I did read tons of blog about overlanders on their worldtrip. To get some gear is that what you can get out of the sponsors. Because each year some people start their trip, asking for stuff - it dont gets easier i guess.

To write a Blog is more for yourself. Specially if you just start to write. Ask yourself how often you click on one of these banner ads - when you read a blog. Just if you click these banner (and watch the content) - the blog writer earn money.

One year ago i start with my Blog www.4x4tripping.com I`m happy that there are an growing amount of readers who like my content. I just use Google Adsence and have earned now arround 60 USD with these Banner Ads.

For my travelblog i have disabled the ads, because of not much return, while 93`000 views. I talked with severall travel bloggers about - they had the same experience. So blog for yourself, for document your trip, for have you can watch in some years, to share experience with other travellers.

I dont want to say that you can`t earn money this way, because i didnt earn it. I want to say that you had to create a blog with really unique content, high quality Pictures or Videos and travelodge. To write quality articles for newspapers in your homecountry, newspapers in the countrys you travel. To get media attention, get into the TV.

If you do that you start something like i would say a "new job", what dont match well to the "some time off" we traveller usually look at our trips.

Surfy

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About Overlanding, Travelogues, Equipment
Trans-Africa over the west coast

I intend to ride around the world on a twenty four year old NX650 from Sheffield, England either September/October this year or April 2015. The bike cost me under £1000 although sensible mods have added another £600 and I still have another £300/400 to add the finishing touches.
I am £14,000 in debt and have appproximately £25,000 equity in the house so to round it all up I anticpate having £10,000 to fund my trip.
I am currently working seven days a week three weeks a month to add to my travel fund and to try and decrease my debts.
I have no plans to return and will work to fund my trip when the money gets low.
My advice would be to be creative, utilise your skills and work to fund your trip. Material things don't matter anymore and usually the barriers to travel are self inflicted. You really have to want to travel to make it work, dreaming of travel is exactly what it is.
I also have a seventeen year old Son who I will miss beyond words and a six year old Parson Terrier who has been at my side since he was a pup. Tough decisions have to be made on all fronts but the deciding factor for me is the fact I will do this whatever it takes.

To summarise: Do I need a shed load of money to travel? No.

What do I need? Just the will to turn my dreams into reality.

My plan may seem simplistic and no doubt flawed to some but it's all I have and I'll work hard to make it happen without huge amounts of money, that is my plan.

Well said Steve.. I need to take my dommie RTW too.

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Did some trips.
Rode some bikes.
Fix them for a living.
Can't say anymore.

Still working on the bike Ted. Not much left to do now after taking your advice on some of the mods needed (Acerbis tank, Renthals, progressive springs etc). Just need to sort the stalling issue......

Stalling oo err. Pm me with the symptoms.. I'll have a think. Probably carb.

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Did some trips.
Rode some bikes.
Fix them for a living.
Can't say anymore.

Here is a great description on how to retyre at the age of 30 anf dinance this lifestyle: Meet Mr. Money Mustache

THe good thing of traveling on a low budget is that one can earn this money while on the road by placing ads and writing articles for magazines etc. This way one does not become a slave of the consume system but is free and able to travel forever

Did you get going SheffSteve??

Some thoughts from the present. I funded a 3 month euro trip, and the 6mth mongolia trip through loans and meagre saving.

Moving to London to work as a despatch rider had me putting away 200UKP a week on average, less during the lean times (thankfully few), and more during the good times (had some real good stretches). I did this for nearly 4 years, though most of the spoils were spent on paying off the mongolia loan (came back owing 6grand UKP) and getting married to the Russian girl I met in Azerbaijan and living beyond our means for a year or so. But I still saved a fair bit to bring to Australia and start me off here.

Now I'm trying to settle here in Darwin and get sponsored by my employer for a working visa. I'm not fully versed on the rules, but I think time spent on the working holiday visa counts towards the citizenship requirements, so if I get sponsored I would be able to apply for an Aussie passport in 2 and a half years. I'm mentioning all this because the money here is way better than in Europe in general, for most blue collar jobs. Tradies often earning $50hr. I've been earning far less labouring, but still in low 30s. The best job I had was working out bush, AUS$1800 a week after tax ($800 tax!!), but zero living expenses apart from booze because your living in the camp.

If you're under 30 and from Europe/Canada/etc, a working holiday in Australia would be a great way to save cash to travel afterwards. If you're older but have a profession or trade, consider moving here on the points visa. Can't afford to pay for travel? Move to somewhere where you can save more money! I've done this twice now. No regrets.

When I leave Australia (either in 6months when my 2yr working holiday ends, or in a few years), it will hopefully be with a wad of cash and on a plane to South America to start the next bike trip.

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UK to Mongolia 2009, on a DR350

What all these replies tells me is exactly what we are finding on our RTW trip. There is no such thing as a typical RTW traveller and everyone has a different set of circumstances, budget, comfort level, timeframe and dreams. I'm not prepared to share on a public forum the specific finances of our own trip. However, after currently being on the road for 9 months we have a pretty good idea of our on the road costs. I've broken down our costs by % for all to see on our blog which can be viewed here Tiger 800 RTW | A global motorcycle adventure
Steve

I agree about the Espina del Diablo! I really enjoyed my ride through this past November. Road was in perfect condition for the most part. Great fun, just like California!

I last did the Espina route in 1998. During those times the road was jammed with trucks, with lots of Diesel spilled in corners and plenty of pot holes and gravel as well.

Much better now. I road the "libre" road of course, but switched to Cuota about 5 miles before Durango.

I never saw any Cartel activity either ... all pretty mellow. The road was deserted ... quite cool in November.

If you wonder why your UKP is going a bit further now ... you might note
(and everyone should) that the Mexican Peso just dropped in value from 13 pesos per USD to 15 Pesos per dollar and promised to continue higher.

The UK pound is super strong (Arab oil money in British banks) so you lot have a windfall! !que le via muy bien!

Something which will increase the options for middle aged Brits is the change in pension rules that allow access to funds at the age of 55. Whilst I would not advocate people blowing their entire pension pot on a RTW trip it could increase the chances for some people to travel before retirement age. Although I do think blowing it on a RTW trip is a better idea than buying a new car.

BBC News - Budget 2015: Pensions set for another overhaul

I agree and we're certainly making the most of it. When in the USA we hit a high of $1.74USD to £1GBP. it's now at about $1.48 so we were certainly there at a good time. A couple of weeks ago we got $23MXN and that's now dropped to $22MXN to £1GBP. Exchange rate has definitely got slightly worse for us, but still pretty good :-)

I'm a new member and I hate to be negative with my first post, but I honestly can't see any other way to be.

Having read the bulk of this thread it appears that adventure motorcycling is a relatively exclusive activity. If you're not able to finance yourself by selling property you own, and you have no vocational qualification or skill to aid you in working whilst on the move, most of the advice in this thread is useless.

Granted, a few people here do write accounts of scrimping, saving and working all the hours God sends in an effort to pay for a trip, but they are notably in the minority.

The irony seems to be that adventure motorcyling is so often viewed and portrayed as an escape for the free-spirited who care neither for wealth or commercialism, yet from what I've read here the reality seems to be that you need to be in a position of relative privalege to be able to make that choice to become free-spirited and care neither for wealth or commercialism.

Again, I hate to be negative, but this thread has put me off the idea of adventure motorcyling being anything more than a 2 week holiday-level experience.

If however anyone who doesn't own their own house, doesn't have independant financial means, and doesn't have a BA or an IT qualification wishes to offer me a tale of how they managed to travel at length on two wheels, I'm all ears.

You make a very valid point... But I think what you say are the "Minority" are in fact the majority. It's not the rich and famous fluttering around on their jollies. Those people are about but they're easy to spot on their rediculous £20,000 bikes and touratech vulgarity.

Once you actually get out of the "Travel meeting" circuit, you will find the vast majority of bikers you meet outside of the "two week holiday" category are all broke and on old bikes with second hand gear.

Many people who travel have assets to sell or come into money some other way. And there are those who sell everything they own.

Still, I don't think that makes them privilaged. Gaining assets and saving money has taken most travellers YEARS AND YEARS.. They've just chosen to spend their years of hard savings on travelling and not a new car or conservatory.

I'm in the scrimp and save category. I've also taken out loans and sufferered to pay them back. I've had very low times between trips just to fund them. I've also been lucky and had a few grand gifted to me by family. It's a mixture. I've never ever had cash in my bank account for long. I have none now. But I always seem to be going somewhere to doing something. Because I don't waste money on SHIT.

But I stress this.. If you want it enough, you will make it happen... You don't need an expensive bike. You don't need fancy riding suits made from Whale foreskin, folding camping chairs and you certainly don't need to be air freighting your bike to far away continents.

With as little as £2000-£3000 you can have yourself a good second hand bike, effective riding gear and equipment and spend a good couple of months on the road. You can even do it for less.

You can couchsurf, do help exhange (No skills required), or wild camp all over the world. You can eat for £3 a day EASILY if you have to.

I don't know anything about you but I'ts probable that you have loads of gear hanging around that you could sell. You could cancel a expensive mobile phone contract, flog the flat screen telly and make your own home brew instead of going the pub.

There is A LOT someone can do.. You're giving up too easy. Or maybe you just don't want it enough to make it happen. And that's fine too. Just don't make out it's only the deep pocketed upper class with good jobs and educations who can do it. Because that my friend is Bul**hit...

I made a thread a few years ago about how to live super cheap, cut costs and save money to travel. See if you can find it. There were some great ideas.

Don't give up.. Just adjust your mindset.

Ted

__________________
Did some trips.
Rode some bikes.
Fix them for a living.
Can't say anymore.

I wanted to travel, had no savings, no house or anything.

I broke up with my wife after 9 tears of a great relation for she did not want to travel. I sold my 33 year old car for its weight in old metal. I stopped renting the house we had and stored some of my personal stuff in my parents attic, most of it I sold on local market.

I kept a small bag with my two suits and 1 set of casuals clothing. With this on my back I cycled through the city from one friends house to another to spend the night where ever I could. I went to work every morning on the bike. At the end day calling for a new couch to sleep on. This I did for 6 months.

I saved money by doing this, not a lot of money, but by living as a bum I'm now well 5 months of traveling. Not with a bike, but just backpacking.

I'm flying to Mongolia in 2 days where I will continue traveling for at least another 3 months. With a bike I'll buy there. Not a fancy one, but a moped will do.

When I get back I'll be broke as hell, have only a mattress, a stack of books and a lot of stories to tell while rebuilding my life.

Do not say it's only for the silver spoons. If you really want it, it can be done. But it takes sacrifice. I still miss my wife every day...

Alex

Fortune and Glory, kid. Fortune and Glory.