Travel Around the World on a Motorcycle

Photo Courtesy of Spencer Conway

As more and more people gear up out to ride effectually the world, the influx of information online increases: cycle choices, packing tips, visa and border crossing advice… Just how much does it actually cost to travel the world on a motorbike?

The answers vary: well-nigh veteran RTW riders agree that information technology's all nearly your level of comfort. For some, camping and cooking their own meals seem natural while others will feel deprived if they can't stay at hotels and accept restaurant dinners. Some volition cut costs by burrow surfing, some – by ditching expensive health insurance and opting for local medical services instead.

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To find out how much riders actually spend when they're riding around the world, nosotros talked to dissimilar adventurers ranging from complete minimalists to more generous budgeters.

The Minimalists

Riding a pocket-size displacement motorcycle, wild-camping ground, cooking your own meals and fixing your own wheel can cut your price to travel the world dramatically. If roughing it is something you enjoy doing, the minimalist mode of spending $35 or less a solar day tin can be the ane for y'all.

Rider: Elias Vrohidis
Bike: Honda XR 250
Fourth dimension on the Road: five years
Continents ridden so far: Europe, Africa, Asia
Daily upkeep: $15 a day; full – $ 5,475 a year

Elias Vrohidis, an adventure rider and travel author from Hellenic republic, says he'due south using his hard-earned savings to travel. A long overland motorcycle journey had long been a dream of his, and Elias confesses he used to work two jobs at a time and live with his parents just so he could save the coin to travel.

Elias spent $xv a 24-hour interval on average including fuel, nutrient, lodging, visas, and wheel maintenance on his travels beyond Europe, Africa, and Asia. "Yes, this is very minimalist – but my bike is very economical, I don't need to party or potable celebratory beers all the fourth dimension, I'chiliad happy to wild-camp and couch surf a lot and take care of my own food," says Elias.

TOP TIP: "Swallow where the locals consume! About of the time, I cooked my own meals to save coin, but when that wasn't possible or when I simply felt likewise tired to cook, I'd avoid touristy places and go to restaurants and cafés with the most locals in them. That manner, I knew the nutrient would exist good – and cheap!"

Rider: Kevin Hinricksen
Cycle: Suzuki V-Strom 650
Time on the Route: since January 2016
Continents ridden so far: North, Central and South America
Daily budget: $35 a day; full – $12,775 a year

Kevin Hinricksen, an adventure passenger from Nevada, is funding his travels using savings from the sale of his house and other belongings. "In iv years, I'm going to start collecting my alimony so if I don't spend all that I have until then, I'one thousand proficient. I travel really boring, and I volunteer from fourth dimension to time to save lodging and nutrient costs," says Kevin.

TOP TIP: "purchase your own groceries and cook your own meals! Taking intendance of your own nutrient is so much cheaper than eating in restaurants."

The Reasonables

Being on such a tight budget isn't easy, so we also talked to those whose cost to travel the world is a scrap college; up to around $80 a mean solar day. There's still a lot of camping and cooking involved, but a daily budget of around $60 seems to be the virtually popular amidst many riders.

Rider: Spencer James Conway
Wheel: Yamaha Tenere XT660Z
Time on the Road: two years
Continents ridden so far: Africa and South America
Daily budget: $fifty a day; total – $xviii,250 a year

Spencer James Conway, an experienced RTW passenger from the UK, is funding his travels himself: filming and producing his own Goggle box serial on the route, Spencer sells them to the Travel Channel.

His daily budget of $50 includes everything: food, fuel, lodging, visas, bike aircraft, insurance, flights, spare parts and bike maintenance.

Tiptop TIP: You can rough it completely-camping wild and eating minimum to go on budget downwardly, just information technology volition often be double what you lot expect. People must consider what it would cost them to alive at dwelling house for a year and them add some. Whatsoever budget from $10,000 a year to $60,000 is possible but you demand to exist realistic about the kind of person you are and what you can put up with happily. If you are unhappy all the time it defeats the objective. My advice is to examination the waters on a two week or month trip and see how y'all fare before facing the big one! Anybody is unlike, and your heaven could be someone else's hell. Merely go for it!

Rider: Derek Mansfield
Bike: Moto Guzzi Stelvio; Moto Guzzi V7
Time on the Route: seven years on and off
Continents ridden so far: Europe, Central Asia
Daily budget: $45 a day; full – $xvi,425 a year

Derek Mansfield, an adventure rider and travel writer from the Britain, funds his travels by passive income from the sale of his software business organization and his book sales. "I pretty much never drink alcohol, couch surf a lot, and try to go on the expenses to the minimum."

Pinnacle TIP: Couch surf! This saves a lot of money when traveling, and yous can truly experience the local flavors and colors this way. I'll stay in a hotel in one case every ii weeks or so, but most of the fourth dimension, it'southward couch surfing for me.

Riders: Michnus and Elsebie Olivier
Bikes: 2 Suzuki DR650'south (previously BMW F650 GS Dakar)
Fourth dimension on the Road: seven years
Continents ridden so far: Africa, Europe, North, Central and Southward America
Daily budget: $80 a day ($40 a day per person); full – $29,200 a year (for both riders)

South Africans Elsebie and Michnus Olivier are veteran adventurers: afterward hitting the road in 2010, they decided to alive on the road for as long as they feel similar it. How practise they fund their travels? "Carefully," says Elsebie. "We invested a flake of money in a property trust and also packed upwards and rented out our home. Our aim was and still is passive income and so we can travel freely, therefore our after start in life to travel. And of form, being on the road is cheaper than living at home," she explains.

TOP TIPS: In some countries you win and in others, y'all lose. When nosotros military camp the upkeep is much lower and in cities it'south a bit higher.

For those who are merely thinking of riding RTW – never end dreaming, and call back outside the box! Have your job on the road, consult, create your own business, volunteer, firm swap, – there are many ways to make information technology happen regardless of your economic situation.

Best advice we can give is salvage up and so travel without having to pay back or exist indebted to anyone or whatsoever brand. Don't spend unnecessarily, make do without the latest cellphone, eat at home, only buy what you actually demand and merely be enlightened of your spending.

Veteran tip: Careful with spending besides much when with other people! Every bit an case, visiting or staying with local people might price yous more in the end than just camping or staying in a upkeep hotel: you become invited to eatery dinners or accept drinks that yous'd probably save on if you were on your own. You might also become invitations to go on rides with local motorbike enthusiast but take into account that your cycle (and y'all) must terminal your entire trip and a weekend of fun might end upwardly existence VERY expensive.

The Relaxed Ones

Travel and gamble is all about freedom – and sometimes, riders admit needing liberty from strict budgeting! Here are our top-tier spenders, budgeting their travels at around $xc-$110 a day.

Rider: Nevil Stow
Bike: Suzuki DR650
Time on the road: five months
Continents ridden: Due north America, Asia, Europe (RTW)
Daily budget: $94 a day; total – $34,310 a year

Nevil Stow, a Canadian motorcyclist, funded his journey past taking out some of his retirement savings. He was in a unique situation: as a stroke survivor, Nevil wanted to ride round the earth as soon as he could simply because of time constraints, but had 150 days to do it. "on this RTW trip, I wasn't governed by finances, just I was governed past time. Being a stroke survivor, I also wanted to alive in relative comfort day to solar day," explains Nevil.

TOP TIP: prior to this RTW lap, I always traveled frugally and in my onetime travelling days in the 80's I would stretch coin to last past wild camping ground and making soup from condiments stolen from cheap restaurants.

Rider: Brian Thiessen
Bike: BMW R1200GS
Time on the Road: 16 months
Continents ridden so far: the Americas
Daily budget: $106 a twenty-four hour period; full – 38,690 a year

Brian Thiessen, a Canadian adventure rider, says he'southward using his pension funds to travel. "In the concluding yr of traveling, I've gone dwelling twice to visit my kids and grandchildren. If I didn't have those expenses, my daily budget would be about $95 a day. I call up just like at domicile, yous need to match your minimum comfort level to your income to enjoy your overland journey. For example, to thoroughly savour my adventure, I need to shower every day, which increases the spending. But for me, this is life, not only a trip, and so I want to enjoy it along the mode," says Brian.

TOP TIP: Deadening downwards. The best way to save money is to stop traveling. Whenever I hit a town I similar, such as Oaxaca and Medellin, I stay for a month or more. If y'all stay a month you tin find inexpensive accommodation and save on food, gas, and motorcycle wear. The added benefit is that you get to feel the rhythm of a town that y'all wouldn't otherwise go by only staying for a few days!

Ane Size Does Not Fit All!

So there you have it: budgets varying from $15 to $106 a day, from small bikes and a minimalist approach to more relaxed travel on bigger motorcycles. There isn't 1 magic formula that fits all, and that's the beauty of it: y'all can mix and match dissimilar ideas to create your ain perfect adventure, on your own upkeep. Get inspired, go informed, and get going!

Author: Egle Gerulaityte

Riding around the world extra slowly and not taking it too seriously, Egle is always on the lookout for interesting stories. Editor of the Women ADV Riders magazine, she focuses on ordinary people doing extraordinary things and hopes to bring travel inspiration to all ii-wheeled maniacs out in that location.

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