Here is my RTW map! I'd really thank suggestions.
 

Hello everyone from Spain, and thanks for your time.

:scooter:

On may 23rd 2010 I'll be departuring for my life biggest adventure. I've bought the bike already (Honda Transalp), and right now I'm in the stage of gathering information about the countries I'd like to visit and buying the gear. My plans are quitting my job on march 1st, so I'll have 3 months for visas, paperwork, vaccines and so on.

Te following is my BETA version of my RTW tour. It's planned to take 2 full years of travelling:

La Vuelta - Google Maps

You'll notice ther's a gap in the US: that's because my host American sister is planning that part of the route. Soon I'll fill that part up as well.

I'd really THANK a lot if you could provide me with some feedback from your countries or places I'm missing.

Again thanks for your time.

Hey,

Pretty impressive being that organized that far in advance, kudos to you.

Couple of quick comments, not sure if I would quit my job so much in advance of leaving. Unless money isn't as issue, the extra cash can be put to very good use in extending your trip or partaking in some activity in one of the countries that you visit that might normally be outside of your budget. You are pretty organized, start now and get all the things done you can in the months leading up, save every penny, quit your job and head off the next week, who knows when/if you'll come back.

As for the route, it'll change for sure and it's hard to really plan a continent ahead, let alone a country or two ahead, but looks interesting as a general routing.

A couple of random suggestions:

Doubt you'll be able to pass through Burma so you'll have to make a hop.
In Australia, most people ride down the east coast instead of the down the center.
If you going to cross part of Zimbabwe for the fun of it, it might be more interesting to cross through the whole thing and exiting at Victoria Falls.
In Argentina, the route up the center is interesting, perhaps preferable to the coastal route.

Hope that helps in some small way.

Oh my! I just realized that Burma is forbidden for foreigner bikers. Thanks so much, MountainMan!. Oh, #!!@!, I thought only China had that complication.

- About Australia, I wanted to see the center because of the desert, the kangaroos, and so on. By doing bht desert and coast, I think I can have the flavor of the whole country. Any australians around that can comment on this?.
- As far as Zimbawe goes, I just followed the main roads, but it might be interesting to go through Bulawayo.
- I'll make sure I'll check the Argentina part with someone from the country. Thanks for the tip.

And as far as the job goes... I really REALLY need to get out of there :D
Besides, I'd need the time for embassies, learning mechanics, basic medicine, paperwork, doing a small beta test with full lugage, tent, and so on. I can't wait to quit my job, really.

I you have more thougths, please let me know, it's really helpful indeed.

In regards to Oz, there is a certain beauty to the interior, but be aware that you'll get a fair bit on the way south from Darwin until you head east. It's pretty standard to head down and hit Ayers Rock and then head across to Cairns. I wouldn't miss the great barrier reef there, it is a wonder of the world after all.

As for Zim, along the same lines but Victoria Falls is pretty spectacular and the Zim side is bigger. You can always drop in from the Zambia side but they'll likely charge you another visa fee to get back in so most cheap motorcycle travellers won't want to pay again:)

Either way though, many routes to choose form.

The red centre of Oz will certainly be an eye opener, and you will probably see more Emu than Roos although there will be no shortage of them either.

BUT, Lotsa nothing in between think hours of riding without seeing anything very spectacular except for the vast nothingness thet is the interior. Having said that I love it, has a beauty that is impossible to describe.

Be awre that Summer out there is bloody hot on a bike - think hot enough for 2nd degree burn if you touch a chrome part of the bike with bare skin. Summer in the North is wet season and you will be confined to major highways and it will rain lots.

Cairns is a tourist trap but if you ignore that the north of Queensland is a tropical wonderland with heaps to keep you amused and take your cash.

Hope that helps.

If you can manage it, don't dismiss New Zealand on your way from Australia. Some amazing roads here to explore - particularly the South Island.

As an Australian I agree that it would be a pity not to see the Great Barrier Reef while it's still there to see. There's speculation that it could be bleached by global warming in a few years.

However I also enjoy riding in the outback and I understand why you've chosen your route. If you do ride down the centre make sure you make the detour to Uluru (Ayers Rock).

And along the Victorian coastline be sure to include the Great Ocean Road.

Finally I have to recommend that you include New Zealand on your itinerary. It's a stunningly beautiful country.

timing of the seasons
 

Hi,
you are leaving about the same time as we are but we are travelling in opposite directions!
We are planning to 'winter' in Spain or Morocco and wait for the seasons to change before moving on to the second leg, you should think of doing the same. Find somewhere cheap in Asia to sit around until the start of the Australian Autum / winter, then ship to northern Australia.
Central Australia is very hot in summer and you cannot travel through northern Australia during summer because of the rain. It would be a pity to not explore north of Cairns all the way to Cape York Penninsula, while you are on the continent.
You also want to be arriving in Chile in late spring early summer. I have travelled through Tierra Del Fuego in December and it was sleeting, and the mountain passes between Chile and Argentina were covered in heavy snow. So keep an eye on the seasons.

Simon

Wow great travel, 2 years adventure and fun: GREAT!

If you are interested you can watch some of our RTW movies and read some storys on our website: Life Is Joy - Home

Enjoy.

Lucky you, having 2 years to travel! I really doubt you'll keep to your proposed route and that's half the fun anyway.

Re: India
I don't think you'd be getting the most out of the country by sticking to the coast the whole way round. For a start, it's not that easy to ride down the Konkan coast and Western Ghats south of Mumbai unless you have a lot of time to spend on very small rural roads which meander according to the coastline and water inlets.

You could ride down the N17 but I still can't see any specific point. It's a busy and chaotic main road with nothing of particular interest. If I were you, I'd choose a few interesting places to visit in India and then link them together. For example, I would recommend a visit to Goa (down the N17) and then a ride inland to Hampi which your route misses.

Do a bit of research and I'm sure there are other fantastic places worth visiting away from the coast. Have fun. :thumbup1:

Stephan

Hello everyone and thanks for your suggestions!!

- Australia: I've changed the route so I'll get to visit the Great Barrier Reef and Ayers Rock, avoiding as much as I can from the rainy north. I didn't know they were so many Australians reading this :D
- Zimbabwe: I've avoided Zambia and the route is a bit more logical now. Please, MountainMan, let me know if I've understood your advices.
- India: Yes, you're right, Stephano. My route was decided only by the Ocean, I did a small ammount of research, and although I'm sure most of the route will be decided by local's suggestions, now it's a bit more logical, I'm including big highlights like Ajanta 1 and Ellora, Jaiselmer, Khajuraho, Mysore, Sanchi, Kolkata, Bhubaneshwar, Varanasi, Goa, and the golden triangle.

SimonR: Transit in Tierra de Fuego is scheduled for December-January. Do you mean in those months I can get snow?. Besides that, being from Spain, I strongly recommend you to stay during the winter in Morocco. Mom lived there (in Larache) and food and weather are spectacular during the winter, and living is extremely cheap. Southern Spain's weather is OK, but living can be a bit expensive.

Please, people, if you have any further suggestions or advices for this route, I'd LOVE to read them.

+1 for Hampi in India.

Hi, I'm from Chile and I'm planning a 2up RTW for next year too.

I can coment you that in december-march is the best time to go to Tierra del Fuego, maybe you can find some snow in the highs, but definetly is the best time.

some parts I can recomend you to visit are: Isla de Chiloé (stay some days there and meet their culture), carretera austral, region de los lagos

saludos!

Hey Saliada,

You are one organized dude, I can imagine that productivity at work is at a all time low as you will spend all your time planning and dreaming about the trip:)

In general, the most important things are to decide a rough route, with some specfic countries in mind. The exact route through those countries can roughly be guessed at, but the final route depends on a lot of things to be determined when you get there, or get close. I wouldn't worry too much about it at this point.

In regards to Zim, the main reason I mentioned it was that your initial routing had you going into the country, and since you were already going in, you might want to head over ot Vic Falls. Just so you are aware, not many tourists at are heading there the last couple of years, most bypass and go through Zambia. If you are interested in economics and the study of government gone bad, it's a fascinating place. A litre of petrol cost about $25,000,000 Zim dollars when I was there a couple of years ago. Didn't see a single tourist. You'll want to see what the conditions are like when you get closer before you make a final decision. There is a member of this site who lives in Bulawayo, so they know more about current conditions than anyone.

In regards to Tierra del Fuego, you will be there in the height of summer, December/January is pretty close to the peak riding season. In many high mountain passes, snow is a possibility in any month of the year, but certainly not probable. Your biggest challenge on riding down there at that time of year is going to be wind.

Wonderful trip.

You said that is a problem to pass thru China, but in your map are considering cross China from Kirgizstan to Pakistan. Is that correct?

Ivan2332: Yes, I've seen there is no way to avoid China, so I'm taking the shortest route possible. China doesn't allow free transit in its country, they only let you go through if you hire a guide and a driver, which sucks. So I'm basicaly reducing the one-month I had originally dreamed from Mongolia to Tibet to around 5 days or so. The other possibility is soaring through Afganistan, I think I prefer China for obvious reasons :)

Zaplaje: Saludos, amigo. I'm including your thee highlights in my route. My trip must-sees is growing wildly. :) Please be sure to post your RTW map here so we can all learn from each other. If you need advice on Spain, please let me know.

MountainMan: I think I missunderstood your previous suggestions. Do you mind please to briefly describe the route you'll take to go from South Africa to Victoria Falls?.

Why are you going north just before Turkey?
If you would travel Turkey-Iran-Pakistan there would not be a China crossing....

Jopos: I really want to get a little bit of flavour of Ukraine/Russia/Kazajstan. Besides, something tells me that soon Iran won't be a safe place :(

hola!!!

I posted my RTW map and plans here, is in the 2nd page of route planning.

I have 2 big problems, I really like to cross Africa by the north coast but it's seems to be really dificult and expensive (algeria-libia), and I'm still searching the perfect route for that part. Also when I did the map I don't knew that you can enter China... but I read that some people did it on their own bikes, so may be we will try when we will there.

You can visit here in Chile Chaiten... a city who was destroyed by a volcano some time ago, Caleta Tortel (in the carretera austral)

if you go south throw Chile, do it by the coast, the Panamerican High Way is very boring and full of paytoll (o como se diga!!!)

saludos

ivan2332: Most likely Honduras situation will be temporary. The guy cannot be confined in the Brazilian embassy for a very long time period, and I'm sure US and Europe will force in the near future elections.
Darien Gap... is just a matter of money I guess.

Hi mate,

Very jealous!

A couple of tiny notes about your Australian plans from an expat-Aussie. Even if you don't go to the top of Cape York (top north-east corner) I'd plan to go north from Cairns as far as Cooktown through the Daintree (season permitting of course)

I'd also head a bit further south down the east coast before striking inland - it's lovely countryside, particularly the area around Byron Bay & Lismore, so I'd probably turn inland at Port Macquarie. (I was born in Moree so I can get away with saying you probably won't miss much :) )

Finally a few more must-sees on or near your rough route so you can make sure you don't miss them...

• The West MacDonnell ranges near Alice Springs - do the loop that heads west from Alice, around to Palm Valley, Kings Canyon and then to Uluru.
• Silverton near Broken Hill
• Wilpena Pound in South Australia

Very, very jealous. Very.

Rob

Hi, RobRoy, and thanks for your time!

I'm slightly scared about the rain during the summer, that's why I'm avoiding north. However, thanks for your advice, I'll be soon adding up your suggestions.

:)

For your planning (and others reading this thread) I put together a map with suggested route west and south from Alice Springs. Note I wouldn't recommend this in (southern hemisphere) summer - its for the middle of the year (local winter).

West MacDonnell Ranges - Google Maps

Once again, enjoy your trip.

Rob

Hello mate!

As for Australia there is also the Great Alpine Road (GAR) in Victoria. Best to ride from north to south, imo.

New Zealand is a must! No more to say. There is probably some kiwies on here that can tell you about some of the beautifully mountain roads in the farm country in south island.

I tried to open your google map with no success, so I dont know if your planing on going to Scandinavia.
Everybody is going to tell you that it is very expensive, and it is expensive, but you can choose what to buy an what to drink, and so do it cheaper!

I have done a few trips to the west of Norway and had some eye opening, jaw dropping and giggling moments in my helmet.

Cheers Tom

I admire your planning but once you get on the road you may find the adventure takes a road all itself. My advice is to quit planning and when March 1st comes along hop on your bike and let the adventure begin.

Here is a quote from a smarter man than both of us.

"Preparation is an art not a science, detailed planning necessarily fails due to the inevitable frictions it encounters: chance events, imperfections in execution, and the independent will of the opposition." Von Clausewitz, military strategist.

Hallo.
Are You will go to boring places like Chelyabinsk & Ekatirenburg and not will go to Moscow?

" Oh, #!!@!, I thought only China had that complication. ..."

Didn't realise you couldn't travel through China - I was planning on heading to S. Korea.

Good luck with trip!

d.

thanks everyone for your messages!!!!!
 

Tomlen: I'd surely love to go north, but my trip is planned to head east from Spain. However, I've been twice in the Scandinavian peninsula, and I agree it's wonderful. I'm afraid I have no time for New Zealand... however, I wonder.... what about leaving the bike in Indonesia and taking a small jump to NZ and doing a 5/10 day train/bus route over there?

Ilya: I did a wonderful trip this summer driving from St. Petersbourg (4 days, LOVED it) to Moscow (4 days) through Tihkvin, Cherepovets, Yaroslav'l and so on (6 days). That's why Moscow isn't in my route. However, people are trying to convince me to avoid the Stans and Russia, and head east directly from Turkey... I'm undecided. I find very appealing the ghostly landscapes that comunism left in the Soviet Union.

QuadsAcrossAfrica: I agree the route WILL change, simply because it gets affectted by the people yo meet on your way. But I surely need to make a planning, specifically for the visas. My original route had a huge 2-month gap in China, and now I know I can't do it, so I think planning is necessary. After closing up the route, I'll need to investigate on borders, countries, language, food, religion... There is soooo much to do! :)

RobRoy: Thanks for the map. I'm including it in my own road.

Thanks everyone for your messages!!!

Wow
 

Wow,

NICE plan - congrats my friend, and I thank you for the added inspiration for our endeavours kicking off in 2011.

As a "KIWI" - and I know you have a plan already - but I must recommend you reconsider not stopping in New Zealand. I've travelled a fair bit, ridden extensively in the USA and would say, we have some of the best roads/scenery available. Think of Colorado X 100 = South Island NZ.

We are so far from anywhere, you won't ever be closer!

Two weeks (3 or 4 would be better of course) would do the South Island, and 2 weeks would do the North Island.

If pushed for time, skip the North Island (Where I live) and do the South.

Our hospitality is huge - hop on Kiwi Biker - New Zealand motorcycle community and I'm sure you'll have numerous offers of guidance and accommodation. If I can help in any way - please holler.

Whatever you decide, I salute you and wish you safe travels,

Cheers

Pete :thumbup1:

Hi, my kiwi friend!!!

I'm seriuosly considering NZ after listening to Kiri Te Kanawa on Tarakihi.

However, this is THE question:

How do I get there AND then to Australia AND then to South America without being broke a month later?.

Hola from Andorra,

Maybe you want to add one country to your list ?
You have a couch here in my home !

I wish you a very nice rtw trip !

Gracias, cocozz :D

At least the areas that I´ve got any knowledge of, you generally seem to have it worked out pretty well.... and naturally, the plan is just a plan, that can and will change along the way.

Europe:
I´d still consider doing Scandinavia, especially the Norwegian coast, even though it is a bit expensive, but the vistas are just unreal. It does, however, rain a lot in there, so you´ll need a bit of luck to catch it at a good time... and if your from Spain, it´s not impossibly far to do some time later. If you do go that way, Lapland (north Finland) is also great in the midsummer, when the weather favors you. Norway is definitely more spectacular, but Lapland has its own charm, too. If riding south to Helsinki, I find the eastern part of the country more exciting than the west.

edit. If you go Thessaloniki, dont miss the Meteora monasteries, or the Athos mountain. I might consider going a little bit further south in Greece, too - Santorini was especially great, but requires taking ferries. Might be possible to find a boat to take you to the Turkish coastline from somewhere near Athens, too.

Asia:
China seems to be possible, but needs to be arranged well ahead, and also very expensive, so a short crossing to the KKH makes sense. There´s been some information about Vietnam also being possible just lately, but only if arranged much like China, so a big headache, and lots of money spent. Burma seems nearly impossible.

Going via Iran to Pakistan to India (skipping China & Afghanistan) has been possible, but getting Iranian visa may be a problem for certain passport holders; it´s a great country with wonderful people, and the same goes for Pakistan; you´ll probably monitor the political situation in both countries anyway, before making decisions.

Cambodia, Laos & North Thailand all highly recommended, and do take your time and enjoy. Dont forget to take in some curvy roads around Chiang Mai, too, you just won´t find better roads for motorbikes anywhere!

Indonesia was great, too - we just made a huge mistake, as we only got the 30 day visa-on-arrival. 30 days wont make any justice to that country, it´s one of the most fascinating places I´ve ever been to, and hauntingly beautiful. But going is slow, and when and if the ferries will leave, etc., seemed like anyones guess.

South Africa:
Could be worth doing small detours to Lesotho, Swaziland and maybe also Kruger National Park, it´s very different than Etosha in Namibia, for example. Unfortunately I never had the time to go further north than Inhambane in Mozambique, but the country was fascinating. I´m not sure, if I´d ride all the way through Zimbabwe, I might try to go north to Lake Malawi (havent been there yet, though), and then go to Zambia & Vic Falls. The falls are at their best, when water levels in the Zambezi are high, and it could be worth checking them out from both Zimbabwean and Zambian side, like I did. There´s activities for several days in the falls area. The Okavango Delta could also be worth a detour, if your timing is right. There´s also lots and lots of wonderful places to see further down in Namibia, I´d allow at least a few weeks there.
(But do note, that my info from these southern African countries is from 2001/2002, so this may be partly outdated).

Australia:
The southern part of Western Australia was well worth a visit in my opinion, and everyone kept raving about the Kimberley area (between Darwin & Perth) even though we never had the time to go there (we went east, crossing the Nullarbor)... but that sure would be one hell of a detour, for which you´d need at least several weeks. And parts of the south resembled the Mediterranean to me (the latitudes are similar, too, even though this is southern hemisphere of course), so if your from Spain, I dont know if that´s a good or a bad thing. May be you´ll want to see northern Queensland and other tropical regions more.

Wow, dude, thanks so much for this huge reply.

I've avoided obvious areas because I already know them well (like Scandinavia that you mention).

If I have to be honest, I'm having serious thoughts about Australia, I dunno if, at last, I'll end up going there. It looks way too similar to any European country. I have mixed thoughts about it. Will I get the type of adventure I'm looking for?. Who knows.

China: just five days. My original dream project was through Mongolia and down to Tibet through the east coast of China, but then I started reading. It pisses me off a LOT to have an escort following all my steps just because the government doesn't have self-confidence enough.

Yes, I'm following the political situation in Iran and Pakistan with a lot of worry. I might end up flighting the bike from Kazajstan. In that case, maybe I'll end up jumping to Mongolia and flying form UlanBataar to India, if things get too tense in the middle east.

Africa: I'm still deciding if I shoudh follow east or west coast. I'll keep you posted on that.

Thanks again for your time.

Regarding Australia, I think if you go to its northern regions, you´ll probably feel just as far away from home as you would in equatorial Asia, for example.

Our original plan was to go from Timor Leste to Darwin, but as we were coming from Sumatra and Java, and reached Bali, we heard their president had just been shot, and he narrowly survived, but the situation in East Timor just seemed too unclear, and as I was traveling with my girlfriend I simply felt uneasy taking her there.

So we wimped out - a real shame on the other hand, cos we missed all of Nusa Tenggara then - and freighted by air from Bali to Perth (by Quantas, and VERY expensive, cos went via Melbourne, about 1200 euros just for the freight!!).... once again, if we´d had more time, we could´ve waited for the situation in Dili to calm down, or we could´ve shipped onwards by sea, saving money.

We had the option to go to Darwin, too, but a few Aussies we met in Indonesia, strongly recommended that in March, Perth had better weather. The rainy season had hit the north hard that year, I think. Prices for freight were roughly the same, and for us, Australia was all new, so it didnt really matter. We had only about 5 weeks left, when we arrived in Perth, so could not see but a small part of the country, and couldnt really explore the backroads.

But if you´ve got more time than we had, I think there´s all the adventure you can imagine to be found there. I definitely would not skip Oz - and I´d try to find some time for eastern parts of Indonesia as well. That region is probably not short on adventure, either.

Unless you have unlimited time and money you can't afford to go everywhere, but I think it would be a pity to delete Australia from the itinerary.

Parts of it may be similar to Europe but I haven't seen any European landscape that resembles the Australian outback.

If you can't make it to Australia this time, I strongly suggest you plan to do a separate ride around Australia and NZ some other time. I'm sure you wouldn't be disappointed.

some more info.....
 

hi saliadarunavuelt
have you considered going through from Kyrgystan to Tajikistan (riding The Pamir Hwy absolutley fantastic ride) then heading tino Uzbekistan and visiting the Registan - then Turkmenistan - Iran - Pakistan - India etc...
We have just done this part ...and so if you have any quesitons on these and other areas send me an email
my contact information is on my website
2ridetheworld.com
we have visited quite a few of the countries you are intersted in seeing....have a read of some of our journal - you may find some useful items and GPS refs on it.
have fun planning - but remember - be flexible!
cheers

..me again
 

so..have just had another look at your map...unless things have improved dramatically I would strongly advise against attempting the route in the Amazon from Manaus down to Porto Velho on your own.
2ridetheworld.com : diary
have a read of our journal for that part of the trip. Had Simon been on his own he would not have come out alive. It is not an area to be taken lightly.
please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions you may have.

BTW: in Africa motorcycles are not often allowed into National Parks and/or Game reserves. The only country that didn't care whether we went in or not was Uganda.
Take the time to visit Zambia - its a great country.

Some places are like Europe but in the north and central parts it's a bit different you can ride for hours and not see a soul and in the dry season (March till December) it is about 25-30C every day blue skies cool nights and a billion stars in the sky and the camping is safe and plentiful

here is a few shots from the Pilbara region where I currently live before I head off on my RTW in August only planned the Americas side of thing so far (go to Burning Man Festival in Nevada then ride somewhere, prob south? )

http://i521.photobucket.com/albums/w...y/P6110448.jpg

http://i521.photobucket.com/albums/w...e/PB040105.jpg

http://i521.photobucket.com/albums/w...y/P6180088.jpg

Lisa,

Thanks for your message, I'd send you a PM soon.

olyflyer, your photos are really cool. For the moment, Australia is in the trip. However, I'm most interested in the human adventure rather than the nature one. I'll keep you posted.

Hi there,

As I see your way after Istanbul is heading north through the eastern part of Bulgaria.So,if you need any assistance here,please feel free to contact me or just drop me a line.

Safe travel and happy trip planing:thumbup1:.


Cheers,

Simon

Tx Moni63!

I'll sure contact you for I need advice on a good one-week turkey and a Bulgary's 2/3 days tour :)

Saliadarunavuelta

Hi there.
Your trip looks really cool.:thumbup1: I think you’ll have a blast the next 2 years.

If it was my trip I would rather skip Zim and go from Mozambique into the southern parts of Malawi and then do Zambia. You can still see Vic falls from Zambia’s side and take a helicopter ride at the falls to experience it from both sides. I live in South Africa and know the politics in Zim is bad at the moment. That is the reason I will skip it and rather do Zambia. Don’t get me wrong think it is a beautiful country, just don’t know how safe it is at this point in time.
I’m doing a trip of southern Africa in Aug this year and we skip Zim for the same reason.
Well good luck with the rest of your planning and enjoy your trip!:scooter:

Some ideas
 

Well, lucky you. Your map looks great. Here some ideas,

Turkiye, there is a heck of a lot more than just Istanbul. Take the blacksea coast line sea some great scenery great people and few tourist (even better eh). Than you can hit Georgia and Azarbeycan and carry on the tour of stans.
You may be able to catch a ferry from Trabzon across the blacksea and enter Russia via Sochi. Than hook up with your route.

Or go straight through Konya Kapadokia and hit the Dogubeyazit and IRan. Iran may look different on CNN but still I hear only praises from my friensd who rode there.

Pakistan is apparently doable but bad roads and escort police is obligatory.

ANd of course there is misterious and vast Mongolia but tha seems to f your path.

ANd in Istanbul, let us know your have arrived.:welcome:

Have a great trip

Hi I am also planning RTW this year. I am going as far as Japan with tour company then going my own way.

Anyway to help with your plans I backpacked Australia and New Zeland 10 years ago.
I do not know what you are looking for, yes south Australia has Mediterainian climate but is not the Med. The point is you will see wildlife and things you will not see anywhere else in the world i.e. The great Barrier Reef dive with sharks see the reef. The outback is something else.
I understand why you think you can miss Ausrtalia.
New Zeland is like Scotland where I come from but its about the adventue and the people as well as the scenery I loved it all.

Cheers and good luck
George:thumbup1:

Here's my map that's been in beta for the past 2 years. My expected departure date is August 2011.

It's got a lot of placemarks that may give you some ideas.

Trip v1.1 - Google Maps

Rtw
 

Man I'm tired just thinking about what your going to go through getting ready. I might see you along the way in Europe or the Stans in may/june.
Australia's outback center is a lot of miles (Kms) of the same thing but when you get to someplace different it's really different and it won't tale long to see everything at each place that's different. The Aussies are great no matter where you are.
Good luck to you. Plan for the worst and stay flexible no matter what your route turns into.

nomadb: Yes, i'll make a short (+/-10 days) extension in Turkey. The problem with Georgia is that the border with Russia is closed, unfortunately. And I don't want to miss Romania and Ukraine. However, I promise a tour through Izmir, antalya, mersin, adana, ankara, and back to Istambul. Mongolia... I wish I could, actually my first version of the trip was through Mongolia and down to China, but I was discouraged by the prizes for the China leg.

georgethejock: What I'm looking for is adventure, discovering new ways of undestanding life. Inspiration and fun. Weird foods, smells, and human landscapes. Australia looks (from the distance) too similar to Europe. However, I think I'm going to give it a shot, I think. BTW, check out Motorcycle Rentals Japan - Japan Bike Rentals , they do a wonderful service indeed.

Rockwell: thanks for sharing your map. How do you plan to manage the China leg? And Afganistan?!??!

Kestrel_KLR: Feel free to contact me, we might do a part of the route together. I'm going to expand a bit the Europe part.

Thanks to all. The first important part of the journey has been acomplished: I've officially quit my job ;) On February 28th I'll begin planning the trip full time.

Whoooow :funmeteryes:

My route should go through Pakistan, not Afghanistan; although I was reading a ride report on advrider.com of two guys riding through Afghanistan. They seemed to have no problems, although I don't think I will brave that country (since our Canadian military is in that country).

Burma and mainland China are two big question marks on my route (that's why it's still in beta). I have been researching quite a bit trying to get more info about travel through there. The general consensus is that it's not really possible, but I have also read otherwise. Check out the thread I started on it here:

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...gh-burma-47949

Sweet, dude. Unfortunately, I cannot quit my job just yet. I have 18 months until my planned departure date; and still have quite a bit of saving to do.