Mark Holmes around the World on a Triumph Rocket X.
 

I am Mark Holmes.

On 1st. April 2017 I set off from London to become the first man in the world, to ride the world’s largest capacity production motorcycle, my 2.3 litre Triumph Rocket X, around the World.

On 20th. August 2018, I made it back safely to London. I DID IT !

I rode on 5 continents, through 36 countries, riding nearly 39,000 miles (60,000 kilometres), in 506 days.

This was not purely a self-indulgent adventure. In fact, far from it.

I had a couple of messages for the world, and passions to share. I knew from previous trips on a another Rocket that it would attract attention, so it was quite easy to engage with people who stopped to admire the it. I told them that I wanted people to please stop smoking, because they are killing themselves, but also to ride a motorcycle, as it can be so much fun. One or other message always got a reaction. So too did a mention of Chelsea Football Club, or the Ted Simon Foundation.

If language and time permitted they then asked me basic questions about the bike. How big is the engine? How many cylinders? How much fuel does the tank hold? Many would go on to ask about my journey. Where are you from? Where are you going? Why are you travelling alone? What is your job? At first I wondered whether or not I should tell the full story. After all, they were only making polite conversation because they liked the look of the bike. I soon realised that I might as well blurt it all out.

“My wife and I ran our own business for 28 years, but in November 2016 we went into administration. 11 days later, after 39 years of marriage, my wife died. She had been fighting cancer for quite a while. So, with no wife, no job, no income, no best friend, no soul mate, I decided to venture into the world, share my passions and love, and ask the world to deliver me something in return. I got on my bike and left the UK”.

Immediately, their expression changed. At first their eyes started to light up. Then their mouth opened. Then their jaws hit the floor. They certainly never expected that answer to their simple question.

I set off with 4 passions to share:

• Triumph Motorcycles. I supported the Triumph Motorcycle brand wherever I went, engaging with motorcyclists and aspirants, as well as dreaming adventurers.

My Triumph Rocket X helped me engage with people in a way that few other bikes could do. With no punctures, two minor breakdowns quickly fixed by excellent Triumph dealers in Jakarta and Rio de Janeiro, it proved to be an great choice for me. I didn’t even drop it.

• The Ted Simon Foundation. I was at the inaugural meeting in 2011, and share their belief that individuals of good will, moving among foreign cultures and making themselves vulnerable to the beliefs and customs of strangers, have great importance in promoting world understanding, and even more so when they can communicate it. I wanted to try and understand more about the beauties, mysteries and tragedies of our world through my adventure, and allow my passion for people, places and history to grow. I have love to spare and share with the world. The Ted Simon foundation appoints and supports Jupiter’s Travellers to achieve these goals

• The Royal Geographical Society is the UK's learned society and professional body for geography, founded in 1830. They are a world leader in advancing geography and supporting its practitioners in the UK and across the world. The Society works with a wide range of public audiences to raise awareness of geography and its relevance to our lives. They aim to inspire people to become more informed about our changing world and the challenges it faces. I am a Fellow of the Society, and tried to support their work on my journey.

• Chelsea Football Club. I acknowledge that football in general, as well as the club specifically, has the ability to engage and unite huge audiences around the world. From youth football’s ability to unite communities, to the first team’s ability to unite the world, I wanted to share my passion and create advocates. I am a Member of Chelsea Football Club and lived near their home, Stamford Bridge, for many years.

Nicely done!

May I ask what was your route and budget for this trip ? :) Cheers!

Mark Holmes around the World on a Triumph Rocket X.
 

Hello Rainville,
I spent two months around Europe before heading south-east. Turkey, Iran, Dubai, and India. I visited Nepal, Cambodia, Malaysia and Singapore. Then over to Indonesia and Bali, before hopping to New Zealand and Australia. Next was Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador and Colombia. A hop, skip and a jump took me via Mexico to Canada, north then east to Montreal and finally back to London.
I think the basic trip cost about £50,000, but I had a side attraction!! All in my book "Rebirth", on Amazon.
Stay safe,
Mark.

Welcome to the HUBB, Mark. Your first post is intriguing, and it provokes a lot of questions; for example, exactly how did you "support their work" and "create advocates?" What advice would you give others contemplating similar trips, and what would you do differently with your own? How did this trip change you, help process your grief, alter your beliefs about the world? Where will you go from here, now that you've returned home?

The HUBB is a great place to gather, engage, disseminate and discuss information, approaches, philosophies and issues of interest. In doing so, you'll publicize your book, as you'll see others doing. Not such a good place to post teasers.

Looking forward to hearing more!

(another) Mark

Hi Mark, I'd really like to read your book, but there is no way on earth that I'm going to buy a kindle 'book'. Do you have plans to get a real book published, please?

Mark Holmes around the world on a Triumph Rocket X
 

Hello Markharf,

Here's the conclusions I came to about the messages I carried at the start:

After setting out to deliver two messages to the world, and share some passions, I came to some conclusions about their relative successes. Encouraging people to “ride a motorcycle because it can be so much fun” had been a huge success. Every conversation I had with people proved it, if only because I had ridden all the way to them from London. Their smile was all I needed to see to know with absolute certainty that the message was well received. Some of the longest conversations started with this message. I know that I changed lives too. Contrastingly, the “please stop smoking” message was a failure. Most smokers did not want to hear this, and some even told me that their chosen habit was their business, but not mine. I had tried to link the message to raise some money for Cancer Research UK, in Sue’s name, but that goal too achieved little. However, three people later told me they had given up smoking, and cited my message as helpful though not instrumental.
My self-gratifying visits to football stadiums in Barcelona, Madrid, Milan and Rio de Janeiro were highlights for me, but did little to further my idea of sharing my passion for Chelsea Football Club. I had given away most of the fifty badges that I had at the start, but they were not received in a way I had hoped. The club really did not need any help from me at all, and never once reacted to the social media tags I used.
However, sharing my love for Triumph Motorcycles, was very much appreciated by the company. Five times throughout my journey they featured my story in their on-line magazine ‘For the Ride’. I was so grateful to them for explaining my motivations and describing my experiences. They handled sensitive issues very well indeed.
Promoting my support for The Ted Simon Foundation proved quite difficult though, as I received blank looks almost every time I mentioned it. However, their desire to help encourage others to venture in to the world, and communicate their understanding of it, was never far from my thoughts.
I travelled as a proud Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, and talked about their work on quite a few occasions. Their remit, in an extremely abbreviated form, was to ‘popularise geography’, and in a very small way I managed to communicate that. At the back of my mind was the hope that one day I might be invited to give a lecture to the Society on my journey. It was a naive thought at best, but born from the numerous Monday Night lectures I had attended over the years. Many of the world’s most remarkable geographers and high achievers had entertained and educated me with their discourses. Most would start the evening by telling the audience that they felt honoured to have been invited to address the Society President and members. Following in their footsteps would be an honour that I could scarcely conceive. I had not carried out any geographical research, nor unearthed any new phenomenon. I had learnt nothing new to communicate to them and I decided that I should not expect an invitation. Many years beforehand I had listened to a couple give a lecture on their world tour in a classic car. Interesting enough, but little more than a lengthy holiday. I had also listened to Charley Boorman lecture on his long way round. Although I had enjoyed the evening, he received a mixed reaction to his well rehearsed talk. We gave a standing ovation to Alastair Humphreys after he had spent four years cycling around the world. His account was exceptionally entertaining. Anything I could say about my journey would pale by comparison.

On a more general note, I travelled "with an open heart", and that alone proved to be of the greatest advantage to me.
More posts will follow on that subject.


and hello PRINCE HARLEY. My book is very much available in print. I use Amazon's "print on demand service". They print every order as it is received in about 8 different locations around the world. Here's the link to the US printed book:
https://www.amazon.com/REBIRTH-HEART...ustomerReviews

Prince Harley, My book is very much available in print:

https://www.amazon.com/REBIRTH-HEART...2518386&sr=8-1

Thanks for this, Mark.
Unfortunately, when I followed the link, I got this.....

This item cannot be shipped to your selected delivery location. Please choose a different delivery location.

I don't think it's Amazon's fault, more likely the idiot rules and regulations that Australia has meekly allowed itself to be bound to.

Thanks anyhow.

Try this link to the book on Amazon.com.au

You might find other suppliers also, but of the two I found this was half the price of the other!
Amazon USA ONLY ships to USA addresses for MOST (if not all, not sure) products. They don't - understandably - want the aggro of customs paperwork.

Thanks Grant, and thanks Mark.
The link to Amazon Aus did indeed work and I bought the book.
Better be a damned good read after all this aggro!

The book duly arrived, a good read.

I especially liked the line about 'no petches' (back-patches) being allowed on the InterIslander boat.

I had quite forgotten the delightful mangling of vowels that Kiwis so love in Aotearoa, or the Land of the Long Flat Vowel, as it is otherwise known.

And of course, geng petches are forbudden on the UnterIslander from Willington to Pucton!!