Well I am American
I broke a Guinness World Record Welcome to www.quadsacrossafrica.com
and that was my second adventure
WELCOME TO JOURNEY TO ESCAPE REALITY was my first.
Oh and I recently raced the Baja 1000

so I would say that it is not true that Europeans are the only ones having the adventure, maybe they are just the ones talking about it

Until now that is

__________________
Did some trips.
Rode some bikes.
Fix them for a living.
Can't say anymore.

... reading this made me scratch my head a little. There is absolutely no way that you need 20,000 USD for a trip like this.
I have been travelling by motorcycle for the past 11 months in South America (Chile, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay) and I average an 15-20 USD per day. There is days I don't spend anything, because I get invited to live with some family and they give me food and everything, other days I just stay somewhere where I like it. Put down my hammock, go to the next Carnicera, get a half a kilo of meat and some bread and thats all I need for the day.

I am only 21 though, started when I was 20 years old and I intend to travel another year and then see where or if I can go to university somewhere.

I wrecked my "first motorcycle" and am about to buy another one in a couple of weeks. The one I have been travelling with was a XT 550 and the one Im about to buy a little bit smaller... but it'll do.
And saying that its "allright but certainly not better" is not really true either... I remember about 2 weeks ago, driving down the Ruta 40.... in the last parts that are actually still "ripio" (gravel), I dont know how many BMW and V-Stroms I overtook, and Im not sure if it mightve just been that they didnt know how to ride, but they werent going faster than 30-40 km/h and I had no trouble going 60-80 km/h with my lighter bike.

I am no mechanic by the way and I don't really have a plan, but what I found to be most important is simply staying calm. Something breaks and its not one of the few things I can fix, I just wait by the side of the road and EVERYTIME someone stops to help. I had the bike on the back of a pickup about 6 or 7 times, rebuild the engine twice, and even though I had to sell the bike (or what was left of it after the latest ****-up) its all going well.

Just do it, and thats not just a cool thing to say, but the truth. There are good people in every country and to me it seems that the less they have the more they're willing to share. Just because someone says that to take a ship somewhere with the bike on it costs that much, doesnt mean it actually does, if your willing to just wait a bit and actually talk to people.

I also got here speaking not a single word of spanish, 11,5 months later Im translating for the few tourists I meet. I made a lot of friends that I can always go back to and thats worth more than anything, it also would most likely not have happened if I never had any problems or wouldve straight away called "the proper authorities".

A couple of pictures for anyone that has FB and is interested....

(https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...0643236&type=3)

Oh Im german btw..... haha....

Lots of admiration for the way you are doing your trip. You've taken up residency on the "less money=more time end of the spectrum (although the combination of bragging about going fast while saying you wrecked your bike shortly afterward makes me wonder how that affects your budget). However.....

Just because people--especially poor people--give to you freely doesn't mean you should give nothing back. In fact, if you've got more than they do (which you do), maybe you should give back more than you take. That's the way it's meant to work, and that's the way most cultures do it all over the world.

This doesn't necessarily mean money, but it often means things you purchase with money: tools, food, clothes, furnishings. I don't mean to denigrate the value of intangibles you may also bring--labor, news and stories of the larger world, whatever. But poor people are poor, and you're not.

Just something to think about.

Enjoy your trip!

Mark

I actually am, what makes you think I'm not?

Oh and I certainly give what I can, but I don't carry a whole lot, especially nothing that I don't need. So what is it that you suggest? Me not travelling or me having more money? I don't really see myself as the bad person here, as I really don't cost them a lot. They dont give me their guest room that they would've otherwise rented out to someone, I sleep in my hammock in their backyard or on the couch/ floor. And if they really couldn't share then they wouldn't. Really only proved that you don't need to have a lot to share, and as soon as I don't need something or I can help them out somehow (which has happened quite a few times) I do what I can.

Sadly having a german passport doesn't instantly make me one of the rich.

/edit: Oh and I didn't wreck it as in having an accident, but rather breaking the engine block ... from the inside you could say. Also I didnt mean to be bragging. I wouldnt say I was going fast, I'd say the BMW were going slow, as even though everyone tells you they are THE Adventure Motorcycle (which is a pretty important tag to be on all expensive travelling tools) and that the BMW GS 1200 is just made for this job, it simply isn't. I had trouble picking my bike up with the winds on the road here and I don't want to imagine picking up a BMW here.

Thanks for replying though, hope you get my point. Last thing I want to do while travelling is exploit anyone.

I think some of this is about language uncertainties, which makes me glad we're not conversing in German! Glad to hear you are keeping on the positive side of the ledger.

One of the main differences between people who claim cheap trips and people who report expensive ones is the price of fuel. Riding a lot of miles, I used a lot of fuel--I'm guessing I spent 6 or 8,000 USD in a year in Latin America. Riding fewer miles, you're spending less on fuel. That's a big part of why you're traveling more cheaply than I, and most other, riders. A fast trip is expensive; a slow one can be much cheaper. No mystery there.

Another major difference is lodging. Staying places for free or very cheaply will save a lot over the course of a year or two. If I spent $20 per night more than you, that's another US$7300 on a yearlong trip. Most riders spend more than you, and mostly they do it willingly, by choice. No mystery there, either.

Another difference is the bike. I used a KLR, leaving home with almost 50k miles (80k km) on it and returning with 95k miles (155k km). I'm still using it. Blowing up, crashing, selling or abandoning the bike is a real cost of the trip. Buying a new bike in order to take a long trip, or buying a new one halfway through is a real cost. Needing an engine rebuild or having a final drive shipped to who-knows-where is a real cost. Etc.

FWIW, "everyone" tells you all sorts of stuff, including about BMW's. Ragging on them is a good way to start a pointless argument and render this thread useless.

enjoy,

Mark

Um, well...

Concerning the first four paragraphs:

I don't remember writing that I don't understand why I spend less. It's quite obvious that you'll end up spending less when you spend less, isn't it?!
Simply pointing out that I do.

And concerning the last paragraph;

I don't have a problem with anyone spending more money on whatever they choose to, including doing the trip with a different/ bigger bike and I don't have anything more to say on the BMW Topic, simply that it is my opinion that the only thing that makes BMW's popular among travellers, is that it rarely breaks down.
But you're right that this is not the place for this discussion, especially as it's mainly a matter of preference.

Have a good day !

I took this: " ... reading this made me scratch my head a little. There is absolutely no way that you need 20,000 USD for a trip like this." to mean "I don't understand why anyone thinks it's so expensive." Probably another language thing.

So ok, never mind.

Mark

"BMUU'S rarely break down" That's the biggest myth in motorcycling, the best marketing in the business has much to do with popularity. Off topic I know but if I had a dollar for every fully kitted out BMUU GSA I've seen obviously only purchased for the Image - I'd have that $20,000 bucks !!!!!

What people seems to forget is the life at home is not for free.
So all the costs travelling is not "extra"

You eat at home. I does not have to cost more if you travel South America or Asia.
You pay your rent at home. That amount will easily pay camping on camping grounds in cheap countries.

No bills for electricity, water, heating... to pay

I will soon retire from work. And I will get a low pension that is on the limit to live a decent life in west Europe. But that will be enough to travel South America.

Holy thread bounce Batman

Very good OP I thought. I don't think there's any real difference in propensity to travel being American or otherwise. Lindbergh was American, one of the most dedicated travellers I know is American. But Americans have the advantage of a vast country on their doorstep with no need for passports, visas or currency exchange, it's not unnatural to feel there is a lot to do there. And you only need to cross one border to travel even further. So it's kinda circumstantial really.

As for the money to travel, everyone has different thoughts on it. When I was young and unencumbered I could just jump on a bike and ride round Europe for pretty much as long as I wanted. If I racked up some debts, I worked to pay them off. Now, older, debt free and once again time rich I can go further abroad and stay for longer, but I do have to be careful that what I spend doesn't leave me short when I need it to live on, too old to want to flog my guts in the daily grind. Living at home isn't free, no, but it's a damn sight cheaper than life on the road. I'm not buying fuel every day, constantly buying parts for the bike, I'm not staying in hotels, or eating in cafes and restaurants. Yeah I could live on bread, cheese and water under canvas but I can see that attraction of that fading after a short time. The rule of thumb number for travel costs is $60 a day - more in the west, less in the east. I don't spend anywhere near that living at home.

In the end some people work like hell and save up for their trips, some sell up (and come back to what, I wonder?), others claim they work on the road. The holy grail seems to be blogging your way round the world, I prefer to avoid such commercial writings. But there are no magic shortcuts, money is money and for most of us it doesn't grow on trees. You need to cut your coat according to your cloth, trade off a stable lifestyle for one that is far more precarious (financially as well) and decide what matters more to you. If you run out of money on the road it won't be fun so plan, plan, plan.

Interesting to revisit this thread during Covid 19 lockdown from a saving point of view.
Leaving aside earning potential, at this troubled time, I suspect people who are still earning are saving a lot more than usual: no restaurants, pubs, hairdressing....... the list goes on.
There used to be a program on TV in the UK called ‘Pay your mortgage off in 2 years’. It basically looked at 2 aspects of people’s lives - earning and saving.
1 - Improve your earnings by utilising your skills and possessions and work as much as you can.
2 - spend as little as you can.

I’d certainly like to know how Raven got on
There is a chance that things won’t get back to normal for a year or two. Instead of eating into savings for a trip planned for next year, I’m going to start saving (as soon as I get back to work) and see what happens

^ Certainly the case for me as well. A few weeks ago (or was it months ago now?) my girlfriend and I have been looking over more ways to spend money particularly due to a planned trip to Mexico and we have some stuff bookmarked like this page, but now... I'm resigned to the fact that we might not feel completely safe leaving for the next year or so. Disappointment management in some way. I'd also feel more secure putting the money I'll manage to keep for a rainy day.

I've told myself that I need to just forget about any international travel for the next year, and count myself lucky to be able to do some travel right here in British Columbia.

Hotels and such are supposed to come out of lockdown on June 1st, so some friends and I are planning to rent a house in the BC interior via AirBnB, VRBO.com, etc. and do a bit of a road trip up there. Stay for a week, ride back.

My suggestion is to plan similar getaways in your local neck of the woods, and remember that there's always next year!

__________________
Bruce Clarke - 2020 Yamaha XV250

It's clear that OP means "from the USA" by the term "American" so I'm responding on this assumption, and answering with some care, since the topic can become somewhat political.

I think, as others have mentioned, that a driver for people from the USA is that holiday/vacation time is tiny, so people perceive that a multi-month trip is not feasible. This has already been mentioned. A second key point is that health care is by far the most expensive on the planet, which is apparently what the country wants. This adds significantly to living costs for many. Health coverage for a multi-month trip is not cheap. In addition if your health care is through your employment, then what others in the world may choose to do is less accessible. In Australia, for example, as well as having what people from the USA would consider long annual vacation time, every so often you can take "long leave", which is what many Australians do to travel either around Australia or overseas. Since health care is not a concern, it's also not uncommon to work for a short term contract (1-3 years) and then take a trip before looking for another contract.

My first "big trip" was following a contract like this - it was my first full time employment - I fulfilled the contract then took off in August and travelled until January. I did this as economically as possible - hitchhiking through Africa. I seem to recall that it worked out at around USD 10 a day, including a number of expenses for things like climbing Kilimanjaro, a few flights to get to interesting places, a good hotel every so often, so not "roughing it" in my view.

Our last "big trip" was around Australia for 10 months. We both consult and can take a year off every couple of years - save for a year, travel for a year, more or less. We camped about 2/3 of the time to make it possible in terms of cost (an unpowered campsite in Australia averages USD 25 a day). I was ill once - went to the local clinic (Pine Creek), had all the tests they could run, they sent me to hospital in Katherine (an hour's drive) - they offered to take me in an ambulance, however we went in our own vehicle. At the hospital, they ran every test under the sun, with diagnosis and prescription. Total bill - Zero.

So, I guess my message is - find a way to get medical coverage, figure out how to take the time off you need, and get on the road.

PS: I'm an American too - citizen of Canada, which, the last time I checked, is in America.