Just where do I start with it all?
Adventure is a mind thing. Anyone can do it; you’ve just got to realise you can – but the crucial part comes first. I reckon our greatest weakness is giving up, and that blank piece of paper is the hardest thing to fill when travel and adventure looks complicated, as it does right now. It’ll get better. For me, the way to succeed is trying just one more time. So, if you’re a bit unsure about how to organise your first big trip post-Covid – whether it’s a long weekend or months on the road – or you need a bit of a boost for something you’ve done before; make a list. Dos and don’ts, pros and cons, whys and why nots have always worked before I start any journey. Adventure isn’t just a ride, it’s so much more. Every trip is lifechanging and usually in a good way. Ask yourself: What do I want from my ride? What is it that we want to see? Draw a line between places and research the roads, or if you’re going outside Blighty research the travel connections: ferries, flights, border closures, political activism, geography. Is it the riding or is it the culture that drives this need to venture, and importantly can you simply ride there and back? It’s all questions when you don’t know all the answers. Then make an actions list for ‘Things that must be done’.
If your summer mission is going to be measured in weeks or months rather than days, another significant note is ‘time away versus time not spent at home’ – solo life versus the family. Trust me, if it’s anything to do with time spent, riding your bike is a tradeoff. Put in your list, ‘what is it like for them?’ and for the family rider therein lies a boundary. What are the pluses and minuses on paper that give you the insight you need? For me, it comes down to two columns on your sheet of paper: STAY or GO. That list will make your decision for you. Don’t be too evenly balanced, something’s got to break through. Think of your notepaper as having the properties of a magic carpet, once you’ve knitted all the threads together, you can go anywhere.
‘ADVENTURE IS A MIND THING AND ANYONE CAN DO IT’