leave our derbi adventurers alone, i need them!

seriously though, that was clever mate.

Fantastic result. These opportunities are short lived but you've seized yours. I used to work as an analyst attached to the trading room of a merchant bank so have observed these things several times in the past. When a currency (in this case, sterling) drops suddenly and significantly, it can take a few weeks or even months before the shift is reflected in prices for big ticket items like bikes and cars. That short period of mis-match gives big profit opportunities for the quick. I have no crystal ball for currency markets, but if the pound stays at its current weak level against the euro, it won't be long before the mis-match disappears. Bike prices in Britain will rise. You've done a fantastic deal.

As for "Is now a good time to go?" I'd say it depends. If you have a good job, it might be foolish to leave it - it might be hard to secure equivalent employment when you return. But for anyone without a job (or with a crappy job, I'd say this is a fantastic time to go. Take your time and who knows, you might return just at the time when the economy is picking up again.

PS I see KTM among others have really whacked up their British prices.

__________________
Seek Truth

15 countries in 40 days. Tanks, crashes, minefields and Kalashnikovs

I'm in exactly the same boat. Planned trips to Poland/Ukraine and then to Scandinavia and Russia this year but business has all but dried up and I can't even pay the rent beyond July at the moment. Discussing options with my significant other last night:
- keep doing the same thing (akin to flogging a dead horse) hoping work will come
- do the same thing somewhere else but the time lag would be too long between investment and income
- do something different like go back to salaried employment but I'm over-qualified for most jobs around and too old for the others and nothing seems to be able to replace the income I've lost from being self-employed. Overseas might be the only option as I've got international experience
- mothball everything and bugger off somewhere cheap to live until things get back to normal

This time last year I was turning away business. Today, I can't give it away!

__________________
Paul "Every county of England, every country of Europe and every (part of every inhabited) continent of the Earth" 94% done! What's left? Central America, East, Central and West Africa, Australia & New Zealand

My savings nearly disappeared in an Icelandic bank. Bugger all work at home (I'm freelance), so I'm off - may come back broke but I'd rather be broke with memories than broke because some *anker decided to use my cash for his bonus!

laura

Hi Alex,

Chris & I have been looking forward to a 7 week trip for about 2 years now... we intended going last summer but with me only having 2 days pernament work (other 3 days tempory), and Chris having to resign to be able to do the trip we put it off for a year. Instead our destination was Germany for 2 weeks!! Still really good fun... although... on our return we started thinking about our 7 week trip. We knew that we would have to do it the following year.

We had saved enough for the trip last year but had no extras to cover lack of wages on our return and so we decided that even if we where in the same position the following year, we would still do our trip. If we're really skint on our return there's always plastic to get us by till we sort ourself's out.

However... since then... I started a new pernament job in January and so we are guarenteed 1 income when we return. Chris still has to resign to beable to do the trip and although finding a job on our return will be harder we know that we have to do our trip... otherwise we'll always wait until it's safe to do the trip financially... which it never will be!

Even though we've had another year to save for the trip we havn't got a bigger budget or a safety net for our return. Partly due to money being swallowed by other things, doing little trips to keep ourselves sain and lastly by the dreadful exchange rate!!! (although good for you!)

I think that in many ways it was right for us to wait a year but we also know that this now is definately the time for us to do our trip. And so we leave on the 3rd July to Romania.

Maybe delay your trip for a short time... but you'll know when the time is right!

Beej

I think there's always going to be reasons to go and not to go, right now, being self employed is possibly not the best time. I translate and it's a competitive market so if I go off for x months I'm pretty certain when I get back I won't have a lot of trade.

So that's where the little trips come in. I can take a week or so off every now and then to buzz round France, and as long as I pack my computer, don't do too many long days in the saddle, and can find free wifi twice a day (McD's) then I can still get the travel buzz for 2009.

Sure staying in a country where I speak the language, and will be riding almost always on metalled roads might not count as "adventure" but it's still seeing things I wouldn't see, and being away (even if not totally away from work). And, I think sometimes we look far overseas for our travels, and miss out what's on our doorsteps. I'm planning on Cathar country for the summer. I like the idea of a bit of a theme, and chasing the Holy Grail on a 125's got to be fun.

__________________

A friend of mine is a English/Dutch legal translator and she's always buzzing around Europe with her laptop in tow. She's been doing it for years and has some regular clients, agencies I guess, so I'm sure it's doable.

Reading the posts here I'm impressed how prudent folk are when planning financially for their trips, if only people deliberated as much before having children ;-)! I think there comes a time when you have to go no matter what, took me 18 months of trying to find people to travel with (no web back then) before I just though sod it I'll go on my own, best thing I've ever done!