Plan your bike trip: where to go?

Deciding on a destination and route of a trip is one of the hardest parts; a lot comes down to time and money. If you have plenty of those then the world’s your oyster, but even then people still struggle to pin down what they want to do.

Having a purpose for a trip is crucial. Decide what you want to get out of it; do you want a challenge, to enjoy it, to explore a place you’ve already been or see something new? It’s then a case of making it happen with the time and money you have available. Don’t think you need a year off work to explore new places – with the rise of bike rental and tour companies in all corners of the world then you could quite easily pick your destination, research rental options and go. You could have a great week’s riding in Morocco, Ireland, Scotland, the USA or Iceland.

If you have more time, and the money, then consider taking your own bike or even buying one on location. The next step would be to look at overland motorcycle travel involving crossing borders and being away for longer periods. Routes through Africa, to Mongolia and along the Americas remain popular, but take a lot of energy and commitment to make happen. Websites such as www.horizonsunlimited.com are there to help you. Again it comes down to having a purpose to do it and also the right mind-set. Having the idea for the trip is easy… making it happen is the hardest part.

Last but not least, don’t get too carried away with the destination. You can meet new people, see new sights and get cold, wet and lost anywhere in the world on a bike, even in England… you don’t have to leave the UK to have an adventure. Ride Land’s End to John o’Groats, head up to Scotland or ride the coastline of Devon and Cornwall. If adventure is about challenging yourself, then you can quite easily do that on the bike you already own, in the country you already live in, with the time and money you’ve got. And don’t be afraid to build up to something big. Today the North Coast 500, tomorrow the world!

Read all of BikeSocial’s motorcycle adventure planning tips here.