I did my sums today (again) for my Argentina-Canada trip in 6 months time. They came out all wrong and I crumbled in a heap. Than I phoned the bank and made up some stuff about home improvements. Bingo! All is well. I'm 41 (for another 2 weeks). I had all this worrisome crap about budgets before I went to Africa and that was all fine as well.

Send us a postcard!

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Simon

London-Cape Town 2004-06
Buenos Aires-Vancouver 2008-10:
http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/tstories/fitzpatrick

Hiya Joey, whaddya know, another Kiwi looking to sprout wings. I too am looking at a very extensive trip on a decent bike, and came here searching for information on carnets. My gf and me just did a round trip of NZ on our Triumph, and I loved it so much I've got to get out of here. There's only so many Charlie and Ewen antics I can watch.

I am trying to convince my friend to come, and while he is very keen, money is a problem. So I have tried to put it to him in another light, please bear in mind these are random figures based on a GS1200 he wants to take. You say the biggest cost is the carnet, and if you look at it like this you might not see it as too bad.

Let's say you have a 20k bike, and I'm not sure what you're final carnet figure is but let's pretend it is 30k. Now, you could probably borrow that at 15%p.a (finance is very easy to get these days!) and use it for your carnet. Now you go away for 6 months (just a figure), don't overstay anywhere and get back with all things in order. While you are away the NZAA have invested it (they say they will do this on their site) at what you would hope would be 7% (standard savings account interest). This means that once you've paid your loan off with your refunded carnet, provided you have no early payment penalties, it should only cost you roughly $1200 of your own cash to have done this.

Now I am not a financial advisor or a wiz in that sector, but I think this is very possible and unless there is something I have missed, should make it a much better proposal. What do you think?

Mate PM me if you like and I'd love to add you to my contact list so we could chat some more about what you're doing. There's so much to figure out, can't hurt having a couple of like minded similarly aged kiwi adventurers that are trying to nut out the same problems sharing a virtual every now and then.

Thank you all for the input, 24 hours makes a big difference eh? - Just one of those days i guess... Believe me, when people who have been there and got the T shirt give advice, I'm all ears...

I'd be lying if i said there aren't various other factors, all playing their part here, - side issues and other aspects that have distracted me from the important topic.

Anyhoo, we have guests over the weekend, so we've promised ourselves not to touch this subject for a few days, give ourselves time to adjust, if you will.

Thanks again for the constructive replies.

New, dynamic, Joey

p.s Coincidently, I spoke to a friend from the UK last night, during the conversation he offered that his new sofa and Tv was £4000.... Puts it into perspective really, doesn't it?

Dodger's right. Adjust.....you'll find a way.....Good luck....

Don't worry, we all have the odd wobble before a big trip. For some reason they always happen in the morning for me. By lunchtime, and one cheese and pickle sandwich up, I'm a red blooded, obsessive adventurer again (or at least I like to think so!)

Matt

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http://adventure-writing.blogspot.com

http://scotlandnepal.blogspot.com/

*Disclaimer* - I am not saying my bike is better than your bike. I am not saying my way is better than your way. I am not mocking your religion/politics/other belief system. When reading my post imagine me sitting behind a frothing pint of ale, smiling and offering you a bag of peanuts. This is the sentiment in which my post is made. Please accept it as such!

Don't fret my man!

You have enough cash for 1 right?

So put the bird on a plane and do a solo trip

Niallo

Man skip a few days and people want to give up there dreams. Im cheap really really cheap. I cant see how you cant do a trip on that cash.

1. As people have said get a cheaper bike and shop around a bit.
2. The Americas have no carnet. Not in the North or the South. (Fly your bike there will cheap but the USA has cheap bikes by the tone.)
3. Food and sleeping are cheap. Most places a cheap hostel can be found and if not get a tent ask around for a safe place.
4. gas prices suck no good way around it (smaller cc bike will help but your sill eating it up)
5. Ride fast threw place that are expensive spend more time in cheap places. Cheap places tend to more fun any way.
6. Refine were you want to go and places you need to go. See if you can chip off some of the carnet price that way.
7. Put the bike in storage and take a bus to places that the bike may be too price to run it in.
8. Sell some of junk you have go on a diet and work out more. You will get rid of things that own you and reduce the amount of you the bike needs to hall around, gaining stamina and cash for the trip.
9. Look around at CouchSurfing and Tent Space Sign-Up Thread - ADVrider for places to stay.
10. Dont say you cant do something ask how what you want to do can be done. Its a small thing but Im finding it helps.

Adventure Rider Motorcycle Forum is another good place for ideas. There from the USA for the most part and you will be dealing with young teens trash talk but there advice and experience is worth the time. They also have some good pics on there sight.

As has been suggested, sell off that Tiger.

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Patrick passed Dec 2018. RIP Patrick!

Problem with this is that he won't be able to register it/insure it. Therefore riding it illegally everywhere he goes. I went through the same issues with Europe. Unless he finds a kiwi in the states selling off a bike from NZ, he's SOL. Last I checked Minnesota was the last place a non-resident could register a vehicle, and that ended two years ago.

Flying your bike as crazy as it sounds, is cheaper than on a ship. At least in my research it was.

It is quite easy for foreigners to register bikes in the USA

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Patrick passed Dec 2018. RIP Patrick!

Same in the UK, if it already registered in the UK all you need is an address. If it's from europe you need to register it in the UK is the original registration documents, get the bike MOT (Safety Check) and bobs your uncle, registered.

Steve

As other informed folk here have stated, i'll add my own twist - "Adapt, Improvise, Overcome...". Change your kit to suit the budget. As i see things, this is a golden age of personal travel, and the near/medium future may not be so forthcoming in allowing our existing freedoms. Carpe Diem, indeed.

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." -- Mark Twain

When I learned to throw away my schedule and written budget, things got a lot cheaper and a hell of a lot more fun.

C

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I'm not lost, I'm right here.
'05 650GS

Fair enough. I suppose NY is one of the states that doesn't allow it then. When my Finnish GF arrived in the states to live, we were unable to do anything other than wait for her residency. I mean she could drive here with an international license for a year, but otherwise the DMV refused to allow us to do anything. And from other immigrant friends, we were told that onlyt Minnesota allowed anything like that.

Glad to hear I'm wrong, I didn't agree with what I was told in NY.

A Rhodesian flag, now there's a flag I haven't seen displayed for a very long time.

Can't send you a PM as I've got less than 8 posts....

I'm, ex- Salisbury, went to St Michaels, Hartmann House, & St Georges. Durban and Capetown,

now in UK

PM me for a catch up if you can.