This section I try to answer and questions you may have regarding your solo adventure, either with a vehicle or without. If you have any questions I have not answered or would like some clarifications on any of the answers I have given, please fill in the form under the tab Questions?
The first thing I would say to anyone who is preparing for a long solo journey is to list all of your goals first. I use Google Keep (there is an App as well) for all my note taking. It is a simple yet elegant way to write notes just about anything. So what are your goals, in what time do you want to complete them and what is your overall budget?
You should break down all elements of your trip. Create separate notes for each one. Your vehicle, what is it you will be taking, what do you want to add to this vehicle. If it is a motorbike what kind of luggage will you be taking? Soft or Hard? Then it should be about what each of your storage will be used for. I had camping equipment in one, tools in another, computer and photography equipment in another, clothes in another bag (with my drone) that sat on top of my side case. On the other case I had a bag with all my camping gear (bag, pillows, mat etc) and then you have your tank bag and backpack.
What is your trip’s budget? Whether you are camping or staying in hostels, hotels, cabanas, your accommodations are going to impact your budget the most. For food, it will depend on what parts of the world you are going to as some countries are more expensive than others. For fuel, you can pretty much be sure it will cost you between $20 and $30 USD per tank and the distance you will travel will impact the cost of this. Accommodation, Food, Fuel and Servicing are going to be your greatest costs.
What countries will you be visiting? It is of the utmost importance that you plan well ahead for your border crossings. Whether you are taking a vehicle or not, each border crossing entails a set amount of time and in many cases money. This will all depend on what passport country you originate from. A good keyword to type into Google Search (change the country) is “visa requirements for Australian citizens” and find the associated Wikipedia page for your country. It will list every country in the world and the requirements. This will not help you for your vehicle but your person only. For your vehicle, you will want to do some deep searching in Google for people who have taken a similar vehicle across borders and the requirements for each border. Each country is different but usually, it is a similar pattern depending on the continent you are traveling.
Shit happens! And when it does, it will be up to how well you have planned everything for when it does. I have traveled to many countries where advisory is not to travel, however, I make sure I have everything I may need in an emergency ready. I always carry two phones, two wallets (one a dummy with credit cards that are date valid but invalid – $60 USD cash to giveaway)
I also have all of my documents copied and stored online and on each phone for offline use. I have all my manuals in PDF format online and offline. I have also trained myself to use an emergency beacon hidden in my motorcycle pants. It is all about being prepared, who knows how I will react in any given situation, but knowing I have lots of different things to fall back on, hopefully, means I will not panic when the time comes.
Packing and planning your packing is crucial. I made sure I kept each bag and case separate with what was enclosed. After a while, you know what you have in each case and bag and you learn what to pack at the top and make what is important easily accessible.
In one of my bags, I stored my clothing along with my Drone (clothing added extra protection for the drone). Your clothing will be dependant on what the climate will be like where you are traveling. But keep everything to a minimum. You can divide everything up into three areas of clothing, one; riding gear, two; casual gear and three; wet weather gear. For my thermals, I used Helly Hansen and would highly recommend this.
So here is a basic list of clothing I used for Riding
So here is a basic list of clothing I used for Casual Clothes
You might think you will need more, but you don’t, pack minimally and if you need something else buy it on the road.
So here is a basic list of clothing I used for Wet Weather Clothing
If you invest in good riding gear, that is weatherproof like Klim you probably won’t need extra rain gear. I did and only needed these.
At some stage, you will be required to use your tools. For me, it was nearly every other day. In my tool box, I had everything I needed to fix most of the things you encounter each day. Each morning before my ride I would do a simple check over my whole bike, in the end, it just became routine.
For my tires, I had the tools I needed to change a tire, to inflate my tires (mini compressor), to repair a hole or puncture.
I also had a custom designed toolkit for my bike so that I could fix any loose nuts and bolts (part of my daily check) and even though I did this, I did lose a couple along the way.
I also carried WD40, Chain Lube, Brake Fluid, Clutch Fluid and one liter of engine oil and coolant.
If you are going to be camping you will need lightweight camping gear. You will 100% need to test these out, especially if you are going to be camping a lot as that will be the difference between an enjoyable day or a nightmare. I went through two different types of tents and sleeping bags on my testing before I finally got what I wanted.
So here is a basic list
Optional
In my top case, I carried all my computing gear. If you are going to be shooting videos and photography each day you want to make sure you have something to edit it with. For a computer, I had an old Macbook Air which was lightweight and at first powerful enough. However, this started having issues and I needed to buy another one. Not ideal! You will also soon realize you will not be able to upload the photos and videos each day, but you will need somewhere to store it all.
So here is a basic list of Camera Equipment I used
Computer Equipment
Everyday Carry basically means everything you will carry with you every day.This covers two main elements of your gear, your Tank Bag, and your Backpack. Your tank bag should carry everything you need at a moments notice. Your backpack will carry everything you will need when you make a stop. These will carry everything you cannot afford to lose. You must take these with you everytime you park your bike – every time!
My Tank Bag had everything I needed that was small at a moment’s notice, some tools, some small food items, extra batteries and my money.
My Back Pack carries all my important documentation, so make 100% sure it is at least water resistant and you have a cover for it. I chose the Klim Krew Backpack. It had everything I needed that was small at a moment’s notice, some tools, some food items, wet weather gear and my documentation. One smart thing to do is put a bag behind you to rest the backpack on whilst riding as it takes the weight off it.
What countries will you be visiting? It is of the utmost importance that you plan well ahead for your border crossings. Whether you are taking a vehicle or not, each border crossing entails a set amount of time and in many cases money. This will all depend on what passport country you originate from. A good keyword to type into Google Search (change the country) is “visa requirements for Australian citizens” and find the associated Wikipedia page for your country. It will list every country in the world and the requirements. This will not help you for your vehicle but your person only. For your vehicle, you will want to do some deep searching in Google for people who have taken a similar vehicle across borders and the requirements for each border. Each country is different but usually, it is a similar pattern depending on the continent you are traveling.
Border Crossings by your Motorbike can be a painstaking process if you are not prepared. You should always have stored somewhere at least 5 copies of everything. I also stored backup PDF”s of everything online and offline on my phone and computers.
Before each border crossing, I would research each and every border crossing, so I was ready. Some crossings you need extra details and you need to pay for Visas (see info above).
For each border, I made sure in my Backpack I had the following:
Here is a list of all the border crossings I did on my last adventure by Motorbike. Each one is unique and there is information on each border crossing within each blog post.
If you would like any questions answered, please just send me an email by completing the form below and I will respond ASAP.
Articles on Border Crossings
Riding across the Americas
Riding across North America
Riding across Mexico
Riding across Central America