HU Travellers Meeting Canwest 2024

Ekke Kok Solo to Panama / Muscat to Munich

1) Solo to Panama
Ekke's first solo adventure ride

Audrey and Ekke had travelled through 83 countries, 80 of them by motorcycle by 2020. They were planning to spend the summer in Europe, riding the Alps when the pandemic hit. Tragedy befell them when Audrey was diagnosed with an extremely aggressive brain cancer that summer. In November, she passed away leaving Ekke with clear instructions: "Your job is to travel out on your motorbike. What else?"

In 2021, Ekke went to Europe as soon as Germany lifted some of their travel restrictions and spent the summer with family and friends, riding his motorbike. Audrey and Ekke had some unfinished business from their 2016/2017 ride around South America. An injury took three months out of their trip, and they had to skip Central America on the return home. In the fall of 2021, Ekke decided to finish that portion of their ride. This is the story of Ekke's solo ride to Panama.

2) Muscat to Munich
A ride with GlobeRiders from Muscat, Oman, to Munich, Germany

A month after Audrey passed away, Ekke received a message from Helge Pedersen of GlobeRiders that a spot was open on a tour from China through the Himalayas to Bangkok. Ekke had never done an organized tour before but he had also never done an adventure tour without his travel partner, Audrey. He signed up for the tour, but with COVID and the Russian invasion of Ukraine the tour was postponed and then cancelled altogether. Helge offered the Muscat to Munich expedition and Ekke accepted even though by this time he had done his first solo ride (See presentation Solo to Panama). This presentation will be the story of Ekke's first organized tour, in Spring 2023.

EKKE KOK is a retired engineer who has travelled to 90 countries, 87 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.

Rene Cormier, Renedian Adventures Choosing the Right Guided Tour for You! / The University of Gravel Roads

1. Choosing the Right Guided Tour for You!
Learn to read between the lines on glossy websites to avoid surprises

Guided motorcycle trips can be a great option for riders who either don't have time or don't care to do detailed research about a foreign place to ride. To research the tour operator, the best way would be to find a connection with personal previous experience who can provide an unbiased opinion of a trip you are interested in. Without that connection, you will need to wade through the companies supplied marketing material to make sure the trip is going to fit your style of travel.

Learn to read between the lines about what is included, what is not, the routing and scheduling, and other tips before committing to a trip. Take home a list of questions you need to ask any tour operator before sending them money for a trip!

2. The University of Gravel Roads
(Also a published book!)

Take a quick jaunt around the world with Rene Cormier as he highlights some of the fun moments captured in The University of Gravel Roads: Global Lessons from a 4 Year Motorcycle Adventure. Big adventures on little budgets, as told with his usual enthusiasm and chutzpah.

Rene's story is also featured in HU's Road Heroes: Part 1 DVD.
Click on the image below to watch a little video about it.

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".

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.), Jim Sprang, and Caroline Stevenson 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.

Caroline Stevenson Trailside Motorcycle Maintenance and Repair Practical motorcycle preparation before a trip, things to take, how to pack them, emergency repairs and examples

Planning for your motorcycle trip is exciting! Taking tools and equipment for trailside repairs is practical. Knowledge of your bike is crucial. But how to choose what tools and equipment can be mindboggling. How much is enough?

I will share my approach to this using real examples that have happened to me. I will discuss and show tools, tyre repair equipment, nuts and bolts, engine and electrical fixes, fluids, and how I pack them on my bike. I will focus on the practical and realistic options and fixes. There will always be some things that cannot be done on the trailside and recovery back to base camp or town may be required.

CAROLINE STEVENSON began riding motorcycles in the UK in the early 1990s. Things really took off when she moved to Kelowna, BC, in 1999. In 2001, she became MSF certified and a traffic instructor for new road riders, and soon after, a motorcycle skills assessment officer. After moving to Lethbridge, Alberta in 2010, off-road riding and the BMW GS Trophy beckoned. She was hooked. In 2015, Caroline had an opportunity to take part in the first International Female Team GS Trophy qualifier in South Africa representing Canada. Her ultimate goal was to become a certified BMW Off Road Instructor which she achieved in Hechlingen, Germany in 2016, and is now an instructor with Enduro Park Canada. Caroline is a passionate and enthusiastic rider and instructor with a penchant for excellence in low speed, precision technical riding. Her main rides are the R1200GS Rallye and BMW 450x. She has trials bikes and several dirt bikes. Basically, she loves anything with two wheels.

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.

Tracey Martin and Miles McEwing India by Tuk-Tuk - Piloting an Auto-Rickshaw 3,500 km across the Indian Subcontinent

We've visited nearly 50 countries outside of our home in Canada - many of them aboard our motorcycle sidecar rig. In 2011-2012, we traveled 30,000+ km through 4 continents and 20 countries. In 2013, having settled back into a somewhat normal life at home and granted only three weeks of annual vacation time, our travels appeared to become more limited in scope.

Or did they? In 2013 and 2014 we completed our round-the-world overland journey by motorcycle, automobile, rail and ship.

So what would 2015 hold?

Of all the places we had visited, one country beckoned us back - India. After our first visit, we didn't feel as if we even began to understand the country and its' culture. The people, sights, sounds, smells, and huge contrasts were so overwhelming that our four-week visit just wasn't enough time to process them. So, the mission for 2015 was to tackle India once again.

And what better way than our favourite mode of transport - 3 wheels.

But not just any 3 wheels - an auto-rickshaw; the ubiquitous 'Tuk-Tuk' of Indian taxi drivers, known for being completely unreliable, difficult to steer, unsteady to drive, and very, very small. Built for short jaunts at slow speeds, an auto-rickshaw appeared to be not-at-all suited to the journey and seven horsepower just might not be enough to traverse the Himalaya. We had no set route and no back up support. It was just the two of us, our brave/what the hell was he thinking friend Richard Desilets, and two weeks to get from the furthest west city in the country, across desert, jungle and mountains to one of the furthest east points in the country.

We had no way of knowing if we would make it.

The only certainty was that:
we would break down,
we would get stuck,
we would get lost,
we would be exhausted,
and we would have one heck of a lot of fun.

Mission accomplished - on all counts!

Craig Haggart Fly+Ride Mini Adventures / Smaller Bikes for ADV Riding

CRAIG HAGGART operates an electron accelerator in Palo Alto, California, and enjoys minor adventures like riding a Ninja 250 to Baja, moto-camping in the southwest on a CBR600 sport bike, racing a 1966 Honda CB160, riding in Costa Rica and Nicaragua on rented bikes, and, of course, volunteering at Horizons Unlimited California. (HU says: A great guy! Say hi.)

1) Fly+Ride Mini Adventures

It's a common dream to ditch everything and go on a round-the-world ride, but that dream just isn't practical for many of us due to career and family commitments. There is an option, however, for scratching that adventure-ride itch: fly somewhere and ride a rented bike for a few weeks! The focus here will be on Latin America, but if you have recent experience with other destinations, please feel free to join in and share any practical details that might help fellow riders.

2) Smaller Bikes for ADV Riding

Most of us have probably heard the truism that nobody comes home from an adventure ride saying, "I wish I'd ridden a larger bike." While that might not match everyone's experience, it is clear that lots of people do amazing trips on small -- sometimes VERY small -- motorcycles. If you've ever wondered about the practicality of doing a bit of adventure riding on a bike that you could actually pick up if it falls over, please join this discussion about the pros and cons of preparing and riding smaller bikes for travel. If you have personal experience to share, all the better -- audience participation is gladly encouraged!

Elle West and Jeremy Kroeker, Motorcycle Therapy Canada to Argentina / Bolivia, Chile, Argentina

1. Canada to Argentina
Thirteen months on the road with COVID border closures

Mostly slides and stories from 13 months on the road, from Canada to Argentina. A side trip to Antarctica, and getting stuck in South America for five months when borders close. How Jeremy and Elle got moving, got stuck, and got home. (There will be several short videos, around five minutes each.) Q and A to follow.

2. Bolivia, Chile, Argentina
Wind, gravel, motorcycle crash, and emergency camping

Four videos (ranging from 10 minutes to 20 minutes each) that take Jeremy and Elle from Bolivia, through Chile, and into Argentina all the way to Ushuaia. In Argentina, the pair face maddening wind on a loose gravel road, crash their motorcycles, camp in the ditch, and question their resolve to continue. Q and A to follow.

JEREMY KROEKER is the author of two motorcycle travel books, Motorcycle Therapy and Through Dust and Darkness. With his KLR650, he has ridden through over 30 countries on five continents. Meanwhile, visit and subscribe to Jeremy's YouTube channel!

ELLE WEST is a motorcycle instructor who has ridden her BMW F700GS from Alaska to Panama (twice!), and once from Canada to the southern tip of Argentina. She's also a co-star on Jeremy's YouTube channel!

Kyle Emerson, Ranee Niedermeyer, and Mark Wegener Heidelberg to Cape Town Four months down the west Africa coast to Cape Town

After three years of planning and Covid delays, three friends from Oregon, USA - Kyle, Mark, and Ranee - embark on a moto adventure from Germany to South Africa following the western coast. They will cover the origins of the trip, preparation, and their experience on the road during their epic adventure.

Ranee, Mark, and Kyle hail from Oregon and share a penchant for adventure riding whenever they can.

RANEE NIEDERMEYER rides pillion and has travelled with partner-in-adventure, Mark, from Portland, OR to Santiago, Chile in 2015; multiple trips through Canada and the American West; and from Heidelberg, Germany to Cape Town, South Africa in 2022-2023.

MARK WEGENER is a self-professed normal guy with a passion for adventure. He started riding in 2013 with a trip to Alaska on a 2013 BMW F800. With numerous off-road rider training under his belt, he has tackled many BDR routes, the Continental Divide Route, and the journey from Prudhoe Bay to Santiago, Chile. He currently owns two 2016 BMW R1200 GSAs.

KYLE EMERSON started riding in 2005 throughout the Blue Ridge mountains of eastern Tennessee. Multi-day adventures on any surface feeds his adventurous soul, including daily commutes and frequent weekend rides. He's currently soaking up as much of the U.S. Pacific Northwest as possible.

Krista Harris See the World Without Shipping Your Bike Try renting when you're unsure whether your bike is the right one for your trip in another country

Krista and Dan have travelled extensively on their own 650 touring bikes in North and South America, but shipping their bikes to Vietnam did not make sense for a number of reasons. Find out what it was like to have very little gear and very little bikes in a little, but amazing, country. There will also be bonus stories about the wonderful country of Vietnam, how to stay alive there, and why it should be on your list of places to ride.

KRISTA HARRIS and DAN van DALFSEN are a couple of semi-retired folks who came to riding later in life, but have worked hard to catch up on what they missed. In the summer of 2015, they went to Inuvik, and by the end of that year, they were in Ushuaia... but that was only the beginning.

Paul Saunders Definitely South America Indefinitely You can peruse 1000s of Instagram photos, so I prefer to answer 100s of your questions

People can view thousands of photos on Instagram, etc., of many world moto travelers, yet these same travelers often will not or cannot answer all the questions they receive about their journey. So I want to answer any questions about my two South American journeys (with photos alternating in the background, maybe) from wild camping spots to best food to how the locals helped me after getting knocked off a bridge by a truck on my moto (and how the bike still worked!). You have heard it before, the hardest part is beginning the journey, but, once commenced, the rest is easy and incredible.

PAUL SAUNDERS "retired' in his late 30s to travel the world by moto and, so far, he has loved South America so much that he rode from Colombia to Argentina twice, in 2016 and 18-19. He just can't get enough...

Scott Collins and Stephanie Arias, The Adventure Coop Realities and Lessons Learned on the Road / Canada to Panama Roundtrip for Two

1. Realities and Lessons Learned on the Road
The emotional, physical, and adrenal stress that will leave you feeling like you've hit a wall

After embarking on our biggest trip yet, we realize that life on the road isn't as easy as we thought. Join us to discuss our realizations about travel stress, getting a good nights sleep, and team work.

2. Canada to Panama Roundtrip for Two
Our first long road trip - during a pandemic and broadcasted to the world... how will we do?

Chasing the life long dream, in a world gone pandemic crazy, because there is no time but the present. If riding to Panama and back isn't complicated enough, start a YouTube channel and document your travels while on the road. Come see how we manage to pull this off.

STEPHANIE ARIAS grew up in Canada and attended circus school in Europe for five years after high school. She loves to travel and discover new things and the beauty this world has to offer. Being on a motorcycle brings you closer to everything.

SCOTT COLLINS is a motorcycle mechanic, racer, and traveller who has travelled by motorcycle in Vietnam, Sri Lanka, North America, and Central America. He enjoys riding with groups and friends.

Denise and Normand Fortier Deep Dive in Central America If you had to leave on a bike trip in January, where would you go?

We opted to start in BC and go as far south as we could!

After our carefully planned trip from Kamloops to Ushuaia got squashed by COVID months ago, we decided one November morning, "That's it, we need to go. Any destination is a good one". In mid January 2022, we left BC two-up on our trusted Suzuki DR 650. Amongst lingering snow and residual Omicron fears, we rode south to see what we could make happen. This allowed us to travel slower without the drive to reach "Tierra del Fuego".

We took time to discover more, about Mexico for sure, but also about the Central American countries that are often neglected in our quest to reach Ushuaia. Colourful Guatemala, surprising Nicaragua, beautiful Costa Rica, and unassuming Panama were all a pleasure to discover. Border crossings were not nearly as bad as anticipated. Latest info for long-term bike storage in Panama will be discussed. In the end, the best trip is the one you can do now.

DENISE and NORMAND FORTIER have been travelling two-up for the past 10 years on a variety of motorcycles ranging from 125cc(!) to 1000cc in over 40 different countries in Europe, North America, Central America, and a small foray in Asia.

Angela and Michael Greer, Twonie Project Moroccan Honeymoon Five weeks on the road: will the marriage survive?

Sharing a love for travel and adventure, newlyweds Michael and Angela envision travelling the world by motorcycle when Michael retires in 2022. Although both are experienced travellers, their styles are quite different: Angela has enjoyed day trips from tropical five-star resorts, while Michael's previous adventures include backpacking in East Africa, scuba diving in Thailand and working with orphans in rural Bolivia.

In preparation for their upcoming RTW adventure, Michael and Angela set out on a trip to test some new bikes, a new travel style and a new relationship. Learn what they discovered about themselves, each other, and about riding a couple of Africa Twins as Michael and Angela present the humour and the trials of their adventurous honeymoon in Morocco.

Separately, Canadians MICHAEL (a career naval officer) and ANGELA (a retired real estate developer) have many years of tarmac riding and travel experience. Recently married, they plan to travel the world by motorcycle and do charity work when Michael retires in 2022.

Elle West A Woman's Perspective on Motorcycles Why differences between women and men matter on motorbikes

ELLE WEST is an advocate for women in motorcycling, sharing her passion as a motorcycle instructor in Calgary, Alberta. While riding through Colombia in 2019, she proudly served as a guardian for the Women Rider's World Relay, before completing her journey through the Americas.

Why does gender matter? What difference does it make in terms of riding a motorcycle? Let's talk about motorcycling from a woman's perspective. Comfort, safety, fit, and appearance; differences in our bodies and how these differences affect our experiences on the bike in and the gear.

Megan Kaptein, The Motorcycle Hub Riding Route 16 / Creating a Wordpress Website

Riding Route 16
A motorcycle tour through the heart of British Columbia from the Rockies to Prince Rupert

Like many moto travelers struck with an insatiable wanderlust, travel often calls to exotic and off-the-beaten track destinations while backyard adventure remains overlooked. I had never ventured north of Pemberton on a motorcycle until last summer when two friends and I embarked on a remarkable 3,000 km ride around central BC. Riding through varied landscapes including the majestic Rockies, ancient rainforests, volcanic lava beds and rugged coastal terrain, we experienced the beauty of BC in its fullest while broadening our understanding of First Nations culture and history, and appreciating the wildlife that abounds in that region.

MEGAN KAPTEIN is a creative hybrid with experience working as an actor, designer, and marketer. Travel is her greatest muse and few things in life bring her as much joy as being on two wheels.

Janet Wilson and Tom Feuchtwanger, Canada Overlanding before the digital age

This talk will descibe what it was like to go on the road for an extended length of time 40 years ago, before the advent of digital aids.

'Overlanding' is not new, only the term is. In 1974 shortly after we were married and had just graduated, Janet and I took every penny we owned and flew to Germany from our home in South Africa. Here we purchased a used Renault 12 which became our home and mode of transportation for the next 8 months. From Germany we headed east to Turkey then west to Lisbon after which we traveled all the way to the Arctic in Norway.

We ended our European adventure in Munich, after which we returned home with $25 in the bank, a bun in the oven and one possession; a pair of reindeer horns from Lapland. The trip started a life long love affair with overlanding which continues to this day. The talk will be a trip down memory lane for those with grey hair and an education for those without!

Janet Wilson and Tom Feuchtwanger have a deep love of travelling the world, exploring it's wilderness, wildlife and peoples. During the early 70's they spent many years living in the African bush where Tom worked as an exploration geologist. Their first overland adventure in 1974 was in a Renault in which they traveled around Europe.

They completed 3 overland trips circumnavigating 80,000km across Africa. In 2010 they drove from Alaska to Argentina completing a 65,000km overland journey in 18 months.

"Nothing is more addictive than traveling off the beaten track across the globe. 87 countries and still on the move."

Olivier Preston How I Fell in Love with Riding Riding in Vietnam and the Himalayas

No one plans to fall in love. That's how it was for Olivier. At 23-years-old, with no plan, no prior experience, and even less money, he's just back from a solo motorbike trip in Vietnam and India. He learned to ride a bike in Vietnam... after he bought the bike... and travelled 4000 km from Ho Chi Minh to Hanoi. He then rode along the border to China for 10 days, followed by a trip through the Spiti Valley in the Himalayas in India for 20 days, having rented a Royal Enfield Thunderbird in Manali and traded some items for a tent in India. He's big on inspiring people to ride and travel as they are "by far the coolest experiences of (his) life."

It doesn't have to be that complicated to make a trip like this happen. Olivier didn't plan his trip in India until he arrived there, and relied on meeting people and asking questions. He firmly believes riding a motorcycle is one of the best ways to visit a country now and is very excited to do some more travelling by bike. While he encourages people to ride in the Himalayas in India or Nepal, he's a huge fan of the Spiti Valley which is a hidden gem for motorcyclists - a popular recommendation based on conversations with many motorcyclists from India.

Olivier just graduated university and is totally smitten with riding. Now that he's back in Canada AFTER his travels, he'll be getting his motorcycle license soon!

Francis Walsh, VanIsle ADVenture Moto The Adventure Starts... When The Plan Falls Apart 5 friends + 5 KTMs + 5 months... London to Seoul. What could possibly go wrong??

With plenty of collective experience and loads of preparation of both ourselves and our bikes, a plan was carefully put together to travel in 2017 to Mongolia and beyond. Unplanned events (interestingly enough, all of them happened after participation in an exorcism) such as a head-on collision, denied border entry, expiring visas, and a lost passport resulted in formulating Plans B, C, D, and more. How did it turn out? How many letters are in the alphabet? It was quite the Adventure!

Like most first-generation Irish-Chinese Canadians, FRANCIS WALSH was bitten by the travel bug early. He's been fortunate to have visited 60+ countries on six continents in the past 30+ years, traveling by motorcycle or sailboat whenever he has the chance. His wife tells him his insatiable wanderlust is due to this being his first time on this planet (as far as he knows).

Bob Forster Fly Your Bike - Quick Trip to Europe 2-up on an R1200GS, Air Canada's 'Fly Your Bike' program, and the costs + experiences

In June 2017, Bob and Tracey flew their R1200GS bike from Calgary to Frankfurt to start a 26-day trip through Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Austria, and the Italian Dolomites before returning home. They'll share the pros and cons of shipping your own bike vs. renting, the costs involved, and the documents required. They'll talk about their planning, what went right, what went wrong, and what they'll do differently next time. And, of course, their experience of the places where they stayed, the people they met, and the roads they travelled.

Maria Schumacher and Aidan Walsh, Following Tarmac Kangaroos and Corrugations The length of India - Not on an Enfield

1. Kangaroos and Corrugations

You'd think riding around a first world country like Australia would be plain sailing. And in a way it is: spare parts are easily available and everyone speaks English. It's the rhythms of nature that will pull you this way and that, taking you on a wonderful rollercoaster ride of adventure, survival, and riding fun. The twisties in the snowy mountains will have you lose all track of time while lusciously green Tasmania seems like a world of its own, with wild Tasmanian devils and Pademelons wandering the mushroom carpeted fields. Australia's centre is so vast that a house number like 13501 is not unheard of and people have to drive for miles to mail boxes of any shape and size they fancy. You'll have to bring extra fuel, water and rations just to make it between neighbouring cattle stations, and Jackeroos heard cattle by horseback, motorcycle or helicopter. Bikers across the country will warn you that you shouldn't watch the helicopter in the sky, but flee the inevitable stampede it forebodes. We'll be telling tales of riding through Australia's eastern mountains, exploring Tasmania, traversing the dry and dusty centre, avoiding crocodiles in the north, enjoying encounters with the locals, and - if we have time for it - the wonderful west, too.

2. The length of India - Not on an Enfield

We'll tell you how to go about buying a bike in Delhi that isn't an expensive Enfield (it can be done even without the help of the famous Lali Singh). Then we'll share tales of our 6-month adventure riding around India. First, the freezing cold and stunningly beautiful Himalayas, through the recently flooded Srinagar, where we lived on a boat. The deserts of Rajasthan and the Pushkar camel fair. Bootlegging in Gujarat with its dried up salt planes that flood in the rainy season, almost cutting it off from the rest of India. Christmas amongst the ruins of Hampi and living with a tribe in the tea mountains, and the stunning hippie beaches of Goa and the waterways of Kerala. And, finally, we'll tell you how to sell the bike again.