TRIP OF A LIFETIME: Plans Wrecked!

Just as things started to become more concrete on the bike trip round Europe, everything has come to a shuddering halt.

Over the past couple of weeks I have been looking into getting together a worst-case cost for the whole trip.

It looks like not only would it be an affordable holiday, but also I could afford to stay in an actual hotel once in a while, and even go shopping on the odd occasion.

I have managed to get hold of some hard panniers for my bike that are pretty sturdy and also don't feel as heavy as others I've seen. After a bit of bargaining, they turned out to be relatively cheap as well.

I've asked for various things for the trip for Christmas, and I have been faithfully promised by various family members and friends that I should find them under the tree come Christmas morning.

University Course

As part of my Broadcast Journalism course at university, I have to put together a documentary, either for radio or television.

I have been considering making the trip the focus of the documentary, as it would be a great way to record everything.

I am planning to take a module in Travel Journalism after the Christmas break, so hopefully this class will help turn it into a great project.

It also seems like a great way to combine the two interests into one: journalism and motorbiking, as well as travel!

Spanner in the Works

However, recently it has turned out that all my well laid plans may not be able to go ahead after all.

As part of the course, I also need to complete three weeks work experience at a radio station newsroom. This is due to take place in January.

I have been really looking forward to putting to use everything I have learnt, and getting to see how a real newsroom works.

Last night I had a phone call to let me know that I had been accepted onto a work experience placement - but it wouldn't be in January as expected. It is in April - the month that I have planned my trip for.

New Plans

So now I'm thinking about how I can work around the setback. I still want to go, and I do have three weeks in January when I won't have anything to do.

I'm not sure how much I fancy the idea of riding around in the middle of winter however, so I not sure if that idea will last long!

I could reduce the trip drastically and try and do less in a shorter period of time. I still have a week in April that I might be able to fit something into.

For now the trip takes a backseat as I focus on getting ready for Christmas, then a media law exam in January. Hopefully I'll think of something and still be able to complete the trip!

TRIP OF A LIFETIME: Start Planning

After writing my last blog I recieved a comment from Jophiel Wiis, who is planning a motorbike trip round New Zealand and Australia.

His really is a trip of a lifetime, the kind of thing I one day hope to have the time to do, and I started thinking about extending the route and length of my trip.

I speak relatively good German and I was thinking of extending the amount of time I spend there. As Jophiel is from Denmark, I have also considered riding North through the Netherlands, then the tip of Germany and heading into Denmark before back through Germany.

He also suggested looking into funding for the trip. Instead of this, I have been thinking about using the trip to make my final project. It's only an idea for now but as I have a chance to think about it I'll hopefully expand on the idea.

Places to Stay

Right now I'm trying to finalise a route and look into places to stay along the way. After travelling across America I found the use of hostels a nessessity and I have been looking into hostels across Europe.

There are plenty of places to stay and at a relatively cheap cost as well. I would quite like to get the chance to camp, especially the further south I go, and the European Park Guide has been a great help.

However, this raises the question of luggage. I already have a large back box to cart my things from home to uni and back again, but I need panniers, and then possibly a tank bag as well.

There are a plethora of clever luggage accessories available for bikes, and all can be found at decent prices if your willing to compromise a little. The question is, just when does too much become too much?

Leaving it Behind

I'm trying to learn lessons from Charlie Boorman and Ewan McGregor, who often talked about taking everything and the kitchen sink, then finding they didn't need it.

If I was to take camping equipment as well as clothes, maps, waterproofs, basic equipment etc then the bike would end up pretty heavy. How much of that do you actually need?

Answering Questions

In order to get any further than just having a hazy idea of going on a trip sometime next year, I need to start answering some of the questions.

The most important is where I will go, how I will get there and how long it will take.