is there such a thing as over planning??
 

hi all

next year im going to ride back to england from aussie, boat to indonesia, up to laos fly to bangladesh, nepal, india, stans, across the caspian,(if the boat feels like leaving when i get there!!) into europe, home! just like that:thumbup1: :mchappy: ish,
my question to you is, is there such a thing as over planning?? yes there are a few things that you need before you leave, visa's, carnet, insurance, but apart from the things to get you into the country why is it so important to find everything about the country before you get to it? surely isn't part of the adventure not knowing what is around the corner?? and if you want a idea of whats to come why not just ask the locals when you get there?
i know there are a few extreams like desert, moutain or jungle riding where you need to do a bit of reaserch, please let me know what you think and if anyone has just up and left how you got on? cheers

trev

I know a guy that has planed trip of 2,000 miles or so for 3 years now. A trip with no paper work or any thing. Hes got places to stop at places to see places to eat at, places for gas, places to pee. I gust get some time off and go be he likes the planning. once you get get all the little bits of paper the governments like to collect Id gust go, get some maps to see when your lost, and go. If its hot go early in the morning dont use a goose down parka, hay you can gust get some stuf from a shop in the area. I do that. Smiles go along way point at what you want or where you want to go.

lets see bring water, stay dry, dont forget socks, stop and take pics a-lot. :funmeteryes:

Hi

I will be leaving 'sometime' after June, still not planned that far:scooter:. I know I am flying to the States to start with, not sure which end, depends on the weather there:stormy:. I have a vague plan, I know I want to see some people I know via interent, there are some must see sights, but mainly just cruise around and have a decko.:eek3: If I bump into someone who says you should check this out, well why not, it may be great, it may not, but that is the travel experience.:funmeteryes:

I have a few years to do it and have absolute no interest in a timetable, visas, carnets, weather excepted of course.:Beach:

One thing I would do and that is make sure that the countries you visit are not having 'internal political problems',:hang: :gunsmilie::ninja:this could be a problem, other than that, go with the flow.:rockon:

Cheers
TravellingStrom :thumbup1:

Nice one dude - sounds like an amazing run.

I'm one of these people that like to plan, but I think that's because I enjoy it almost as much as being out on the road.

I like searching for the maps, researching routes, reading about the history, working out what to do if something goes wrong. For me the time planning the trip is as much a part of it as the actual riding.

Having said all that the planning time on each trip gets shorter and shorter, I know what kit I need now, I know where to get awkward maps from, I know how to deal with difficult situations - but the point is each time it's different and requires a different amount of thought and prep.

TBH I'd be amazed if I manage to look at half the things I've 'planned', but I still got to sit here at the computer, or in Stanfords for months before departure and 'plan' my journey (read day-dream). For me, it extends the life of the trip - but then I only get to go away for three weeks each year. I suspect things would be different if I was going to be away for substantially longer.

Hi I think myself and Martyn cover this a few weeks ago, too much planning leads to inflexability so be fluid in your route, ask questions of the people you meet on the road about attractions conditions ect, take your time and above all have a safe enjoyable journey.

Lee

I don't think I necessarily agree with that.

Being fluid on your route is great, you have to be. But consider that if you know what is ahead, or you know more about the history of a location, then that frees you up to be more flexible, because you have more knowledge.

I find myself arguing for over-planning, which is not what I intend, merely that the pursuit of knowledge, the pursuit of understanding, is gained as much from research before your trip as it does during your trip.

Serendipity is at the heart of discovery, but sometimes you need to have planned to put yourself in a position where that can happen. Possibly.

m

yep!
 

Yep lee the guy mentioned above who has been planning a trip of 2,000 miles for 3 years! :rofl: I bet the first bit of a deviation or road closed and hes gonna have to turn back home cos its ruined his plans!

some of the best rides/ trips/ adventures I have ever had were ones that i had threw the planning away on!, you know the kind of thing, " Hhmmmm... I wonder where THAT road leads to? I have passed it a few times now and maybe should find out!"
Consequently I have discovered "new" roads, great places to Eat, new friends and have discovered sometimes more about Myself than the land around me.
Plans are great as a start, or if you have a fixed goal in mind.. but you MUST be prepared to be Flexible...... Im sure if anyone posed the same questions to Simon ( 125cc in south america) Lorraine ( on a mission from Dog) or Gatogato ( Geoff, was lost in the Dariam Gap) or even the founders of this site Grant & Susan Johnson, they would all say the same thing: BE FLEXIBLE!


Martyn

It takes all sorts
 

Some people are travelling to a schedule (often to get back to gainful employment in a timely manner), that requires a plan.

Others are simply "dicking around".

Both approaches are valid.

didnt say they werent Walkabout..
 

Didn't say Otherwise!

But lets just say your plans go awry?

What do you do? press on regardless through say a country that has floods and bad roads and may make your trip a week or three longer? or do you take the "flexible approach" and quickly re-assess the situation?

There are also 2 approaches to reading your post! I COULD read it as you are saying that people without jobs are 'Dicking Around' that would be me then?

martyn

Different Strokes?
 

I think it's down to the type of person you are, some love it some hate it. I'm more in Matt's camp on this one I think, I love the researching, the dreaming, the spreading maps out of the floor, and all of that, I can do it for hours, days, weeks - no problem. But I count that as researching not planning. I'm not necessarily going to draw up a list of everywhere I must go and stick to it, but I might draw up a list of places I'd like to go, and when I think I could get there. That will then form itself into a route that I'll probably take, but unless there's specific reasons, like visas running out, or meeting someone, or flights and boats, I'm not going to say I can't go off down that side road and have a change of plan.

I know for the next trip, there's a certain amount of rigidity, but that's more because it's been imposed by others, mainly the Cinese authorities, whether I'll find it restrictive I don't know, but probably I'll end up with a feeling of having missed out on something, because I've had to stick to THE PLAN.

Some people would probably find that unbearable, and want the flexibility of not knowing, others would find it unbearable because they don't know enough.

For me over-planning is when you end up using not having planned enough as an excuse not to go. But that's all it is, an excuse because in yourself, you don't feel ready.

I'm with Matt on this one. Forward planning is sooooo much fun - and it is, IMHO, at the research stage where you learn so much about a particular country .. its geography, people and culture. The final ride through is just the physical experience - 'the icing on the cake', so to speak, which is always over all too quickly.

I learned my lesson back in the mid 1990s. Remember that there was no GPS or meaningful Internet in those days; nor, therefore, were there any social forums - like this one - where travellers (and prospective travellers) can exchange & learn information and share ideas. I remember, back at that time, riding around and exploring western/central Europe with nothing more than a rough idea of where I wanted to go and what I wanted to see. My only navigational aid was a jumbo-sized AA road atlas, which just fitted inside, and on top, the contents of my trunk-box .. plus the mandatory pencil + a pad of notepaper, of course! No decent mobile cell-phone networks existed then, nor did I understand the local lingos .. apart from the usual smidge of schoolboy pigeon-French. No doubt you know exactly what I mean, because you were probably there yourself too [metaphorically-speaking] back in those days.

The point I'm trying to make here is that I re-call riding homewards (to the UK) from Austria, crossing through Switzerland into the Black Forest area of Germany; broadly following the westbound Rhine-hugging road(s) from south of Lake Konstanz. At the north-western corner of Switzerland I then passed through the Swiss townships of Schaffhausen and Neuhausen into neighbouring Germany. Good job done - so I thought[?] .. onwards to France!

Little did I know, at the time, that I was within just 2-3 kilometres of one of Europe's most spectacular showpieces; namely the Rhine Falls, the largest waterfalls in Europe. I realised all this of course when I got home, and thus quickly learned that to ride off on a 'wing-and-a-prayer', although it will bring its own escapade.. can and will make you miss-out on so much of your adventure.

So I recommend that you do your research thoroughly beforehand; it will enlighten and prepare you for the fantastic journey ahead - and without doubt it will ultimate enrich the overall experience.

Just my two-pennies' worth.

KEITH

PS - I went back to the Rhine Falls the following summer [doh!.. :confused1:]

For what it's worth, since I've been planning this trip for longer than most you have been alive; knowing where you are going and why, what you want to see, and what you want to avoid should make the ride more enjoyable. Having said that I also have to state firmly that when we begin there will be no real timetable except to avoid winter, and that if we decide to miss "A" and instead go see "B" there is no trouble in that. We have read everything we can find on each country, learned languages (even knowing that we can get along without them) and using other guides chosen those monuments, gardens, natural wonders, etc., that would be nice, but not vital to making the trip worthwhile. Sure it is great to say "Let's go on a really long ride and just see what comes up," but you might just ride right by something that had you known about it, would have been the highlight of the trip. In 1965, I rode right by the exit for an Airplane museum in Arizona right off what is now called I-40. For me, it was a cruel disappointment to know that I missed seeing it. Had I done just a bit of research, I would have known about it and gone there. By doing research I DID find the RAF Air Museum just a bit out of London and was there (planned for) on the day that visitors were allowed to sit in or tour some of the planes from WWII. Now THAT was a highlight. We know where Iquazu Falls is in SA, where the undergound churches carved in rock are in Ethiopia, and so on. Research and planning should let us die in our old age still looking at and sharing the photos and memories.

Joe

PS. I am not dicking around, just retired and have waited for this adventure for 40 years.

Joe

dont do it!
 

the less you plan the better. All you need to know before you go is how to maintain your trusty steed and what the visa requirements are. The most planning you would need is entry and exit points and dates (set by visas).

I ran into a Canadian couple that had planned their every move through central asia - consequently they got very upset/angry when they arrived at a border a few hours late and had to spend a night in Turkmenistan when they should have been across the border in UZ. They did not enjoy the extra night at all because they had not planned for it - bizarre...

The ferry across the caspian is pretty regular Trev, so don't worry about making it, just rock up pay and play. I found the service better than the Eurotunnel, if it did take slightly longer

Dont think about the future too much until you're in it, and enjoy!

Blessed are the planners
 

Hi Joe,
I am also retired and I am dicking around, after a lifetime of following plans and instructions to the letter (and beyond on occasions).

I can't speak for anyone else though.

Ah-hah... I'm beginning to see something emerging here. Researching preparing, planning, scheduling, different things perhaps? Or maybe one person's researching is another's planning? One's preparing is another's scheduling.

Researching for me is reading round, chatting, looking at maps and spending time on here, thinking what would I like to do?

Planning is when I take that and say, hmm, now which of these do I really fancy?

Preparing is putting air in the tyres and petrol in the tank (ok a bit more than that but you know)

Scheduling is when I start putting dates on stuff.

The first three I like the last one, I'm not so keen on, at least not if I have to stick to it.

Hey - yeah I think you've hit it on the head :-)

Hi All,

Matt can I first ask what you do for a living?

I write code and build for major safety critical systems, so I have a great deal of understanding on where you are coming from in micro planning events, if I screw up someone dies and we get sued so I seldom make mistakes it’s just not in my personality profile and makes me mad as hell when others do. So it actually does me good to throw caution to the wind once in a while and do something dangerous and unexpected, otherwise I’d be every other old man in my office at 38 not living outside of my warm fuzzy zone.


On Planning a Route : “There’s the Whole Journey and then there’s the days riding” Is the best way I can put it into words. So big picture vs small event driven occurrences.

OK it’s fine to plan as much as you like if you know you’re not going for a while or if at all, it helps to get your mind into doing it even if you’re stuck at home more escapism then actually doing it for yourself. But when you do plan try to not micro manage, if that’s your personal mindset then ok do it if it makes you feel more secure.
But then again that’s the mindset that takes too much kit and never uses it (I need it just in case), the same mindset makes people more panicky when faced with the unexpected (12 years in the Army taught me that one and I don't like panicky people).
Generals plan and micro manage a battle on paper they don’t fight it (if you ever get a general to fight let me know), the guys on the ground are the ones that actually make the difference and also change the plans to fit the situation to win the battle.

What if like myself you’re in Thailand and there’s a coup and your told by your employer to leave asap, or the next Pakistan/Libya/Laos no border event or there’s a natural disaster etc then your f*cked as your plans have now changed so drastically as to be unattainable, and you’re then in the mindset where you cannot face change that’s a killer situation real life and death stuff.

Be as flexible as possible is the advise I give and is from personal experience (Army logistics being what they are I STAND by what I know, ever not eaten for 5 days due to someone f*cking up where you dinner should go to?), I prefer to arrive at a place and ask at a local bar/restaurant where to stay eat what's around etc. In that way I tend to meet more of the local population learn more about the ways the locals live and seldom miss an interesting event or place, but then I’m quite sociable and I’m not put off by the language barriers that many of us Brits have.

If you live your life by reading a book then you’re missing your actual life, think of how many hours you actually sit around planning vs the actual number your on the road for if it’s

150 hours planning for 3 weeks on the road then I will laugh.
50 hours planning for 3-6 months riding I’d say spot on.
5 hours planning for 3-6 months on the ride I’d say you’re constantly lost or out of your depth.

OK these are generalised but as a rule of thumb, not too far off the mark.


On timescales : “If your rushing your missing everything”, if your rushing you’re a danger to everyone on the road as you’re not concentrating on riding the machine safely, so again be as flexible as possible in timing. If you’re rushing to get to a ferry and kill someone then what for the sake of a few hours, please DON’T tell me it doesn’t happen ask Kevin and Julia of Globebusters about their accidents and what caused them, and those two should know a thing or two as record holders. (I have the utmost respect to both Kevin and Julia great people)

Then look at the wrong way boys just watching them kills me, I can see where others don’t why they make their own problems and just look at how much planning they did, be smart be flexible.


“The tools of a warrior may change, his mindset stays the same.”

.
 

I go with the under-plan.

After spending half a decade in the forces, I have an allergic reaction to schedules, planning, over organisation and being in places five minutes before the allotted time.

On one level, I agree with you Juddadredd, the forces make you intolerant of panicky, ill-prepped people, and give you the power to feel prepared yourself, it is just the regimented life that I want to forget.

I like the game where you turn up at the airport with a passport and get the cheapest flight on the board. I've only played it a couple of times, but it always ends in a great time. No planning, just fun.

Happy riding

I'm a Producer for BBC R&D. Before that I was a Journalist, and before that a Nurse.

I'm not suggestion people micro-manage. Merely that a bit of planning can help you have a better experience on the road.


That is part of it certainly - I only get three weeks each year to get away and the 'planning' allows me to experience the journey for longer than the period on the bike.


Working for the BBC, there is a list of countries I'm not allowed to go to - if that were to happen whilst I was away - I'm going to be upset - not because it's interfered with my 'plan' but because I have to cut my trip short. If my plan is unattainable... so what? What does it actually matter? It was an experience I was glad to have - all of this after all, for me at least, is about expanding my knowledge and understanding of the world around me.

I'd love to be on the road all the time, but family and work stop that being a reality... what's wrong with living vicariously through the adventures of others, and using 'planning' to lengthen your own rather short adventure?

Oh way past 150 hours planning for Russia now, I did that at least for Morocco too. The point is, that I tried to learn as much about the country I was going to - those countries I was going through - before I got there, I tried to be as armed as possible so that when those things do go wrong I have the tools available to either fix them or to quickly get around those problems. If however my 'plans' don't work out, or if something happens on the road that makes me change them... great. But I'm also going to make sure that if I happen to be passing a once in a lifetime location, I know about so I don't ride on by.

That 150 hours for my three week trip - well that's my trip 'lengthened' by 150 hours.... do you see my point?

There's a whole other thread about The Long Way Round chaps and this is probably better dealt with there. Again, I suspect that they feel the 'planning' is as much part of the journey as being on the road is - I also have no doubt they felt the time-table they set themselves meant they didn't enjoy the trip as much as they could. But they, like me, were dealing with the reality of needing to get home by a certain date to be back to family and work.

I couldn't imagine anything nicer than knowing I have the next two years with no worries to just get on my bike and go. To not plan a thing and see where the road takes me - absolute bliss.

Unfortunately that's not a reality for me, or many others, and our little three week jaunts in the summer have to attempt to fulfill our wider and bigger dreams of a life-time on the road.

I love Marmite, you hate it... it's one of those things.

I love reading, planning, dreaming, I'm well past the 150 hour mark, but that's mainly involved doodling, dreaming, sketching, reading, unfolding maps in bookshops, trying on helmets, failing to find helmets, all that kind of thing... it's not planning as such, I doubt I've done very much what I'd call planning. It's boys' own stuff, Alex & Cameron messing about in the workshop.

I doubt either side will convince the other of their argument though, people are all different, that's one of the good bits about the planet.

When I think of planning for a trip like this, I do not mean down to each detail, but rather know where you want to go and why. Of course you should know the cost of visas, required documents and be ready for those, but that would be a required whether or not planning ahead prepared you for them. My idea of planning does not mean being in a certain place by a certain time following a certain route unless it is an event you want to see that happens only once a year. We are not scheduling much of anything, but have planned for seeing the Gorillas in Cameroon, or if not there, then in Uganda. We have planned on being in areas for special festivals. We hope to be in Jerusalem for Christmas. We want to be in Tanzania for the great plain migration. This is planning. Doing exact detailed scheduling is not what the trip is about. However, I do think it is a bit less than wise to just jump on a bike and take off, hoping that everything will turn out fine. Grab a visa and go might be okay, but is it not for us.

Good points there - and of course one needs to plan to be in the pub each evening with a cold one no?

HATE MARMITE, unless it’s smeared on a babe then I love it.

Matt it wasn’t a personal attack and I did state that about planning to [FONT='Verdana','sans-serif']live vicariously if you can’t get away, I can see from your list of jobs that you’re a planner plain and simple, and all of the jobs are of the fixed timescale type do this by then so I understand your point of view. [/FONT]
[FONT='Verdana','sans-serif']From the way I read your blogs as I’ve taken an interest in them for a few months now (I’ve since read them 3 times) planning seems to be of as much importance as the actual journey ok fine but you read about a subject too much, and you completely colour your reality when being there so you don’t actually see it with new eyes, then your disappointed that’s from your own blog entries.[/FONT]

[FONT='Verdana','sans-serif']Even your extensive planning didn’t take into account many of the situations that you got yourself into, loneliness, crying to yourself, getting ripped off “because you didn’t plan correctly” and many many others just from the few thousand words on your site, there’s a lot of fantasising/romancing whilst planning that builds up expectations and then leads to complete disappointment some 1,500 miles later human nature I’m afraid.[/FONT]


[FONT='Verdana','sans-serif']And then on the other hand there’s doing enough plain and simple research to accomplish the goals you have set out so as not to colour your view point before you arrive. Planning to me is A to B for each small part of the journey, taking into consideration local customs (i.e. not drinking, Visa’s, Money) trying to find out about where and how much gas to get, learning local words for Excuse me, Thank you, Yes, No, Help as the absolute minimum. Having an emergency backup plan for getting butt out intact for WHEN the unplanned for hits you hard, it’s not rocket science. (no more than 3 hours per country).[/FONT]

[FONT='Verdana','sans-serif']For the best example of planning this year: look at the Dakar how much planning money time and effort was put into that for it to go POP, how many of the entrants actually went regardless? How many were sat at home pissed off at the world? I don’t think one team went and did the journey just for the hell of it without all the media adulation.[/FONT]

[FONT='Verdana','sans-serif']Planners and doers, really wanting to do it vs getting paid to do it, seldom the same.[/FONT]

Hope you can see where I'm coming from a little more clearly, like I said no offence meant to anybody.

Quite right, I would add 'do you have any' and 'petrol' to the must know list. Learning my p's and q's became a border habit, and is a good way of killing time with the guys at customs while they stamp endless forms and smoke

If dreaming about your trip counts as planning then I am well into your super-anal mega geek category Judd, but I dont think I learnt anything from time spent gazing out of the window!

Maybe if I had spent more than 5 hours planning I would have got my visa dates right and not ended up stranded between two borders (they let me leave TM, stamped me out, but wouldn't let me into UZ. They couldnt let me back into TM as I had a single entry visa.) That was one time I was wishing I had spent 5 minutes reading the visa they gave me, reason was they were looking at somebody else's LOI when they filled it out!

That's okay dude - I didn't take it as one - as I'm sure you've seen from other threads, I love a good debate about this kind of stuff
:cool4:

Ahh, so you must be my one reader :wink3: The other has gone on holiday.

I don't think I 'planned' enough for Morocco - it was great when I got there, understanding the culture (as far as you can from a book) and then applying that to reality, and then making an assessment myself. An informed decision based on history, research, and actuality.

Sometimes even extensive planning (and remember I'm not talking about military style invasion plans here) can not take into account the personal impact of travelling - there are some things only time on the road can teach you - it's those things I treasure.

I got ripped off because I didn't know how much things actually cost, and that resulted in my budget getting rather blown and me having to turn around early - had I known the average price of things I could have travelled longer - it was deeply depressing to have been 'caught out' - but I held that experience in as much favour as any other and was not distraught because my 'plan' went out of the window - rather as I spent the next week on the road I conquered the dreadful feeling of loneliness I endured and came to realise what it was that travelling is all about - it was a voyage of discovery that was aided by both plans working, and failing.

From my last post on the road...

But travel isn’t easy, and it shouldn’t be. When I decided that it was time to come home it was a decision that meant 5 more days on the road to even get back to the UK, never mind home. Had I made that decision on a package holiday I could have been home within 24 hours.

I'm not so certain there's a demarcation line here. I don't buy into the idea that some people are doers and some are planners. I think there are a whole spectrum of people who do a bit of both, then there are those that wont leave the country without their strict plans, and those that leave the country with just their passport - each have benefits - and as ever it's probably those of us towards the centre that reap the greatest rewards.

Of course :smile2: and no offence taken in any way - meaningful debate is at the heart of what makes us Human.

Too Much Planning?
 

Absolutely there is such a thing as too much planning. A plan is nothing without implementation, ie ACTION. There is no such thing a preplanning - that is what planning is.

A good plan is essential - try the 6 P's- Proper Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance.

Plan but stay flexible and GO!

Ah, Matt, you sound like a lot of guys that used to go to meetings that *I* had to go to. Which is why I dropped out.

But you're young yet. You'll grow out of it:laugh:

John

Good on you John :clap:

I may be a mere 28, but I enjoy what I do very much. Applying a little method to my madness generally helps things move along a little better - I happen to enjoy planning my journey as much as I do going on them.

I don't get upset when a plan falls apart, I don't feel as if the whole world comes to an end and I don't sit down and create detailed itineraries and plans for my journeys... but I do work out a general route then read up on it and do my research.... what's wrong with that? What's wrong with reading what Ted Simon thinks of India before actually getting there? Does that dilute my own discovery of it?

For the extent of my planning it's quite plain to see - I don't think it's extensive but I'll let you decide...

Here's the route we've planned

Route » Journey To Russia

It's not set in stone, but it's what we'd like to achieve.

And here's the info I've dug out about each country

Country Information » Journey To Russia

Too much? Too little? Or somewhere in between?

m

+1 on Judadredds post
 

Lee, you and me think too much alike! :thumbup1:

Army Logistics? I would rather trust DHL to deliver the Grub.......No wonder you got a Noodle addiction.

Same here with Panicky people, Panicky people are Dangerous people.


Martyn

Only you will know and only when you are "there".

On hotel receipts, your supposed to get one of them stamped by an hotel or "gastinitza" (crap spelling?), for your emigration checks. We tried for days to get one. Most places don't seem to know what you are talking about. Took us 4 hours to get into Russia at Kersh. 2 plus to get out.
Horny looking immigration woman in Kirsh though. High boots and all:wub:

On our route through southern Russia, every town had a checkpoint on the road IN and OUT of the town. Documenti!
Keep your PMR radios out of sight if you have them. They wanted 100 Euros as a fine for not having the correct documents (Russian), for them. They settled for $50 USD.

Don't drive at night:scared: and don't be too ambitious with your daily milage... see above

John

Cool - thanks for the info John - I hope this doesn't count as planning too much :innocent: :clap: :rofl:

We've still not looked at exactly what documentation we need, past knowing at some point we need to apply for the Visas, we figured we'd be able to work the rest out from there....

Hi Martyn, Matt, Tprata and Bootsy

I have the perfect way to put it that any biker will understand.

Too much planning = Target Fixation and we ALL know how bad that is.


Only thing I have to know about Morocco is read Tims posts, then I read them again make some notes on what I thinks important, and then re read them. Simply the guys amazing and has covered everything that needs to be known about that country, and judging by the reading 95% from personal experience.

Morocco is what I call an at home adventure as it’s literally on our doorstep, and it’s a place where you have to travel for a while before your out of your European comfort zone. I’m starting to think Morocco’s getting to be the Adventure Motorcyclists Thailand, you know kind of a rite of passage on a trial that’s been travelled by so many that the trails now a 4 lane highway with UK Toilets 7/11s and petrol stations every 50 yards.

“dreadful feeling of loneliness I endured” WTF you telling me there wasn’t a single person around that you could share a smile with, not a bar you could go in to to have a drink or eat in.

I spent 3 days in hospital in Thailand with 8 breaks in my Tibia Plateu with just a minimal grasp of the language and I had a blast, being rude with all the nurses even the pug ugly ones, I learnt how to cook Thai style because I hobbled to the kitchen and sat with the old lady cooks, I washed my clothes with the locals I even named the hospitals cat (for catching roaches and mice) My Ma which means NOT DOG which everyone thought was crazy/funny (Ting Ton/Sanook Farang) from the white guy.

I bribed the local police to take me and the bike to Phuket (250km), rented a room in a Thai building, made friends with the neighbours (45 year old bargirls) and again had a blast for the next month, banging Australian/American/Japanese tourists and pretending I’d got my leg shagged by a rogue elephant in Chaing Mia to all the locals.


[FONT='Verdana','sans-serif']But travel isn’t easy, and it shouldn’t be. [/FONT]"That's what makes it an Adventure"

ICMV & IDP

John

Don't remind me...

wow!!
 

hi

thanks all for your input, i think my little spark of a question turned into a bloody great fire!!! but it's all good
i think im going to sit on the fence of the under/over planning think, going to get all the documents sorted and buy a few maps, just to give myself a ruff idea of where im going, but iv'e been backpacking for the last couple of year and i do like the "making it up as i go along" think and getting told about things from people i meet and i am lucky that i dont really have a timescale just a buget, one good thing about being selfemployed!!
but sounds like loas is being a pain in the arse with bikes now, so going to have to keep tabs on that, thanks again all very good debate, cheers

trev

Seriously dude... we're not all gruff, aged adventure bikers here - some people like me are just starting out and discovering what's out there.

I've been married just over five years and never been away from my wife for that long - I'm what you would call a home comforts person, I like to be at home surrounded by my family and friends - I find it very difficult to not have them on tap - it's the biggest challenge for me... had you read a little more of the blog post that quote came from you may have noticed.....

I talked to a lot of people on the road, I shared many mint tea conversations, and learnt a lot about those people - I enjoyed it greatly. But it was still very very new to me and I found the lack of English conversation a problem... I suspect had I planned a little more and spoke a little more French I may well have enjoyed those conversations a little more and it would have tempered the loneliness :innocent:

John - cheers for that - most helpful.... {runs off to google stuff}

MacP - careful now we don't want to over-plan this thing.

travelingtrev - cheers for the thread matey - most enjoyable!

Morning All, (yawns pulls pants from between bum cheeks and scratches balls)

I'm not gruff or macho I'm 5 6" and 10 stone and a young 38 years old (20 year old girlfriend helps) and the newest rider of the bunch, it just made me laugh with all the planning that the loneliness got ya, got me to so don't worry about it too much a couple of emails from a few friends on here and I was feeling much better.

It’s nice to see other people’s views on how they prep for the big off but people confuse the hell out of me with constant planning and readjusting of the little things that don’t and won’t matter once in the seat and riding off to god knows where.

When it come to communication I’ve found smiling like a mad man helps greatly, pointing and waving of hands also helps as does having a bottle of some kind about to share and just like that you’ve not only made a new friend but all the locals come out to look at the crazy English guy on the bike that’s too big for him, and small children with dirty faces and hands that are always in your pockets, will quite gleefully poke you with small sharp sticks.

My best non conversation in the 2 years I sent around SE/Asia was being quite drunk (I don’t normally drink) sitting in a hotel bar in Cambodia watching two gay dogs shagging the hell out of each other, all the guys didn’t speak English but we all know what each other was thinking (bloody lucky dogs).

I am planning a ride (Not only planning, I AM RIDING:clap:) this May from Ushuaia to Prudhoe Bay. I have to put in lot of time for planning for this trip because of Visa, shipping, and my poor linguistic skills ( no Spanish, and couldn't find a Spanish teacher in Dubai). I am an Indian living in Dubai. Visa requirements for Indians are very difficult and most of South & central American nations don't have any counselor service in Dubai. I am flying between Dubai and Delhi for each visa. You don't belive how much i am spending on Visa and travel related Visa. It is more than my entrire trip spending. I don't know when the I will get all visa and ship my bike from Dubai to Argentina. I hate the planning part:(. Look forward to feel the snowy and chilly wind of Ushuaia and meet fellow riders en route.:funmeteryes:

Nelson