Trip around Europe
 

I am planning a trip around Europe starting from the UK heading off through eastern Europe and on to Italy spain etc back through France and then home.
This will be my first long distance trip and my first trip to the EU any advice welcome

To kick things off I'd suggest you consider your route and your finances and then take twice as much money and cover half the distance. :thumbup1: :rofl:

ive just come back from a 4 week trip around europe,i like you am a complete novice when it comes to long trips.
if i was to do something similar again i would....
1/ not take half of my tool kit from my garage "just in case" pah:nono:
2/ make sure id got 2x rolls of gaffer tape and some zip ties:clap:
3/ leave my top box at home:mchappy:
4/ make sure id remembered my punchure repair kit:eek3:
5/ not rush the first few days just for the sake of covering milesdoh
6/only take half of what you think youll need,trust me:smartass:
7/ a good tent,rollmat and doss bag are worth there weight in gold,everything seems better after a good nites sleep:mchappy:
and last but not least.....

8/ relax and enjoy those moments of....wow would you look at that...

Yep for all these points, with some reservations about using a topbox - they are OK if it means that you can get by without side panniers; then it is great to have a narrower bike overall, even though the bike has become more top heavy - so it depends where you are going/what you are doing.

My plan is not to have a route but a general direction I want to go. I will avoid all motorways. there will be no rush to get anywhere and when i start to run out of time or money(or both) i will head home
As for tools i will take the absolute minimum. (the bikes original tool kit) Breakdown cover(need to look in to that)
Clothing = My riding gear - 2 of everything and a set of water proofs.
Tent doss bag etc.

just came back from an 11 week tour of europe . take a second groundsheet for your tent, youll be camping on all sorts of hard surfaces.plenty of zip-lock bags they have all sorts of uses, and finally a bit of luxury an msr coffee filter fits in a small mug (if you like proper coffee) good luck with your trip

I have just informed my employer that i intend to take 3 months off next year.
He is not impressed

If you're heading to Eastern Europe, depending on exactly how far over it's worth checking out the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice for entry requirements for each country. Some borders require you to produce original insurance documents, V5 log book etc and certain things such as spare bulbs and high vis vest which you may not choose to carry otherwise. Oh, and if you're heading into Romania take a spin over the Transfagarasen Highway. Don't be put off by scary reports about a terrible road surface trashing many a beloved bike, it's been re-surfaced. So many fab places over there. Have fun!

Take a look at the German ADAC plus Mitgliedschaft for €79.50 per year
Informationen über die Standard-Tarife der ADAC-PlusMitgliedschaft PartnerPaket

The ADAC is the German equivalent of the AA/RAC/AAA.
The plus aspect of the above is the recover/repatriation of you & the vehicle back to the UK.
For more info, just search on HU or Google ADAC to see what other think of it.

Well best laid plans of mice and men. My trip was put on hold due to a bad accident I am all fixed now and have had a substantial pay out to help fund a trip.
It has been a really strange time as I have also got divorced started a new job and moved house. I am now contemplating going the whole hog and going for a RTW trip

If you have the cash, you should totally go for it.

last year i did a similar trip to what you originally had planned, except the opposite way round, going from portugal to italy and stuff. took me 5 months with lots of fun (and not so fun) stops.
i'd say the topbox is pretty important, as a place to dump all your kit (jacket and boots for me) when you go walkabout.
especially useful if its a multi day walkabout.

the only worry is that once you have spare space, you tend to fill it.

I have a dilemma now though as I am for the first time in years actually enjoying my job. I am thinking may be spend a couple of years there and while doing so plan a RTW trip. Although I prefer not to plan I don't think its possible to do a RTW trip on a whim.

Shure it is.

Some people spend years planning never leaving, some don't plan and just go (like us). The only planning you need to do is knowing about paperwork (visa, the bike, medical etc) and this you sort out in a week or so.

is it possible to get open visas for places like russia ? as i would like to go where and when the mood takes me and not have to stick to a time table