Dreaming of a motorcycle trip to distant climes? This section will help you to plan your trip, whether it's to the next state, country or all the way around the world! Start here!
The Achievable Dream 5-part series - the definitive video guide for planning your motorcycle adventure. Get Ready! covers planning, paperwork, medical and many other topics! "Inspirational and Awesome!" See the trailer here!
You could just get on a plane with your credit card and passport and buy or rent everything you need when you get there. That includes the bike, riding gear, etc. etc.
Gear Up! is a 2-DVD set, 6 hours! Which bike is right for me? How do I prepare the bike? What stuff do I need - riding gear, clothing, camping gear, first aid kit, tires, maps and GPS? What don't I need? How do I pack it all in? Lots of opinions from over 150 travellers! "will save you a fortune!"See the trailer here!
So you've done it - got inspired, planned your trip, packed your stuff and you're on the road! This section is about staying healthy, happy and secure on your motorcycle adventure. And crossing borders, war zones or oceans!
On the Road! is 5.5 hours of the tips and advice you need to cross borders, break down language barriers, overcome culture shock, ship the bike and deal with breakdowns and emergencies."Just makes me want to pack up and go!" See the trailer here!
Tire Changing!Grant demystifies the black art of Tire Changing and Repair to help you STAY on the road! "Very informative and practical." See the trailer here!
With an HU blog, you'll get a lot more readers than in some obscure corner of the web, it's all set to go, no setup required, and it's free! Start your Travel Story Blog right now!
800+ HU Communities in over 115 countries! People who want to meet travellers - yes that's YOU - and can provide local assistance, and may be your new best friends!
Make a DifferenceTips on fundraising or donating time and energy to a cause.
After the big trip - Was the trip the best - or worst - thing you ever did?
Resources and Links
Horizons Unlimited Presents!
Ladies on the Loose! For the first time ever, a motorcycle travel DVD made for women, by women! These intrepid women share their tips to help you plan your own motorcycle adventure. They also answer the women-only questions, and entertain you with amazing tales from the road! Presented by Lois Pryce, veteran solo traveller through South America and Africa and author of 'Lois on the Loose', and 'Red Tape and White Knuckles.'
"It has me all fired up to go out on my own adventure!" See the trailer here!
Meet people who don't think you're crazy for wanting to ride your bike to South America or across Asia! They will encourage you, share their experiences and advice on how to do it!
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T-shirts Cotton or synth sweat-wicking t-shirts with the cool Horizons Unlimited graphic on the front and a snappy slogan (changing every year) on the back.
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Videos - Watch and Learn!
Horizons Unlimited presents!
Achievable Dream The definitive guide to planning your motorcycle adventure! This insanely ambitious 2-year project has produced an informative and entertaining 5-part, 18 hour video series. "The ultimate round the world rider's how-to!" MCN UK.
"The series is 'free' because the tips and advice will save much more than you spend on buying the DVD's."
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I'm planning a trip down the coastal side of Morocco into the ante Atlas mountains in early December. It will be my first bike trip to Morocco, and I'm travelling alone, possibly camping.
My question concerns the weather, not only in Morocco, but also riding through Spain from Bilbao down to Algiers.
Am I crazy going in December? And alone at that?
Nothing crazy about it. You might get cold from time to time. In fact you almost certainly will get cold in the mountains--both in Spain and in Morocco. You might see some snow, and that might cause delays, depending on your specific route choices. And a lot of the higher roads and tracks might be impassable, depending. At low elevation and along the coast you'll probably see some rain, but no serious cold.
Unless you're made of pretty stern stuff, you're likely to find you don't camp out much in Morocco. Even when it's not cold, the days are short and lodging is pretty cheap.
I'm not sure what makes you nervous about traveling alone, but lots of us do. I found this no particular trouble in Morocco.
Hopefully you'll be headed for Algeciras, not Algiers!
I really would advise against camping. It's an awful long time dark in the winter months, you'll waste time in the mornings trying to dry the dew off the tent, you'll be carrying around extra weight, and above all Moroccan accommodation is real inexpensive.
There's a famous saying, "Morocco is a cold country with a hot sun," so it can be really chilly in the evenings and early mornings. Altitude will of course make that worse. And as Mark writes, central Spain can also be very cold. As your trip draws near, don't look at the forecasts for Bilbao (on the coast, sea level), but instead check out the overnight temperatures for Valladolid.
I've done a lot of winter trips through Spain to Morocco and would strongly suggest you invest in handlebar muffs and a Gerbing heated jacket plus variable temperature controller.
From last winter's trip report, "I normally wear an open face Jet helmet (Caberg Hyper X) when touring Morocco and had combined it with a neoprene face mask. I was also wearing my electrically heated jacket. Although I didn't have heated hand grips, my hands were warm enough inside the muffs to enable me to just wear very thin inner gloves. With the mix of high atmospheric pressure and cold the ends of my thumbs develop splits in the skin, but I carry micropore tape to address this."
Most of my trips to Morocco are solo. Winter is a great time to go, the skies are so blue at that time of year—have a browse of some photos.
The Anti Atlas is a great place to head for in the winter. This was from Jan/Feb with the almond blossom in full swing.
__________________ "For sheer delight there is nothing like altitude; it gives one the thrill of adventure
and enlarges the world in which you live," Irving Mather (1892-1966)
I did the trip through spain this year in early april and found northern spain to be very cold, it is very high up for a long time until you get to Seville where the temperature gauge really knotched up. You might find snow but the motorways are really quiet and appear to be well maintained.
Ante Atlas would be great in Dec, they aren't too high and there is no need to do massive distances. You might have to keep your eye out on flash floods in the river crossings if it rains but they rise and fall very quickly, so a bit of time is what is neccesary. You could expect rain, how much I don't know, have a look at the online weather charts.
Coast can be cool, and that was in April, so you might find it needs a few layers on.
Ante Atlas people are generally very friendly too. By yourself is better. It'll force you to go speak to people and if you need help, it'll never be too far away!
Thanks guys, really helpful. I'm familiar with lone travel, and prefer it. My concern I guess is getting stuck in mud in a really remote mountain region in the cold. But.... That's part of the adventure
Have YOU ever wondered who has ridden around the world? We did too - and now here's thelist of Circumnavigators!
Check it out now, and add your information if we didn't find you.
Virginia: April 24-27 Queensland is back! May 2-5 Ecuador June 13-15 Germany Summer: May 29-June 1 CanWest: July 10-13 Switzerland: Date TBC Ecuador: Date TBC Romania: Date TBC Austria: Sept. 11-14 California: September 18-21 France: September 19-21 Germany Autumn: Oct 30-Nov 2
Check the RAW segments; Grant, your HU host is on every month!
Episodes below to listen to while you, err, pretend to do something or other...
2020 Edition of Chris Scott's Adventure Motorcycling Handbook.
"Ultimate global guide for red-blooded bikers planning overseas exploration. Covers choice & preparation of best bike, shipping overseas, baggage design, riding techniques, travel health, visas, documentation, safety and useful addresses." Recommended. (Grant)
Ripcord Rescue Travel Insurance™ combines into a single integrated program the best evacuation and rescue with the premier travel insurance coverages designed for adventurers.
Led by special operations veterans, Stanford Medicine affiliated physicians, paramedics and other travel experts, Ripcord is perfect for adventure seekers, climbers, skiers, sports enthusiasts, hunters, international travelers, humanitarian efforts, expeditions and more.
Ripcord travel protection is now available for ALL nationalities, and travel is covered on motorcycles of all sizes!
What others say about HU...
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Horizons Unlimited is not a big multi-national company, just two people who love motorcycle travel and have grown what started as a hobby in 1997 into a full time job (usually 8-10 hours per day and 7 days a week) and a labour of love. To keep it going and a roof over our heads, we run events all over the world with the help of volunteers; we sell inspirational and informative DVDs; we have a few selected advertisers; and we make a small amount from memberships.
You don't have to be a Member to come to an HU meeting, access the website, or ask questions on the HUBB. What you get for your membership contribution is our sincere gratitude, good karma and knowing that you're helping to keep the motorcycle travel dream alive. Contributing Members and Gold Members do get additional features on the HUBB. Here's a list of all the Member benefits on the HUBB.