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You are here: Home / Cars and motorcycles / Around the world with an Aussie Biker

Around the world with an Aussie Biker

by jlcollinsnh 28 Comments

image3

The motorbike I found parked in my Guatemalan hotel lobby; here in the Moroccan desert

In March 2014 I was spending the month in Antigua, Guatemala, where they will kill you for your shoes. Or maybe not.

One day I returned to my hotel to find a motorcycle parked in the lobby sporting an Australian license plate. A quick inquiry to my landlady, who was by this time also my friend, and I was pounding on the poor fellow’s door. Regular readers know I have a motorbike and so I wasn’t about to let this opportunity pass.

That evening I dragged him out to dinner at Sobremesa owned and operated by my then new pal Alex. In addition to being a restauranteur, Alex is an artist and I’ve featured his work in my posts here, here and here. He is also a novelist with several books to his credit, but that’s another story.


Turns out Dave was just about a year and a half into a 3-year round the world motorcycle ride. Over a fabulous meal he shared a few of his stories and, when things slowed down, Alex joined us and over drinks we closed up the joint.

Somehow we missed each other before his departure, but not before exchanging emails and my learning that his travels would put him in New Hampshire around September. Of course I invited him to visit and offered to show him some of our better local roads.

A day or two later he sent me this email:

March 16, 2014

Jim,

Had hoped to catch up before I left, but us ‘loners’ are hard to pin down. The fates willing, it would be good to catch up around September. I’ll stay in touch.

Cheers

As promised, come September he reached out again and we shared a number of emails leading up to his visit. In ( ) I’ve added some explanations for clarity:

September 11, 2014

James,

It’s September and I am now in Newport, Rhode Island for a couple of days, visiting the annual boat show. I will then head down to NY and meander up the Hudson River. I also have a couple of other rides flagged in the region. If you wish to catch up and talk travel/boats, let me know.

I hope life is treating you well.

Cheers

The boat show attracted him because, after wrapping up the motorcycle journey in Indonesia, he plans to build a boat and spend a few years sailing around the world.

September 15, 2014

James,

Good to hear from you. I am currently headed for Saratoga Springs, and will then swing West to see Niagara Falls. Then it’s further West to Milwaukee, to see the HD (Harley Davidson) factory/museum. There are also some good rides in the region. So, I can swing back your way later in the month – by which time hopefully there will be some Autumn colours (might be wishful thinking though!)

I am due to fly the motorcycle and myself out of Montreal on 12 October, so I can, head for Canada after catching up with yourself.

I will stay in touch and let you know of my progress and expected ETA.

Cheers

September 28, 2014

Hi James! Hope you are well.

I am currently near Watkins Glen to check out the (Finger Lakes in NY State) lakes, and will be headed your way in a few days. Thought I’d get your address, to better plan my approach. Will you be around next week?

Cheers

PS: The Fall colours are well on the way!

September 29, 2014

James,

Am currently at Williamstown (truly the quintessential American movie set town – quite beautiful) taking the long way round via Rutland. Could be there tomorrow, but let’s say Wednesday – I will be seeking out a new front tyre as I make my way there.

I hope this is convenient

Cheers

Once Dave made it to our place we had a great time for 3 or 4 days before he had to move on. It was mostly off the bike as he enjoyed a break from the ride. On his final day I rode about half way up thru NH with him toward his final destination that night.

IMG_20141003_143403944

Dave and me just outside Naughty Nellie’s Cafe where we last parted company

We next heard from him just before Christmas….

December 23, 2014

Guys,

Have a MERRY XMAS and a great 2015!

I am currently wintering in the Western Sahara/Morocco, however there has been a slight change of plan.

image1

The view from my hotel in the Moroccan desert

But first, since last I wrote, I have travelled far. All went very smoothly getting me and the bike to Portugal, and I landed in a very wet and heavily flooded Lisbon. However, the couple of hours spent clearing the bike had me on the road again in the dry and headed North up the coast.

There were only a couple highlights running the coast, and the weather remained indifferent. However, when I went inland, things improved dramatically. Absolutely loved Portugal and Spain once on the minor roads and off the beaten tourist path – prices fell appreciably too!

Had a great three weeks of sunny dry weather as I explored the villages and towns – and what a rich history they have!

Fabulous old walled cities and majestic buildings, wonderful narrow cobbled streets and stunning engineered structures (aqueducts etc) – ‘I’ll be back’.And so into the magical/mystical Morocco. Not much of a transition early – a change in language (French/Arabic), food, currency……and they all tend to run around in their hospital nightie’s (but not with their bums hanging out) – and that’s about it. Oh, and prices are down.

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The pool….every Bedouin has one, don’t they?

Landed in Tangier, and immediately headed South for warmer/drier climes. (I am told Tangier is Tourist Central, with all the cruise ships bringing in the sheep for fleecing).

There was a bit of rain about in the North, so headed for Chefchaouen, then onto Fez. Chefs’ Medina  is wonderful (a composite of very narrow streets wending and winding their way up and down the side of a steep hill. The whitewash blue colours they paint the walls with looks sublime at times – hard to describe (no photos). It is a tourist ‘hot spot’ though!

Then it was across the Atlas Mountains to the desert – my favourite place.

Spent time in the Sahara – did a camel trip into the desert to stay at a bivouac (I had the place to myself – great!) then a 4WD trip around the oasis areas. Touristy stuff, but fun. The ‘real’ Morocco begins after Fes, heading down toward Errachidia and Erfoud (as I remember it – in 1977 – but times change!).

‘Progress’ has taken it’s toll over that time, with small villages now towns and cities – and not always attractive. Again ran the great mountain passes of the mighty Atlas Mountains, at times above the snow line, and across to Marrakech. Spent several days here – enjoyable but all too frenetic and it does wear you down. Too much hard-sell. Must be getting too old and cynical to fully enjoy it, and was pleased to move on South and toward the coast.

The state of the roads has made it a bigger adventure with mud/rock slides, ‘creek’ and puddle crossings (nothing your Scrambler wouldn’t handle though!) and bits of roads simply vanished into ravines/rivers – NOTHING handled that!

Then it was into the Western Sahara, where I spent a few days in a rather nice little coastal town called Dakhla. Thought it would be just a fishing village, but is a very modern, civilised place. The ride onto the peninsula was spectacular, with quite a surreal landscape. This is real desert country, with the landscape covered in a haze of wind-blown sand and having to occasionally dodge and weave sand dunes encroaching on the road.

The REAL Morocco – love it down here!! Temps down this way are VERY pleasant, up around the mid-20’s (centigrade). Seem to have left the ☁️⚡️☔️ behind too. Really nice riding weather (but windy).

The only bugaboo is running the checkpoints. Had six checks one day: four within five kilometres; and two within eyesight (150 metres) of one another! – a military check followed by a police check, both recording the same info!! Go figure? The good point is they are all super friendly and want to chat (they all tend to speak a bit of English).

There is a heavy military presence, and I have even seen UN peacekeeping (?) vehicles. Big white 4WD’s, of course! – more money that could be better be spent elsewhere, being pissed up against the bureaucratic wall.

I am now settled into a really nice beachfront hotel just South of the Megopolis ???? of Tan Tan for the Xmas/new Year period. It’s a quiet little town – probably only a couple of thousand people, if you count the ???????? and ????. Be nice to have a quiet time before heading to the Big Smoke (Casablanca) early in the New Year to organise …….my return to Australia!

And so for the change of plan…

Just recently, a young lady friend has asked me to return to Oz for a while to do the Kokoda Trail Trek in PNG (Papua New Guinea) with her! Says it’s IMPORTANT to her – but she is not keen to venture off alone, and her mum understandably is not keen either – and I’m the only one she knows who would be interested/could physically do it! (remains to be seen ????).

I will leave the motorcycle in Morocco (The Missus I believe has to be stored at a Customs warehouse while I’m out of the country – more paper work) and fly to Australia on 6 February (before my current visa runs out) and return late April (29th at present) – the bike has a 6-month entry, ending 13 May, so good timing.

The Kokoda has been on my Bucket List back-burner for some time now (and I’ve never been to PNG), so it would be a good opportunity to tackle it. Another (obvious) motivator is that at my age, I don’t get too many offers to go adventuring with a lovely young woman these days!

Also, truth being, there is also a LOT I can better arrange in Oz for my onward travels back into Europe and beyond (carnet, green card insurance etc). Also breaks up my time in Morocco, which I was thinking might get boring after a few months, and puts me back into Europe in more favourable weather in early-May.

Another ‘plus’ is if I follow the most favourable global weather pattern, it will extend my travels to mid-2016, rather than June next year – and I have been looking for reason not to go ‘home’ – something which even now looms large! The longer I’m out here, the less appealing THAT prospect appears.

Several more months in Europe/Turkey and SE Asia holds a lot more interest! ???? Inshallah! (God willing)

So, I hope you both have an Xcellent XMAS and NEW YEAR ????????????, and have a ????or ???????? for me. (We did!)

PS: Just when I thought I had this international motorcycle adventure travel beat – 85,000km in and unstoppable, having conquered mountains, jungle, deserts, and terrorists/assassins disguised as motorists, I met the insurmountable – the one thing that brought fear to my heart……the squat toilet! O…M…G!!! The agony and the ecstasy. ????

I do exaggerate a little tho’ – I have yet to use one (except for a pee) and it is the prospect that has my knees shaking. It’s been a long time between squats! ????

PSS: James, I hope you have plans for more travel to exotic places in the New Year. Whatever you do, travel safely both of you.

Part II

A few days ago it occurred to me I hadn’t heard from Dave in awhile and so I sent him a note, which produced this reply…

June 21, 2015

James, great to hear from you!

Sounds like you have your hands full with the move and finalising your book! I hope all goes smoothly. Your daughter’s ‘posting’ (to South East Asia) sounds like a wonderful experience, but I’m sure you have a parents’ trepidations!

I think I indicated I was heading back to Oz (Australia) to join a friend on the Kokoda Trail trek in PNG. Completed that (managed to hobble my way through after twisting my knee in training/preparation for the event!). Am still trying to recover from the injury 3 months on – but it only hurts when I WALK – perfectly fine while riding, thank goodness!!

Returned to Morocco on 2 May and picked the bike up from Customs (a five minute job) and back on the road into the desert once more.

After crossing from Morocco, I went up through Spain into the mountains, dropped in to Andorra (heavens know why – little to recommend it. Yuppysville in ski boots!)

Then spent a week with friends in France. Hadn’t caught up in 21 years, so it was great to touch base.

French farmhouse

Their house. His wife resurrected it from an old farmhouse. The real estate values in this region make you cry. The population in this area continues to decline, and real estate values plummet along with.

image11

The fairytale continues

From there into Switzerland to stay with a fellow rider (KTM 650) I met in Colombia/Panama. A lovely lady.

Then thru Lichtenstein into Austria and on to Germany, where I rode the ‘Romantic Route’ – a series of beautiful medieval towns over about 450kms up through central Germany as far North as Nuremberg. If you must visit just one medieval town- make it Rothenburg ob der Tauber – simply stunning!! (as all the tourists attest/verify!)

 image10

Prague. Claimed to be the most beautiful city in the world – no argument from me! (Or me!)

I then was at a loss to do with myself – but they say Prague in the CZ (Czech Republic) the most beautiful city in the world – and so it proved. Stayed a few days and went all cultural, taking in Swan Lake and two classical strings recitals – the last being in a medieval cathedral and backed by the organ!

Then on to Vienna – which didn’t do it for me this time round. Too much traffic, noise and glass high rise. Progress has eroded the character. Then, maybe I just didn’t find that ‘special’ town square or plaza. Moved on and stayed in a lovely little village called Krems, at a lovely old hotel that has clung to the best of ‘old fashioned’ – but no WiFi!!

 image13

But Cesky Kumlov in the CZ might just be the most beautiful village

Had a brilliant ride along the Danube and then back into CZ to look at another ancient town which gets great wraps – Cesky Krumlov – and no wonder. Just beautiful. Perfect hideaway for a dirty/romantic weekend! Then back into Germany to Munich to get culture of a different kind – the BMW museum!

image12

A typical Austrian/Tyrol village

Am now in the Austrian Alps to do the Stelvio Pass in Italy (top of the bucket list) and several other alpine rides: then it’s a quick spin around Lake Geneva in Switzerland (a VERY X-pensive country to travel); a flit into France to check out Niece and Monaco; then off to Italy to run the west coast (might ship over to Corsica/Sardinia while I’m in the area) down to Sicily and round to Brindisi to ferry across to Greece. I have around one month before their holiday season begins and the hordes descend – so I better motor!

Auf wiedersehen.

jlcollinsnh again:

One of the many things I love about travel is the interesting people you meet. People who just go ahead and pursue their dreams while others smugly claim it can’t be done.

Of course, your dream doesn’t have to be about travel. It’s yours and it can be anything you chose. Just be sure you are actually choosing, and not just going along with some predestined flow.

This blog is, mostly, about money and investing it. But in the bigger sense, it is about freedom.

Dave is in his fifties. Over that dinner he made an interesting observation. His intention with this motorbike trip and the coming sailing voyage around the world was to burn thru all his savings and die broke. It’s not working out.

Seems since hitting the road and after covering all his expenses, his net worth keeps growing. Poor guy!

Living a life of adventure, it turns out, is a whole lot cheaper than owning a McMansion and keeping up payments on an Escalade (starting at $72,970!) or two.

 

Addendum:

For those who asked about financial details and other questions Dave emailed me to politely decline engaging in the comments here, saying “….don’t want to get too tied into a lot of on-going correspondence.

“Truth is, most CAN afford to do what I do, it really comes down to the WANT, as to how we channel/allocate our resources. Money is not the limitation, the desire and conviction to put yourself out there is the limiter – and money does not buy that (but it’s a nice ‘holding deposit’ underpinning!).

“In my case, I find it is not courage that drives me, but rather FEAR – the fear that time is running out, and I may not get to realise my dreams!

“Am currently in Switzerland, having ridden the sox off the Tirol! Many great roads and stunning scenery all the way. This is biking nirvana, and there are more motorbikes than grasshoppers in a locust plague! And push biking is just as popular – people of all ages out there tackling mountains while the weather lasts!

“However, the Grey Nomads predominate, both on push bikes, and more notably on motorcycles! There are a lot of ‘oldies’ out there making the most of the time they have left. Inspiring!

“Ciao for now.”

 

Meanwhile and unrelated, recently…

Podcast:  

I was interviewed for the Create My Independence Podcast: F-you Money, Stepping Away, Fear and Investing. It was fun to do and I hope you find it fun to listen to.

And, if that’s not enough, check out my As Seen On… page.

New Book:  

My pal Matt Becker of Mom & Dad Money just put out his new book: The New Parents’ Guide to Financial Independence

If his name and website sound familiar to you, it might be because I have had the occasion to link to some of his past posts to amplify a point in one of mine or to introduce concepts I thought valuable to the readers here.

If you want to read all about it, just click on the first link. If you just want to cut to the chase and order it, click on the second. It’s worth your time.

Related

Important Resources

  • Talent Stacker is a resource that I learned about through my work with Jonathan and Brad at ChooseFI, and first heard about Salesforce as a career option in an episode where we featured Bradley Rice on the Podcast. In that episode, Bradley shared how he reached FI quickly thanks to his huge paychecks and discipline in keeping his expenses low. Jonathan teamed up with Bradley to build Talent Stacker, and they have helped more than 1,000 students from all walks of life complete the program and land jobs like clockwork, earning double or even triple their old salaries using a Salesforce certification to break into a no-code tech career.
  • Credit Cards are like chain saws. Incredibly useful. Incredibly dangerous. Resolve to pay in full each month and never carry a balance. Do that and they can be great tools. Here are some of the very best for travel hacking, cash back and small business rewards.
  • Personal Capital is a free tool to manage and evaluate your investments. With great visuals you can track your net worth, asset allocation, and portfolio performance, including costs. At a glance you'll see what's working and what you might want to change. Here's my full review.
  • Betterment is my recommendation for hands-off investors who prefer a DIFM (Do It For Me) approach. It is also a great tool for reaching short-term savings goals. Here is my Betterment Review
  • NewRetirement offers cool tools to help guide you in answering the question: Do I have enough money to retire? And getting started is free. Sign up and you will be offered two paths into their retirement planner. I was also on their podcast and you can check that out here:Video version, Podcast version.
  • Tuft & Needle (T&N) helps me sleep at night. They are a very cool company with a great product. Here’s my review of what we are currently sleeping on: Our Walnut Frame and Mint Mattress.
  • Vanguard.com

Filed Under: Cars and motorcycles, Guest Posts, Travels

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Comments

  1. Bobby says

    June 22, 2015 at 7:30 pm

    Any idea what he’s paying for his travel? Western Europe isn’t cheap even if you’re bare-boning it. Staying in hotels? hostels? I’d be curious to know. Spent time this past year in Spain, France, and Germany. Nice with that strong dollar 🙂

    Reply
    • jlcollinsnh says

      June 23, 2015 at 11:51 am

      Nope.

      Dave isn’t documenting his journey or expenses. He’s just doing it.

      My sense is he is not “traveling on the cheap” based on the brief time we spent together. He seems not very concerned about money and, as I mentioned, his net worth has been growing faster than his spend rate.

      I met him in a hotel. But I think he has stayed in all sorts of places, including with friends like us.

      He did mention he jettisoned his camping gear somewhere in South America. He just wasn’t using it.

      Reply
  2. Adam @ AdamChudy.com says

    June 22, 2015 at 8:13 pm

    Awesome post. I hope to do some riding across Europe like that at some point in the future.

    Reply
  3. TheMoneyMine says

    June 22, 2015 at 9:54 pm

    I love your article, all this travel stories and the beautiful pictures, I felt on vacation for a little while. Very relaxing, thanks for sharing 🙂

    Reply
  4. mike says

    June 23, 2015 at 1:45 am

    Travel of this kind always fascinates me.

    It appears Dave left you in Andover, NH. My family was from east of there–Franklin. Oh how I miss beautiful New England. My dream would be to ride along the roads there on my motorcycle. (I’m not sure why it’s so, but many roads there are built adjacent to rivers.) While riding there, I’d be listening to Copeland’s “Fanfare for the Common Man”.

    The other motorcycle trip I’d love to take would be along the coast of Maine. So many peninsulas and rugged coastline.

    I don’t know. I certainly admire Dave, but I just don’t think I’d ever have the balls to do that kind of trip. Hats off to him, he’s my hero.

    Reply
    • jlcollinsnh says

      June 23, 2015 at 11:39 am

      Good catch, Mike!

      We had stopped at Naughty Nellie’s Cafe and I was sending him further along 4 to pick up 118 North.

      New England has great motorcycling roads for sure!

      Reply
      • mike says

        June 23, 2015 at 1:58 pm

        Yeah Jim, I saw where Rte 4 is between two major roads going North. It follows that an inveterate traveler such as Dave would enjoy that road.

        I’m living in SoCal, but if I lived out there, oh man I’d be doing lots of ridin.

        Reply
  5. Paul Clarke says

    June 23, 2015 at 3:39 am

    Thanks J.L. for a fantastic travel story! I found the towns on google maps and followed Dave’s trip. It awakened my travel bug again and gave me a goal for my not too distant 50’s (a lot earlier if i can swing it!). Very inspiring!
    Please keep us posted on Dave’s future travels.
    Paul, Bunbury West Australia.

    Reply
    • jlcollinsnh says

      June 23, 2015 at 11:53 am

      Great idea, Paul!

      Never occurred to me to do that. 😉

      Reply
  6. Kevin says

    June 23, 2015 at 8:55 am

    “One of the many things I love about travel is the interesting people you meet. People who just go ahead and pursue their dreams while others smugly claim it can’t be done.”

    Well said. Just wrote that quote in my journal with a big star next to it.

    Reply
  7. robdiesel says

    June 23, 2015 at 11:28 am

    As an avid motorcyclist and a fan of world travel, this story hit home on why I want to be free of having to work.

    Several of these tales are available on the ADVrider forum, though I am sure that many people do adventures other ways, the motorcyclists tend to be … different. It’s an instant bond.
    Probably because you can tell when someone has a US (or other) plate on a bike and they’re in Africa, they’re a little outside of the norm. Even with the locals, you have a bond by just seeing the motorcycles.

    It also surprises me how cheap it is to do world travel. I’ve found that the biggest expense by far is the airfare to get out of the US. Sometimes that can be squeezed a bit by purchasing the ticket in a foreign country (like buying a ticket in Spain in their currency from the US to Spain).
    Things like VRBO and AirBnB have made staying abroad remarkably cheap too, and with couchsurfing you can even get free guides who are just excited to show you their country/city/town/village.

    As Americans we’re also pretty used to $100+ per night in a hotel, whereas there are places where we only have to spend a few dollars (equivalent) per night.

    Damn, I love travel. And motorcycles. And motorcycle travel.

    Thanks for the post!

    Reply
    • jlcollinsnh says

      June 23, 2015 at 11:45 am

      There are lots of folks out there roaming the planet, and documenting it.

      What is especially interesting to me about Dave is that he is NOT documenting his journey. Other than the occasional emails to friends with a couple of pictures, like those I share here, he has zero interest. The journey is for him alone.

      In fact, when I asked for his permission to publish this (which he graciously granted) I think he was a bit surprised I thought anyone else would be interested. 🙂

      Reply
      • robdiesel says

        June 23, 2015 at 12:59 pm

        Indeed, I know a few people like that myself. I used to document all my travel fairly well, pictures and writing down notes on the experiences, but then I noticed that it took away a bit of the experience to observe it as an outsider with a camera.

        I am not living my life for you (family/friends/blog readers), I am living it for me.
        A Full Moon Party in Thailand is better experienced than photographed. Same with elephants taking a bath in Sri Lanka, or a tiny village between Essen and Frankfurt where things just smelled right.

        I admire these sort of people, but I also miss the amazing stories they could tell and pictures they could show, if they documented it.

        I guess what I’m saying is that I don’t MEET enough of these sort of people. haha
        I’m still luckier than most in that I’ve hosted a fair bit of travelers at my house. They all have amazing stories to tell.

        I’m a bit curious about his money story. How he made it and how it’s … “stored”. If he at some point sits still for a few weeks, maybe you could see if he might be amenable to sharing that part of his life with us?

        Reply
        • mike says

          June 23, 2015 at 2:09 pm

          Rob, I agree with you on the idea of documenting one’s travel experience. Yes, am I doing it for me or someone else?

          Like seeing the beautiful red rock mountains in New Mexico. I think, “Oh, I’ll stop and take a picture and then I’ll post it on FB”. But the reality of it is, I don’t want my concentration broken and I just want to enjoy the moment for that special moment.

          Reply
  8. Done by Forty says

    June 23, 2015 at 11:48 am

    Such a cool guy. Very impressed with his ability to go out and ‘get it’.

    Reply
    • jlcollinsnh says

      June 23, 2015 at 11:54 am

      He really is, and all the more so as he doesn’t think of himself that way. 🙂

      Reply
  9. Stockbeard says

    June 23, 2015 at 12:53 pm

    Wishing I could travel like this. you make it sound easy

    Reply
    • robdiesel says

      June 23, 2015 at 12:59 pm

      The moment you get off the beaten path, prices tend to plummet.

      Reply
    • jlcollinsnh says

      June 23, 2015 at 1:44 pm

      Talking to the people doing it, it is easy and things tend to fall into place once you start.

      It is the starting that’s tough. 😉

      Reply
  10. Sundeep says

    June 23, 2015 at 2:46 pm

    What an awesomely inspiring post! Thanks so much for sharing your correspondence with Dave.

    As much as I love reading about FI and the journey towards that goal, I LOVE reading stories like Dave’s. Will definitely bookmark this post and come back to it for inspiration

    Thanks again for posting it!’

    Reply
  11. Steve says

    June 23, 2015 at 4:02 pm

    I would love to hear about his finances a little more and how he funds this lifestyle. I’m jealous. I’m a saver by nature and my finances are in good order but I’d love to know what it costs to fund a year of this lifestyle.

    Reply
  12. Ann says

    June 25, 2015 at 6:29 am

    Sounds like a great trip! Australians seem to have a culture where this kind of travel is something people do. I’m currently 4 months into a 5 1/2 month round the world trip with my family (my husband and kids, ages 10 and 13). I had an opportunity to take a sabbatical and my husband took a leave of absence. I’m not keeping track of the finances too closely, but I think the cost for the four of us will come in well under the price of an escalade, about $50,000. That is for a month traveling around Thailand, then Australia, a few days in Singapore, 2 weeks in India, 2 weeks in Egypt and 2 months in Europe. We’ve stayed in mid priced hotels, a few hostels, camped, stayed with friends and in Europe, mostly apartments thru airbnb which have been great for being able to eat in and do laundry. I have to agree Prague is the most beautiful city, Switzerland, the most beautiful country, but I think Australia was our favorite. Best of all, we now have more love for our beautiful home state of Washington. We bought our main airfare though Boots n all Travel (www.bootsnall.com) which has a great website where you can see all the flight times and prices for each leg and lots of other resources for long term travel.

    Reply
    • jlcollinsnh says

      June 25, 2015 at 4:03 pm

      Yep…

      It seems every time I’ve met an Aussie out there, they’ve been on the road already for months, if not years. Maybe because OZ is so far from everywhere else? 🙂

      Anyway, sounds like you’re traveling like the Aussies do. No bad thing, that. Mate. 😉

      Sounds like a useful website, I’ll check it out!

      Reply
    • Batyam says

      February 5, 2016 at 10:38 am

      Hi Ann,
      how did you take kids out of school?

      Reply
      • Ann says

        February 5, 2016 at 1:56 pm

        We just told the school system we were taking them out for a semester. Both of their principals and most of their teachers were very supportive/jealous. Now, they have been back in school for a semester, grades 5 and 9, and are doing great.

        Reply
  13. David R. says

    July 5, 2015 at 4:04 pm

    I just loved this post/travel-logue. Probably because it reminds me of reading “Setting Free the Bears” the summer I studied for the bar exam. Always kept wondering in the back of my mind when I would ever earn enough money to take an extended vacation roaming the countryside on a motorcycle.

    Still in the back of my mind, but has not happened after almost 20 years.

    Reply
  14. jlcollinsnh says

    July 5, 2015 at 10:26 pm

    For those who asked about financial details and other questions Dave emailed me to politely decline engaging in the comments here, saying “….don’t want to get too tied into a lot of on-going correspondence.

    “Truth is, most CAN afford to do what I do, it really comes down to the WANT, as to how we channel/allocate our resources. Money is not the limitation, the desire and conviction to put yourself out there is the limiter – and money does not buy that (but it’s a nice ‘holding deposit’ underpinning!).

    “In my case, I find it is not courage that drives me, but rather FEAR – the fear that time is running out, and I may not get to realise my dreams!

    “Am currently in Switzerland, having ridden the sox off the Tirol! Many great roads and stunning scenery all the way. This is biking nirvana, and there are more motorbikes than grasshoppers in a locust plague! And push biking is just as popular – people of all ages out there tackling mountains while the weather lasts!

    “However, the Grey Nomads predominate, both on push bikes, and more notably on motorcycles! There are a lot of ‘oldies’ out there making the most of the time they have left. Inspiring!

    “Ciao for now.”

    Reply
  15. Kyle says

    April 19, 2016 at 1:14 am

    Great post. After traveling India and Thailand on a motorbike I’m addicted myself. I love living vicariously through these “ride reports.” This guy has the right idea of living life through experiences rather than possessions. I’m fully convinced this is the best way to live life. I’ll be sure to shoot you an email if I come through New England, would love to grab a coffee and ride sometime!

    Reply

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      • Chautauqua February 7-14, 2015: Escape from Winter
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      • Stocks -- Part XXIV: RMDs, the ugly surprise at the end of the tax-deferred rainbow
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      • Chautauqua 2014 preview, closing up for travel and other random cool things that caught my eye of late.
      • Case Study #10: Should Josiah buy his parents a house?
      • Case Study #9: Lars -- maximizing some good fortune and considering "dollar cost averaging"
      • Case Study #8: Ron's mother - she's doin' all right!
    • ► January (4)
      • roundup: Some random cool things
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      • 1st Annual Louis Rukeyser Memorial Market Prediction Contest 2013 results, and my forecast for 2014
  • ► 2013 (41)
    • ► December (4)
      • Closing up for the Holidays, see you in 2014
      • Betterment: a simpler path to wealth
      • Case Study 6: Helping an ill and elderly parent
      • Stocks -- Part XX: Early Retirement Withdrawal Strategies and Roth Conversion Ladders from a Mad Fientist
    • ► November (3)
      • Death, Taxes, Estate Plans, Probate and Prob8
      • Case Study #5: Zero to 2.6 million in 25 years
      • Case Study #4: Using the 4% rule and asset allocations.
    • ► October (3)
      • Republic Wireless and my $19 per month phone plan
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      • Case Study #2: Joe -- off to a fast start!
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      • Stocks -- Part VIII-b: Should you avoid your company's 401k?
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      • Stocks -- Part XIX: How to think about money
      • My path for my kid -- the first 10 years
    • ► May (5)
      • Why your house is a terrible investment
      • Stocks — Part XVIII: Investing in a raging bull
      • Dining with the Ghosts of Sarah Bernhardt and Alfons Mucha
      • How we finally got the house sold
      • Stocks — Part XVII: What if you can't buy VTSAX? Or even Vanguard?
    • ► April (4)
      • Greetings from Prague & a computer question
      • Swimming with Tigers, a 2nd chance on the Chautauqua, a financial article gets it wrong and I'm off to Prague
      • Storage, Moving and Movers
      • Homeless, and a bit on the strategy of dollar cost averaging
    • ► March (4)
      • Wild Turkeys, Motorcycles, Dining Room Sets & Greed
      • Roots v. Wings: considering home ownership
      • How about that stock market?!
      • The Blog has New Clothes
    • ► February (5)
      • Meet Mr. Money Mustache, JD Roth, Cheryl Reed & me for a Chautauqua in Ecuador
      • High School Poetry, Carnival, cool ads and random pictures that caught my eye
      • Consignment Shops: Best business model ever?
      • Cafes
      • Stocks -- Part XVI: Index Funds are really just for lazy people, right?
    • ► January (5)
      • Social Security: How secure and when to take it
      • Fighting giraffes, surreal landscapes, dancing with unicorns and restoring a Vanagon
      • My plan for 2013
      • VITA, income taxes and the IRS
      • How to be a stock market guru and get on MSNBC
  • ► 2012 (53)
    • ► December (6)
      • See you next year....until then: The Origin of Life, Life on Other Worlds, Mechanical Graveyards, Great Art, Alternative Lifestyles and Finding Freedom
      • Stocks -- Part XV: Target Retirement Funds, the simplest path to wealth of all
      • Stocks -- Part XIV: Deflation, the ugly escort of Depressions.
      • Stocks Part XIV: Deflation, the ugly escort of Depressions.
      • Stocks -- Part XIII: The 4% rule, withdrawal rates and how much can I spend anyway?
      • How I learned to stop worrying about the Fiscal Cliff and you can too.
    • ► November (2)
      • Rent v. owning: A couple of case studies in Ecuador
      • So, what does a month in Ecuador cost anyway?
    • ► October (4)
      • See you in December....
      • Meet me in Ecuador?
      • The Podcast: You can hear me now.
      • Stocks -- Part XII: Bonds
    • ► September (6)
      • Stocks -- Part XI: International Funds
      • The Smoother Path to Wealth
      • Case Study #I: Putting the Simple Path to Wealth into Action
      • Tales of Bolivia: Calle de las Brujas
      • Stocks -- Part X: What if Vanguard gets Nuked?
      • Travels in South America: It was the best of times....
    • ► August (1)
      • Home again
    • ► June (4)
      • Yellow Fever, closing up shop for the summer and heading to Peru y Bolivia
      • I could not have said it better myself...
      • Stocks -- Part IX: Why I don't like investment advisors
      • Happy Birthday, jlcollinsnh; and thanks for the gift Mr. MM!
    • ► May (6)
      • Stocks -- Part VIII: The 401K, 403b, TSP, IRA & Roth Buckets
      • Mr. Money Mustache
      • The College Conundrum
      • Stocks -- Part VII: Can everyone really retire a millionaire?
      • Stocks -- Part VI: Portfolio ideas to build and keep your wealth
      • Stocks -- Part V: Keeping it simple, considerations and tools
    • ► April (6)
      • Stocks -- Part IV: The Big Ugly Event, Deflation and a bit on Inflation
      • Stocks -- Part III: Most people lose money in the market.
      • Stocks -- Part II: The Market Always Goes Up
      • Stocks -- Part 1: There's a major market crash coming!!!! and Dr. Lo can't save you.
      • You can eat my Vindaloo, mega lottery, Blondie, Noa, Israel Kamakawiwo 'Ole, art, film and a ride on the Space Shuttle
      • Where in the world are you?
    • ► March (7)
      • How I lost money in real estate before it was fashionable, Part V: Sold! and the taxman cometh.
      • How I lost money in real estate before it was fashionable, Part IV: I become a Landlord.
      • How I lost money in real estate before it was fashionable, Part III: The Battle is Joined.
      • How I lost money in real estate before it was fashionable, Part II: The Limits of the Law.
      • How I lost money in real estate before it was fashionable, Part I: Impossibly Naive.
      • You, too, can be conned
      • Armageddon and the value of practical skills
    • ► February (6)
      • Rent v. Owning Your Home, opportunity cost and running some numbers
      • The Casanova Kid, a Shit Knife, a Good Book, Having No Regrets, Dark Matter and a bit of Magic
      • What Poker, Basketball and Mike Whitaker taught me about Luck
      • How to Give like a Billionaire
      • Go ahead, make my day
      • Muk Finds Success in Tahiti
    • ► January (5)
      • Travels with "Esperando un Camino"
      • Beanie Babies, Naked Barbie, American Pickers and Old Coots
      • Selling the House and Adventures in Staging
      • The bashing of Index Funds, Jack Bogle and a Jedi dog trick
      • Magic Beans
  • ► 2011 (22)
    • ► December (1)
      • Dividend Growth Investing
    • ► November (2)
      • The Mummy's head, Particle Physics and "Knocking on Heaven's Door"
      • "It's Better in the Wind" or why I ride a motorcycle
    • ► October (1)
      • Lazy Days and School Days
    • ► July (2)
      • The road to Zanzibar sometimes goes thru Ecuador...
      • Johnny wins the lotto and heads to Paris
    • ► June (16)
      • Chainsaws, Elm Trees and paying for College
      • Stuff I’ve failed at: the early years
      • Snatching Victory from the Jaws of Defeat
      • The. Worst. Used. Car. Ever.
      • Top Ten reasons your future is so bright it hurts my eyes to look at it
      • The Most Dangerous Words Your Customer Can Say
      • How not to drown in The Sea of Assholes
      • What we own and why we own it
      • The Ten Sales Commandments
      • My ever so formal and oh so dry CV
      • How I failed my daughter and a simple path to wealth
      • The Myth of Motivation
      • Why you need F-you money
      • My short attention span
      • Why I can’t pick winning stocks, and you can’t either
      • The Monk and the Minister

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