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This phrase came up in a conversation with a friend who is a few years older than me and has many places on his ride bucket list.
He is considering shipping his motorcycle to Europe next year with the intention to try tick off many of the best roads in 3-4 month tour. We discussed the challenges of spending a long time on the road but agreed there comes a point when it’s now or never.
I often say on this blog don’t wait too long but of course it’s human nature to get distracted with other things and say I’ll do it ‘One Day’.
And we are in unsettled times and caught up in a cost of living crisis so delaying travel seems a prudent choice. But the clock keeps ticking.
I’ve posted in my BlogX2 section previously how I think we delude ourselves to thinking we are younger than we are and won’t age as fast as others because we see ourselves differently to them. But we are all the same. Men’s health is a slippery slope in our 60’s and no matter how much travel experience our confidence falls away. Rides previously on our wish list seem more challenging. The window for moto adventures closes quicker than we thought.
‘One Day’ can slip past us.
Some people try throwing money at the problem. Moto tours are up to $15K Aud and another $5-10K for a passenger! Operators know their customers lack the confidence to ride independently and are exploiting this.
Besides prohibitive costs tours dilute the sense of adventure and achievement. They introduce a need to keep up rather than ride at your own pace. Interaction with locals is rare and groups are 95-100% men who inevitably turn things into a pissing competition.
No amount of money can buy opportunities lost. The chance to set off on an adventure and experience the joy of exploring somewhere on two wheels independently must not slip through your fingers.
The photo above is a much younger me sitting around the small port of Ushibuka, Kyushu awaiting the ferry to Amakusa. I’m still learning how to ride Japan solo and making some mistakes. On that day I recall listening to cicadas, the Japanese sound of summer and wondering if I was crazy to have quit my career and sell everything to follow my dream. How fortuitous a decision that turned out to be since cancer would later try ending my life.
I’ve just passed my latest PET scan so this marks three years in remission. It is quite encouraging but zero guarantee for the future. That uncertainty is a strong motivation for me to keep doing as much as I can. I’ll be revisiting Amakusa soon.
Carpe diem.
Well said, glad to hear your PET was negative. Getting the first ride done is the most important, I’m so glad I did my first in Japan a couple years ago at age 40 (still a bit late, but so it goes). Now, every time I travel, even with the fam, I make sure to carve a half day or two to get out on the road: Vietnam, Indian Himalayas, Albania. Such a wonderful way to experience this world
Thanks Arjun,
Yes I think if you wait till retirement to begin moto touring (or travel in general) then the risk is joining a tour might then seem the only option.
Go for it! I agree we live in troubling times.
I am currently in Ha Noi after completing my 4th Vietnam tour.
I am now looking at travelling further for my bike tours.
Look forward to read more of your travels.
Hi Brendon,
4th tour in Vietnam – great stuff!
I have been sitting on an idea to revisit Vietnam and ride from Da Nang up to the Muong Long loop via the HCM trail and perhaps extending the return trip south of Da Nang before returning back via Hoi An.
About this time of year, April I think might be best weather, so maybe 2027.
Hello Warren,
Nice work. Hopefully, astute people will respond to your proposition with ‘Hear, hear!’. Undoubtedly I am a subscriber to your philosophical approach although I received instructions in my mid-twenties from a GP couple who made generalizations about the lifespans of their patients. Essentially their advice was to retire early and live longer. So many people appear to exist in a Peter Pan world. To quote from a recent release of the excellent ‘seaman bike & life vlog’, ‘I think life is all about enjoying the time we have, so it feels like a waste not to’.
While I have participated in a couple of tours, riding in either a solitary or with a couple of mates is, to my mind, much more preferable. By relying on some local knowledge (if possible) and pairing such information with today’s resources and a little bit of organization, I believe really enjoyable trips can be accomplished. For example, I undertook a six week ride in Japan by largely plagiarizing maps freely supplied by some bloke on motorcycleparadise.net (my gratitude again). China has recently opened up remarkably and offers some fantastic roads and vistas. With the support of local people, the capacity to buy and sell a motorcycle makes trips extremely good value – so much so that I aiming for a return trip this year. Simply put, where there is a will there is a way.
To conclude, I enjoy a quotation attributed to Hunter. S. Thompson. While I have actually never been able to find the expression in his writings, I do enjoy the sentiment, ‘Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming ‘Wow! What a Ride!”
Please keep scribing and snapping.