Bikes were always my escape, got fixated on Bike travel at 16, with camping trips to Cornwall, after leaving school got into work to travel thing, various bike trips getting further and further from home.........Mainly financed from living very cheaply, in 75 went out to Aussi overland by public transport. information in those days was difficult to get. I had a copy of the BIT guide, a bunch of photocopied (?) pages and that was it, best advice in that guide was to go for it. arrived in Aussi, my wife and I worked like hell for 18 months lived very simply and on the proceeds bought a BMW bike, shipped it to SrI Lanka and rode home from there, we must have been amongst the last travellers to come through Afganisatan before it closed down. Got back to Europe. stayed 2 years worked and saved, added to the 5000US money we had left from Aussi and shipped a R80 off to New York, spent around 12 months in North and South America, sold the bike In Bolivia for twice I had paid for it and used the cash to fly across the pacific (always wanted to go to Easter Island) and arrived back in Aussi. Bought an old R90/6 and punted that round Aussi, making up for the travelling we did not do the first time. We had been on the road for near on 3 years on that trip, China was just opening up, could have done it, but did not have the energy so came back to Europe.
By this time I was 'done' travelling and now went to college and got some professional qualifications and went into the kids, house etc etc thing. Now I'm separated, waiting to sort out the divorce and sticking the odd toe into the bike travel thing, off to Romania this summer, but would find it very difficult to give it all up and go off full time again.

I suppose the question is.........Would i do the same now? I would hope so, but it feels to so much more difficult now, kids seem to have to go to university, they come out with debt and there does not seem to be the same support from the state if you did come unstuck. People such as Cynthia and Lorraine do set me a very good example, I have not been to Africa and there all the bits between Russia and China that are now open................

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Charles CCM450, BMW R90/6, BMW R50
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