his bike back home to Calgary. Having used air cargo and sea freight half a dozen times to move the motorbikes from North America to Europe and back, it was time to try something a little different. A ferry from Denmark to Iceland and then sea freighting the bike from Reykjavik to Halifax was that different option. This presentation will highlight travel in Iceland and discuss some of the logistics around this trip.

EKKE KOK is a retired engineer who has travelled to 102 countries, 100 of them by motorbike. Audrey and Ekke travelled around the world, as far north as Nordkapp and as far south as Ushuaia, as far east as Japan, and as far west as Alaska.

Susan & Grant Johnson, Horizons Unlimited How It All Started The Horizons Unlimited origin story

Technically, "it" all really started with our first date in 1984. It wasn't long before we hit the road, two-up on a 1986 BMW R80GS, a couple of years later, unknowingly ending up doing a RTW (round-the-world) over the span of 11 years. At the time, websites weren't a thing yet. Like many overland travellers at the time, and there weren't that many, travelling and planning were a bit more challenging.

A lot has happened since then and we've learned and experienced a ton! Too much, in fact, to keep to ourselves. There's a world to explore, and people and cultures to befriend... and Horizons Unlimited evolved to what it is now with a global network of HU Communities that connect fellow travellers and emerging adventurers just like you. This is our story.

For those who don't know us yet, we are GRANT and SUSAN JOHNSON. We founded Horizons Unlimited in 1997 while we were on our 11-year, north-to-south around-the-world trip, visiting over 40 countries. Since then, we've been helping folks to achieve their dreams of overland travel to faraway places. Horizons Unlimited has become the global home of motorcycle travel, a worldwide network of travellers helping other travellers.

Ryan Austin, Enduro Park Canada Riding & Surviving / Off-Road Skills Training - Learn to Ride Like the Pros

RYAN AUSTIN is the owner of Enduro Park Canada, Certified BMW Off-Road Instructor, BMW Tourguide, and Master Police Motorcycle Instructor.

1) Riding & Surviving
Advanced riding techniques, police motorcycle operations + training, and 30 years of major collision investigations

Seminar about Advanced Training techniques, Police Motorcycle operations & training, and 30 years of major collision investigations with Sgt Ryan Austin (Ret.). This action-packed talk covers collision causation, advanced training techniques used by Police motorcycle operators, Motorcycle VIP escort team operation videos, and real world tips to make your riding safer and more enjoyable.

2) Off-Road Skills Training - Learn to Ride Like the Pros
(PRE-REGISTRATION STRONGLY RECOMMENDED)

Returning to HU CanWest 2024 are three of Canada's top BMW-certified Off-Road Instructors. Owner Sgt Ryan Austin (Ret.) and Jim Sprang will be on-site giving riders training and talks on the Adventure of Off-Road riding! Learn from Canada's only full-time BMW Off-Road training company. Introduction to Off-Road and Advanced Rider courses.

Some sessions are free; active rider training is paid sessions. More details below.

Jim Sprang, Enduro Park Canada GPS is a Crutch! Introduction to Nav Learn to use paper maps and traditional tools to "fix" your location without the use of phones, GPS units, or satellite systems!

Over-reliance on satellite technology has eroded away our spatial awareness and connection with the "journey" . When using it, you become more focused on your device and less on your overall surroundings. Learn the fundamentals required to, instead, immerse yourself in the broader scale and greater details that paper maps give us. This results in an advantage in geographic perception which directly contributes to the enjoyment of adventure riding.

JIM SPRANG is a retired naval officer, a certified BMW Off-Road Instructor, and a lifelong rider. He has ridden extensively in America, Europe, the Middle East, and north Africa. His passion is those places "off the beaten track" and the roads/trails required to find them.

Susan Johnson, Horizons Unlimited Four Easy Steps to Motorcycle Adventure Travel You can do it; we can help!

We know lots of those travellers, people who have done amazing trips to every country in the world, too. We asked these veteran travellers to tell us their stories and share their tips with us. The main message is that you don't have to be rich or famous or young or heroic or super-fit to travel. Anyone can do it, and we're here to tell you how!

Get Ready // Gear Up // Get on the Road // Come home and plan your next trip!

It can be that easy. We will share some stories and tips from other travellers, and also tell you some things that we learned from our travels, in many cases the hard way. It's how we created the Horizons Unlimited Motorcycle Adventure Travel Guide video series - available only on Vimeo. There's also lots of great pics from our calendar contest.

Grant Johnson, Horizons Unlimited Bike Mods and Ergonomics! Tire Changing!

Grant will host a bike 'Show and Tell' - bring your bike and show us your favorite travel mods. Critique and discussion.

When you picked up your new bike, did they take the time to make it fit you? You'll learn the amazing difference a properly setup bike makes to your riding fun. Maybe you're already feeling knots and kinks in your muscles after a long ride? It may not be you. It could be your bike!

Grant's ever-popular "Bike Ergonomics" demonstration at an HU Travellers Meeting.

Tire Changing Workshop

Grant demystifies the dark art of tires. Considering the fact you really can't rock'n'ROLL without tires on your travels, you don't want to miss this workshop. This session is absolutely perfect if you're newer to riding motorcyles or a bit nervous about travelling because flat tires give you the willies. The only time Grant likes using the word "conquered" for travel is when you deal with tires. :)

By the way, HU's TIRE CHANGING! instructional video can be purchased and streamed anywhere from Vimeo. Keep on practicing along with Grant in the comfort of your own home shop.

Grant's even-more-popular "Tire Changing Workshop at an HU Travellers Meeting.

LOTS of presentations to come! As people register to present we'll list them here.

How about you? We're all here to learn, and there's LOTS to learn! We want to do more presentations and seminars - but we need volunteers to give them! Any topic you can contribute having to do with motorcycle travel, maintenance, planning etc, lasting 20 minutes or more, would be great. Please contact us here to volunteer.