I have been all across this continent several times from top to bottom and side to side,I am a just do it and learn from the mistakes kind of person but one lesson i have learned very well is, ask questions even if there was a language barrier i have seemed to get by.
Passport ,International ,DL ,CDP where aplicable ,Bike ,Vacinations plus the esentials of comfort and food are the self explanitory items that are of little worry,the information that i seek are items like what do i need to do when my DL expires where to go and does this apply to the International DL and my Passport as well ? What places or Countries do i expect to offer bribes or shall i say presents,Do i have to have a planned destination As for what my destinations or routes are going to be well does the word Gone mean much or how about that way <---> what can i get away with at border crossings.
I'm such a virgin to world travel.

I am about to embark on a Canadian style walkabout with intensions of no return,I have been reading alot about RTW travellers and thier stories but i have either missed the most important little bits of information or they were never mentioned so this is where i need some help and advice.

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2 Lost Canadians on a World Walkabout

Dealing with police and border guards seems to vary not only from country to country but also from person to person - how you deal with other people inevitably has a big impact on how they deal with you. Best advice I can offer is be patient, be friendly and roll with the punches when appropriate. I always say that taking your helmet and glove off and shaking hands with an officer when they stop you disarms them, and not being in a hurry means that even if they were going to try and sting you for cash they either change their mind or give up.

This is a big bonus of solo travel, you can lose all your expectations of what will happen, where you have to be, any concept of 'late' and just travel along with an open (blank??) mind. It was this forced mindstate of 'almost zen' that I found most liberating when on a bike. I met a couple on the road that had plans and expectations and found a lot of countries infuriating and stressful, they seemed to be having constant 'problems' although the experiences were the same.....

Hey Steve,

If you are still in the country, you should consider coming to the HU meeting in Nakusp this summer. Good place to meet people and swap stories about places to go.

In regards to drivers license, I used my B.C. one primarily, have never been asked for the international one even though I carried it most times. Get a new B.C. one before you go, it's good for five years I think. The international ones are good for a year.

Take a colour photocopy of your license and laminate it and give that to the police when stopped, if they decide to withhold it for bargaining power, it's just a copy anyways.

As for your passport, get a new one before you leave. I believe the expiry is also five years. If you are good about asking the border folks to not use up too many pasges with stamps, then you can stretch out the time before it gets filled up.

Happy planning.

These are great tips that you are giving me e.g the color photo copy (i remember reading about this in a different thread somewhere),but how can i avoid returning to my County of origin for a renewal or can i get the DL and Passport done at a consolate?
The HU Meating in B.C. will be a miss for me i shall already be on the roads of Mexico by then and well i'm a bit of a loner that dosen't do to well in crouds
"an open (blank??) mind. It was this forced mindstate of 'almost zen' that I found most liberating when on a bike"
I just cannot get a full enough tank for that feeling i usually get beond the Zen and on into paradice : )

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2 Lost Canadians on a World Walkabout

Steve:

It would be to your advantage to get one of the new BC 'enhanced' drivers licences. When I picked mine up last year, I was pleasantly surprised to see that they are laid out in exactly the same machine-readable format as the 'nationality cards' that are commonly given to citizens in Europe as passport substitutes.

It is a bit of a PITA to get one of these BC enhanced licences, and it costs about $100+, but if you present it to police or border guards in Europe, they will recognize it as being a nationality document (as well as a DL).

Beyond that - there is not a whole bunch to worry about, at least, not for Western and Central European travel. Once you get into genuine third world countries (Africa, anything ending in -stan, any place with a name you can't spell or pronounce), well, all bets are off, but I do agree with HenryUK's philosophy below - you just go with the flow, because you ain't gonna change the way things do or don't get done in those places.

If you have not travelled internationally before, I suggest you start off with Western and Central Europe - it's very different, but at the same time, everyone plays more or less according to the same rules we do here in Canada.

Michael

PS: Don't forget to add to your planning list a way of keeping your BC licence plate valid. I don't know how long the validity stickers last for (1 year? 2 years?) but you want to keep the registration valid when you are in other countries.

Steve,
Regarding your passport, get the 48 page passport. Having those extra pages will definitely help. I also laminated a color copy of my BC registration and drivers licence and use this color copy at all borders. The original never gets used at borders or with police. Photoshop can help in keeping your registration & ICBC insurance valid past the issued expiry date.
Daryll

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Central America, South America & Africa on DR650's - BLOG

One other thing: You mentioned vaccinations in your first post. I'll leave it up to you to figure out what vaccinations you need (there are lots of sites on the internet offering good advice about that), however, be darn sure that you get a Yellow Fever vaccination if you intend to spend time in the Third World.

This is not because you will be at any risk to catch Yellow Fever, it is because in many Third World countries, they won't let you in the door if you can't produce a Yellow Fever vaccination card.

You can get the vaccination in Victoria, I think it costs about $40 and is good for 10 years. You will be given a little yellow card that is internationally recognized, staple this card to the inside back cover of your passport.

Michael

You don't need the ICBC insurance if the bike is outside of North America. What you do need is a valid registration (licence plate) for the motorcycle. I don't know exactly what the protocol for this is in BC (although I live here and have a BC registered car, my motorcycle is registered in Ontario).

I keep the Ontario registration (the licence plate sticker) valid when the motorcycle is outside of North America, but I don't keep North American insurance valid - I maintain insurance coverage for the country that I am riding in (e.g. Green Card for Europe).

Michael

Well this is all very good advive thank you all for the help,In B.C. we renew each year you can either go with I.C.B.C Insurance Corp of B.C. that is most common or you can if you qualify ( Clean DL abstract ) go with Private Insurance ,this is the way i go because i save $400. on my 07 R1200R for a full Year compaired to the Provincial ICBC. As for the Direction i'm heading will be down through Mexico over to Cuba and then ... unsure I have considered the UK EU but i am doing this on a very small pension and word has it it is costly and especialy during Tourist seasons so it's not up there. An Ambition at the start of my planning was to become an advocate for the War Graves Commision Overseas but there were obsticles that could not be met,this leaves it to just being a ride for no reason other than a walkabout around the world.
Maybe someone can answer this odd question would it be possible to photoshop a decal for the Plate or stay with the line that it is the start date and after a year magic marker the year.

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2 Lost Canadians on a World Walkabout

... and I suspect the ride will be more enjoyable because of it. I find that if you try and mix business with pleasure when travelling, one or the other will suffer. Best to just get out there and enjoy - the journey is the destination.

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Garry from Oz - powered by Burgman

Hey Steve,

Most people just take the decal off once they leave North America or once it expires. That would look odd in B.C., where you expect to see a yearly decal that proves insurance is current at a glance, , but in many other countries there is no renewal decal or it is located elsewhere on the bike. No one will bat an eye as they have no idea what is normal to see on a B.C. license plate.