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Route Planning Where to go, when, what are the interesting places to see
Photo by Andy Miller, UK, Taking a rest, Jokulsarlon, Iceland

I haven't been everywhere...
but it's on my list!


Photo by Andy Miller, UK,
Taking a rest,
Jokulsarlon, Iceland



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  #1  
Old 17 Oct 2008
BMW F650 Dakar, Land Rover Defender
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Location: Stavanger, Norway
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Europe 2009
Also posted under "Travellers Seeking Travellers".


Adventure to be planned in 2009!

I have managed to get time of from my job for 10 weeks next year. April 02. to June 10. There is an BMW R1200GS Adventure waiting for something to do in my garage.
I have been taken her to several places in Norway, but now she deserves to experience why she was made. Since I don´t have any experience with ”long travel” on bikes I will start in Europe. The idea is to gain enough experience to do a ”around the world” trip in 2010. I live in Norway so placing the bike on a boat down to Germany would probably be the thing to do, since Norway in early April most likely would have snow and a lot of salt on the roads.

I am very early in the process so where to go and what to do remains to be planned. Most of Europe could be visited and I am open to any suggestions. I would most likely bring a tent, bag and camping equipment since hotels tends to drain my budget if used for 10 weeks..

Please share with me your experience and suggestions for interesting places to see and the amount of countries that would be realistic to visit in 10 weeks.

I would be more than happy if anybody would join me for parts or the whole journey.
Last edited by RotorNR; 3 Jan 2009 at 22:27.
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  #2  
Old 17 Oct 2008
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I wouldnt dream of giving detailed suggestions, but, broadly, if you ride Eastern Europe and Turkey/Syria/Jordan that could be one tour.

Or, you could ride into France and Spain, and then go over to Morocco as another tour.

If you ride fast you could do it all, but that would be far too quick. You'd experience little. You'd be better by plane.

But if you do one of these tours slowly, it could be very rewarding. Syria or Morocco would be nice and warm by then...

You could camp in Western Europe to save money, and use cheap budget hotels in Syria or Morocco. Morocco is a great destination. If you go there, don't miss Essaouira on the Atlantic coast....stay at the Hotel du Ramparts, bring your bike inside the hotel for safe parking. It costs about 8 euros for a single room.

Let us know what you decide?
Last edited by Caminando; 17 Oct 2008 at 17:26.
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  #3  
Old 17 Oct 2008
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I spent 14 weeks this summer covering 11000 miles around Greater Europe. From here in London through France/Italy/Greece/Macedonia/Serbia/Bosnia/Croatia/Slovenia/Italy/Austria/Germany/Belgium then home. This was about the right time/distance balance for me on an xt600. I took my time with a decent amount of sightseeing thrown in - and camping for all but 11 days. Highlights? Bosnia, Greece and Italy. A fascinating Continent we live in...
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Old 17 Oct 2008
BMW F650 Dakar, Land Rover Defender
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Location: Stavanger, Norway
Posts: 11
Thanks Pottsy!

How was the camping part? Do you have a tent that covers you and the bike or just yourself? I was thinking of that if I go to Africa. Some more security.
This is nice. I like the idea of doing a "long haul" trip like the one from South Africa to Norway. Will use all the resources I know of to plan the trip.
Last edited by RotorNR; 3 Jan 2009 at 22:27.
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Old 19 Oct 2008
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I just used a budget 2/3 man tent and found it ideal - a Gelert Tornado 3 for £40! It has a huge porch which was really useful, along with the 2 entrances. It weighs 5kg yet packs down fine, with only one pole failure. Good luck with the trip, i reckon you've a lot of looonng days in the saddle ahead...
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Old 20 Oct 2008
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Agree with Potsy,big porch is very handy if you're planning on spending most of your nights tenting.It's amazing how much room all your biking gear takes up when you're not wearing it! And if it's raining you can cook (with care!) in the porch.
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