Sounds like a good base for a plan and the weather in northern Europe is good in August(most of the time). Your plans might change 100 times the more ride reports you read. The planning is all part of the trip enjoy it

At this point, my first departure date for 2020 is going to be Aug-Sept definitively. It will give me a few months in Spain, Portugal, Morroco, and beyond into Western Europe. I can come back regroup after lessons learned and from getting my feet wet, then when March/April rolls around it will start warming up and I can go for 6-7 months into Europe and so onto into Asia as I will be in the optimum season. The further I go I will become more seasoned in my craft and I can use that in more challenging regions. I agree that the planning and this whole process is part of the joy for me.

Now that I am pegging down a macro framework of my plan and have the bike, the details of the variables will shift as it all comes together, I agree.

My trip that is in the initial planning stage at the moment has me going to Egypt via various countries including Iran. The only legal problem that I know of is getting through Iran as a British citizen - I can go there but I would need a guide - who I would have to pay for including accomodation etc. The same is true of American (and Canadian?) citizens.

I have managed to avoid this situation because I have Irish citizenship as well and will travel on an Irish passport. I was wondering - are you able to do the same? It may make access to some countries easier.

If you go by oil tanker at the moment you might have a good chance of getting into Iran I think that the accommodation could be free as well

My issue is getting past my indoctrinated security perspective of the world to not over-analyze threats due to my past professional career. I’m looking past the State Department warnings for a lot of places, you mentioned Egypt that sounds lovely, I want to go there too.

I will say countries like Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan, etc I have been to some in my career I’m not sure I would go there outside a professional dynamic without asset support. I understand the people as a whole are wholesome enough and not a direct threat, but the political ideology of the governing body is radical. Since we are not affiliated with our nations political ideologies professionally currently (I’m assuming for you too) you think you will be treated as just another “tourist”. I wouldn’t be so quick to make that assumption, you are still a representative of your nation and it’s ideology. It makes for a great propaganda opportunity for the small percentage of the radical ideology of the population of that nation to potentially make an example of a wandering tourist that’s part of a nation that directly opposes their interest.

9/10 you could probably go through checkpoints and various gateways throughout these countries and be fine, I’m worried about that 10% chance. I know from experience from my past work in more under undeveloped countries the corruption is beyond belief. A lot of government officials are directly interconnected with the very “insurgent” forces they oppose. It takes one of those local national military or police force checkpoints to tip-off on a vulnerable and isolated tourist to make an example of you to further their ideology.

I’m going to complete my around the world and take the calculated risk, that’s part of the experience if my return on investment is there for my risk. I don’t personally see the ROI on putting yourself in regions that are historically known to be high threat areas comparatively to the rest of the world. The travel would have to be incredible to take that risk, if you determine that it is, then do it. Personally, the most beautiful country I have ever been to currently is Afghanistan so I see the appeal and challenge.

My rationale for using the Irish passport is that it reduces the level of investment I need to make to visit a country that has a magnificent reputation in welcoming visitors at the “Joe Public” level and has some interesting, to me at least, architecture and history. If I were to travel on my British passport I would firstly have to pay to have a guide and be limited to where I were to stay - they get to choose the hotels, etc.

As you say whatever the reality of your political / religious beliefs you are likely to be viewed through a particular lens by host nations political infrastructure based on your nationality - hence choosing use the lower profile nationality as it is likely to lead to less formal contact with the powers that be.

There have been few, if any reports, of non-Iranian nationals getting hassle from Iranian authorities that I am aware of. Please note that I am aware of a couple of dual nationality British-Iranians that have fallen foul of the Iranian authorities and I do not make light of their plight (unlike the pillock that is currently the British Prime Minister who single handedly managed to double the prison sentence for a British-Iranian woman). The biggest problem is that Iran does not recognise the second nationality of a dual national and so does not allow consular visits etc.

I see your perspective objectively. I mentioned this on a form on ADV today when I was answering a question, but I will mention it here because it is applicable in my opinion and may help build perspective. People use to tell me "Why would did you want to be operational in war zones, jump out of planes, ride a motorcycle, etc?". They think I have a death wish, which I definitely do not. They ask as they live with their illusion of safety with their predictable patterns as if it is going to give them eternal life or something. They just exist in a perpetual state of consuming resources to a predictable end state, they don't "live". I tell them that you don't have control, there are an infinite amount of variables we can't quantify in our environment at any given time. You don't control those variables, you influence them with your inherent characteristics to increase or decrease your probability of survival or successes. My point in telling you is that if you feel so passionate rationally about going to Iran with your Irish passport, then do it. You influence your probability of success with checking the political climate at the time you decide to go and take a calculated risk on your execution. You could just as easily die at any given time, we always think we have forever, but we are only guaranteed the present. I feel in the end you don't have anything to lose if it is your passion to see places like this. We don't take our possessions or our anything for that matter with us, we are here and then we are not (My opinion). If you are passionate about this, you will regret not doing it later in life when you are at the twilight of your life and no longer have the vitality to do so and see the end of your life approaching you. I always used what I called the "Rocking chair method" when making a big decision in life. I imagine myself as an old man, sitting on my rocking chair in my home at the end of my life. I imagine how I would emotionally feel having not done the action I am currently deciding on at that moment. Do I feel regret imagining myself at that moment as the older version of myself not committing to that action? That gives me my answer.

The only advice i can give you is try not to over analyze......the questions will NEVER stop and the world will leave you sitting on your ass until your old as f%$k.......get the basic weather pattern and the countries you can travel without issue,pack the bike and go.