Are we looking at the end of overland travel?

Those of us who have been traveling over the last few years can't help but notice the increase in prices.

The increase in 'charges' at borders. Cost of visas steadily increasing. Differential pricing (by locals) for food/water etc.

Recently there has been a doubling of fuel costs, ferry charges and a host of other incidentals.

There was a time when the vehicle prep was the greatest cost, but after that you could live cheeply on the road.

It is unlikely that energy costs are going to drop. We have reached the point of 'peak oil' supply - from here on supply will rapidly fall behind demand. Prices are expected to soar.

Bikers will be able to continue longer than 4x4 travelers, but inevitably cost of travel will increase until only those with the very deepest of pockets will be able to overland.

Am I missing something or will we all be on pushbikes in a few years time?

Just a thought

Have a nice day!

John

What's wrong with pushbiking?

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The colour of my face would match the smilie, but I don't think I'd have the smile!

The so called economic miracle in the west is certainly over. Who can blame the rest of the world wanting to have the same as Europe and North America now they've seen it and there is only so much to go round. To date I'd tend to agree that a lot of leisure and convienience activities are going to end, but who'd have predicted today in the 1920's?

Wait and see, stop worrying and get your travel in when you can afford it.

Andy

So travel now...

If I wasn't so lazy, I'd be on a pushbike.

In the 1990s, I owned 1960s V8 American cars because I knew the days of cheap fuel was ending. There's still some more years of overlanding before it gets too expensive.

Maybe I'll trade my 250 for a Cucciolo (basically the Ducati moped that started them off in the motorcycle world).

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just wait for hoverbikes and overlanding will be OK again because they will be solar powered

Oh I don't know Land Rover are introducing a bio-diesel hybrid said to be capable of 60+mpg soon, so we're fine there.

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John. I may be written off as one of nature's optimists, but I do believe a workable alternative to fossil fuels will be found. Personally I think the next generation of bio-fuels (made from inedible parts such as wheat stalks so no conflict with food production) hold a lot of promise. However, I also suspect the first applications will be in cars; if the fuel can simply replace petrol or diesel we won't notice the difference, but if it is a whole new technology or at least requires a different engine/transmission, it will be put into cars first. More cars are sold so development costs can be amortised on a broader base, and they are less sensitive if the new technology is heavier or fussier about conditions. Having said all that, if the cars are running on something else, there will be more petrol left for bikes.

Sheik Yamani (sp?) once said the oil will not run out because the replacement will be in full use before then ["The oil age will not end because the oil runs out, in the same way that the stone age did not end because the stone ran out"].

I do cycle a bit (mainly to keep the waisline under control) but there are limits to what I could realistically achieve. My personal best ever is 100 miles in one day, and it took a week to recover. I might be able to do half that in easy going for several consecutive days, and far less in hilly country or heavy weather. That would mean a lot of trips just wouldn't get done.

maybe we will just have to downsize

'By Any Means' maybe? I don't mean faffing about in dugouts like Boorman - more local buses and trains, etc.

Without a vehicle, and all the costs that comes with them, it means less hassle and more money for a longer trip. All that's needed is a passport, a bag to put your life in and a £10 Ryanair ticket to get out of expensive Europe. Personally, I don't mind looking like a bum.

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I've a feeling I'm not in Kansas anymore.

I think that's called backpacking isn't it?

Chances are though that the days of the £10 plane ticket are numbered too, more chance they'll disappear before economic constraints push us away from bikes I would have thought.

The BAM principle might not be that bad though, it's just a pity that bureaucracy seems to get in the way so that we tend to be forced into specific means of transport, at least for longer journeys. You used to be able to hop on a container ship, now it's much harder for instance.

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It's still travelling - which is how I use 'Horizons Unlimited'. I don't actually own a bike. I own an old Lada and one of the first things I found from my first little trip around Europe is that, living on the road is as cheap as I wanted it to be - it was the moving that costs.

If I can still mention Boorman - I think he's cleverly tuned into something very relevant at just at the right time. Yes, he's got back up - and no, I probably won't use an elephant - but the principle 'By Any Means' is a good one. I think it's our future.

Just my thoughts.

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I've a feeling I'm not in Kansas anymore.