Racey
Registered user
Guys & Gals
Not looking for sympathy, but I have just had a trip from London to Vladivostok cancelled this year
I had been booked on a small organised trip leaving UK in June. Trouble was it turned out to be too small a group !! The company planning it decided it wasn't economically viable to run it...
It was going to be the first portion of a RTW trip i was doing to raise money for charity. From Vlad I was going to get the bike to West Coast USA and then back to UK from New York...
I'll admit I don't want to do this solo and I have run out of time to get this sorted this year so here's the thinking...
Having done a great deal of preparation, reading and thinking about this, I remain determined to achieve this dream at some point. Clearly I could again join a group if the trip is run next year.
However, having had the crushing disappointment of this week's news - I'm beginning to think that if a small, tight knit bunch of like minded fools could be assembled - would we have greater control over our own destinies ?
I'm still mulling over my options, but in essence I'd be fascinated to see if anyone else has any interest...
While I'm tempted to say the ideal travelling companions should be attractive females fully qualified in motorcycle mechanics, massage and fine dining preparation on a camping stove I don't think my Misses would let me go !!
So for now I'm saying we'd need a thirst for adventure, a good sense of humour, resilience and determination
Am I the only fool out there like this ??
The following is only a guide, but let me brain dump:
- We could explore the merits of reversing this route as we would see us riding towards home. Which could be a nice ending and a great incentive to keep us going.
- I'm thinking of leaving UK some time May or June 2010. And being back October / November.
- There is no reason why pillions couldn't come some of the way. On the cancelled trip my wife was going to ride with me to Moscow and then fly back. She was then going to rejoin me in America.
- I'd plan the route carefully to avoid the need for a Carnet De Passage for the bike which can be a significant expense.
- London to Vlad would take somewhere between 3 and 4 months depending on which route we follow and how much sight seeing is done along the route...
- UK to Russia could be achieved by either riding through Northern Europe to Latvian / Russian border. Or via a Scandinavian loop to enter via Finnish / Russian border.
- From there the route could either take the "direct" route straight East on the Trans Siberian to Vladivostok or could meander, taking in some of the other amazing countries in the "Stans".
- The indirect route could embrace Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan as well as Mongolia. I've done a great deal of reading and studying maps and feel this could be fascinating.
- In Vladivostok we could either ship the bikes to West Coast USA by sea or we could take the ferry from Zarubino to South Korea - Socho to fly the bikes across the Pacific.
- This decision would be a cost vs timing issue. Cost of sea freight may be cheaper - but obviously longer. And what we saved could well be spent blowing off steam in Japan or America waiting for the bikes to arrive !!
- Going to South Korea avoids the need for a carnet I believe. If we went to Japan with the bikes we'd definitely need one.
- From South Korea the bikes would be flown to West Coast USA. Probably to Anchorage. But other options exist such as Vancouver in Canada.
- Thereafter it would be a pleasant tarmac ride to New York. Where again, shipping / flying options for the bikes exist.
- As I said earlier, this could all be reversed.
Costs are difficult to estimate at the moment as it would depend on whether the bikes were shipped or flown, whether we camped all the way or stayed in a mixture of hostels or hotels etc.
- I've read about people managing to do the trip on a budget as low as £30 a day !! But I think that was really going some !!
- Organised trips with support trucks and profit margins tend to charge circa £15,000 including bike shipping and accommodation, but excluding personal flights. I'd hope, if we did this ourselves that we could bring this figure down dramatically.
I'm at the outset of planning this option if there is interest and would draw up more accurate figures in due course.
I have some good contacts in Moscow & Vladivostok who are willing to help
But back to my original question - am I alone in having this daft dream ??
Let me know on here or via PM
I'll happily give phone numbers or email thereafter and we can let our imaginations run riot...
Simon
Not looking for sympathy, but I have just had a trip from London to Vladivostok cancelled this year
I had been booked on a small organised trip leaving UK in June. Trouble was it turned out to be too small a group !! The company planning it decided it wasn't economically viable to run it...
It was going to be the first portion of a RTW trip i was doing to raise money for charity. From Vlad I was going to get the bike to West Coast USA and then back to UK from New York...
I'll admit I don't want to do this solo and I have run out of time to get this sorted this year so here's the thinking...
Having done a great deal of preparation, reading and thinking about this, I remain determined to achieve this dream at some point. Clearly I could again join a group if the trip is run next year.
However, having had the crushing disappointment of this week's news - I'm beginning to think that if a small, tight knit bunch of like minded fools could be assembled - would we have greater control over our own destinies ?
I'm still mulling over my options, but in essence I'd be fascinated to see if anyone else has any interest...
While I'm tempted to say the ideal travelling companions should be attractive females fully qualified in motorcycle mechanics, massage and fine dining preparation on a camping stove I don't think my Misses would let me go !!
So for now I'm saying we'd need a thirst for adventure, a good sense of humour, resilience and determination
Am I the only fool out there like this ??
The following is only a guide, but let me brain dump:
- We could explore the merits of reversing this route as we would see us riding towards home. Which could be a nice ending and a great incentive to keep us going.
- I'm thinking of leaving UK some time May or June 2010. And being back October / November.
- There is no reason why pillions couldn't come some of the way. On the cancelled trip my wife was going to ride with me to Moscow and then fly back. She was then going to rejoin me in America.
- I'd plan the route carefully to avoid the need for a Carnet De Passage for the bike which can be a significant expense.
- London to Vlad would take somewhere between 3 and 4 months depending on which route we follow and how much sight seeing is done along the route...
- UK to Russia could be achieved by either riding through Northern Europe to Latvian / Russian border. Or via a Scandinavian loop to enter via Finnish / Russian border.
- From there the route could either take the "direct" route straight East on the Trans Siberian to Vladivostok or could meander, taking in some of the other amazing countries in the "Stans".
- The indirect route could embrace Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan as well as Mongolia. I've done a great deal of reading and studying maps and feel this could be fascinating.
- In Vladivostok we could either ship the bikes to West Coast USA by sea or we could take the ferry from Zarubino to South Korea - Socho to fly the bikes across the Pacific.
- This decision would be a cost vs timing issue. Cost of sea freight may be cheaper - but obviously longer. And what we saved could well be spent blowing off steam in Japan or America waiting for the bikes to arrive !!
- Going to South Korea avoids the need for a carnet I believe. If we went to Japan with the bikes we'd definitely need one.
- From South Korea the bikes would be flown to West Coast USA. Probably to Anchorage. But other options exist such as Vancouver in Canada.
- Thereafter it would be a pleasant tarmac ride to New York. Where again, shipping / flying options for the bikes exist.
- As I said earlier, this could all be reversed.
Costs are difficult to estimate at the moment as it would depend on whether the bikes were shipped or flown, whether we camped all the way or stayed in a mixture of hostels or hotels etc.
- I've read about people managing to do the trip on a budget as low as £30 a day !! But I think that was really going some !!
- Organised trips with support trucks and profit margins tend to charge circa £15,000 including bike shipping and accommodation, but excluding personal flights. I'd hope, if we did this ourselves that we could bring this figure down dramatically.
I'm at the outset of planning this option if there is interest and would draw up more accurate figures in due course.
I have some good contacts in Moscow & Vladivostok who are willing to help
But back to my original question - am I alone in having this daft dream ??
Let me know on here or via PM
I'll happily give phone numbers or email thereafter and we can let our imaginations run riot...
Simon
