An introduction to motorcycle adventure travel.
This section is to help you prepare for a trip yourself, whether it's just a few hundred kilometres - or miles - away, the next country, or even around the world.
There is a wealth of information available, but it's often hard to find, locked away on this website in travellers tales, the e-zine and the Bulletin Board, as well as other websites and just in peoples heads. We intend to put a lot of the information in ourselves, but we can't do it all. And that's where you come in. Many of you have been there, done that, got the T-shirt. So how about passing on the information? If you see a topic that you'd like to contribute to, let me know, and you can help everyone by writing the story! We will be creating forms, like the Shipping Form, which will make it easy for you to enter info and us to update the site. You could be an expert on tents, or work for the Automobile Association in your country and know all about Carnets, or know all there is to know about maps, or GPS, or who knows what else. We can use your expertise! As you look through these pages, if you see that something is missing, please let us know so we can add it to the list. Thanks, Grant
What do I need to know? Lots!  But not nearly as much as you might think. Many people are put off because they think it's so hard, and there is so much you need to know, so much planning and preparation, that they get bogged down in the morass of information they THINK they need, and never do it, because it just seems too hard. The truth is it's actually pretty easy - anyone reading this, with a valid motorcycle licence, and ANY motorcycle, can get on it and ride around the world. It's BEEN DONE! We know people who got their licence's weeks before leaving, and made it all the way around. Tiny women, grandmothers and grandfathers, pensioners, big husky guys, fresh out of school kids, all have done it.
Having said that, here are a few things you should do to make the trip easier, safer and more fun.
- Read all you can about the places you want to visit, and make a list of all the interesting things, places and people you read about. Read Lonely Planet books on the area you want to go to. You can't carry half a dozen LP's, they weigh a ton, so don't be afraid to tear out pages of interest.
- Learn map reading - take an orienteering course so you've completely comfortable with maps and compasses. Carry two compasses.
- Take a First Aid course. Knowing the basics could be very valuable.
St. John's Ambulance does a great course. Put together a good medical kit.
- Get a thorough medical checkup.
- Get all the right jabs/shots well in advance. Some are done over a period of a couple of months - you don't want to leave it till the last minute.
- Take a course in motorcycle maintenance if you're inexperienced. Just knowing the basics could save a lot of trouble and expense. You don't need to know everything, just enough to have an idea how to get it going if it breaks. Visit your dealer and persuade him to let you watch and talk to the mechanic when he services your bike. Offer to pay extra for the privilege - you're a pain in the neck to the mechanic! A six pack for the mechanic helps... ;)
- Take a rider training course. Anything from basic "how to ride" Beginner courses, refreshers, advanced skills, and off-road courses are all of huge benefit to you, no matter what your skill level. I always recommend at least one refresher course, and if you're not a very experienced off-road rider , strongly recommend an off-road course. Even experienced off-road riders aren't usually used to a fully loaded touring bike on dirt. With a rider and passenger, you can easily be well over 1000 pounds (450kg), and all the off-road skills in the world won't help if you make a mistake and it starts to go over. A good course will help you avoid painful mistakes. BMW runs a very good course in Hechlingen, Germany, which is highly recommended. Another course I can recommend for North Americans is by Rawhyde Adventures.
- Jim Hyde runs Rawhyde Adventures, a unique "Adventure Riding School" based in California, USA. Jim's goal is to help the new adventure rider get the most out of their bike, teaching them how to be comfortable and safe riding off-road. Jim taught a short course at our 2004 Copper Canyon, Mexico Travellers Meeting, and received rave reviews. He will be at Copper Canyon again in 2005, leading a group of riders from California to the Meeting via Baja. He will also lead a group to our new for 2005 Colorado Travellers Meeting. Contact Jim here if you're interested in riding to either meeting with him, or in taking one of his courses. And if you mention Horizons Unlimited, you get a US$100 discount on his full 3 day course and a special (for HU'ers only) t-shirt as a bonus.
- Finally and most important, is to read Horizons Unlimited!
 The world is changing constantly, and whatever you know today is out-of-date tomorrow. - The HUBB will keep you posted on changes, and you can always ask if in doubt, and get fast answers to most questions from someone who really knows, cause they were just there!
- The ezine will give you a ton of inspiration and information on what travellers are enjoying, the problems they had and how they solved them along the way.
- Check out the Communities too, there's over 350 at this writing, and all those people joined because they love motorcycle travel, and really want to meet travellers from all over the world. They aren't there just to help in case of emergency, they want to meet you and say hi, and show you their town. Take advantage of that, you'll be glad you did! And when you get home, start or join a local Community for your area.
Information currently available Where and When Advantages (and a few disadvantages) of motorcycles vs. cars, public transport and bicycles. Solo or two up, reliability, availability of spares, comfort, and more considerations discussed. Obtaining a Carnet de Passage, links for visas, motorcycle insurance. Everything you need to know to ship it yourself by either boat or air...information on costs, contact details, and travellers' descriptions of the service. Information available on every continent (except Antarctica).
General tips for border crossings. Documents, fees, entry procedures for Central America. Including friendly people, communities, and motorcycle friendly accommodation. Our Rules of the Road. Health - vaccinations, travel medical tips, example travel medical kit, medical insurance (to buy or not to buy, and links to providers). Safety - don't become a victim (useful advice on crime), country alerts.
If you're not quite ready to head out on your own, this section has links to tour companies all over the world. A tour is a great way to "learn the ropes" so you can go on your own, or if you have limited time, you can get that taste of adventure travel without a huge amount of preparatory effort - it's all taken care of for you!
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