2022 - Adventurebound.world

How to Find Motorcycle Tours for Beginners

July 24, 20220

If you’re a beginner rider, should you go on a motorcycle tour? And is there such a thing as motorcycle tours for beginners? If we’re to believe Google, very few motorcycle tour companies cater to beginner riders. A quick search revealed there’s a beginner motorcycle tour available in the Philippines (on scooters), an option of one-on-one enduro training in Romania, and an off-road tour in Kyrgyzstan, although it feels like there, the term “beginner” got thrown in by accident. Most motorcycle tour operators aim at mid-level and experienced riders instead. Sometimes, that’s explicitly stated in the tour description: “min 2 years of experience needed”, “at least a year of experience riding off-road”, and so on. Other times, it’s not spelled out, but looking at the tour routes and d...

Nomad Life

Riders Helping Out: Project Ukraine

Egle

July 22, 20220

When Russia invaded Ukraine in February this year, we were in the Netherlands, right amidst the Carnival celebrations. Soon after that, we were off to Central America to lead a motorcycle tour in Belize, then onto Mexico for a scouting mission, and finally, back to Europe for more two-wheeled shenanigans. All the while, I’ve been living in a sort of paralysis, going through the motions as if in some surreal parallel universe. With time, the initial shock was replaced by numb horror following the news, talking online with my Ukrainian friends, and feeling utterly useless. The Ukraine war is personal for me – being from Lithuania, I’m all too familiar with the Soviet and Russian terror. I’m all too familiar with the maniacal imperial fantasies of Russia and its beastly machine of propagan...

Gear and Bike Mods

Motorcycle Camping: Stop Overthinking It

Egle

June 25, 20220

Motorcycle camping is one of our favorite topics for two reasons: it’s all about freedom - and nature. We don’t camp nearly as often as we’d like to these days since we’re always on the go scouting new destinations. Whenever we get the chance, though, we pitch the tent somewhere secluded and beautiful... and just hide from the world a little bit. Motorcycle camping is the ultimate experience of being a two-wheeled nomad. You ride, you find a spot somewhere in nature, you put up your tent, and voila: you’re home. Every time, the view is different – you might be camping against a backdrop of snow-capped mountains, the sea, a riverbank, or the woods – and every time, it’s yours to enjoy for a while, then leave again without a trace. So what do you really need for motorcycle camping,...

Adventure Travel

Is It Safe to Motorcycle Through South America?

Egle

June 22, 20224

Riding the Andes Mountains, the Amazon, the Pacific Coast, and Patagonia is a bucket list trip for just about any rider. But is it safe to motorcycle through South America? The short answer is yes, as long as you use common sense. The longer answer? Yes, absolutely… but as anywhere else in the world, you’ve got to take some precautions. Generally, South American countries like Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, and Chile are very safe to travel to. Venezuela, at the moment, isn’t the best destination due to prolonged political upheavals in the country; since we haven’t ridden Brazil yet, we’ll only talk about the Big Six here – and how to stay safe in South America during your travels. What It’s Like to Ride South America If you haven’t ridden a motorcycle outside ...

Nomad Life

Where to Sleep When Riding a Motorcycle Cross Country?

Egle

June 19, 20221

Wondering where to sleep when riding a motorcycle cross country? You're not alone: "where do you stay" is one of the most asked questions we get during our travels. And it's a fun one - having slept in the strangest places imaginable from a roadside in Patagonia, a hundred-year-old schooner in the Caribbean, a mountain cabin in Norway, and an old military fort in Poland, we often choose the most entertaining answer we can. Amusement aside, though, knowing where you'll sleep when riding a motorcycle long-distance is part of the prep. Are you planning to stay in motels or hotels along the way? Are you hoping to camp? Are you going to wing it? It all depends on the way you like to travel: some people prefer to book hotels way in advance, while we tend to improvise as we go along....

Adventure Travel

Belize Motorcycle Adventures: Riding the Caribbean

Egle

June 8, 20223

What comes to mind when you think “Belize”? Coral reefs? Yachts? Caribbean beaches? Yeah, we thought the same… until we got to experience our very own Belize motorcycle adventure. This tiny Central American country is best known for its Caribbean resorts, true – but we learned there’s a lot more to it than that. And we mean a lot. This spring, we got to ride Belize on small dual-sport motorcycles scouting, leading, and filming a tour there. And if you think we were mostly just frolicking on the beach and riding bikes in our swimwear… well, you’re not far off – but in addition to the white sand, palm trees, and turquoise-blue sea, we got to see Belize up close and personal. And frankly, we’re still reeling from the experience: Belize was not what we expected at all. Belize by Motorc...

Motorcycle Route Planning: Tools for Scenic Rides // Adventure Bound

Adventure Travel

Motorcycle Route Planning: Tools and Tips for Scenic Rides

Egle

February 20, 20223

Whether you’re going around the world or thinking of a weekend ride, motorcycle route planning is one of the most fun parts of trip prep. Oh, the places you’ll go! There’s nothing like tracing imaginary routes on a paper map or designing your very own dirt trails across mountains or deserts on Google Earth. But while motorcycle route planning is fun, it’s also easy to fall into some of the most common rookie traps – like not factoring in terrain, aiming for an overly ambitious daily mileage, or miscalculating your fuel range. Then, there are variations in travel infrastructure. If you’re venturing into South America, Asia, or Africa, your route planning will need to be a tad different. You may have to deal with unexpected detours due to landslides, floods, border closures, or ...

Adventure Travel

What Is Overland Travel

Egle

February 1, 20221

So you’re ready to hit the road? Kudos and bon voyage – but before you go, there are a few things worth knowing about this whole long-distance travel business. What is overland travel in the first place, how do you go about it, and it is worth it? As overlanders who have been living on the road and mucking about for years, we’ve gone through multiple phases of the thing. Both Lennart and I started overlanding on motorcycles, me covering some crazy miles across South America, Lennart exploring Europe. Then, we kept aiming for new destinations and threw amateur rally racing into the mix, and our newest project is the overland rig journey from Andalusia to Alice Springs. Over the years, the way we travel has changed, our MO has changed, and even the number of wheels we roll on is...

Gear and Bike Mods

What’s the Best Women’s Adventure Motorcycle Gear?

Egle

January 19, 20221

The short answer? The set you currently own. The long answer is this: women's adventure motorcycle gear is a tricky subject, but it's 2022 now - not 2012 - and a lot has changed for the better. As someone who has ridden in no gear (bad idea - don't do this), crappy gear, second-hand gear, men's gear, and women's ADV and off-road gear, I feel like I've gone through it all. Having started riding in 2013 in Peru, I had zero clue about good gear. So much so, in fact, that I thought protective motorcycle gear was for racers. You know, for professionals; little old me on a 150cc bike, I figured, didn't quite qualify for fancy leathers or a full-on ADV suit. Then, I crashed and skinned my left leg to the point of discovering what my kneecap looked like up close and personal, and chang