If you are willing to ignore the security warnings then I have another reason travel will be difficult. There is no petrol. Iraqis queue all day to buy from the local vendor. You can buy it on the black market but, besides having to know where, you will still have to wait hours. The primary reason there isn't much electricity in Iraq is the lack of fuel for the power stations. Not sure how long your disguise will last while waiting in an 8-hour queue on a bike with foreign plates.

On the bright side however, you might make the Darwin Awards!

"Unknown gunmen" blew up a fuel station in Kirkuk last night killing one staff and injuring another.

Be warned: war voyeurs are rarely welcomed.

I`m planning only 300-400km in Iraq, so with a full gas of tank from Turkey, this won`t be a problem ...

Marcos,

You sound pretty determined to give Northern Iraq a try (I have also considered the possibility). There is plenty of advice on why not to go, but should you still go ahead with your trip make should you keep the HUBB updated with travels.

Should the worst happen (hopefully it won't!) make sure your friends post your obituary on this site!

Good luck and bon voyage.

Baswacky.

Iraq is without a doubt the most dangerous country on the planet at the moment. If you feel you need bulletproof vests, try to disguise yourself etc., maybe you should consider again, whether or not its a wise place to put ones nose into?

But I dont think they will let you in the country anyway... will probably be for your own good, too.

I spent a few years in the British Army in Germany (just as a humble mechanic, mind), and i understand the attraction of wanting to see a warzone/prove your manliness etc. If you want to tweak the nipples of death then go for it... but you have no right to put your rescuers/recoverers lives' at risk in the process. Enjoy the fear!

As much as I doubt anyone would be seriously considering a trip like this, it's probably worth going through the motions to deter people thinking this is actually possible.

The bulletproof vest. These are a controlled item and cannot be carted around the place like a pair of socks. They are considered the same as firearms in many places - like Turkey and Syria. Get caught with one crossing the border into Syria and you will be looking forward to ten years in a Syrian prison. Get caught with one in northern Iraq and you won't get off that lucky. I expect the Turkish military on the northern Iraq border would assume you are a Kurdish militant and not bother with the questions. But then they are fighting their war and you are dressed as a foreign combatant so what do you expect? I wouldn't be surprised if their Rules of Engagement actually made it legal. Get a border search in any of those countries you propose to ride through and you will be doing bread and water for many birthdays. Of course there is a way to manage it - you could export and then import the vest through each border, but if any of these countries actually allowed it (remember, this is exactly the same as importing a firearm), it would be many birthdays before you got the permits, and you would need to transport it in a rated safe-box. Any way you look at it - very bad idea.

Pottsy is right. If you go missing there will be dozens of people looking for you. There is a relatively large Romanian Embassy in Baghdad and they would be compelled to drop everything and coordinate an investigation into your whereabouts. It would also drag in other countries' assets and the Iraqi Police. They'd probably wish they'd shot you themselves.

This is such a bad idea. It's important that no-one here gets an inkling that it's possible. There are plenty of wars you can go and look at, and being an outsider you might be ok. There are no outsiders in Iraq. There are Romanian troops in Iraq at the moment, and in many eyes that makes you one of the bad guys. If you want to see the place join the army.

Well, for the bullet proof vest, i will be wearing it under my clothes, and if they check it, i would simply say it`s a motorcycle jacket with protection

Well, i know all about the risks of going in Iraq ... I know that i have a good chance of no returning ... But, in my opinion, all that risk is worth for what i would get in return. At this moment, nothing would change my mind, i have almost a week until departure.

Here is my trip plan (only in romanian). Also, here, if i`m lucky enough to make it, i will post my story (in english and romanian).
2 ROTI: Turcia/Iraq/Siria