Riding, technology and adventure
 

I have been reading this forum for about 6months now, im an Australian currently on a 3year journey around the world. Im in Malaysia at the moment living with some friends

I plan to ride from KL to Hamburg on a Honda XR400.

I do not intend to say what im about to say to stir anger but rather as a helpful hint from a well travelled person.

I get the feeling that allot of people are obsessed with getting every peice of their kit perfectly right and having all the latest GPS systems, cameras... even right down to making a huge fuss over sleeping bags and eating utensils... you name it... If one is putting so much time into this they are also most likely thinking, fantasising, idealising and creating expectations about their adventure.

if you prepare to such a degree you create expectations in your mind and have idealised fantasy's. Playing out in your mind how its going to be in a unrealistic manner.

I say dont concentrate on these things so much. If things dont go as planned to those expectations it creates fear, frustration, anger and disappointment if one does not have expectations they dont expect anything and are able to adapt and live in the moment rather then in the future through their expectations.

Do you really need a GPS system? or is it more interesting to just ask locals? get lost and have fun doing so? it puts you more in the real world and having to deal with it is the true sense of adventure. Asking familys if you can stay at their house often leads to some unforgettable experiances. not taking so much luggage to prepare for every tiny little misshap and making yourself seem like your carrying your house.

anywy im sure i will get allot of strong replys to this as teh first thing people usually do is feel attacked and defensive when someone points something out. I dont do it to do this or to seem like i know everything. Its just something i have learnt through allot of travel and other life experiences. this thinking can be applied to anything: friends, relationships.. anything. Expectations always create disappointment and an inability to adapt and enjoy the potential fun of the way things "never go as planned".. dont try tt plan life to much just enjoy the twists and turns.

sorry was posted in wrong area

Great post Andrew!



We're all working on it in different ways ....

:thumbup1:

You hit the nail on the head Andrew. No matter where you are there is always someone to help out if things go wrong so you don't need to plan for every problem. The pioneers of world travel just set out and did it. They accepted that when something came along they would deal with it in the best way they knew how and move on.

In respects to over preparation I was very lucky. When I finally decided to leave it was spontaneous. I had of course had the same fantasies of everyone who dreams about trips like this but I hadn't put anything down on paper or made real plans. When the time came to leave I quit my job and was on the road a month later. I prepared as best I could in that time but basically knew that only the absolute worst situation would stop me. (I had a bit of a recurring nightmare about being stuck in the Amazon with a broken bike)

Since leaving I know I will be able to deal with anything even if I am not prepared for it because I have already dealt with things that were far beyond my comfort zone. Oh and of all the problems I did prepare for the only ones needed were travel insurance (had the shits) and spare inner tubes!

I've actually received a lot of criticism for this style of travel from other bikers on RTW. They seem to think that my lack of preparation means I am not dedicated to the ride or something like that and that I have to rely on other people to be able to make it around.

Truth is that s the only preperation you need to make. Be prepared to have to deal with all kinds of people to get anywhere. You will have to put blind faith in people you don't know and that is a very difficult thing to do, especially when you don't understand what they are saying.

Ride safe,
Ol

I think Andrew is basically right, but would split technology from preparation. Once you've got the miles in, it's easy to forget just how different some perfectly normal activities seem to people who havn't done it. I'm guessing everyone here can fix a puncture? Don't forget, at any UK biker type cafe, you'll find dozens who've never so much as adjusted their own chain. Drop them up woodland trail in Finland or the Baja and without preparation they are well and truely stuffed. I'll help anyone, but it does get a tad annoying when they havn't brought along their own tubes, spanners, levers etc. and simply expect you to impersonate the AA. I've never left anyone stuck, but I'm afraid I'm not beyond making my feelings known to people who aren't showing any signs of wanting to learn. Asking questions is learning, so I think posts here about any gadgets are a good thing if only to point out good levers and a bottle of soap are a better friend than any £40 bit of ally that looks like a medieval Japanese weapon.

The modern solution for a lack of skill and time to learn seems to be technology though. It is far easier and quicker to post a "is the TouraMW tyre removing widgit better than the yellow gloop" on here than go learn how to do it yourself with levers. People get a nice feeling from the certainly that the gadget will bypass lack of skill. As you say, we are often disapointed.

I've really nothing against GPS or any technology that works and the person can use. GPS works and is quick and easy. I can read a map, navigate using a sun compass, magnetic compass and might even manage a bit of celestial navigation at a push, but am truely awful at languages. I find GPS a useful tool in the same way I have a set of tyre lever I'm comfortable with. I know people who are really good at languages and can't work a microwave oven or fill in their own cheque stubbs. In their case, asking directions could well be the way to go.

Preparation: yes, make sure you know the basics and don't try to skip directly from a London-Brighton to a London-Cape Town.
Technology: use what works for you and know what you've got. Don't get hung up on bits of laser cut aluminium.

Andy

I think, certainly as far as the forums go, that there is an element of people preparing instead of going (and I include myself in that). I've been scouring the HUBB for months reading up on kit and 'the best bike' etc. while dreaming of getting out and setting off on my own adventure.

As new shiny bits of kit come out I would read up on them and maybe even purchase some of them, all without realising that all this so called preperation was in reality just a way of keeping my dreams of travel alive without actually having to take the plunge and travel. It's only lately that I have started to realise that all I really need to do if I want to travel is stop waisting money on accesories or finding the perfect bike, start saving along with paying off my debts and in a few years just get up and go.

Would metal mules panniers be better than my existing ones? Possibly, but my existing ones (Givi) will actually still work. Would a new Tenere be a better choice than my existing bike (Trans Alp), well as far as fuel economy and tank range goes maybe, but the Trans Alp is still a bloody good bike, and if the likes of Birdy can ride through Africa on a C90 I am damned sure I could do it on my Alp.

I am sure there are people that are travelling who are obsessed with having all the latest kit, but I would bet that as far as internet forums go, the majority of people that get obsessed with the latest kit are not actually travelling but are instead, like me, dreaming of travelling.

People do have different preferences.

For me it’s not an adventure when my cooker fails in the middle of nowhere because I bought a badly designed model. I would rather spend time exploring the area or talk to the locals then messing with my equipment.
Nor is it an adventure when your pump fails when you are alone in the Sudanese desert.

On a long trip you will always need to maintenance your gear. When I select gear I focus on gear that doesn’t need much maintenance. When I travel I want to use as little time as possible on fixing my stuff. After a while you see what’s working and what’s not.
I have used plenty of tire-irons through the years but I have found one type that works great and it’s only 20 cm long, why don’t use it? It’s cheap….
The brand of the equipment is not a big factor (for me), and there is a lot of expensive equipment that don’t fit my needs, there is also a lot of equipment you don’t need at all.
It also depends on where you are going, there is a big difference in what you need in most of Asia compared to a remote jungle or desert.

Getting lost might be an adventure. I have traveled a lot with map and compass but now I use them together with my GPS (which is 5 years old).
Traveling with a GPS makes the navigation easier but most important of all is that you are less likely to get lost so you can have smaller margins and go places which used to be out of limits – that’s important to me.
Asking locals for directions in the third world is pretty optimistic. Most people don’t travel much.

I’m not saying you can’t go with crap gear and still have a good time, I have done it many times myself. It can be nice and relaxed, as long as things are going your way.
If your route goes through a civilized city almost every day you probably don’t need the equipment anyway.
Personally I’ve found that I like to focus on the nature, the locals and my driving – not my gear!


But for me the most important part of the preparation is to get knowledge about the countries I plan to visit. There is no need in overplaning or making a strict route but the knowledge makes it easier to make decisions. Mark interesting places on the map and see what you feel for later. (Continue to add points when traveling).
I’ve met a lot of people who have traveled long distances on the main roads without seeing anything. That’s fine by me but it’s not my way.

Some people choose the highway, some prefer to be unsupported on the backroads and remote places there is nothing wrong about it– just different.

Going Retro?
 

I know a couple of guys who've "gone retro". Graham Carrick from the Thumper Club did the Dragon with no technology later than 1965. There are various people who've done big trips on Indians, Enfields and the like. I've been playing with a sun compass, old cameras and alternative winter riding gear based on pre-synthetic ideas.

This to me depends why you are doing it. For Graham and myself, we basically got fed up of old boys telling us it was harder in the old days and we didn't have the skill/bottle to do it. On the first point they are right BTW, on the second, well I think you work with what you have and get better with practice. There are some old skills/methods that are better (lots to be re-learned about waterproof collar designs), but honestly, they call it progress for a reason.

If you are "going retro" so you can do the Monty Python Three Yorkshiremen routine down the pub, I think there'll be times when you'll miss GPS, Goretex and so on to the point where you'll wonder why you are doing it. It's one thing to say " I was only 10 miles out using a star fix" and another to run out of petrol 10 miles short of /past the fuel stop! Either way it's an adventure of course.

Andy

For me it sounds that the guys that go retro is more focused on technology (or lack off) then most others.
Tomorrow I will hopefully talk to some guys that will go RTW on 70 years old bikes (Nimbus). It’s not my kind of trip (in many ways) but I do find it fascinating.

More here: KCCD - Kong Krøsus - King Croesus

Don't ask yourself. If you are invited by them that is fine but don't ask yourself. Because even they don't want to take you they may often find it polite to "help" you out.

This and other points in your post make me think that you have tendency to shift your burden to other people. You carry less and feel better, manage cheaper, but continuously take advantage of hospitality. :nono: Unfortunately I have seen quite few backpackers and "hippies" with this mentality.

If you have right gear you can be INDEPENDENT. You can go where you want to. That is what I value.

P.S. I carry pocket knife every day. :cool4:

Of course, if the aim of the expedition is to find out how 1930's technology performs and if the guys in the 1930's had something we've lost, that will be the main aim.

Love the Nimbus guys web page where the opening line is about actors doing it the Girlie way, made me laugh. :thumbup1:

Andy

Sure!
 

Sure you don't need much, but day to day reality for most of us is that we're working between trips. And between trips, I think it's a fun pasttime, researching stuff, dreaming about bikes, and cars and all the trips you can do with them. Oh, ... and I like gadgets. I like playing with maps and GPS. That's what I do for a living, and what I use when traveling. Don't think there's anything wrong with that.

When it is wrong, is when people getting ready for their first trip in the end blow the whole thing off because they "need" all the expensive equipement and can't afford it.

But in my experience, there's always at least one reply indicating that you don't "need" that other gadget...

;-)

first impressions
 

Wow, this is a difficult subject but there is a fine balance between taking too much and being needy on the locals.
We surrounded ourselves with equipment and personal stuff on our first trip- in hindsight we realise this was a 'comfort blanket' for us entering the great 'unknown' !
We were left with a bad taste in our mouths when locals treated us as ATM's on legs and we can imagine some travellers had left that impression on locals by 'taking' too much.
We found the balance to be helping where we could, trying to have fun with everyone we met,and always giving something back where some-one has been kind and helpful to us. Sharing a meal, doing magic tricks, helping in a hands on way if some-one has a problem, always left everyone feeling satisfied.
We're taking less on this trip, have learnt to be more open and understanding to others ideas, opinions and lifestyles and enjoy meeting some great people along the way.
Relax, enjoy and savour the experience and remember some-one is following behind you. :clap:Rose

I think you have to be wary of assuming that everyone with lots of kit is doing so out of fear or because they are trying to unrealistically attempt to pre-empt problems on the road.

I think the very common obsession with kit that a lot of people have is just that: they love the kit. If it helps them on the road, so much the better. But a lot of people just really like well engineered things.

It can also be a way of feeling like you are doing something constructive towards the big trip. It might be six months away, but for the time you are programming your GPS, reading your books, building the perfect pannier rack or assessing what the best sleeping bag is (!), you are already there, already enjoying the freedom of the road.

And the non-technology way to go is not always the best. I've done a lot of riding sans GPS and there is definately a sort of freedom and feeling of adventure about it, but I have recently bought one and am looking forward to using it when I go to Europe this summer. Because, quite frankly, when your riding around in the dark in the pissing rain after ten hours in the sadlle with a headcold looking for a hotel you can shove your adventure up your a**e! :)

I agree that some people do seem to over obsess about technology, but there's an equal number who like to look down their noses on the guys with all-singing/all-dancing GPS, BMW 1200GS, Goretex underpants, bike to bike intercoms, NASA grade laptops and laser-etched turbo boots. Everyone's different and there is no one right way of doing things.

Matt :)

To you it might seem like a helpful hint and useful advice, but what works for you doesn't always apply to everyone else. People have different personalities. I enjoy all the preparation and planning and I don't care if it goes out the window within the first 10 miles, I had fun doing it. I like gadgets too, it suits me, I get pleasure from it, I enjoy it. And if it gets me to the point where I feel confident enough to set off into the unknown then that can only be a good thing.

In my experience the people that do the least planning and preparation and boast about how light they travel are the same ones who always want to borrow my screwdriver/map/torch/phone/towel/spare doofer/extra thingy/back-up widget and can only find the way to where they're going by following or asking someone who bothered to make the effort to work it out and carry the necessary equipment.

For some I'm sure getting lost is fun. For others it isn't. People are different. Each to their own.

I liked this one: Cyril Despres' Dakar check list - Motorcycle News

I like gadgets, I'll admit it, and because I work, and can't travel right now, I like looking at toys, playing with them, window shopping for them, and reading everything I can. Do I buy them all? No. Do I need them all? Definately not.

But, I've been hugely enjoying reading about people travelling before we had all the latest technological gubbins, people setting off with maps and not GPS, people on simple machines like THIS. That said, I'm sure the gear they had was pretty top-notch at the time.

For me, what does get me is the attitude that you CAN'T set off without the latest gear, or the highest horsepower. I'm a huge fan of small engined machines, 125cc or less, but the number of people who tell me I need a 400 or 600 for more SPEED, really bugs me. Right now I'm contemplating setting off on a 50!

We did our big adventure in 1991/2 (UK to Cape Town) which was pre internet, mobile phones and GPS (affordable). When I first came across this forum I was very anti for all the reasons you describe, Andrew. We did carefully choose our kit as camping represents a major cost saving on a year long trip and it is important that all the stuff you carry is compact, lightweight and long lasting. We also carried a map and a few carefully chosen spares and some camera gear. We didn't plan a single day of the trip and went entirely with the flow. We met lot's of interesting people and stayed with many of them en route but relying on bumping into someone to put you up for a night is pretty hit and miss. Most locals are welcoming but there are ocassions when you just want to get out of a place so being self contained is important.

Personally, I think a little planning is a good idea but technology is not necessary - mobile phone might be handy, I suppose.

(never used it) It's a great read!

I think you need to have whatever resources you need to be independant and largely self sufficient. If you are a competent mechanic and know your bike and have the parts then you can fix things yourself. You can sleep with your bike in your tent, and cook your own meals. This does not mean you should refuse any offer of help, but you should not depend on it for minor and reasonably likely scenarios. Eg a puncture. This applies when you out of mobile phone/tow truck range. Conversly if a con rod comes out the crank case you will need outside help. Same with route plannning. If you dont care exactly the route you take, then you cant get lost :). I used to take the kids on summer holiday in a boat I built. For us it was a 63 mile trip out into the atlantic ocean to a small group of islands. I used to navigate by deliberate error. Instead of sailing direct for the cove I wanted I sailed for a lone peak four miles north. The reason was the peak was easy to see, and ( because we were sailing west towards America) the cove I wanted was to the south, and there was a lightship some miles north. If I was 5 miles off course after running blind for 60 miles I would be in safe water. If I aimed directly at the island I wanted and arrived south of it I would be in a mass of hidden rocks covering several square miles. This before the days of satnav.
So plan you journey as a 'general direction' not a strictly itemised route. and avoid riding when you are tired, or in the dark. It is ok to ride in the dark on motorways, but unlit and unfenced country roads by night can be very dangerous. I once went through a herd of about 90 freisen cows at 85-90 mph, thinking the black and white shadows all over the road were reflections of the moon through clouds. Fortunately my trajectory took me through a clear line, and my speed did not allow the cows sufficient time to react. I rode much slower afterwards:)

All good thoughts Andrew and wise advice from the road.

It's hard to reassure people though when they haven't been before, overplanning and overpacking are a natural way of dealing with exposure to new environments.

I probably think of it more as a reaction to a natural fear of the unknown rather than in terms of it creating expectations. People using gear to allay their fear is common in many non adventurous and adventurous endeavors, from motorcycling, to backcountry skiing, to mountaineering.

It's a process, after a while on the road people will offload more stuff, place less reliance on any one model of gear, and be comfortable with less. As time passes people are more able to focus on the journey itself, which as you point out is the really important part.

And at some point, most people realize that the one essential item to bring along is self reliance. The rest is a matter of personal preference.

Having read all the posts, I think it boils down to this...

All you need is enough(info, gear, etc.) to get you going...the rest will sort itself en route.

How you define is enough depends on how complicated you choose to make it. Getting going resolves many a dilemma;)

the guy is more than likelly right
 

we only have to look at the 4x4 guys for examples in other planning. However at the same time some people get off on the planning and the latest bit of kit. To them its just as important as the easy way to you. These people may not have the luxury of time and experience as you. To them they may have spent years doing a bit there this gadget here. This way they feel part of the trip even thou they are not on it.
I spent a year backpacking & only had a 40ltr backpack with not much in it. However now I can't seem to go out at weekend without more than that.

I think these kind of ""pure"" travellers are just as bad as people who other plan ! You're getting to wrapped up in being pure & missing the point as much as techo man.After all in the end its that they are doing the trip, in the way they want. There is no wrong or right way, you have to get that out of your head. Your free pure trip is of no greater value than the guy with the latest bike, GPS and so-on. The point is just to be out there and enjoy and get from the trip what you as an individual wants !
If we all wanted a standard one size fits all experience, we could all do nice package holidays.
Paul

I'm really pleased to have come to this discussion. The world I inhabit professionally would argue as to whether motorcycling was truly "Adventurous" due to the insulating factor of technology and the lack of engagement with the natural world.
Obviously I argue the opposite :mchappy: but the idea that our goretex, kevlar and fuel injection laden journeys are less "adventurous" than someone wearing reindeer clothing and travelling by homemade wooden skis is a philosphical debate that currently rages in the world of Outdoor Education. The Norwegian movement called Friluftsliv (Fresh air life) espouses this low technology approach at a purists level.

For me this idea of 'self reliance' is the core of the debate. As a mountaineer, the better (more skilled) you are the less kit you carry. Less hassle, less cost, less responsibilty to maintain stuff you don't need and as a result a more 'pure' and uncluttered experience on the road/mountain/river/ocean. This philosophy carries neatly over into motorcyling, surely.

Whatdya think?

I really don't understand this need to tell others how to do things. Do whatever and how you want to but don't blame others for doing it differently.

A lot of the questioning and detailed planning, I and others do, is part of the travel. As long as you're stuck at home, it feels a little like travelling, if you plan all the possible details and envision the trip.

In expedition travels, the detailed planning may save the expedition and even your life. If you go where there is noone and nothing, you'd better bring everything thats neccessary and not just leave home and hope to improvise along the way and rely on others.

I have a colleague who don't want the restraint of wearing a watch, that he "doesn't need" but he keeps asking what time it is :o(

If you have a good tip to help others with visa, saving money, whatever , on a trip, please let us know but save us from "besserwissen"

The explorers of old, took THE BEST THEIR TIME COULD OFFER , why not do that today too.

Its such rubbish that a wet or leaking jacket should be more adventurous than a dry one. Or that functioning equipment should insulate you from the world. Some of the old guys died because of equipment failure.

Correct and functioning equipment leaves you all the time to enjoy and interact with the world instead of with a broken gearbox or a burner.

And again, why don't they just do their thing, why do they have to tell others? Don't they feel so pure, when freezing in a wet reindeer sack, if they can't tell anybody else about it ?

Ok i think allot of people are missing what i was trying to get accross. I dont mind travelling with equipment and technology. Id much rather travel with a new jacket then an "old leaking one" im not a purist in that sense. All im saying is dont live through the cycle of perfecting everything and thus day dreaming creating unrealistic expectations of how the trip will play out. Sure day dream its great but if one put too much time into planning and preperation there is no room for flexability.

for example if somthing goes "wrong" and away from your well planned route your going to be stressed, fear and other such emotions as its not fitting with your plans. Where if one makes broader flexable plans like im going from here to here but i will work out how as i go along. Then when somthing comes up you adapt because you dont have expectations of how its supposed to be.

and also guys its just advice as i said dont be defensive and think i attack.

Ah, the old Plan / Not-Plan debate. I think it's safe to say different strokes for different folks.

I like a plan, but I'm happy to change that at anytime, and for me things don't go worng, they just go differently. I have friends who love to plan and get hugely stressed if they have to deviate from it in any way, but I have other friends who hate to plan, and get hugely stressed if anything, like a fussing border guard or having to wait for paperwork, impinges on their free'n'easy way.

And then there's all the other people too.

Safe to say, if you're a planner you'll never persuade a non-planner of its benefits, and vice-versa, and if you're a stresshead, you'll get stressed whether you plan or not.

your right on allot of point :-) really you are.

but this is more for the "stresshead" in all of us

and again i will say its not a "plan not plan" debate, or an attack on technology and gadgets. Its just a suggestion of how to travel and also an ideology that can be transferred to most parts of life. Whether it be travelling, relationships or sport...

I dont know how to make it any clearer then saying it again: Dont create expectations of your trip. Plan it down to every turn and evey lunch break and sleeping place if you like to do that. But dont create expectations in your mind as how its going to be or they will invariably be shattered and leave you feeling disappointed. Yes in saying that some people can do this and adapt but from many people cant and dont. be flexible in your mind. The world will offer you many opportunitys or "problems" you choose what they are.

It takes a strong person to realise they suffer in this and take action and not deny it. I used to suffer from it badly, but i changed and its still a work in progress and always will be.

Ask a hundred riders for their views and you will get a hundred different answers .
There is no right or wrong .
Your original question Andrew was so broad that it wasn't really a question ,it was more a statement of your own philosophy .
We all have our own comfort levels when it comes to reliance on technology and there is nothing really adventurous about riding roads and trails that someone else has made anyway.
There may be an element of difficulty and a sense of achievement at the end of it all but IMHO ,not an adventure .

Planning is another aspect and some people take it to extremes .I rarely plan anything ,I just have a general goal or direction and set off .The world is a complete missmash of possibilities that it would be a shame to miss anything interesting by adherence to "A PLAN ".

It's nice to have a minimum of good quality kit and I like good quality stuff for a fair price [ hence I don't buy much Touratwat equipment ].Both in travel and at work I find that quality counts ,but do I really need titanium knives and forks ?- no I don't -and a $40 aluminum jerry can when a $10 steel one will do ?- again no ,you get the picture .
I might buy a GPS one day but it won't have satellite radio ,intercomms ,blue tooth and a tea maker built into it .
For some people ,only what they perceive as the every best will do .That's how Touratwat make their money .

Some traveller's lives are so regulated in their daily work routine ,that they cannot exist beyond the straightjacket and simply have to plan their trips to the n'th degree. That's fine too ,but it's not my way .

Sometimes old technology makes sense , for instance ,waxed cotton jackets and leather boots have been around forever and still work in the modern world .I have two modern textile jackets ,one was incredibly expensive [ BMW] and performs dismally ,the other [ Belstaff] was a quarter of the price and is great .But I could just as easily take my old Barbour on a trip .
Old technology was designed in a less complicated world and needs less complicated fixes when it goes wrong .So do we need to insulate ourselves with technology ?
No, we don't --but it does give some people the illusion of security [against the wild and woolly world - "out there"].

So I have to say that I agree with you ,some riders do obsess about equipment and planning and miss the big picture .
:mchappy:

exactly right my friend, i was not asking questions. just giving advice to those who want to listen

sorry but this i disagree. Riding a motorbike through foreign countries in an environment that is unfamiliar is the definition of adventure.

ad⋅ven⋅ture –noun
1. an exciting or very unusual experience.
2. participation in exciting undertakings or enterprises: the spirit of adventure.
3. a bold, usually risky undertaking; hazardous action of uncertain outcome.

Great to hear my friend. This is also how i travel, its really a great sense of freedom.

[quote=andrewmclagan;232287]
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dodger http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...s/viewpost.gif
Ask a hundred riders for their views and you will get a hundred different answers .
There is no right or wrong .
Your original question Andrew was so broad that it wasn't really a question ,it was more a statement of your own philosophy

exactly right my friend, i was not asking questions. just giving advice to those who want to listen
quote]


Welcome Andrew,
Can you tell me how long have you been on your
moto adventure so far ?

thanks :-)

ok a little about myself

Im 25 years old and i call Australia home from time to time. I Have been travelling since i was 12 years old. My mother was and still is one of the most well travelled people i know, any money she ever had she would spend on travelling with her children. at the age of 19 i began travelling with my friends and then by myself. I have been through south east asia 4 times. Pacific islands twice. western and eastern europe and the united states. Been through 3 passports and overseas for just under 5 years in total.

After completing university I had no ambition of joining the rat race any more then it was necessary to save some money to travel.

I have also been riding dirt bikes in Australia since i was young and having experience in asian traffic from living in bangkok for a year and owning a motorcycle.

My current trip so far has been: Sailing philipppines on a friends yacht for 3 months, Borneo by hired bike for 2 months and now I live with some malaysian friends in Kuala Lumpur and have been for a month. My plan is to ride a honda xr400 i have here to Germany where my girlfriend lives through China...tibet...nepal..india..etc......

I dont profess to know everything all i wanted to do in this post is share what i have learnt in my life so far. Im young and i have a long way ahead of me and allot to learn yet and i look forward to every day.

I feel that the point you are making is more a case of you're imagination should neither replace the real thing, nor become a bench mark by which the real trip is measured.

This is sound advice and common sense if people stop and think about it.

However, imagining the trip and planning for the trip, planning for the trip and doing the trip are all seperate processes, and entities. So, they should be treated as such.

We took a heinous quantity of stuff: a lot we never used, and some was invaluable, despite only being packed on a whim. We planned our route in ridiculous detail, partly because the only release we had in the 2 years we were saving up was pouring over travel guides and blogs. Our planned route went out the window the second day into our trip and we felt not one jot of disappointment!

We used maps and locals to navigate, but GPS made finding our hotel in a foreign city or guaging distances to the next fuel stop far easier. All the tools I took were mostly useless, but only because the bike did not break down. I'll take them with next time too even if they never get used: if I do break down, I'll be glad I had them.

I think planning is an integral part of any trip, whether basic or in detail. One aspect is simply good practice: do you have all your papers for the places you want to go? Do you have enough old Y-fronts to wear, soak up oil or both? Other parts are simply the therapeutic value of feeling involved in your trip even if you can't go yet.

I say plan as much as you like, but without letting the plan govern the trip: only offer advice once in a while.
Buy as many bits and bobs as you like as long as you realise that they should only compliment the trip, rather than make it. If they don't compliment it at all, don't be afraid to send 'em home...

The problem was that your original post was a bit of mess and it was not clear to me about what exactly you wanted to say.

I myself also don't plan too much, I never plan places to stay as I don't know my exact route and more importantly, timeframes. However, some planning must still be done, or call it gathering some basic background information. If you plan to drive though China as you said, then you probably know that you just can't enter with your own bike without arranging a guide long before hand and going though pile of paperwork. There are countries where you just can't appear on the border and hope you are in. In China they just will send you away if you don't have pre-arranged your trip and paid $$$ for it.

About gear, yes, many people take too much. I have also minimised my gear as I have gained experience, have tested several different gear and have found my favorites. This process goes on. But on the other, super minimalist end, there is traveller who only has credit card with him, nothing else. Is that good? I think balance is somewhere in the middle.

You go with XR400. This is not a big bike, so your luggage space is limited and that forces you to find tent, sleeping bag, clothes and other gear that is compact, but gives you enough protection in remote mountain/cold regions, gives good size/benefit ratio. "Any gear" will not do that well.

Dreaming about (new) gear and imaging you'll need it very much and how good it is before you have actually used it is just psychological consumerism issues we face often. There is worth to read paperback about this topic titled The Paradox of Choice: Why less is more. It discusses topics about false expectations, buyers remorse, why we are unhappy at supermarket shelf where we have 100 different yogurts to choose vs small shop where there are only 3 different ones on sale etc.

Ask a hundred philosophers their opinion and you'll get two-hundred opinions.

Andrew, I don't mean this as in any way a criticism, but again, it's one of those things where what suits one person may not suit another, plan/don't plan, stress/don't stress, and the same with your philosophy.

Now that doesn't mean shut up, because whilst we're all different we also have some similarities and someone might well be the type of personality which is suited to yours. That said there'll be other people for whom your philosophy is a totally unworkable anathema. I fear i'm one of them.

I'm a planner and a dreamer, I love to do it, I'll spend hours, days, weeks, months, years dreaming, doodling, researching, reading, and generally enjoying myself. I'll do it for some trips I know I'll never take (50cc Honda Scooter to the Pole anyone?) but I still enjoy it. That said when I'm on a trip most of those dreamy plans go out the window, I go with the flow, if something comes up, good or bad, I'll likely go with it instead. I did the student backpacker thing round Oz, read the Lonely Planet cover to cover before I went and the only use it got when I was there was to block the gaping rust hole in the boot of my Holden HQ. But I still hugely enjoyed the read before I went.

Still the great thing about philosophies (and bars) is that we can share about them for hours.

PS. For sale 1987 edition of Lonely Planet Guide to Australia, some dust damage.

Technology and Adventure

No disrespect intended to those who like doing stuff the hard/traditional way, but I cannot see any problem whatsoever in using gizmos or high tech items when off doing your bike adventures.Especially if it solves a problem in a useful way.

Coming to the last part of my ride around Australia Solo,including a fair piece of off-route riding,I have my bike packed to be totally self-sufficent in spares and repairs as well as a substantial supply of fuel and water for the remote areas visited.......space and weight on my bike is a premium and some gadgets are a godsend....and I would go so far you might be more than a little stubborn if you didnt appreciate them,even if you dont use them.

Considering the amount of punctures Ive had, I so wish that I had bought a new Slime powered tyre inflator out here...very much more compact than a foot pump/reliable/robust and a lot better than pumping 5 puntures up in one day by hand in the mud( especially as 1 footpump and 2 hand pumps have been broken on the trip ) why would you not have one?

I lug around a Eee micro-lap top, its not much bigger than a conventional paper diary and it plays music/internet and can process and enhance or discard my digital camera photos as well as being a diary.....I can also recharge it in the out back with a solar-recharger that is no bigger than a mobile phone.Ive used it to show people I meet pictures of home or the trip that has sparked a few of their imaginations into doing something like me.

Every bit of clothing I use is of some high-tech origin that packs down tiny,washes easy,doesnt stink.....and I am carrying more clothing than normal as this is also a holiday as well as bike marathon for me.

Why carry a huge canvas swag, when you can carry a high-tech hooped bivi bag that is more waterproof and weighs 1/15th of the weight?

LED lights that last 50x longer than the old torches, we all use them now because there is no reason not to.Documents and anything official are carried as normal, but full colour copies are on my email account as well as the bikes service manual/my job CV/passport and medical docs...and all on my flash drive as well, the size of a stick of chewing gum......tech junky or sensible?

In fact the item that is the most bulky is my Lonely Planet guide ( I am on holiday as well,good guides and things to do ) If I had that on a flashdrive,that would be a substantial amount of weight saved.

I see...
and there was me calling me granny in
to learn a new way to suck eggs

Andrew,

I think part of the problem with the negative replies you have had is not that people disagree with your statement that the simple way is often the best. It's more that your post comes across a bit: "I've been reading the HUBB for six months, can see where you're all going wrong and am now going grace you all with the benefit of my travel experience..."

I'm well aware that this probably not what you intended to do, but you couldn't have chosen a worse forum to inadvertantly suggest this. Partly due to the independent and self-reliant nature of adventure motorcyclists and partly because of the enormous amount of adventure experience most of the regular posters on this forum have.

Matt :)

Matt, I think you are right in that there is a lot of experience on this forum and I don't think that Andrew is the first to misjudge the 'audience' by any means.

Experience varies as do peoples ideas of adventure. I often read things on here that I think are complete rubbish but then I realise that they are written by someone in America, for example, who tend to have a different point of view.

As for planning a trip, I don't think any two people have the same idea. For some the whole ethos of the trip is minimalism and low budget, some the trip is about the bike and the riding and for others it's about the places you go and people you meet. We (my wife and I) did a trip from the UK to Capetown in 1992 and our problem with planning was finding any information at all but nowadays we're awash with information and opinion which I'm not sure is a good thing. Once you set off on your trip these days many 'adventurer's' seem to be reliant on technology (GPS, satellite phones, laptops and internet) but for me I can't see what is wrong with a map and a few letters from home every six weeks waiting at 'Poste Restante' somewhere.

Even the term 'Adventure Traveller' seems to be telling you what to do and how to do it. Of course a certain amount of preparation is essential - if you have limited time and a limited budget good preparation can save you a lot of both.

We should each do our own thing whilst discussing the options on here in general terms rather than critisising people for not being 'hardcore' or 'pure' enough.

Discovery
 

Just my thoughts...I have begun to read up about/ research into places before I go there which means I prevent myself from the joys of my childhood when I discovered things for myself. I was eager and ecstatic at each new finding. I'd like to try and repeat that somewhere. Linzi.

I liked your post very much, Andy, and the general theme behind it.

Sometimes we talk about gear because we're at home, and not out under the stars - or the rain!

Nice one!:thumbup1::clap::D

This is the crux of the problem. If you've got loads of time, you wouldn't be worried about getting lost for a while, stuck for a few days or so in a town sorting paperwork or parked up for a week waiting for parts. Sadly, a lot of us are not in a possition (or don't have the balls) to take six months or a year out. We have to try to fit our own adventure/journey to a fixed timeframe.

The concept of adventure is also very relative. For some it's taking a two week package holiday in a different hotel from last year. For others it's an unassisted trek through the Amazon.
I once had a conversation with a farm worker in Hampshire who had just retired. He was born on the estate, worked and lived there and was being allowed to live out his retirement in the cottage where his father had grown up. I asked him if he'd ever travelled. "Oh Yes" he said. "I once went to Winchester when I was a lad"

I can emphasise with you Andrew, and I agree with you pretty much in everyway..

Before my first major trip I was obsessed with being prepared for every eventuality. I didnt have a route planned or even any maps but i did have pretty much everything I could need wherever I went... My bike was really heavy and a bitch to pack. I think most of us start out that way if were not seasoned travellers.

Did I over prepare, overpack and worry too much ?? DEFINATELY...

I used maybe 20% of what I took. As a mechanic, I took tools and spares(and i used them after crashing in the remote pampas).. Without them I would of been stranded, and without water and food ... ???? Who knows.

Did I need my GPS ?? NO, I didnt but it sure helped after 12 hours riding in 70mph winds and entered a chaotic city at night with no idea of where the campsite was and finding the way through places with no signs and people to ask...

When I travel now, im very much a light weight traveller. Impriovising and using inititive instead of having the "special kit". Being prepared for an emergency isnt selling out, its just making sure your dream doesnt turn into a nightmare.. Being underprepared for a dangrous situation just makes me think your an idiot, not a traveller.

I love your ethos of travelling and I try to be like that but obsessing with being "the real deal" just makes you sound like your trying to hard to prove something to yourself or others... Who knows though, I cant judge you off a post on a forum and I wont try to.

I really cringe at the people who have everything planned to a T as well ... It doesnt seem like an adventure to me at all (actually its just like a boring checklist), but its what makes them happy. Its not for us to say they're right or wrong.. its just their way.

Of course, there are always going to be the types who have "all the gear and no idea"... I think many of these people love the idea of travel and adventure, they just dont have the balls or the oppurtunity to actually do it for whatever reason , so just buy all the kit instead... Touratech and BMW basically exist off these people and market themselves accordingly.

Looking at your own way of travelling, some may say that your reliant on people helping you, so cant look after yourself if things go wrong.. Some people really love being totally self sufficient...

Everyone has their own way to do things and no one has the right to tell anyone else how it should be done.... Theres your way, theres my way and theres their way !

Ride safe buddy and enjoy ! :thumbup1: