I'm having trouble with a decision and hoping the collective can throw some light:

How feasible is it to undertake a distance learning degree while traveling by motorcycle?

My current plan is to take 2 years and travel by bike from Chicago through South America and Africa back home to India, where I hope to get into the field of sustainable development. To facilitate that career change (as I'll be burning bridges here to go on this trip), I'll be studying for a Masters in sustainable development through a distance learning program from the University of London system. I need to take 8 courses and 2 research modules. I'm hoping to take 3 courses each year that I'm traveling and finish the rest when I get to India. The coursework is mainly reading material and writing one final exam at the end of the year and they say on average each course requires around 7 hours a week. The courses run from Feb-Oct and since they have examination centers around the world, they say I can take my exams in whichever country I happen to be traveling through. The coursework is all on CD-ROMS, so no need to lug textbooks around and of course using email and the net to communicate with the professors.

I know this might already sound like too much to undertake because traveling through developing countries will probably take up most of my time. However, I'm hoping that I'll be able to reduce the tediousness of studying by the fact that my coursework should be highly relevant to the places I'm traveling through and should complement my general interest in the socio-economic development of the countries I plan to travel through. I'm also hoping that my travels will give me ideas for a research project.

Self-discipline seems to be the big requirement for successfully completing a distance learning program and all the more so while embarking on a overland journey. I think I have it in me to discipline myself for the task (already have a masters in engineering) but am not 100% sure it's completely feasible.

On my quick solo trip to Mexico in 2007 over 2 weeks, I found myself with a little down time now and then and used that to read novels along with the guidebook. So, I think if my overall traveling pace is a little slower (9 months to do LatAm and 9 months for Africa) I should be able to find at least an hour or two everyday to read up or take a day off every 4-5 days for studying. I do realize that this might detract from the trip a bit and not allow me to take some excursions here and there, but I guess it's a trade-off for a good cause in the long run.

What do you think? Has anyone done something like this before? Does it sound feasible? :confused1:

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J A Y | Riding a 98 Suzuki DR650
Current ride thru Latin Am and Africa > Jammin thru the Global South