Your Motorcycle is Ready To Go, Are You?
A look into the mental preparedness required for long travels on two wheels.
(There is no secret way to it)
You’ve always dreamed of hitting the road and it pops into mind every time you get stressed, you start daydreaming, or even when you’re on such an amazing ride you wish it didn’t have to end. It’s a common dream to many motorcycle lovers, something I’ve learned over my years of leading a Facebook group based on that idea. Unfortunately, it’s not a reality for a lot of riders and may never be if your circumstances and your perception of what it entails don’t align just right. From my own experience, from those I hear about, and those I hear directly from I’ve got a few points you may want to consider before you try it. Just remember, it’s not the end of the world if it isn’t meant for you as there’s plenty of other ways to enjoy a motorcycle without taking off for days, weeks, or months at a time on it.
The first subject I hear the most about is safety. Inherently on the road you’re going to be exposed to many more risks on a daily basis than you would on the safety of your couch in the evening. Whether you fear break downs, being unable to find somewhere to sleep, running out of gas, animal attacks, getting sick, finding food or water, bad weather, being away from a support system, human attacks, or wrecking, they’re all very valid safety concerns. Some people harbor one or two fears, some may fear them all. The difference between the people who fear those things and the people who do it anyway breaks down into basic character grit. By grit I mean the fortitude and strength to recognize you’re scared and to overcome it by facing it. While I’ve always found myself to be lacking much fear, those few things I have encountered that did cause me to be scared were easy for me to overcome. In my mind a fear is a weakness meant to be confronted and move on from, which I’ve done my whole life. Sometimes I forget other people aren’t like me so that’s why I address this topic first. So you’re scared of something, now what? I can’t answer this question for you as it will be up to you to look inside yourself to see if you can overcome being uneasy so you can enjoy the adventure. What I can say, though, is that all problems have a solution. Period. I’ve seen some who their solution is that motorcycles gives the strength to stand up to those concerns. I’ve even seen people who flourish on the challenge, me included, knowing they’re going to struggle and come out with a stronger character when it’s over. Just keep in mind if you’re going to be anxious and scared of everything, you’re not going to have a good time. Why do it if you’re not going to have fun, right?
As a special mention for women, or anyone more on the shy or meek side, I know there’s a lot of concern of “if you’re able to defend yourself with violence.” This is something you have to learn for yourself but I caution you in one aspect. When you immerse in the world, do it with confidence or predators will lock onto you, and it will become a problem. Anyone walking around acting like a victim, eyes down, shoulders slumped, dragging feet, will get treated as such. My first suggestion is to learn situational awareness as it keeps you out of problems to begin with. My next of many suggestions I have to help with this, is my favorite; hand to hand combative training. It’ll build confidence in yourself and your abilities while gaining respect from people who are around you. It’s also a great workout.
Adaptability is the simplest way I can summarize the next trait you need to enjoy temporary or permanent road life. If you’re bound by schedules, structure, and well laid plans you’ll find the road just doesn’t care about all that. You’ve got reservations and a tight schedule of what you need to ride for the next week and then something happens. A flat tire, bad weather, or you get lost but nonetheless, now you’re unable to make your reservations. Your stress and anxiety shoot thru the roof, you’ve wasted money, you have to waste more money, and you’re simply not having a good trip. To be mentally prepared for the road requires flexibility and adaptability to every situation that may present itself. An open mind that when you wake up in the morning that something may stop you from riding more than fifty miles today, that you may get rained on, your bike may need maintenance, or you may have the most perfect day ever. No matter the outcome, you’re going to hate the adventure if you can’t relax your control on the future so you can, as they say, “go with the flow”. This is something that I’d be happy to explain more in depth but until you feel that “click” when the tension and worrying stops, you’ll just have to find your own way to that point. This is your journey.
Wives, husbands, kids, and parents. What are you going to do if you have to leave them behind for extended periods of time? One of the many reasons I hear about people unable to get on the road is because of raising kids. Your partner may be amazing and willing to watch them while you wander off for a bit, or maybe not. Your wife or husband may not be supportive of you riding at all, which causes tension and fights. Even parents are a huge cause of worry, if they’re elderly and you take care of them what happens if they need you and you’re a thousand miles away? Sure, you can hire a caretaker but if you’re riding into the sunset and constantly worried about the what ifs with your family, just realize you’re not going to get the positive effects that being on the road gives. Every person’s situation is different here and you’ll have to find that happy place with them and yourself. If your family is worried, try to find a way to ease their concerns so they don’t have an aneurysm while you’re gone. It might just come down to waiting for the kids to grow and leave before you can go, which is perfectly normal. What’s my family situation, you may ask? I have no family and truth be told, it makes living on the road for the last two years much easier. It also is a great source of pain too, so please don’t think dumping your family to hit the road is a good choice. Try to find a way so all can be happy.
One thing you can’t buy in life is your health. Some of us hit the genetic lottery where we never get sick or have diseases and some have diseases or injuries that limit what we can do. If you’re diabetic, for example, then you’re more than likely tied to needing insurance and refilling prescriptions. If you can receive your medicine without insurance from a job then you’ve got options. A friend or family can mail them to you wherever you may be. If your health simply makes camping or riding unenjoyable, all I can say is I’m sorry. This is the single biggest thing that I see as a stopping block for people living their dreams and it does break my heart. So if you have good health then I implore you, what are you waiting for? Don’t wait until you lose it!
My least favorite subject but the second most asked about, money. Why is it not important to me? Because money lost its control on me after I gave up everything to live on the road. I need very little to sustain myself and making the sacrifices is easy when I think about how many miles I can go on that money. Nonetheless, it’s a concern for most. Let me ask you, what is more important to you? Spending $10 a day on designer coffee or getting $10 of gas? An $80 room on the way or a free campsite 30 minutes out of your way? Your couch or your tent? A house of stuff or a world of adventure? Experiences or things? Do you want to be talking about what you’ve done on your death bed or how much money is in your savings? Money comes and money goes. I can tell you that until I’m blue in the face but with the culture in first world countries it won’t get thru to most people. What I’ve felt and experienced when it comes to money is a total release of stress as I let it stop being the focus in my life. What I’ve seen, though, is that no one has gotten to this point and ever gone back to being money-centric. All of us full time nomads make what we need and get moving as soon as we can. There’s an adventure waiting out there and no amount of offered benefits like vacation time, vacuum cleaners, beds, or being content will come in the way of that.
This all may seem easy on paper but I promise that it takes a lot of strength and perseverance to go out alone for any amount of time. It is not easy. Period. Also, a good stepping stone is to start out small and work your way up. So what I’ve said may also seem vague but when it comes to the unique adventure-style life, we all find our own way to do it. No two people are alike and if I tried to describe it minutely, it would be like trying to explain a color to a blind person. You just have to do it for yourself. So if everything I’ve said won’t stop you, but instead excites you, then my next bit of advice is that the first step is a gigantic step, but every move after that just gets easier. Each time you go out it gets smoother and more confident until it becomes hard to remember what it was like before you started. Even I can’t go back to those days when I first started out because life has since grabbed me by the seat of my pants and taken me for a ride I’ll never forget.
Here’s a few examples of common concerns and my personal reactions. Remember, this works for me and my thought processes.
- What if it rains? Then I get wet
- What if you break down? I fix it or I go to the road and wait until someone is able to help. Or call someone if I have service.
- What if you get sick? I find somewhere with a clean water source and stick it out. May be a friend’s, may be a campsite.
- What if you get hurt? Either I patch myself up or I go to the ER.
- What if you get hit and they run? If I survive, I guess I’m a hiker for awhile.
- What if you run out of money? I plan enough to make sure that doesn’t happen. The only planning I do.
- What if you run out of gas? I wait until someone is kind enough to bring me some.
- What if you get attacked by bear? May the luck be in my favor. Also, what stupid thing did I do to attract said bear? Let’s not do it again.
- What if a human attacks? May the gods have mercy on that poor soul. I am mean and aggressive.
The first subject I hear the most about is safety. Inherently on the road you’re going to be exposed to many more risks on a daily basis than you would on the safety of your couch in the evening. Whether you fear break downs, being unable to find somewhere to sleep, running out of gas, animal attacks, getting sick, finding food or water, bad weather, being away from a support system, human attacks, or wrecking, they’re all very valid safety concerns. Some people harbor one or two fears, some may fear them all. The difference between the people who fear those things and the people who do it anyway breaks down into basic character grit. By grit I mean the fortitude and strength to recognize you’re scared and to overcome it by facing it. While I’ve always found myself to be lacking much fear, those few things I have encountered that did cause me to be scared were easy for me to overcome. In my mind a fear is a weakness meant to be confronted and move on from, which I’ve done my whole life. Sometimes I forget other people aren’t like me so that’s why I address this topic first. So you’re scared of something, now what? I can’t answer this question for you as it will be up to you to look inside yourself to see if you can overcome being uneasy so you can enjoy the adventure. What I can say, though, is that all problems have a solution. Period. I’ve seen some who their solution is that motorcycles gives the strength to stand up to those concerns. I’ve even seen people who flourish on the challenge, me included, knowing they’re going to struggle and come out with a stronger character when it’s over. Just keep in mind if you’re going to be anxious and scared of everything, you’re not going to have a good time. Why do it if you’re not going to have fun, right?
As a special mention for women, or anyone more on the shy or meek side, I know there’s a lot of concern of “if you’re able to defend yourself with violence.” This is something you have to learn for yourself but I caution you in one aspect. When you immerse in the world, do it with confidence or predators will lock onto you, and it will become a problem. Anyone walking around acting like a victim, eyes down, shoulders slumped, dragging feet, will get treated as such. My first suggestion is to learn situational awareness as it keeps you out of problems to begin with. My next of many suggestions I have to help with this, is my favorite; hand to hand combative training. It’ll build confidence in yourself and your abilities while gaining respect from people who are around you. It’s also a great workout.
Adaptability is the simplest way I can summarize the next trait you need to enjoy temporary or permanent road life. If you’re bound by schedules, structure, and well laid plans you’ll find the road just doesn’t care about all that. You’ve got reservations and a tight schedule of what you need to ride for the next week and then something happens. A flat tire, bad weather, or you get lost but nonetheless, now you’re unable to make your reservations. Your stress and anxiety shoot thru the roof, you’ve wasted money, you have to waste more money, and you’re simply not having a good trip. To be mentally prepared for the road requires flexibility and adaptability to every situation that may present itself. An open mind that when you wake up in the morning that something may stop you from riding more than fifty miles today, that you may get rained on, your bike may need maintenance, or you may have the most perfect day ever. No matter the outcome, you’re going to hate the adventure if you can’t relax your control on the future so you can, as they say, “go with the flow”. This is something that I’d be happy to explain more in depth but until you feel that “click” when the tension and worrying stops, you’ll just have to find your own way to that point. This is your journey.
Wives, husbands, kids, and parents. What are you going to do if you have to leave them behind for extended periods of time? One of the many reasons I hear about people unable to get on the road is because of raising kids. Your partner may be amazing and willing to watch them while you wander off for a bit, or maybe not. Your wife or husband may not be supportive of you riding at all, which causes tension and fights. Even parents are a huge cause of worry, if they’re elderly and you take care of them what happens if they need you and you’re a thousand miles away? Sure, you can hire a caretaker but if you’re riding into the sunset and constantly worried about the what ifs with your family, just realize you’re not going to get the positive effects that being on the road gives. Every person’s situation is different here and you’ll have to find that happy place with them and yourself. If your family is worried, try to find a way to ease their concerns so they don’t have an aneurysm while you’re gone. It might just come down to waiting for the kids to grow and leave before you can go, which is perfectly normal. What’s my family situation, you may ask? I have no family and truth be told, it makes living on the road for the last two years much easier. It also is a great source of pain too, so please don’t think dumping your family to hit the road is a good choice. Try to find a way so all can be happy.
One thing you can’t buy in life is your health. Some of us hit the genetic lottery where we never get sick or have diseases and some have diseases or injuries that limit what we can do. If you’re diabetic, for example, then you’re more than likely tied to needing insurance and refilling prescriptions. If you can receive your medicine without insurance from a job then you’ve got options. A friend or family can mail them to you wherever you may be. If your health simply makes camping or riding unenjoyable, all I can say is I’m sorry. This is the single biggest thing that I see as a stopping block for people living their dreams and it does break my heart. So if you have good health then I implore you, what are you waiting for? Don’t wait until you lose it!
My least favorite subject but the second most asked about, money. Why is it not important to me? Because money lost its control on me after I gave up everything to live on the road. I need very little to sustain myself and making the sacrifices is easy when I think about how many miles I can go on that money. Nonetheless, it’s a concern for most. Let me ask you, what is more important to you? Spending $10 a day on designer coffee or getting $10 of gas? An $80 room on the way or a free campsite 30 minutes out of your way? Your couch or your tent? A house of stuff or a world of adventure? Experiences or things? Do you want to be talking about what you’ve done on your death bed or how much money is in your savings? Money comes and money goes. I can tell you that until I’m blue in the face but with the culture in first world countries it won’t get thru to most people. What I’ve felt and experienced when it comes to money is a total release of stress as I let it stop being the focus in my life. What I’ve seen, though, is that no one has gotten to this point and ever gone back to being money-centric. All of us full time nomads make what we need and get moving as soon as we can. There’s an adventure waiting out there and no amount of offered benefits like vacation time, vacuum cleaners, beds, or being content will come in the way of that.
This all may seem easy on paper but I promise that it takes a lot of strength and perseverance to go out alone for any amount of time. It is not easy. Period. Also, a good stepping stone is to start out small and work your way up. So what I’ve said may also seem vague but when it comes to the unique adventure-style life, we all find our own way to do it. No two people are alike and if I tried to describe it minutely, it would be like trying to explain a color to a blind person. You just have to do it for yourself. So if everything I’ve said won’t stop you, but instead excites you, then my next bit of advice is that the first step is a gigantic step, but every move after that just gets easier. Each time you go out it gets smoother and more confident until it becomes hard to remember what it was like before you started. Even I can’t go back to those days when I first started out because life has since grabbed me by the seat of my pants and taken me for a ride I’ll never forget.
Here’s a few examples of common concerns and my personal reactions. Remember, this works for me and my thought processes.
- What if it rains? Then I get wet
- What if you break down? I fix it or I go to the road and wait until someone is able to help. Or call someone if I have service.
- What if you get sick? I find somewhere with a clean water source and stick it out. May be a friend’s, may be a campsite.
- What if you get hurt? Either I patch myself up or I go to the ER.
- What if you get hit and they run? If I survive, I guess I’m a hiker for awhile.
- What if you run out of money? I plan enough to make sure that doesn’t happen. The only planning I do.
- What if you run out of gas? I wait until someone is kind enough to bring me some.
- What if you get attacked by bear? May the luck be in my favor. Also, what stupid thing did I do to attract said bear? Let’s not do it again.
- What if a human attacks? May the gods have mercy on that poor soul. I am mean and aggressive.
Thanks for reading, everyone!
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If you’d like to toss some gas money my way: my paypal can be found here.