Horizons Unlimited Travellers Meetings

Second Annual Deutschland Travellers Meeting

Thursday May 21-Sunday May 24, 2009

Want to know what people thought of other HU Meetings? Is it worth coming to the Meeting?

"I'm so looking forward to another UK meet. My only problem is that I simply can't get to every talk I want, such is the amount of terrific presentations on offer. Each year I've been astonished at how articulate, intelligent, informative and entertaining the speakers are. I'm willing to help with anything that doesn't keep me from a talk - and my timetable will be full to bursting!" More comments here.

See what it was like last year! Deutschland 2008 Meeting Report here.

Meeting Details below

Meeting Report

Comments on the event, photos etc on the HUBB thread

by Jens Ruprecht, Meeting Organiser, Germany

"Sorry guys, a little late… I was pretty busy during 2009.

After our first HU Meeting in Germany in 2008, which was quite successful, we decided to continue with the German HU Series. I had the idea to run two Meetings in 2009, Grant thought I would be crazy… Okay, at our 2nd HU Meeting we had around 200 people on the spot and we had a great time!

We got people from nearly all over Europe (of course Germans, Dutch, Belgium, Netherlands, France, Switzerland, Austria, Bulgaria and from Russia - Moscow!) and even some guys from USA and Canada! I hope I didn´t forget anybody.

We had very good workshops like: Woman only, fix that flat, Diesel Bikes, How to write a book, Photo Composition, GPS Tech clinic etc. And your presentations were great too (see below for the long list!)

So thanks to everybody and of course all our Helpers! We hope to see you in 2010!

Here's a few small photos:"

 

The Plan - or, what WAS planned!

The plan is simple. Show up on Thursday or at the latest Friday afternoon, meet people and setup. Travel Presentations and Tech seminars are planned throughout the meeting, starting Thursday night.

2009 Speakers and Tech Seminars:

Presentations in English or German as possible.

• Every country in the world
  • Peter and Kay Forwood, Australia
    All 193 countries on a Harley in 13 years, the Challenges, Enjoyments and Logistics of Visiting Every Country
• Sjaak Lucassen, Netherlands, RTW on an R1; will team up with Peter and Kay to present a unique take on travelling the world, on two very opposite - but highly successful - bikes.
• Ted Simon is hoping to be there, and if he can make it:
  The start... Jupiters Travels, NEW film and slides
  • Ted Simon, UK / USA
    An expanded account of the beginning of the first journey, and much more
• Africa Solo: The Long Way Around
  • Werner Bausenhart, Canada (Germany) in English or German
    A Circumnavigation of Africa from London via Cape Town back to London. Werner will have some of his books too.
• 15.000km Down Under with 3 Triumph Tigers
  • Wilco Vonk and Frank van Gerwen - TigerRaid
    A story and a double DVD movie about 3 guys and 1 girl doing 15.000km in 8 weeks through the Red Centre and the Westcoast of Australia
• With Enfield Diesel to Lake Aral and back
  • Gerben from Holland
    nearly 20.000 km in 5 Weeks -Tashkent, Usbekistan, Turkmenistan
• Canada to the southern tip of South America, Ushuaia
  • Kevin Bradley and Erin Van Zant, Canada
    A six month adventure
• Vietnam and Laos
  • Peter Kongsbak, Denmark
    Riding around Vietnam and Laos on a Minsk Motorcycle
• Offroad travelling and taking "Enduro" seriously
  • Stephan Eichenlaub
    From traveller to sport rider and back: The fascination of trying the "impossible": Riding the big KTM twin on a rallye and on the Enduromania. Travel by bike, change tyres and be ready for action.
• An Enfield in India
  • Jörn Buchleitner, Germany
    A quick 3 weeks on a rented Enfield through India, tips and tricks.
• Dakar Rally 2009 the easy way
  • Jens Ruprecht, Germany
    Argentina/Chile and the Dakar Rally 2009 on a 125cc Suzuki
• Morocco: safe, exciting and inexpensive
  • Tim Cullis, UK
    Overview and hidden/special places (NOTE: Friday night only)
• Women only
  • a very popular session that was once again well attended - there was even a man caught trying to sneak in dressed as a a woman! :) A chance to talk to experienced travelling women without the men around!
  • Doris Wiedemann will lead the session, with an introduction into travelling as a woman.
• Fix that flat! How to change a tire anytime, anywhere
  • Workshop
    How to prevent flats in the first place, and fix them when you get one. The best tools and how to use them for tube and tubeless tires. Hand's on practical and tire changing contest for beginners to experts!


Tech sesssion

• Diesel Bike Workshop
  • Peter Selzer, Germany
    Interested in better fuel mileage? Find out from an expert!
• How to write and publish your travel book!
  • Jens Ruprecht, Germany
    Want to get your story published and on Amazon? Jens did it, and here's how!
• Photo Composition for Travellers
  • Grant Johnson, Canada
    The one everyone SHOULD take, but no one does... We all want to take great photos of our trip - so why don't we? This easy clinic will transform your motorcycle travel photos from boring to fabulous! BRING your photos on a CD or Flash Drive, max 10, and we'll critique and discuss YOUR photos - what's good, and what's not - and how they could be improved.
• GPS Tech clinic
  • Matthias Zörcher, http://www.rswolf.de/ (30 minutes from the meeting if you need anything for GPS, Ducati or Suzuki)
    Friday and Saturday presentations on using a GPS

    

    Matthias at the GPS session

• For next year: How about you? We're all here to learn, and there's LOTS to learn! We want to do more presentations and seminars - but we need volunteers to give them! Any topic you can contribute having to do with motorcycle travel, maintenance, planning etc, lasting 20 minutes or more, would be great. Please contact me here to volunteer.

There were slide shows and talks Thursday, Friday and Saturday night, as well as all Saturday morning and afternoon, and Sunday too!

Rideouts

Charity

Last year we raised almost €2000 for Riders for Health or Motorcycle Outreach at HU Meetings, through the sale of raffle tickets and the generous donation of prizes from all the vendors on site and from afar at our HU Meetings worldwide. Many thanks to everyone, let's hope we can raise even more this year. And if you'd like to donate a prize, please contact Grant in London or Jens in Germany.

Food

Served all day, breakfast €5 from 08.00 every day, then hot meals form 11:30 till 22.00, a wide and varied menu - typical dishes of the area (Odenwald), including vegetarian, at reasonable prices. Try the Odenwald Äppelwoi!(applewine).

Camping

Camping is INCLUDED in your registration fee. NO 4 wheeled vehicles in the main camping fields, there will be an area specifically for you.

Travel Equipment Vendors

We're looking for Travel Equipment vendors to come and display your products, and sell as well. Please contact Grant in London or Jens Ruprecht in Germany.

Kedo Performance Products "Heroes Legend Race to Dakar" support, travel goodies and more/
Petra Friedrich from OutdoorFieber will be there with motorcycle and outdoor products.

Books - get your signed copy direct from the Author!

Patrick Schweizer, (onkelkarle) with his book and DVD "Fernweh - RTW Trip"

Doris Weidemann will have her new book "Unterwegs zum Roten Drachen" and the "Taiga Tour".

Torsten Schopbach, "Der Weg war das Ziel" 56.000 km, 14 Länder, 4 Kontinente – ein Abenteuer! 56.000 km, 14 countries, 4 continents – one adventure!

Dave Barrett, Germany, "Dodging Potholes," Motorcycling in Eastern Europe, proceeds from the book go to the orphanage in Calarasi, Moldova.

Werner Bausenhart, will have a few of his four books available.

Schedule

Registration

Sign up for the 2010 event here!

Entry fee includes admission to the slide shows on Thursday, Friday and Saturday night and Sunday am, and other events during the day Friday and Saturday. Camping is also included in your entry fee for Thursday, Friday and Saturday night. If you arrive early there is generally no problem finding a spot to camp, no charge. Just eat there and they're happy!

Accommodation other than camping, and meals are NOT included.

Membership - Show you're proud to be a Horizons Unlimited Traveller!

T-Shirt Deal

You can help!

If you have a few minutes, please download the poster (Adobe pdf format) and print off a few and hand them round your club or your local bike shop or anywhere seems like a good place.

(You may need to right click and choose "save target as...")

Poster in pdf format, English (886kb) full colour 2009 poster.

Poster in pdf format, Deutsche (886kb) full colour 2009 poster.

Thanks for the help!

The Meeting Location for 2009

Gasthaus „Zur Schneeburg“
69509 Ober-Liebersbach
(30 min. north of Heidelberg)

Getting There - GPS, Maps

Other Accommodation Possibilities

If you have any information for the area please let us know.

Pretty nice hotel:

Der Watzenhof
69502 Hemsbach/
Balzenbach

Tel: 06201 70050
Fax: 06201 700520
Email Hotel: kont...@watzenhof.de

Information about the area

Local Hosts

Jens Ruprecht is the lead organizer of this event. Thanks go to Jens for volunteering to bring Horizons Unlimited Travellers Meetings to Germany!

If you have any questions, contact Jens at jens...@gmx.de

If you have a problem contact Jens (via Grant) here with rideout registration, vendor, venue and speakers questions.

See you at a meeting this year!

Grant and Susan