Frequently Asked Questions

Is the website finished yet?

Sort of.  I keep thinking of new things for it, or better ways to do things as my web design knowledge grows.  I had to draw the line somewhere though, so for now we'll call it an ongoing work in progress.

How do you update the map?

It's not really a live map, so my current position is the last known position where I could get to a computer. 

Where do you get your money?

From anyone who is willing to give me a job, but I don't have any sponsors, or money givers, though a tour guide gave me $15 once in Namibia. I worked as an engineer before I left home, then on the trip I have worked as a grape picker in France and also a teacher of English in South Korea.  

So what's been wrong with your leg?

 Mainly hamstring troubles, but also back, knee, ankle, calf, quads, and fistfulls of bad luck.  

It can't be that bad, are you just being a wimp?

Afraid not, giving up the cycling idea was something I did not find easy at all, but I couldn't sit around waiting forever.

So when did you leave?

September 7th 2008

How long will it take you?

To be quite honest I'm not really sure.  It depends on how long I stay in some places, how far I can ride before falling asleep, how tough the roads are and how well the bike does!  I'm not in any rush though.  Ted Simon spent four years travelling the world on his Triumph 100 in the 70's....

I'm thinking of doing a similar trip, any advice?

I get quite a few emails asking about tips and information.  How much will it cost, how long will it take, visas, maintenance, carnets, what bike, where to buy parts, shipping costs.   And pretty much all of these are difficult to answer.  Some answers are below, though most have so many variables as to be unanswerable. 

How much will it cost?

It will cost as much as you have, if you are broke you'll manage on less than $5 a day, if you're loaded then you'll spend $100 a day on average or more, goign to parks and game reserves and sky diving or whatever.
Also depends on the carnet more below and your route and the mood of thh customs officials.  On average, with a small bike, look at $25-30 a day on average, on an average day you can spend way less, but when you need to go to hospital or pay for customs then your days' spend will be 10 fold.

How long will it take?

This depends on you.  If you are happy to sit around or not, or stressed-out from being alone on the road and just want to move, if you've got money to pay for a hotel to stay somewhere for a few days.  One tip, for sure, is take your time.  If someone asks you in for a drink, forget your presumed itinerary for the day and go for a drink, it might be good....it might be crap.

What about visas, how long can I stay in each country?

Visas change all the time, the only way to check them all is to plan a route then check each visa on the FCO website.  You'll most likely change the route, either now because you can't get a visa or later because you feel like it.  At least plan for where you need to get the visa for the next country before you get there!  It took me a long time to plan the route.

What's a carnet?

Basically a book that covers you for taxes if were to sell the bike in that country.  Each page has three sections: YOURS, ENTRY slip and EXIT slip.  When you enter, YOURS is stamped once to show entry and the ENTRY portion of that page is removed and kept by customs.  On exit, YOUR is stamped a second time to show that the vehicle has left that country and then EXIT slip is removed. Generally available from your home countries motor-organisation; in the UK it is from the RAC. 

The price of it is high, and depends on your destination.  Egypt is highest at 800%. If going here explicitly state you will go everywhere in the world for otherwise some countries will be omitted from the carnet.

It means that the more expensive the vehicle involved, motorcycle, or car or 4x4, then the more it costs.  My bike was valued at $1500, so this means the carnet cost would be $12,000 plus $500 for RAC deposit, plus $225 for the carnet itself.  I couldn't afford this and so took insurance out, which cost 10% of the indemnity.  So for me it worked out at $2600.  You do get some money back on return of the carnet, if you have the cash then the deposit is the way to go as you get it all back.

You used to be able to get them from ADAC in Munich, Germany.  But as I found out to my horror, this is no longer the case, unless of course you are German.

Complicated at first sight, becoming very simple once you've used it a few times.You used to be able to get them from ADAC in Munich, Germany.  But as I found out to my horror, this is no longer the case, unless of course you are German.

What should I take?

Not as complicated or as daunting as it seems.  You can see my packing list, but essentially you need sleeping things, cooking things, fixing things, paperwork things.

Your FAQ's aren't helping?

It would seem so, so here's a few tips I think are handy;

a water filter is very useful, I have a katadyn pocket filter, expensive, but everyone I met loved it.

Carry passport photos, lots of them

Carry a few US dollars always, get this at home as getting money can be difficult to obtain and costly, it's still the king of currencies in Africa.  $100 or so is good, more if you are heading for Egyptian border customs, which for a small bike is about $180.  A Sudanese visa is US$100.

an international license and international vehicle registration was useless, so don't bother.

if you see something you're going to need in the near future in a shop, then buy it there and then!

don't pass a petrol station, always fill up.

My travel insurance has already paid for itself, try http://navigatortravel.co.uk/

Don't worry too much about vehicle insurance, but buy it at the border where possible.

Be nice to people, even if they are trying to scam you, once they get past the bullshit you can often have a normal conversation....but it'll probably go back to the bullshit eventually.