michnus

17th May 2019

WHAT IT TAKES – MOTORCYCLE TRAVEL INSPIRATION

Still, thinking up lame excuses why you are not planning your lifetime trip? With an intense burning desire to see the world these gnarly travellers tackled the bull by the horns and got things done.

They are not celebs with backup crews. They are unsupported, self-funded normal people with a passion and a make-things-happen attitude.

Get some inspiration from them, they have cool trip reports, tips, info and photos on their websites.

I’m Lobke – originating from The Netherlands but roaming around since 2004 combining work and travel. beautiful bits of the world I got to see from behind the steering wheels and handlebars of (self-built) camper vans, motorbikes, and bicycles; whereas the ugly bits – but perhaps even more inspiring – I experienced through my work in landmine victim rehabilitation and other humanitarian (post-)disaster support.

Over the past 3 years, I’ve mostly been riding my motorbike through South America, Europe, Eurasia, Central Asia, Siberia and onto Vladivostok, across the Mongolian Gobi desert, and back towards Europe. After living in and out of backpacks, tents, camper vans, farmhouses, refugee camps and other temporary settlements, I found a mountain cabin in the Spanishmountains,s which I’m turning into a hideaway for travellers to escape the reversed culture shock upon their return home. The perfect place to exchange stories, write your book, draw your paintings, or to just digest your memories and dream up the next adventures. https://www.ikgawildkamperen.nl/

LifeunloadedRTW

Paul & Aida  Lifeunloadedrtw came from unloading all my shit and hitting the road for a few years.  I thought I was gonna do it alone but when I told my friend Aida about it she just kinda said “well, I guess I’ll come with you”. 

Within two days she was onboard and we left Long Island seven months later.  Aida left her home and family to follow a dream. Now, two years later we are still going.  We definitely are not the same people that left Long Island two years ago. 
We have seen some shit, been through some shit and definitely had the shits more times then anyone could handle.  We each have our role in this adventure.  Aida is a photographer, I’m a mechanic and drone pilot.  If there is anything we truly live by it’s not making plans.  We leave just about everything up to chance.  From where we sleep to the next country we visit.  The best times we have are always spontaneous ones. 

Moppedhiker

We are Nicki and Moe “If not now – then when?!” was the question we asked ourselves, as the end of our studies in Germany came closer. We left our flat, sold our possessions, and quit our jobs in order to combine our two big passions: riding and hiking. Living on two wheels for more than two years, we are intentionally slow: Because being on the road has taught us that time is what you need the most. Add spontaneity and serenity; you have the best ingredients for a great journey.
If you are into stories about the great outdoors, motorcycle breakdowns, stupid ideas, sore feet, and cold beers at the bonfire – our blog might entertain you 🙂
https://www.instagram.com/moppedhiker/

LifeWeLove.com

Liwia & Joki We are a couple from Poland, who enjoys exploring the world 2-up on dual-sport motorbike.  One day we decided to set off for an open-ended motorcycle odyssey through the Americas. Having not much money, but enjoying the free time and staying open to opportunities that arrive, we travel, meet people, volunteer and work on the way as digital nomads. facebook.com/lifewelove/ LifeWeLove Instagram

Josephsavant.com

I’m Joseph Savant, a recovering advertising photographer who loves to ride adventure motorcycles and travel, shooting images as I go. For 25 years I’d dreamed of riding from the Arctic Ocean in Alaska, to the tip of South America. In 2016, I made life changes to allow time to do so. That summer I left for Alaska, Canada, the American West and Mexico, spending nine months and 30,000 miles with my partner in crime. Now it’s time for the solo leg, Mexico to Ushuaia! More on South America travel here: https://www.patagoniabound.com/ Contact Me:  [email protected]

https://worldoverland.ca/

I’m Kevin Chow, born and raised in British Columbia, Canada. Ever since I was a little kid I wanted to travel the world. 12 years ago I started a bank account to do it on a motorcycle. For the past 9 years I have been doing Marketing for Harley-Davidson, so motorcycles are more than just a passion. In Dec 2016, I quit my job and sold my house near Vancouver, bought a 20 foot shipping container and got it delivered to my parent’s house. All my belongings are either on my motorcycle or in my container. I left Feb, 6, 2017 and have been living on the road since. The hardest decision was to leave, and I can tell you that it’s been one of the best decisions of my life. Who else can say they have a master in circumnavigating the world?

http://www.avvida.co.uk/

We are Suzie and Kelvin and we live in Bristol, U.K. We’re passionate about adventure motorcycle travel, however to date, we have only ever been able to take short breaks of two weeks to go on our motorcycle travels due to work commitments and perceived barriers. Sparked by the knowledge that life is very short, that we have no maternal/paternal instincts, an increasing thirst for adventure, culture and life, plus two tickets to the Adventure Travel Show (for which I bought tickets to the Motorcycle Travel Seminar for Kelvin’s birthday), we decided to spend 12 months travelling in South America. So……..here we are! Life is an adventure and “AvVida” was born. Why AvVida? Well, “La Vida Es Una Aventura” is Spanish for Life is an adventure and AvVida shortens it nicely!!

http://www.greatamericantrek.com/

Megan and Matthew are two South African Medical doctors who are travelling from Argentina to Alaska in Sept 2014. The mode of transport will be two motorcycles and the trip should take about 12 months. They will be travelling, unsupported, through 18 very different countries in aid of two medical charities. The two charities are Doctors without Borders and Kind Cuts for Kids.

http://earths-ends.com/

Mick and Tan are geologists and mining engineers by profession but world travelling, adventure-seeking nomads by nature. After years spent happily ensconced in the bosom of the Australian mining industry, we have decided it was time to live the dream and travel a large portion of the globe on the back or our trusty Suzuki DR650s.

http://amsterdamtoanywhere.nl/en/

We are Peter and Leonie from Amsterdam, the Netherlands. We have quit our jobs and rented the house to be able to travel around the world on our motorbikes. We have planned to travel for two years. We left in late 2013 from Amsterdam and first went to Africa. We have since taken the motorbikes to South America. Where the journey takes us from there on, still is a great adventure. On this website, you can follow us!”

http://www.ridemust.com/about/

Hello I’m Tolga Basol. After working for the media industry for over 13 years in Istanbul, I recently quit my job to travel around the world. I bought my first motorcycle about 13 years ago. Since then I have tried to travel as much as I can on my holidays, but those short breaks of work were not enough anymore.
This is probably the biggest dream in my life, so I hope to complete my RTW in 1.5 years or maybe more. Before my RTW, I’ve ridden to Afghanistan, Iran, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Bulgaria, Greece, Romania, Ukraine, Moldova, Switzerland, Albania, Austria, Italy, Macedonia, Croatia, Slovenia, Thailand and Laos.

 

http://www.smboilerworks.com/

S&M Boiler Works consists of Mike and Shannon Mills and the spirit of their guardian angel chihuahua, named Ducati. The current mission spanning 2014-2017 is to circumnavigate the globe by motorcycle. Much more detailed information about this trip including blog, border crossing information, expense reports, route/accommodation information, and more can all be found on our website.

Dutchie D’Pirate
Overland rider. Australia is home London to Sydney on a Triumph. Launched originally as hairywangoesglobal.org in November 2015, and re-launched under the name atthehandlebars.com, as a blog for avid overland and adventure motorcyclists.
I’ve been riding motorcycles for 10 years – next to nothing compared to the seasoned veterans of adventure riding and over-landing. As the relative beginner, I am, you can join me on the adventure every week, as I learn new techniques, how to repair things on the road and the silly errors I make along the way (let’s face it, there’s plenty of those coming.
If you love jumping onto the saddle and flying through space, this is the place for you. On this blog, you will find weekly updates of my motorcycle adventures around the world. Also as an upcoming feature, will be map-related routes for you to plan for your own trips, and ideas on great riding destinations.

http://motophil.ch/

My name is Philippe and I was born 1977 in Basel/Switzerland. I started to ride motorcycles right on my 18th birthday (the bike was waiting already for me to get my learner’s license).  Back then, riding was mostly a practical thing combined with fun. It meant I was no longer dependent on any public transportation schedules or my parents driving me around. It just meant… freedom. It has always been a dream of mine to do some travelling with a motorcycle, maybe even do an RTW trip… in late 2014 I decided the time was perfect to take a timeout from work and go on a motorcycle adventure….

http://therollinghobo.com/

Jussi Hyttinen. I’m a Finn, based in Berlin, Germany. I work in the creative industry and value good design and flawless work. I wouldn’t say I like botch jobs and mismatching colours.
I love adventure and have a background in Alpinism, freeskiing and cave diving. Situations of extreme stress are when the strength of the mind is truly tested. It is either steeled or broken. One returns as a changed person after every adventure.
There are no blanks on the maps anymore but the dark corners still have secrets. Curiosity drives me to stay off the beaten track and to push on where the trail ends. One never knows what the shadows hide. The variety of peoples, cultures and landscapes of The World never ceases to amaze me. Adventure enduro ties everything together. It is the perfect discipline.

MotoLara

Naomi and Alberto are two passionate motorcycle travellers from Canada. They have been riding bikes together for almost a decade, through remote lands and many times getting -happily- lost. Their traveling includes wild camping as much as possible. They have travelled on F800GSs across the Americas and now spend most of their time riding minimalistic bikes (small 200 – 250cc motos). Alberto was born in Peru, a place they enjoy exploring on two wheels thanks to the triple threat of great riding, unbelievable scenery and rich culture.

Madnomad

Elias Vrohidis. The passion for adventure travelling was in me as long as I can remember myself! As a child, my friends and I used to hang out in the forest situated close to my house. Family vacations in nature were a regular activity of ours. Later, when I grew old enough to travel by myself, I started to discover all the beauties of Greece traveling in every possible way. My first trip abroad took place at the age of 19. I travelled in Sofia, Bulgaria, for four days, along with my best friend (Thanasis, you little devil, does it ring a bell?), using public transportation. My first “real” journey abroad was made solo in Italy, a year later. I was wondering about through the entire country for over a month, mostly by train (InterRail)