Total newbie here. Cant really find what forum topic to put this under. Sorry if its the wrong one.

Im 24 from scotland and looking to do a bit of touring in the future

Im currently sitting my lessons just now. The main reason im getting a bike is so I can go on a couple of adventurous biking hols during the year. I.e tour ireland and scotland, europe. Originally I was going to do a 3 or 4 weeks a year touring but you guys are an inspiration and have got me thinking.

First of all im not scared to do a large trip and after reading up a bit I really want to do a rtw. I have no problem giving up my job. I don’t know about the house though. If I sell it then I would reccon id get at least £10000 towards the trip. However if I lease it it would pay my mortgage plus a bit extra while im away. Anyways plenty of time to think about that.

Just a couple of questions. Theres so much info on this site im overwhelmed

If it’s a rtw id like to do it in 2009 or most likely 2010 so I can save up as much as I can. Do you plan the route first then work out how much roughly you need, or do you find out how much you can get and work out a route in your budget.

Also is it possible to do a rtw and do casual work on the way to help fund the trip. Has anyone ever done this.

As the world is such a big place and theres so many ways to do it I was wondering if theres common routes that people take. From what I gather so far most people take totally different routes.

Cheers if you can answer my questions.

wdamci

as i read your thread i can say one thing for sure, you have got planty of time for planning so dont worry, if you want an eye opener then buy the "adventure motorcycling hadbook" by chris scott, or order from this site new dvd by grant and susan...planty of pepole would give planty you of advice and in the end you will have to choose for yourself, the planning staff is actualy harder then the trip itself,the really hard part is not traveling but to stop traveling.

have fun

guy

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love to all

www.guyandmarie.com

Hi mate,
I agree with Guy above, there is loads of great advice available here, but you will end up doing your own trip in your own way. You are wise to plan years ahead, I decided to do my last trip (abortive attempt at Scotland to Nepal!) 6 months before leaving and it wasn't enough time.
I also didn't have enough money, which gave me extra concerns on the road, so save up more than you think you'll need.
If you can, do as much touring (and just general riding) before you go, so you know exactly what you do and do not need and what the reality of touring is. I'd plan a 'mini expedition' for a month or so the year before you set out on the big one. Morrocco would be an ideal destination, but there are obviously others.
In terms of bike choice do LOTS of research before you go to make sure you've got something suitable. Yeah, you CAN do it on anything, but do want to? Don't just get what other people have, as it may not be the right bike for you.
And buy it as soon as possible so you are fully up to speed with it's strengths and weeknesses and are comfortable working on it by the time you leave.
As Guy said, first thing to do is go buy 'The Adventure Motorcycling Handbook' by Chris Scott, it's a phenomenal starting point.
And this website is an amazing source of info, I'm regularly amazed by the crazy stuff people get up to all the time on here!
Lastly, get hold of 'Mondo Enduro' on DVD. As yer man Scott says 'This IS adventure motorcycling' (or something like that!). Real inspiring stuff.
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!

Thanks for the replies guys.

Ive decided im going to do it. Im going to get the books and stuff and get as much info as possible and decide on routes etc. I think it may be after 2010 because as well as saving up for the trip i will need to do mini tours beforehand to get experience which will dent my savings. Also need to decide and buy a bike and learn maintanence. I may as well get some further training on the bike as well. Maybe some off road etc.

So basicly although its ages away ive still got tons of planning so i may as well start researching.

Cheers guys

Do yourself a favour, splash out for Terra Circa and Mondo Enduro DVDs ... If they dont get your appetite fired up to go round the world, nothing will.

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