John’s all revved up for round-the-world tour
A DAD of four is due to embark on a solo round-the-world tour on his motorcycle later this month.
John Palmer, 64, has been planning for the journey for five years but the Covid-19 lockdowns meant he was forced to cancel his first attempt.
John, who is an independent financial advisor, started riding a motorcycle 30 years ago and has previously been to America and the majority of Europe on his bike.
This challenge will involve ferries, air freights and a lot of planning.
The Middlesbrough man has had to rearrange his entire journey because of Covid restrictions in China which he has to pass through to get to Australia.
Instead, he has planned to ride the second leg of the tour first and will have to wait until restrictions are reduced.
John, who currently lives in Coxhoe, Durham, said: “I’m quite a keen motorcycle rider but not so much riding around the roads, I like long journeys.
“You just can’t do enough planning for this.
“I was due to go in July of 2020 after spending three years planning it and then we got locked down. I’ve always been busy working and this takes a considerable time scale – I probably won’t be back until mid-December.”
John said he now only has time to fulfil his dream as he is in the process of selling his financial business.
The planning for a trip like this has taken up the majority of his time – he was even in the process of organising a guide and Chinese driving licence for his journey through China before the pandemic hit.
To get his bike to Darwin, in the Northern Territory of Australia, he would have to meticulously clean it in order for it to meet the standards for air freighting. He even had to carefully plan what bike he would take to get through the challenging journey.
John added that his wife and kids have their worries about the journey, but he thinks his meticulous planning will keep him safe and relaxed when travelling through places like Mexico. He has planned to leave the hotels immediately after breakfast early in the morning, and be in bed by 10pm every night.
The second leg, which he is due to begin on July 18, will take John through Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, Canada, The USA, Mexico, Honduras and Costa Rica. He will end his second leg at the most southerly town in the world, Ushuaia, after travelling through Ecuador, Peru and Chile.