Flag carrier
 

Positive or negative ????????????
I have been wondering what sort of responce people get when they fly their countries flag, be it stickers on the bike or patches sewn on jackets.
Obviously the Stars & Stripes ain't gonna go down to well in Afganistan at the mo I would guess but on the whole how's it been ?

Pete

Neither do I.................. but some people do and if it has positive affect on the people and communities you meet when travelling though their countries were's the harm ? And just praps there interested where you have come from i.e. how far you have travelled to get to their country.
Just because you are carrying a flag it doesn't mean you want to rule the world :-)

I try to fly the flag of the country where I actually am. So, in the US I fly the stars and stripes and in Turkey the moon and star (the turkish flag is world's most beautyfullest). For me it means: I want to be with you folks. Passing a border I take off the flag because you never know whether the flag of one country pleases the other.

That is a very nice sentiment Martheijnens...

I wore a lapel pin with the US and Welsh flags combined last year in the States for a similar reason...

Sadly these days I'd rather be considered an American than fly the Union Jack (especially in Europe!)... and that's saying something!

xxx

Martheijnens, like it like it a lot, that's my flag carrying sorted :thumbup1:

The advantage of being Welsh is i'm not sure how many people know the flag so it may be safer, and a talking point, though one of our athletes got in trouble at the olympics for having it.

Interesting - because of the Dragon presumably? Did the Chinese have a thing about how they are represented?

xxx

you are always feel warm welcome to Turkiye martheijnens like other travelers.

personally, i like to carry the flags all the countries that i have visited and also my country flag (star and crescent). no offense so far.. however, in some costums (especially in eu) they do the passport check more detailed.

love & peace !!!

Number Plates?
 

Sharing the views above of not caring where I or anyone else comes from, I generally try to blend in and not stand out as being different - particularly if travelling in/on a lone vehicle.

Even if you fly the flag of your host country there is little you can do with the Registration Plate.

I have considered, particularly once outside the EU, having them made up in other countries so as to have a different size, style, script and colours - yet still the numbers/letters match the paperwork if the Police or Customs stop you.

I have NEVER EVER had a proper GB plate on any vehicle in 45 years of driving/riding in other countries! Although having been stopped many times, it has never been mentioned.

I've tied a flag to the rear vision mirror .. on the side of the road I should be on. Serves as a reminder as to where I should be on the road. And tells others to look out for the person who does not known the way nor the local driving practices ..

When I retired, for want of anything better to do I bought a motorcycle and set off around the world flying a little Saltire. This flag represented many things, fashion wise the colours matched the manufacturers of my moto's badge, in the international flag signaling code my familiar name, Mike, in a religious context the cross of St Andrews, the town that I live in and in a political sense the country that I live in, Scotland. So far in my travels I reckon that only about 1% of the non Brit people that I have met knew which country it represented and had heard of the town and only 1 person so far knew which letter and the phonetic it represented. It is now only 50% of the length it was when I started, wind and flapping having taken its toll, and is now a white > on a blue background but it still serves the same purpose, it gives people a reason/excuse to come up and talk. If, like riders from the US, you feel that flying your national flag may, thanks to the actions of some of your political leaders make life difficult when overseas then fly your state flag, at least one of the US ones I belive has a Union Jack on it, or the flag of a project or cause that you support like Greenpeace or Water Aid. Bikers like flying flags, just make sure that they embellish not embarass your trip and above all, ride safe.

Incognito
 

Riding in semi-hostile (for me) places like Egypt and Tunisia (and maybe for US riders in some places) made me hide my origen. I cover all simbols that make people know were I came from. After stopping usualy I answer people (that gather around and are very curious to know "Country? Country??") where I came from (answering, helmet off with a big smile) this way I feel I can control my exposure. riding in such manner did not save me from stones in the Egypt Nile erea :) I carry a small flag of my country in my bag, few postcards of holy places in Israel, which I give to those I like to leave some thanks.

Incognito
the best way to ride.

Y.

I like flags :D
Usually I try to carry the current country’s flag among all the other flags. It seems like lot of the locals like to look at all the flags and they like it when they find their own.

Normally I have the Norwegian flag somewhere in the front of the bike. I put it there when I went to Algeria short after “someone” started to bomb Afghanistan in 2001, thought it was a way to tell people that I come from a country where we don’t support actions like this.
I have only had positive responses concerning the flag; in Ethiopia it took a few days before I realized why people yelled Flo-Flo-Flo when I passed them (Flo was a famous Norwegian soccer-player).
They also told me pretty quick that the Ethiopian flag was not correct, which was true (check left box).
http://www.actiontouring.com/pic/IcRiver.jpg


It’s also easier to wash away dead insect from a sticker then from the painted parts.

The Boneville-Ural is imposible to disguise as anything but British. I don't try, it has a small Union Jack on each "corner", a Yorkshire Rose on the screen, various Welsh and Bavarian Rally stickers and I wear a Scooter helmet probably designed for Austin Powers. I have the flags of all the countries I've visited on a pannier. People just think you are a nutter, which they know from the sidecar straight off. If you can't hide you might as well just stand up and say "I'm English, pleased to meet you" :clap:

Back in 2003, given the political situation I tried looking Dutch (number plate also Yellow) in Morocco. None of th locals gave a **** ****. Good 'on 'em I say. The only negative comments I ever recieved were from football fans in Greece who were really just eager to tell me how much their team were going to beat Manchester United (or was it Liverpool?) by. A simple point to your chest and the words "Huddersfield Town" sorts that one :helpsmilie:

Andy