Big heavy expensive bike too pricey, uses too much gas? Ride a smaller bike, go a little slower. Hotels too expensive? Camp. Food to pricey? Can't help you there, I like to eat and eat well but shop local joints and eat local market food if you cook for yourself.

Travel has always been an expensive proposition. Gasoline/Petrol has always been expensive, food has always been expensive, hotels have always been expensive. Very few people ever actually leave their home states or nations, even fewer leave their native continent, and fewer still make it all the way around unless their trip was subsidized by the military. I'd like to think that thanks to the internet and general availability of knowledge on what it takes to go RTW or just on long trips has actually increased the number of people who are 'out there'.

On the other hand, I think things have gotten out of control. More more more more. More displacement, more bags, more gear, more more more. I just got back from riding the Dalton Highway and was on the only motorcycle under 1000cc's and the only thumper except one KLR, one DR, and one older F650GS. Most were on GSA's, most had their poor bikes piled up with more crap than I literally own. I moved to Alaska on my motorcycle and carried less on it. Less is more.

Just outside of Coldfoot, on the Dalton Highway, last week.


Spares in the left saddle bag, toiletries and a few spare layers in the right, clothes and sleeping bag in the stuff sack, tent and gas can on the rack. Everything I need for a few days... or a week... or a year (basically, I'd add a few more clothes in a second tail bag, get a smaller packing sleeping bag, and drop the walmart tent for something smaller packing and nicer probably).

So what will I do? I'll keep riding and working to keep riding. I gave up on the rat race and conspicuous consumerism.

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2008 Yamaha WR250R