Reply to: Overlanding around the world, envious yes

[Clippy]

thanks for the advice Chef,

with a wife and two children I think the across the world trip is some time away yet, but still, the istanbul or morocco trip is possible :-)

What you did must have been amazing

Milan.

Inspiration.

[Dearnla]

If you have kids, do it before they reach secondary school age or wait till they leave home.

Pondlife, there are some great bikers out there. I met these two first in Pakistan and then several years later in Chile.

Lazy bu**ers - couldn't be bothered to hold down a real job, eh?

Now that Ewan & Charley have glamourised the "ride around the world on a BMW GS" everyone's at it. As a biker, I get asked many times if I've ever fancied doing the same. No way, José - I like a nice, warm Hotel and the ability to come home to the BBC, the lovely weather, the state of the economy, errr.....now, where's that map of Africa, Luv??

[Gibbon]

my advice would be

- work out how much money you have to spend on the trip based on time not earning (and constant bills such as Mortgage, pension etc.)
- buy a map of the world and mark on it all possibilities of where you'd like to go
- choose only those that follow a logical group/block/pattern/line
- look in lonely planets for average costs of a country and distance/times to travel the direction you want
- based on country costs, constant monthly outgoings and approx petrol costs you can work out how long you could spend away and roughly howlong in each country
- set a realistic date and tell everyone you're doing it and when you're leaving, that way you are less likely to back out or delay
- enjoy the trip

Ahhh Lonely Planet, not a patch on Time Out IMHO. However I’m sure it was the reason for a particularly memorable lunch in Rome a few years ago.

It was a cold Friday in January and I was just walking up from the Campo towards San Andrea d’Valle when the heavens opened so I decided to have lunch earlier than planned to get out of the rain. Anyway I went into a little restaurant and asked for a table for one. The owner didn’t look too happy for some reason and just pointed me in the direction of a little table cooped up at the back. I sat down and whilst waiting for service got my LP book out to plan the afternoon’s activities and also look for a different restaurant.

When the owner came back to take my order he caught sight of the book and his attitude changed immediately. He offered me a different better-placed table by the window and started suggesting some choices particularly the clams, as they were fresh that day. So ended up ordering artichokes, spaghetti vongole and saltimbocca with some house white. As I finished the artichoke the place was filling up and in walked a very attractive Italian lady on her own whom the owner somehow managed to place at my table. Well Gibbon was in his heaven! Great food, great company in my favourite city, but unfortunately didn’t get any bayonet practice. I’m convinced he thought I was spotting for LP.

[Paddy]

Start with the trans Siberian express that fairly accessible

The train is very slow, but that is fine as most people is drinking vodka and shagging.

[milanbenes]

thanks for the advice Chef,

with a wife and two children I think the across the world trip is some time away yet, but still, the istanbul or morocco trip is possible :-)

What you did must have been amazing

Milan.

[chef]

my advice would be

- work out how much money you have to spend on the trip based on time not earning (and constant bills such as Mortgage, pension etc.)
- buy a map of the world and mark on it all possibilities of where you'd like to go
- choose only those that follow a logical group/block/pattern/line
- look in lonely planets for average costs of a country and distance/times to travel the direction you want
- based on country costs, constant monthly outgoings and approx petrol costs you can work out how long you could spend away and roughly howlong in each country
- set a realistic date and tell everyone you're doing it and when you're leaving, that way you are less likely to back out or delay
- enjoy the trip

[milanbenes]

Chef and ScooterScot,

very interesting feedback.

Chef, that's amazing what you have already done.

Scooter sorry to hear what happened - that's one of the reasons I prefer 4 wheels.

For now just have to keep dreaming but it's a nice dream.

Milan.

[scooterscot]

Start with the trans Siberian express that fairly accessible

[Sockpuppet]

I'd love to do such a trip one day - anyone else with such dreams ?

Yes. I left the UK in Jan 2010. Plan was/is simple ride with some mates to Gambia to help raise funds to build a road (we'd raised £40k between us). Then carry on south to S Africa for the world cup. Come back up Africa through Sudan to Saudi then turn right through the 'stans (Uzbekistan etc) to Mongolia then down into India and head out towards Indonesia etc. Do a lap of Oz and NZ fly to Alaska and do N America for a year then head south and do S America for as long as time permits.

Total time out the UK 4 or 5 years. So set off in Jan. Bike packed and ready to rock. Yes it was flipping cold. France it was -10C.

Now you might be asking why I am posting this at close to midnight from the Uk. Well the reason is that on the 6th day of the trip had an accident.

Shattered ankle. Spent week in hospital (spanish nurses ) spend another 6 in cast and still 8 months on can't walk upstairs normally Still could have been a lot worse

Not to fear. Got my old gig back (broken leg and all) and the good news is that I can now spend even longer travelling as I've had to live with the parents as I sold all my stuff and moved out my rented digs which has allowed me to save most of my earnings. Hasn't helped my sanity one bit though. My advice is just do it. It was 12 months from me deciding to do it to giving it a go - it didn't work out but such is life.

[PRC1964]

If you have kids, do it before they reach secondary school age or wait till they leave home.

Pondlife, there are some great bikers out there. I met these two first in Pakistan and then several years later in Chile.

[milanbenes]

Hi Team,

thanks for the feedback.

Seems I'm not the only one with such dreams.

Supremo I shall have a look at the map regarding Spain and Cadiz.

The goal now is to realise the mid term dreams within the next 2 or 3 years.

Milan.

[chef]

I went from Beijing around the pacific rim to Chile overland wherever possible back in 2002/3, best thing I ever did..

China, Hongkong, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, Thailand again, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia (islands of sumatra, java, bali, lombok, flores, timor), Australia (Darwin-Cairns-Sydney), New Zealand, Chile

I missed out on Easter Island due to severe lack of money and couldn't complete the trip of Argentina, Paraguay, Bolivia, Peru, Brazil for the same reason, one day maybe

another trip I'd love to do is the Trans-Mongolian express (london-paris-moscow-beijing) but again, one day maybe

[minestrone]

Been thinking about doing it by train and boat heading east.

Inbetween Europe and India though...

[Pondlife]

Met a guy in Puno (Titicaca), Peru, who'd travelled from Canada right down to the Southern end of Argentina on his motorbike, all on his tod. He was on his way back up when we met him.

Seemed a nice chap.

[SupremeSpod]

Last night at the cheapo hotel up here in the nordics there was an Australian Toyota Landscruiser in the carpark (ozy number plates) dulled up to the nines, two spare tyres on the back, winch on the front lots of aerials

on the side it said they're doing a journey from Oz to Holland, overland via China and all the countries in between

I'd love to do such a trip one day - anyone else with such dreams ?

Mid term goals for my overlanding are to drive to Istanbul and to drive via Marseille over to Morroco/Tunisia and tour around a bit

There's a chap from my nice coat that jacket neck of the woods who in the 60's with a friend drove from nice coat that jacket to India and back in a bedford van

Milan.

Why not do Spain and go via Cadiz?