Planning a motorbike holiday this year?
Kevin Turner’s tips will help you get the
most from your exploring, while avoiding
the pitfalls of fastidious planning!
I
’ve been riding across Europe – and
occasionally further afield – for years, but I
still remember the first time I loaded up my
bike, an SV650s, and road off towards
France with no idea where I’d end up that
night, or the next 30 nights for that matter.
For a month I toured Europe on my own,
getting lost, discovering places I’d never
see again and generally having the time of
my life. To say I loved every minute would be
an exaggeration – where there’s a high
there’s a low, and vice versa – but that trip
turned out to be more than just a great
holiday; it was life-changing: it formed the
basis of my first book and freed me of the
inhibitions that had anchored me to the
familiarity of UK roads for so long.
Since then I’ve racked up thousands of miles
around mainland Europe, the old Eastern
Block and Scandinavia, stumbling across
adventure and enlightenment many times
along the way. I don’t pretend to be an
adventure motorcyclist; I’ve never forded
the Nile over a bridge made of crocodiles;
neither have I spent the night in a
Mongolian hut feasting on goat’s knackers.
I’m like most other bikers, with a job, a
mortgage, a wife and two kids; but as
someone on Amazon pointed out, “if this
guy can do it, anyone can!”
The tips below are aimed at those riders
who are tentatively considering a European
tour but aren’t entirely sure it won’t go
horribly wrong. I can’t guarantee it won’t;
but I can guarantee that if you choose to stay
at home, you’ll never know how good it
could have been.