I have been reading this forum for about 6months now, im an Australian currently on a 3year journey around the world. Im in Malaysia at the moment living with some friends

I plan to ride from KL to Hamburg on a Honda XR400.

I do not intend to say what im about to say to stir anger but rather as a helpful hint from a well travelled person.

I get the feeling that allot of people are obsessed with getting every peice of their kit perfectly right and having all the latest GPS systems, cameras... even right down to making a huge fuss over sleeping bags and eating utensils... you name it... If one is putting so much time into this they are also most likely thinking, fantasising, idealising and creating expectations about their adventure.

if you prepare to such a degree you create expectations in your mind and have idealised fantasy's. Playing out in your mind how its going to be in a unrealistic manner.

I say dont concentrate on these things so much. If things dont go as planned to those expectations it creates fear, frustration, anger and disappointment if one does not have expectations they dont expect anything and are able to adapt and live in the moment rather then in the future through their expectations.

Do you really need a GPS system? or is it more interesting to just ask locals? get lost and have fun doing so? it puts you more in the real world and having to deal with it is the true sense of adventure. Asking familys if you can stay at their house often leads to some unforgettable experiances. not taking so much luggage to prepare for every tiny little misshap and making yourself seem like your carrying your house.

anywy im sure i will get allot of strong replys to this as teh first thing people usually do is feel attacked and defensive when someone points something out. I dont do it to do this or to seem like i know everything. Its just something i have learnt through allot of travel and other life experiences. this thinking can be applied to anything: friends, relationships.. anything. Expectations always create disappointment and an inability to adapt and enjoy the potential fun of the way things "never go as planned".. dont try tt plan life to much just enjoy the twists and turns.

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http://www.andrewmclagan.com

sorry was posted in wrong area

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http://www.andrewmclagan.com

Great post Andrew!



We're all working on it in different ways ....

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Patrick passed Dec 2018. RIP Patrick!

You hit the nail on the head Andrew. No matter where you are there is always someone to help out if things go wrong so you don't need to plan for every problem. The pioneers of world travel just set out and did it. They accepted that when something came along they would deal with it in the best way they knew how and move on.

In respects to over preparation I was very lucky. When I finally decided to leave it was spontaneous. I had of course had the same fantasies of everyone who dreams about trips like this but I hadn't put anything down on paper or made real plans. When the time came to leave I quit my job and was on the road a month later. I prepared as best I could in that time but basically knew that only the absolute worst situation would stop me. (I had a bit of a recurring nightmare about being stuck in the Amazon with a broken bike)

Since leaving I know I will be able to deal with anything even if I am not prepared for it because I have already dealt with things that were far beyond my comfort zone. Oh and of all the problems I did prepare for the only ones needed were travel insurance (had the shits) and spare inner tubes!

I've actually received a lot of criticism for this style of travel from other bikers on RTW. They seem to think that my lack of preparation means I am not dedicated to the ride or something like that and that I have to rely on other people to be able to make it around.

Truth is that s the only preperation you need to make. Be prepared to have to deal with all kinds of people to get anywhere. You will have to put blind faith in people you don't know and that is a very difficult thing to do, especially when you don't understand what they are saying.

Ride safe,
Ol

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http://www.motorcycleodyssey.co.uk

I think Andrew is basically right, but would split technology from preparation. Once you've got the miles in, it's easy to forget just how different some perfectly normal activities seem to people who havn't done it. I'm guessing everyone here can fix a puncture? Don't forget, at any UK biker type cafe, you'll find dozens who've never so much as adjusted their own chain. Drop them up woodland trail in Finland or the Baja and without preparation they are well and truely stuffed. I'll help anyone, but it does get a tad annoying when they havn't brought along their own tubes, spanners, levers etc. and simply expect you to impersonate the AA. I've never left anyone stuck, but I'm afraid I'm not beyond making my feelings known to people who aren't showing any signs of wanting to learn. Asking questions is learning, so I think posts here about any gadgets are a good thing if only to point out good levers and a bottle of soap are a better friend than any £40 bit of ally that looks like a medieval Japanese weapon.

The modern solution for a lack of skill and time to learn seems to be technology though. It is far easier and quicker to post a "is the TouraMW tyre removing widgit better than the yellow gloop" on here than go learn how to do it yourself with levers. People get a nice feeling from the certainly that the gadget will bypass lack of skill. As you say, we are often disapointed.

I've really nothing against GPS or any technology that works and the person can use. GPS works and is quick and easy. I can read a map, navigate using a sun compass, magnetic compass and might even manage a bit of celestial navigation at a push, but am truely awful at languages. I find GPS a useful tool in the same way I have a set of tyre lever I'm comfortable with. I know people who are really good at languages and can't work a microwave oven or fill in their own cheque stubbs. In their case, asking directions could well be the way to go.

Preparation: yes, make sure you know the basics and don't try to skip directly from a London-Brighton to a London-Cape Town.
Technology: use what works for you and know what you've got. Don't get hung up on bits of laser cut aluminium.

Andy

I think, certainly as far as the forums go, that there is an element of people preparing instead of going (and I include myself in that). I've been scouring the HUBB for months reading up on kit and 'the best bike' etc. while dreaming of getting out and setting off on my own adventure.

As new shiny bits of kit come out I would read up on them and maybe even purchase some of them, all without realising that all this so called preperation was in reality just a way of keeping my dreams of travel alive without actually having to take the plunge and travel. It's only lately that I have started to realise that all I really need to do if I want to travel is stop waisting money on accesories or finding the perfect bike, start saving along with paying off my debts and in a few years just get up and go.

Would metal mules panniers be better than my existing ones? Possibly, but my existing ones (Givi) will actually still work. Would a new Tenere be a better choice than my existing bike (Trans Alp), well as far as fuel economy and tank range goes maybe, but the Trans Alp is still a bloody good bike, and if the likes of Birdy can ride through Africa on a C90 I am damned sure I could do it on my Alp.

I am sure there are people that are travelling who are obsessed with having all the latest kit, but I would bet that as far as internet forums go, the majority of people that get obsessed with the latest kit are not actually travelling but are instead, like me, dreaming of travelling.

Don't ask yourself. If you are invited by them that is fine but don't ask yourself. Because even they don't want to take you they may often find it polite to "help" you out.

This and other points in your post make me think that you have tendency to shift your burden to other people. You carry less and feel better, manage cheaper, but continuously take advantage of hospitality. Unfortunately I have seen quite few backpackers and "hippies" with this mentality.

If you have right gear you can be INDEPENDENT. You can go where you want to. That is what I value.

P.S. I carry pocket knife every day.

All good thoughts Andrew and wise advice from the road.

It's hard to reassure people though when they haven't been before, overplanning and overpacking are a natural way of dealing with exposure to new environments.

I probably think of it more as a reaction to a natural fear of the unknown rather than in terms of it creating expectations. People using gear to allay their fear is common in many non adventurous and adventurous endeavors, from motorcycling, to backcountry skiing, to mountaineering.

It's a process, after a while on the road people will offload more stuff, place less reliance on any one model of gear, and be comfortable with less. As time passes people are more able to focus on the journey itself, which as you point out is the really important part.

And at some point, most people realize that the one essential item to bring along is self reliance. The rest is a matter of personal preference.

Having read all the posts, I think it boils down to this...

All you need is enough(info, gear, etc.) to get you going...the rest will sort itself en route.

How you define is enough depends on how complicated you choose to make it. Getting going resolves many a dilemma

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edde
93 BMW K75s
www.motoedde.com

we only have to look at the 4x4 guys for examples in other planning. However at the same time some people get off on the planning and the latest bit of kit. To them its just as important as the easy way to you. These people may not have the luxury of time and experience as you. To them they may have spent years doing a bit there this gadget here. This way they feel part of the trip even thou they are not on it.
I spent a year backpacking & only had a 40ltr backpack with not much in it. However now I can't seem to go out at weekend without more than that.

I think these kind of ""pure"" travellers are just as bad as people who other plan ! You're getting to wrapped up in being pure & missing the point as much as techo man.After all in the end its that they are doing the trip, in the way they want. There is no wrong or right way, you have to get that out of your head. Your free pure trip is of no greater value than the guy with the latest bike, GPS and so-on. The point is just to be out there and enjoy and get from the trip what you as an individual wants !
If we all wanted a standard one size fits all experience, we could all do nice package holidays.
Paul

I'm really pleased to have come to this discussion. The world I inhabit professionally would argue as to whether motorcycling was truly "Adventurous" due to the insulating factor of technology and the lack of engagement with the natural world.
Obviously I argue the opposite but the idea that our goretex, kevlar and fuel injection laden journeys are less "adventurous" than someone wearing reindeer clothing and travelling by homemade wooden skis is a philosphical debate that currently rages in the world of Outdoor Education. The Norwegian movement called Friluftsliv (Fresh air life) espouses this low technology approach at a purists level.

For me this idea of 'self reliance' is the core of the debate. As a mountaineer, the better (more skilled) you are the less kit you carry. Less hassle, less cost, less responsibilty to maintain stuff you don't need and as a result a more 'pure' and uncluttered experience on the road/mountain/river/ocean. This philosophy carries neatly over into motorcyling, surely.

Whatdya think?

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Put the key of despair into the lock of apathy. Turn the knob of mediocrity slowly and open the door of despondency - Welcome to a day in the average office....

I really don't understand this need to tell others how to do things. Do whatever and how you want to but don't blame others for doing it differently.

A lot of the questioning and detailed planning, I and others do, is part of the travel. As long as you're stuck at home, it feels a little like travelling, if you plan all the possible details and envision the trip.

In expedition travels, the detailed planning may save the expedition and even your life. If you go where there is noone and nothing, you'd better bring everything thats neccessary and not just leave home and hope to improvise along the way and rely on others.

I have a colleague who don't want the restraint of wearing a watch, that he "doesn't need" but he keeps asking what time it is (

If you have a good tip to help others with visa, saving money, whatever , on a trip, please let us know but save us from "besserwissen"

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Poul
May you enjoy peace and good health !

The explorers of old, took THE BEST THEIR TIME COULD OFFER , why not do that today too.

Its such rubbish that a wet or leaking jacket should be more adventurous than a dry one. Or that functioning equipment should insulate you from the world. Some of the old guys died because of equipment failure.

Correct and functioning equipment leaves you all the time to enjoy and interact with the world instead of with a broken gearbox or a burner.

And again, why don't they just do their thing, why do they have to tell others? Don't they feel so pure, when freezing in a wet reindeer sack, if they can't tell anybody else about it ?

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Poul
May you enjoy peace and good health !