Image: Michelle Lamphere
Motorcycle travel involves eating, sleeping, and finding a place to “go”—the true trifecta of adventure. Sometimes, choices feel like a gamble, ranging from gourmet dining to street food that might challenge you later, and from luxurious hotel rooms to campsites that turn out to be gravel pits. Bathrooms? You’ll encounter everything from lavish bidets to bushes that test your creativity. Eat, sleep, poop. It’s messy, unpredictable, and unforgettable.
ARR RAW round-table discussions with motorcycle adventure travellers - featuring Grant Johnson, Sam Manicom, Shirley Hardy-Rix, Brian Rix, Michelle Lamphere and Jim Martin.
RAW LISTENER QUESTIONS: Have a question for the RAW panel? Send it to us here.
Many Thanks to This Month’s Top Supporters!
Michael George
Dimitar Georgiev
Urs Peter Flueckiger
Pete Smith
Jan Olov Viktorsson
Rudolph Vandenberg
Christopher Scarborough
William Manley
Garry Durfey
Jeff Nelson
Dan Collins from Fresh Tracks
John Ciribassi from Emmaus MotoTours
Sam Manicom’s Check List for Hosteling and Hoteling:
· Never judge a book by it’s cover. Hotels in many countries take far more care of the inside of the hotel rooms than they do of the outside of the building, or even the corridors. The rooms though can be spotless and bug free.
· Cheap doesn’t mean it’s bad. Just because a place is cheap, and looks cheap, the people often are not. They can be the salt of the earth and incredibly kind.
· Even in these times of the likes of Booking.com, get there early so you can have more of a chance of picking the room you want.
Check List:
· First thing always - Can we get our bikes off the road?
· Does the toilet flush
· Does the shower work
· Do the power sockets work.
· Try to get a room away from stairwells and lifts/elevators. If you have a bargaining bent, you can use this as a way to get the room price knocked down.
· Pay attention to which is the quiet or busy side of a hotel.
· If my bike is parked in front in the courtyard and off the road, I want a room where I can look out on it.
· Is there a room with a balcony? Great to sit out on a people watch – and – for photos.
· Local niggles. Are you next to a busy main road, nightclub street, railway line, mosquito infested pond, drug dealers?
· Did you see a supermarket or market nearby – note the location on the way in.
· In the dodgier hostels and hotels – find the fire escape route as soon as you have settled in your room!!!
· Cheaper hotels can have dodgy door locks so don’t leave important paperwork or money laying around, ever.
· Very much the same for Dorms. There used to be honour amongst travellers but there seems to be more of a ‘Me first’ attitude from too many now.
· And though this may sound paranoid, we always put something heavy or noisy against the door when we go to sleep. Peace of mind!