Ted,
Are you back to the plan of leaving April/May 2014? Or is it 2015?

cheers,
Noel

I think financially, I have to wait until 2015....

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

how much do you actually plan as budget per day on the bike? I know what long term travelling by 4x4 costs (Euro 50,-/day of which 50% for fuel, 99% sleeping in the car) but no idea of cost for bike travel! Assume 1/3% hostels, 1/3% camping, 1/3% wild camping? How many km/day do you make on average during extended trips?

Hi Ted

planning to ride my V strom 650 back home to NZ in 2015. Would be very interested in joining up with your proposed caravan. I am off to CentralAmerica next month for three months but will be back in Europe in 2014.

Will watch thread

regards

Peter

It's hard to say isn't it... Western Europe will obviously be much more expensive. Even if I stay away from the bar, I'd spend £50-60 a day inc fuel/camping/hostel etc.

I will camp as much as possible and once into Eastern Europe/ Stans / Russia, i'm hoping to spend about £25-£30 a day.

You obviously get some days where you will spend nothing and some days that you get fleeced for everything.



I usually ride about 200-300km a day. However, I really like to hang out places for a few days or even weeks if I like it. I HATE to tied to a tight schedule of miles/days/etc. I never ever have a time limit. I just travel until I run out of money.



I only know through experience...... My 7 months trip through South America cost me £7000 inc shipping, flights. Visas were very cheap and I only shipped one way. However, I didn't hold back on the good times. Lots of and parting. I was only 27 then...

On my UK-Capetown, I took 6 months. I spent £10,000 as I did more miles, needed a carnet, more visas and overspent in Spain and South Africa on the tourist side of things. Fuel was expensive in Africa too once south of Sudan.

I'd expect a UK-Magadan/Vllad to cost about £8,000 with Visas, insurance, shipping etc etc. That would be a lot of camping too and being more strict with the party fund. I hear hotels in Russia are EXPENSIVE and terrible.

If I want to keep going after Russia then I think i'll need at least £15,000 to cover more shipping. That's what I'm hoping to have available for a Spring 2015 leave date.

To be honest, once I get to vllad I have no idea what I want to do. I really want to visit South East Asia and Indonesia but on your own bike, it's tough with all their 125cc rules etc. I don't really know.

I also really want to ride Central and the west coast of South America as I've never managed to get there.. Maybe I'll try and get the bike to Los Angeles and high tail it South from there.

I can't afford both if I'm realistic.

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

Ted, thanks for the comprehensive reply. It supports what I suspected, that bike travel isn't a whole lot cheaper than car travel. The big cost is the fuel and second is sleeping if you can't camp out all the time. Africa is ideal for wild camping but Europe less so, central Asia probably better than EU. 200/300 km/day is what I think is a reasonable average too, that is what we did on our trip to Italy, avoiding highways like the plague and taking only local roads. The bike is very economic fortunately, I managed to do 1:20 and sometimes even 1:22 fully loaded I will plan for Euro 40 per day for now...

That's how I think about bike vs car travel...

In a car you will spend more on fuel and shipping..

On a bike you end up spending more on food and accommodation as you can carry far less food and sleeping equipment.

It's a lot more tiring traveling on a bike but I do still think it is much more rewarding and flexible.


Still, each to their own. They both have great pros and cons.

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

Thinking of roughly the following route for May 2014

https://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=h...90554&f=q&om=1

Taking Trans Siberia express from Mongolia to Moscow and ride back from there..

Any suggestions / remarks etc. are very welcome

Leo

why are you avoiding tajikistan, you'll miss some great riding

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www.rtwpaul.com

Yes why not both Tajikistan and Kyrchyztan..
(Surely do not want to miss Kyrchyztan)

https://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=h...90554&f=q&om=1

Any other suggestions / remarks etc. are very welcome..

Leo

And Pamir Highway, definately! (M41)
http://goo.gl/maps/Hif7z

+ Stations Trans Siberia Express (Itkutsk - Moscow)

https://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=h...30000&f=q&om=1

Any other suggestions / remarks / tips etc. are very welcome..

Leo

There seem to be quit a few people planning on leaving for Mongolia, or in that general direction, around April/May 2014! In an effort to get some overview on who is planning for what, ultimately to group-up of course, I am trying to put a list together of all people planning on leaving around then and for that your input is needed. Please check the "UK to Mongolia 2014" post started by Hootchy-cootchy where I further explained my idea.

Your opinion is valued.
Cheers,
Noel

Hi Leo,

I have something similar in mind, via Kyrgystan, Tajikistan etc... then from Ulan Bator up to Irkutsz, and transiberian to Moscow then ride back to the UK.
Just starting to investigate Visas and LOI requirements... and possibility of obtaining some of Stans Visas from Turkey instead of UK....
May start a thread on that, if poeple can find that useful?

__________________
Maria

www.franglais-riders.com

Hi Maria,

Nice to hear from a fellow traveler.
Maybe we can join up for some part.

Found an informative site on Visa for this region.
http://caravanistan.com/visa/


I will probably ask a "VISA service office" to arrange all visa etc.
Seems cheaper than taking several days off (some must come from Den Hague, others from Brussels etc.)

For Iran one also needs a carnet to get a motorbike through customs. Prizes for carnets seems to differ quite a bit depending on where you get it (see some earlier posts) Seems carnets obtained in Germany or the Netherlands are substantial cheaper compared to other countries (carnets from Germany and the Netherlands seem to be available also for non inhabitants of Germany and the Netherlands).

There are some more trotters planning to travel in the same direction (see post "UK to Mongolia 2014")

Cheers,
Leo