As I sit here in Mozambique soaking in the salt water from the Indian Ocean, I’m contemplating how to get back here on my own bike. It’s becoming more and more apparent why tour companies are so valuable to motorcyclists. Many of us dream of new places, exploring the open roads and experiencing different cultures. Although with a job, family, and many other commitments that keep us at home, it can be tough to find the time, or ways to travel on your own.
I’ll admit: leading up to this trip, I was stressed out. Work had taken over, not to mention the upcoming summer season meant lots of planning. Taking this trip would mean I’d be pretty much unavailable for three weeks. However, as soon as I arrived in South Africa and hopped on a bike, my worries vanished as the sight of the open road took hold of my view.
In recent years, I’ve become a fan of taking organized tours; a well thought-out trip planned by someone else takes much of the guesswork and stress out of the trip for the rider. Nothing would please me more than shipping my personal bike over and taking the time to tour by myself. However, that dream becomes less achievable as I’m unable to take part in the months of planning and sorting out my finances to be able to take an extended holiday. Instead, I’ve opted to take part in tours catered to riding style, skill level, length, and the experience you’re looking for. These, therefore, take the guesswork out of doing it myself.
Sure, there’s nothing quite like achieving a large trip on your own, but with so many variables and hardships it can be tough, not to mention the legwork of finding the best places to go, or choosing places to stay while travelling. Now that the world has re-opened after Covid, it can be tough to navigate all of these hurdles when travelling to new places.
With an organized tour, however, the experience is well-planned-out, showcasing a well-rounded experience with the accommodations, food and activities already looked after. You can easily research through magazines or hop on the web and instead of planning a route — and finding and finalizing each minute detail — you can sift through tour options, finding the one that suits your budget, riding style and overall goals on a trip to a foreign country.
As with any ride, a tour does have variables, the biggest being the riders you are on the trip with. Tour companies do a good job of vetting their clients, ensuring that the guests will have similar skill levels and trying to match personalities. In my experience, motorcyclists are cut from the same cloth, regardless of individual traits or personal views.
Throughout Covid, there’s no question that some tour companies suffered while others had to shut their doors completely. At the start of 2020, organized tours had become one of the largest growing business segments of motorcycling. Everyone wanted to explore the world, whether it was through small independent companies, or larger well-established operations. It’s great to see tours starting back up again.
As I am writing this column, I have been on the road for two weeks now with a group of people I didn’t know, but we’ve quickly bonded. We all have the same passion and motives — to explore, experience and take the wonders that our chosen journey has to offer. On top of that, I’ve seen some of the most amazing sights that I could never imagine. We’ve ridden through the desert, topped some of the highest peaks in Africa, and have headed into the jungle, where I’m now watching monkeys outside of my door while listening to the ebb and flow of the waves tumbling on the fine sands of the beach nearby.
I often hear my parents remark on the things they’d love to do before they can’t, and while talk is all well and good, it doesn’t make the trip happen until you take that first step. There will never be a better time than now. We’re only offered a finite amount of time on this beautiful planet, and on top of that, it’s becoming more apparent that our world’s natural beauty is diminishing.
Many of us have become accustomed to the isolated lifestyle created by the pandemic over the last few years; getting back into travelling and socializing can be tough. But the world has opened again, and it’s time to experience it. In the end, time is the one constant that we know doesn’t last forever. While you sit reading this, think about where you’ve always wanted to go, find out if there’s a tour there, and just do it. We only have one life, and with things ever-changing, there’s no better time to travel than now, while you can.
