How to start planning a trip?

[SallyBMWrider]

Hi all

I am wanting to do a similar trip to Lois Pryce i.e. from Alaska to the end of the world. I am hoping to go with my boyfriend, but if he isn't going to come, I want to try and make it on my own meeting up with people on the way.

I will probably never actually get around to doing this trip, but I do want to start planning it just in case the opportunity should arise but I haven't got a clue how to even start planning it.

Any ideas please?

[pecha72]

Originally Posted by SallyBMWrider

Hi all

I am wanting to do a similar trip to Lois Pryce i.e. from Alaska to the end of the world. I am hoping to go with my boyfriend, but if he isn't going to come, I want to try and make it on my own meeting up with people on the way.

I will probably never actually get around to doing this trip, but I do want to start planning it just in case the opportunity should arise but I haven't got a clue how to even start planning it.

Any ideas please?

Yep: browse this site for a few days, and I´m pretty sure you´ll have some sort of a clue...

And also go very thoroughly through the ´planning´-section on the left.

I recently ordered the Achievable Dream DVD-set from here as well, and that´s a good and entertaining way to familiarize yourself with overland-travel.

[SallyBMWrider]

I've seen the DVDs and I agree, they are funny as well as informative.

[colebatch]

Sally, what are you going to do with your username when you change bikes sometime down the line?

As for planning, I would begin with two tools ... (1) maps and the (2) internet.

(1) Take a big map of a whole continent or of the world ... plan out a rough route. As you get more certain about the route you want, then buy smaller, more detailed maps to fine tune it.

(2) Google Earth and Panoramio ... for me these are great planning tools. Panoramio allows you to see pictures that are geotagged ... a map that has links to pictures of sights of interest in certain regions. When you see scenery or places you really want to visit, make a note of it, and plan your route through there.

Once you have your dream route in your head, you can begin planning what bike and preparation is suitable for your planned route, and what paperwork you will need.

But for me, every trip begins with dreaming up the route. Sort out a route and progress from there.

[Guillaume]

+1 on the achievable dream serie.

Warning : be aware that there's good chances that your "maybe doing it" will become "must do it".

That's what happened to me I'm leaving in 2 days (yikes)

Also find out the blogs from people who've done this trip before. Tons of invaluable infomation and inspiration there as well.

[gypsyprincess]

Set a date! Seriously, you will be surprised how fast everything else falls into place once you have a date that you told people about. If you are just playing with the idea and not seeing it in your immediate future (and I would say a year away would be an "immediate future" for such a trip), or if you are planning it for certain, a lot of the prep work will be the same. I think the two biggest issues with any major trip will be money and time off of work. Everything else falls into place as you do the research. But if you have no date there is no pressure to save the money or let work get use to the idea, and both can be bigger blocks to your dream than any amount of planning.

[SallyBMWrider]

Originally Posted by Guillaume

+1 on the achievable dream serie.

Warning : be aware that there's good chances that your "maybe doing it" will become "must do it".

That's what happened to me I'm leaving in 2 days (yikes)

Also find out the blogs from people who've done this trip before. Tons of invaluable infomation and inspiration there as well.

Where are you going? Are you going on your own? How long are you going for?

Good luck and I hope you have a marvellous time.

[SallyBMWrider]

Originally Posted by colebatch

Sally, what are you going to do with your username when you change bikes sometime down the line?

As for planning, I would begin with two tools ... (1) maps and the (2) internet.

(1) Take a big map of a whole continent or of the world ... plan out a rough route. As you get more certain about the route you want, then buy smaller, more detailed maps to fine tune it.

(2) Google Earth and Panoramio ... for me these are great planning tools. Panoramio allows you to see pictures that are geotagged ... a map that has links to pictures of sights of interest in certain regions. When you see scenery or places you really want to visit, make a note of it, and plan your route through there.

Once you have your dream route in your head, you can begin planning what bike and preparation is suitable for your planned route, and what paperwork you will need.

But for me, every trip begins with dreaming up the route. Sort out a route and progress from there.

Thanks for that. That seems so sensible and obvious! My boyfriend has a huge map of the world on his bedroom wall and I continually look at it. We had a "conversation" last weekend and I realised that I was banking on us lasting forever and me just following wherever he went, but that conversation made me realise that that probably isn't the case. So I want to start planning my own trip and, if we are still together and he fancies it, he can just follow me!