Planning a 2022 RTW trip. Rate my basic budget?
 

Disclaimer: title is wrong, plans is to leave in June 2022.

Hi all!

Planning to leave for a 2022 RTW starting in Switzerland and hopefully ending in Canada one and a half to two years later. I've got a rough idea of the route and the costs involved but I thought I'd ask what you guys think to be sure it's doable.

A bit of context: I'm 33, I don't mind camping, couch surfing and hostels but I also think there'll be a few hotels here and there to recharge (once every month maybe?). I also like to have a few drinks at night and party once in a while. So I'm guessing I won't be roughing it out as much as some of you budget wise.

Route starts in Switzerland, will go through Iran, the Stans, the China pass to Pakistan, India, Myanmar, Thailand (hopefully) then all the way to Indonesia where I'll be shipping the bike to S-America and go up north to N-America.

Basic budget: below (bike cost/vaccines/equipment costs etc are not included as this will be paid before the departure from a current account and not my savings for the trip).

• Eat/Drink/Sleep/Repairs/Misc: 24'000$
• Fuel: 4'000$
• Shipping (Indo to Chile): 2'000$
• Shipping (Colombia to Panama): 1'000$
• Shipping (Canada to Europe): 1'500$
• Flights tickets: 1'200$
• China Crossing: 1'300$
• CDP: 500$
• Visas: 500$
• TOTAL: 35'000$ or so

So that's what I have for now... Would you think it's reasonable enough ? Can I last 500 days on that? Or that would mean camping everyday and saying goodbye to my 6 O'Clock coldbrew? beer

Thanks a ton!:mchappy:

To compare the travelling costs is unfortunately not very satisfying.

Each traveller has his own habit of spending the money abroad. One eat just the best meat/fish who is available, others are happy with cheaper noodles at the menue.

To stay more days in cheaper countrys, be speedy in expensive countrys - can shift your costs extremly.

Shipping, Visa, Insurance, fuel is given for the same route others did - the rest is so much "up2you"

But I`m shure other bikers can help you a bit. For the car worldtrippers often an amount of 80 USD a day is to read in the blogs and websites.

For me that is not very valid - with the reasons adressed above.

I wish you a nice trip anyway! Greetings from zurich :cool4:

Surfy

I'll agree that the basic, most valid answer is "it depends." Beyond that, I'm just noticing that where you've been specific about easily-quantifiable costs (visas, fuel, shipping, CDP, flights, etc.), you're either underestimating or counting on everything going just about perfectly. With my US passport, I'd spend a lot more than this on visas--if you're Swiss, this might be different for you. I've definitely spent more on fuel in just a year. A CDP would cost me quite a bit more, as have flights.

Plus: your budget doesn't appear to include many of those optional extras which sometimes turn out to be the real point of a trip--special tours and activities, or the times when you leave the bike behind in order to, say, go to Antarctica, take a dugout up the Sepik, sail through Guna Yala, or learn to [choose any three of the following: rock climb, kite sail, scuba dive, ski mountaineer, go spelunking, speak another language, mountain bike, kayak amongst whales, paraglide, bungy jump, play the kora.....and more like this].

Caveat: I've not done an actual around-the-world trip, and I don't tend to track expenses very closely. I definitely leave a considerable margin for error when budgeting for long journeys, and I'm usually glad I did.

Hope that's helpful.

Mark

Very much so, thanks!

Agreed that some of the costs where wild guesses or usually taken from other websites/travellers diaries etc.


I've read that any budget you come up with, double it.
And although I'm sure there's some truth to that, I sure hope I don't need 60K for this trip :).

I've been researching like hell for the last 2 months and I'll continue to do so until the big day comes. I'll try to refine that budget as much as I can by then.

Cheers!

In general, I've found that my trips do average out to about 100 EUR a day whatever I do. In your budget, however, markharf is right - some things you are hoping for will get more expensive.

E.g. you've budgeted for crossing China - and that amount is low, it's realistic if you happen to join an existing largish group and share costs, but that assumes you will find one that works with your schedule.

You have not budgeted for crossing Myanmar (definitely needs a guide) and Thailand (may or may not need a guide or extra paperwork, depends on how their government is feeling that week).

Have you researched the shipping from Indonesia to Chile? I'm not entirely sure that's a high-traffic route. Finding a cheap space in a container may be complicated. Not impossible, but talk to freight forwarders there and find out in advance...

1200 dollars to fly yourself both from Indonesia to Chile AND from Canada to Europe is optimistic. Looking right now at tickets for July 2021 on Skyscanner, quotes from Jakarta to Santiago start at about a thousand euros.

Hello

That's what it will come to in reallity.:(

Try to calculate from your previous trips to figure out what you need on food, sleeping, fun etc.
On your next 3-5 week trip write down every cent you spend and make categorys on what you spend it.
Once you know your spending habits you can fill in prices of those costs in other parts of the world.

Only you can figure out what you need to feel happy.
I met riders on a budget that I got a little jealous and others when I thought how can you live like that.

As said above, flights and shipping are low calculated, maybe 50% more.
Shipping by air is fast but expensive, sea is cheaper but takes longer and has hidden costs.
Check out the database here on the HUBB.
One way flight are only a little bit cheaper than round way flights.

Don't forget insurances; medical, accident, rescue, etc. ,also liability for the bike in every country where you need it and can buy it.

Also, costs for storing your stuff at home, depending on your situation.

As a swiss, if your away for more than one year, don't forget to pay the minimal fee for AHV, not a lot but makes a huge difference one day.
Also check out about unemployment regulations for your return.
Starting live again is also easier if your not totaly broke when you come home.
If riding with swiss number plate, pay insurance and taxes back home or give the plate back and ride with a selfemade plate like many cars do, just remenber that then you ride illegal and might face problems with locally bought insurance, especially in USA/CND.

Also a big amount is to break out of the system, paying all bills, tv, gas/elektricity, taxes and many more...
That was a bad surprise for me, didn't expect that much.


And many more little things...

sushi

I did not track it on any trip, transafrika yes, south america not.

If you like a detailed writeup nachodrive is not beatable - very detailed :thumbup1:

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PnlIZ2MZ6...verlanding.jpg

You can look deep as you like into, even any day per country:

http://www.drivenachodrive.com/2015/...und-the-world/

Good to see which country is cheaper, which cost more. And what he spend for more unusual stuff like repairs.

It is for 4x4 travelling, but guess it could be helpful too?

I`m shure there is a biker blog around who did spend the same time for a detailed writeup of the cost?

Surfy

Lots of good advice so I'm not going to repeat it. My perspective is that- yes, it depends. If you visit a lot of National Parks this may cost a lot (e.g., for us (2) to enter Serengeti NP, camping in a public campsite, was USD 380 for one day... ; on the other hand some parks are free). Museums can add up. If you go to special exhibitions they can be USD 50 per person. In some countries museums are free.

You would eat if you stayed at home, so we don;t think about the cost of food (or drink), although obviously if you want to know what your bank balance needs to be to start then I guess this is an element. AS markharf says - if you go to Heron Island on the Great Barrier Reef for a couple of days, or stay in an upmarket lodge in Patagonia, then this will be expensive. Australian campgrounds are expensive (I know you don't plan to visit Australia, however it illustrates the variability).

We plan on USD 100 a day as a guide, then add shipping costs, flights (you may want to fly somewhere for a couple of days instead of 6 days on the road to get there and back). Visas can be expensive, although you'll have to check with a Swiss passport (one of our visas for Europe cost USD 1140 !). Repairs and maintenance vary (inexpensive in Africa, costly in Europe, etc.).

So, my reactions to your budget:

Eat/Drink/Sleep/Repairs/Misc: 24'000$ - should be OK
Fuel: 4'000$ - depends on how far you go - assume that your "Exploring Distance" will be double the most direct route distance.
Shipping (Indo to Chile): 2'000$ - seems low - the freight cost may be less, but there are a lot of "hidden" charges.
Shipping (Colombia to Panama): 1'000$ - probably not bad (although we haven't done this)
Shipping (Canada to Europe): 1'500$ probably not bad (although we haven't done this with a bike - with a 4x4, some while ago, it cost USD2500)
Flights tickets: 1'200$
China Crossing: 1'300$
CDP: 500$ - no idea for you - we've spent as much as USD 2000 with a deposit of USD 1800 (included) which was returned, and as little as USD 250, with a USD 200 deposit returned, so a net cost of USD50 to 200.
Visas: 500$ - see above - could be a lot more. I would assume USD 100 per visa and so for 30 borders this could easily be USD 3000.
TOTAL: 35'000$ or so

NOTE - some border crossings may be problematic: Myanmar, Pakistan, perhaps others - you need to do the research.

Our caveat - we don't track costs either, although this doesn't mean we don't take care to ensure we're spending wisely. Haven't done a round the world trip as such, however we've done long trips (South America, Africa, Australia) and lots of shorter trips (Canada, USA, Central America, Europe, Asia).

Its totally impossible to tell or advise totally about budgets as its totally individual and depends of so many factors. However I can see that a few things are missing on your budget suggestion and that is insurances, travel insurance for yourself in case of medical emergencies and bike insurance as in most countries around the world its mandatory to have at least third party coverage.

Shipping Colombia - Panama with Sthalratte was 1200 USD 2 years ago and its probanly more now. But there might be other alternatives of course.

In general I would say money goes out faster than most travellers think so its better to calculate a budget a little more than you think at first. Theres always some expences that comes that are not planned. Dentist, forgot your gloves at last hostel and need to buy new ones etc etc just to use some of my own examples.
Then - if you make a budget - stick to it! Write down all your expences and calculate each and every day and week.

Rule of life - it will cost more than you think.

My travels by motorcycle for 6-8 months at a time over the last few years have ended up costing me about $60-70 a day for everything except major freighting activities. Major air freight never seems to leave much change from $2000.

I don't try and skimp and do it at minimum cost, but neither do I spend up big (more camping and hostels than hotels, mainly locals meals, one beer a night etc). Even with this lifestyle for two years I would expect to spend around $50,000.

I reckon you could do it on your budget but it would be very tight and you might end up running out of money early. Good luck with your planning.

Sent from my moto g(8) plus using Tapatalk

What's the old saying..?
Put everything you think you'll need on the bed before you pack it...
Now, pack half the stuff and twice the money!

Thanks a ton for all your messages and wise words.

Indeed it's always best to be cautious and plan lots more money that I might think is sufficient.

Getting to around 35'000$ will still be my ultimate goal before leaving as I don't think I can save much more than that in the next 2 years and I don't want to postpone the trip until 2023.

All in all, I might only get to Australia in a year which is already a great success in my book. If money is short by then, I'll know it's time to come back. I still think 35K in pocket the day I leave should last me quite a bit. I did 9 months backpacking trip when I was 20 in SE Asia with 10K or so I believe and that's without any camping/couchsurfing and with plenty of drinking/activities and a few flights. So we'll see.

If I manage to still have some funds, I'll evaluate then what to do and where to go.

But the message is indeed clear: prepare for the worst, hope for the best :)

Cheers everyone!

I saw a pretty detailed breakdown by one couple who had travelled from Europe to SE Asia, more camping than hoteling. Their rough cost (a few years ago) was $60 a day. Last year I did a couple of months round southern Europe last year and I was spending more like £60 a day. Make of that what you will.

Honestly, the plan is to leave western Europe as soon as I can. First I know the place quite well already and fuel/food/hostels/camping are way more expensive.

Getting to Turkey/Iran/Stans fast and take my time there onwards. I don't see how I'll be spending more than 40$ a day camping in Tajikistan if I don't have any breakdown (and 40 is pushing it).

But then again, I'm basing that on videos/blog/web research. Never been there.

If you need any help in Pakistan, do let me know. I will do my best to help. I can share my whatsapp number in your inbox if you want

• Eat/Drink/Sleep/Repairs/Misc: 24'000$
• Fuel: 4'000$
• Shipping (Indo to Chile): 2'000$
• Shipping (Colombia to Panama): 1'000$
• Shipping (Canada to Europe): 1'500$
• Flights tickets: 1'200$
• China Crossing: 1'300$
• CDP: 500$
• Visas: 500$
• TOTAL: 35'000$ or so

So that's what I have for now... Would you think it's reasonable enough ? Can I last 500 days on that? Or that would mean camping everyday and saying goodbye to my 6 O'Clock coldbrew? beer

Thanks a ton!:mchappy:[/QUOTE]

smboilerworks.com
 

• Eat/Drink/Sleep/Repairs/Misc: 24'000$
• Fuel: 4'000$
• Shipping (Indo to Chile): 2'000$
• Shipping (Colombia to Panama): 1'000$
• Shipping (Canada to Europe): 1'500$
• Flights tickets: 1'200$
• China Crossing: 1'300$
• CDP: 500$
• Visas: 500$
• TOTAL: 35'000$ or so

Look up Shannon from smboilerworks.com, she is very interesting re the costs of a RTW trip, it is numbers she uses not opinions.
Be safe and kind

good advice
 

Don't forget insurances; medical, accident, rescue, etc. ,also liability for the bike in every country where you need it and can buy it.

Also, costs for storing your stuff at home, depending on your situation.

As a swiss, if your away for more than one year, don't forget to pay the minimal fee for AHV, not a lot but makes a huge difference one day.
Also check out about unemployment regulations for your return.
Starting live again is also easier if your not totaly broke when you come home.
If riding with swiss number plate, pay insurance and taxes back home or give the plate back and ride with a selfemade plate like many cars do, just remenber that then you ride illegal and might face problems with locally bought insurance, especially in USA/CND.

Also a big amount is to break out of the system, paying all bills, tv, gas/elektricity, taxes and many more...
That was a bad surprise for me, didn't expect that much.


And many more little things...

sushi[/QUOTE]
Excellent advice, you have to come back one day to reality and pick life up where you left its good to have a financial cushion to help and also look at the long term strategy of making sure you pay your social security/tax (AHV)-it may not seem important at 33, but you will be glad you did.
Be safe and kind..

Howdy

Are you running a spreadsheet to record your costs? I am somewhat obsessive compulsive with spreadsheets but they can really identify where efficiencies can be found to lengthen the trip.

Are you 100% committed to taking your own bike, or flexible?

The reason I mention this is prior to covid I began planning our trip OS with a vehicle and the costs were much more than I thought they would be, once everything was recorded. I then did the same without taking a vehicle and the savings were stunning.

This was for a 4wd and a family of four and I expected the transport savings were going to be much better taking the vehicle, but surprisingly those savings were not there, even using public transport for many areas. (you would think 4 in a car would be cheaper than public transport but over the whole trip, not so).
The savings available on Skyscanner website were pretty stunning.

Based on your costs, 16% is just transporting the bike.

Broken down your trip seems to be;

Outer Eurasia
Asia
South East Asia
South America
North America

The outer Eurasia could be done as a loop on your bike. Arrive back home, rest up for a week, and head off with your soft motorcycle luggage to wherever the cheapest flight gets you. Buy a bike that suits the country you are in and use it to do a big loop of wherever you can go with it, arrive back and sell it.

Rinse and repeat.

Just a thought.

And it saves you gifting your bike to that nice border guard in Bolivia when Covid 2.0 strikes;

"Lo enviare, confía en mi"

:(

Whose dollars? Makes a big difference.
We have $ here, but AU$ 1.0 = US$ 0.1 or thereabouts.

Usually we travellers talk in USD $$$

Good at sample for people from switzerland, because the USD loss 50% of his Value between the year 2000 to today (2020).

https://www.macrotrends.net/2558/us-...storical-chart

Surfy

A quick bump since I recieved my new best friend! Name of the beast is EXIA btw :cool4:

Here are some pictures! No idea how to embed those in the thread, so a link will do. :)

Starting date for the RTW trip has been moved to June 2023!

Firstly, congratulations on the bike - health to enjoy.
Secondly, here is an excellent website that documents all the finances of the a couple riding the Americas:
https://www.tiger800rtw.com/
Thirdly, this thread got me thinking about RTW routes in relation to finances.

Let’s say you’ve got $35K US.
We know shipping is a big cost, but you want to take your bike??
What are your must see places? - You said you wanted to go to Australia.
Well, from Europe you could go through Mongolia to Vladivostok or through SE Asia. Is one of these a must do? Or Could you just go the cheapest way.
Other must see places? SA? Africa?
Africa entails no shipping from Europe.
The entire Americas involves only one shipment, across the Darien gap but you’ve got to ship there and back.

For me it would be important to put my ‘places’ in order of importance. That way I could do my must dos first and if I run out of money, at least I’ve done them.

Hey thanks for the reply! Bike is sweet but I need time to get used to its size and weight. Big change compared to small SE Asia bike I'm used to driving :).

As for the must do on my trip:

• Kyrgystan
• Tadjikistan
• Pakistan
• Northern India
• Nepal

Those are the highest on my excitement tier list for the moment :). Good thing is, I don't need to ship the bike to get there. Although I'll have to use the costly guiding transfer through China to reach Pakistan.

After that, I'm looking forward to SE Asia as I just love the place and can't seem to get enough of it.

Australia is really not on my list, too expensive to get there and too expensive to ride through just to see ride some flat arid roads with nothing much around (sorry if I anger some people there hehe).

The plan really is to ship the bike (and myself) from Indonesia directly to Chile if that can be done. Research needs to be done there.

After that, looking forward to do S-America ! But only if money permits it.

Depending on my budget on the departure day, I might opt to stop in Indonesia and ship the bike home. Or even ride back, maybe through Japan/Korea/Russia/Mongolia.

All depends on the money I'll still have when I get to Indo I guess.

For the moment, if all goes perfectly well, I might have 40 to 50k in June 2023. That's with the bike and most of the gear already paid for.

Let's say 40K, would you think it's doable to do the full world trip? including shipping from Asia to S-America, boat ride through the darien gap and ship again from NY/Canada to EU? Difficult to know.

I guess that depends on your lifestyle but it seams like loads to me.
Check out Steph Jeavons amazing book - back by seven. She travelled for 4 years on a tight budget but did loads of amazing things.
Also Graham Field is a master of travelling frugally whilst having a few beers.
He bought a bike, rode it to South Korea and shipped it back to the UK for £5K.

I think books are better than you tube videos and blogs for the detail.

Could you ride The Stans and then enter Pakistan from Iran? If possible it might be cheaper than China.

I’m hoping to take off, with my wife in 2023 also, we won’t have 40K each 😂 bier

Bear in mind that shipping costs have gone up a lot recently (blamed on the pandemic). Some routes double, some a lot more.

Ahah indeed, I'm sure it can be done cheap if extremely frugal. Hard to know before I get going.

I know I'll be camping along the way, but I also know myself and I like hostels and sometimes having my own room. I'm planning to edit vlogs along the way, every 3 to 7 days, and this would need me to be some place where I can work/charge etc.

I'm 33 and I also enjoy the social aspect of travel, meeting people, having a few beers, going out some days etc. Those add costs pretty quick.

I'll check out the book, sounds like a gem!

Any tips how to find a shipping company on less travelled routes? I know it's not that hard when looking at EU to US or AUS to CHILE, but my plan would be to ship from Indonesia/Bali, or if needed Singapore. There's a bit less info online from those locations.

Or I guess I'll just see how it goes when I'm on site :)

Have you checked the HU Shipping database?
Might or might not find exactly what you're looking for, but it's the single biggest source of motorcycle shipments anywhere. And when you DO find and make a shipment, please add it in to help everyone else! :)
Thanks!

Hello

Depends on what you're looking for, to me Australia is one of the best place to ride a bike.
All those longdistance sand/gravelroads alone with just some roadhouses and the amazing wildlife.
Very easy to travel and not that expencive, if you stay away from the party kids.
Camping with shower every few days and then free under the stars.
Cook yourself, gas adds up when you make distance but over all to me similar than in asia if I look just at the cost per day there.

Once you're already almost there, also not that more expencive do go there, cleaning the bike is the one thing I would not want to do again.

sushi

Will do ! Thanks ! :)

EDIT: I checked the database and could only find one from Singapore to Chile for 4'000$ (!). Expensive as hell... That's my fear. Nothing from Indo but I'll continue to research in the coming months.

Of course, Australia has lots of cheap and easy options... So that might be the easiest and cheapest way to do it, even considering the price of getting to Aus etc.

I guess I'll see when I get there.

Oh for sure, I know a lot of people love riding Australia... I'm just not sure yet I'm someone who will enjoy days of emptiness in flat deserts. Also, shipping the bike from East Timor to Aus, the price and admisnistration hassles of importing the bike, cleaning it etc seems like a too much work to go to a first world country which doesn't excite me for the moment.

I'm sure I might have a different outlook after 1 year of travel and maybe I'll be looking forward to Aus but as of now, I think switching to South America beforehand will suit me better.

Still a long way off anyhoo :)

Maybe I missed it, but have you budgeted for health care? Travel insurance can be costly - I know, I'm looking into it right now.

Its just something to think about and plan for.

I did, planning around 1'500$ to insure myself and my bike abroad.

I think you'll have to do a fresh look at this. First, you generally can't insure the BIKE at all against theft etc, and Liability is generally available for a few in advance, the rest at the border, and price varies widely.

Medical insurance is another issue entirely, and depends on your age, where you're from, how long you're going etc. I'm SURE it will be more than 1500 for all insurance. Search for medical insurance threads here - there's lots.

Regarding the bike, I'll be looking to have some talk with my current insurance company in Switzerland as they do provide international coverage for theft etc. But for sure I'll need to look into this with more details.

For the rest, I was looking at the World Nomad plan, which is around 1'500$ per year.

Hello

In generell theft insurance from Switzerland covers the area of the green card. Maybe you can find a personalized insurance, but that will cost.
Also make sure to check your legal status about where you are registered, if you officially "check out" from Switzerland, that may have influence on your insurances.

My advise, don't bother about theft insurance, IF the bike gets stolen, the loss in value of the bike is the least of your problems, just do everything you can to prevent a theft of the bike.


Liability insurance will sum up, little in 3.world countries but if you cross northamerica and you want more than the legal minimum it's expencive.


Medical insurance, I'd say calculate more, but I have not used World nomad.

sushi

In the spring of 2019 we left Paris (2 pax, 2 WR250R s) on a RTW. We got as far as Japan before winter closed us down. We found a guy who would store the bikes for us for the winter and we went home to work with the idea to return in early spring for the cherry flowers and continue Jap>SK>Can>Eur.

Voila COVID and we are on standby.

For 2 people and 2 motorcycles we averaged 73 euros per day.

Includes shipping 2 motos on the TransSib train and 2 motos shipping to Japan.


Attachment 25223

Your biggest expenses will be visas, fuel and shipping given your route and speed.

You'll need a 1year multiple entry Russia visa and that is expensive
and takes a long time and needs to be done before you go. Almost all the other 'stan visas are electronic now so can be done en route. So much easier than when we passed in 2016. Turkmen visa is likely impossible, you should check this.

You also need to calculate the costs of a tour through Myanmar (current security not withstanding) with AND without finding a group to hook up to.

Myanmar may not actually be possible because Thailand.

And beware of Thailand and the 'new' 2016 rules ...its the reason we didn't go that route. Check out the FB
"Thailand - New regulation affecting overland travellers on foreign vehicle"

Best cheapest bike shipping between North America and Europe is through Canada using Air Canada 'fly your bike' program.

Motorcycle Insurance can be attained on the border of each country. Russia at the first gas station. Kazakhstan at the kiosk (i mean the minivan)...i don't remember actually having insurance in Tajikistan or Uzbekistan... And had none for Mongolia.

However the biggest frustration (you'll find mant discussions on the HU) is finding insurance in North America for European motorcycles. This is my current PITA.

As a final thought: given the effect of COVID and now currently at hostage to my bike and equipment (over a year and a half now imposing my stuff to a stranger and having constant negotiation with the Japanese Customs, I've effectively lost my bike and ride here at home unless i buy another bike), AND shipping costs and hassles I would do future travel differently.

I would fly and buy...

Hey thanks for the reply, extremely helpful! And I’m sorry to read about your bikes, such a shame. COVID really did throw a side ball into most of our life, that’s for sure.

Your price breakdown has me reassured a bit, it would somewhat confirm my initial budget although we all know it really depends on so many factors (way of life, itinerary, luck etc). But you seem to have managed yours extremely well.
As you saw in my initial post, I’m not really planning to go through Russia at the moment. My itinerary would take me through the southern route, via Turkey/Iran/Turkmenistan etc; and indeed the questions of Visas is always a tough one, especially Turkmenistan. I’ve done some research as well and it seems like the transit visa situation was getting better since 2018, with less and less rejections.

Source: https://caravanistan.com/visa/turkmenistan/#rejections

Still, it’s a risk. But hey, at some point, I’ll have to take some and trust my guts. Part of the adventure of a RTW trip I guess : )

I’ve watch and read so many trip reports and I still think 3 to 5 days is more than enough to cross the country. I still got some time in front of me (2023) to do some more research and decide.

Myanmar/Thailand is another issue. Hopefully Myanmar will be more stable in 2 years from now and I’ll be able to find a group to cross. It will still cost me an arm and a leg, but it should be doable. As for Thailand, again, we’ll have to look at the report in in early 2023.

I am hoping they’ll still let bikers enter without guide from the Myanmar border. Although there’s some new rules in place like you mentioned, it’s really a coin toss should it be enforced or not and more often than not, it was still possible to go through without issues in 2018/19.

If worse comes to worse, I’ll fly the bike from Nepal to Malaysia.
And thank you a TON for all the info on bike insurance! USA is the last leg which I could skip entirely and fly home from South America should the money run dry by then.

Anyhoo… At the end of it, nobody really knows how the world’s borders will look like after COVID in 2 years. Let’s hope for the best.

There is a certain advantage to having a Russian visa. It provides you a level security and get out of jail card free if things go bad in the 'Stans. Russian roads are ok, not bad at all (it's the drivers in black Mercs and Audis!! so drive slow and let them pass) and Russian biker clubs are the most welcoming people and are willing to move mountains to help foreign bikers. Check the ADVRider tentspace forum. Access to parts and tires are possible when not necessarily possibly in the 'Stans, similarly trucking/train a broken bike is also possible. Google translation app is your friend here, and so is your ability they drink vodka.

In 2015 we had a family emergency so we had to leave Mongolia and get home as fast as possible. The 13 day drive with easy as there are no borders until Lithuania, roads were good, fuel cheap, truck stops had good food and hotels were cheap and tent bivouac opportunities are everywhere.

In fact of all the countries we visited we really enjoyed Russia. Our best memories.

Georgia too.

FWIW

Hi Rainville,

It seems our RTW plans, trip duration and leaving dates match, I have sent you a pm, I think it would be good to organise a call!

Frenchy