Bikebase:

Just a postscript to all this discussion:

I'm in a not entirely different situation that you: my motorcycle is currently in Tunisia, where I had to abandon it at the start of the COVID pandemic in April 2020. I'm in Canada, and very much want to recover the motorcycle so I can go riding in Europe this summer.

But... even though I had high hopes of going there this month to pick it up (I'm vaccinated, flights are running Canada to Tunisia, ferries are running Tunis to France), I think I am going to have to postpone things until the fall because of the COVID situation in Tunisia. I'm concerned that the French are going to slam the door shut on entry from Tunisia without any advance notice - the Italians already have done so (except for their own citizens).

Although this COVID thing appears to have settled down a bit in some first-world countries, we're only at half-time in the show for lesser developed countries. There is no doubt that all hell is going to break loose in unvaccinated countries as a result of variant spread.

It might be a good idea if you re-evaluate the risks associated with trying to start a RTW trip this year. You could wind up in a situation like mine, where the moto has to be abandoned on very short notice and you end up taking a repatriation flight back to your home country (not an inexpensive exercise).

I know we all want to get back on the road again... but honestly, I don't think this summer & fall is the time for extensive international travel, especially to lesser developed countries.

Michael