CU graduate to travel world on motorcycle
Arthur Bremner was 14 years old when his bought his first moped with $300 of his own money.
That small, motorized scooter took him all around Paddock Lake, Wis. His devotion to twowheeled transportation has evolved to motorcycles, and now his self-taught skill of rebuilding them and his passion to help those in need will take him on an 18-month journey around the world.
The 26-year-old University of Colorado graduate plans to ride a motorcycle he built through Mexico and Central America (and even further), volunteering along the way with hospitals and aid organizations.
He first began planning the trip about two years ago, as he was starting his sophomore year at CU. During this time, Bremner bought, disassembled and rebuilt a motorcycle in his bedroom.
“I’ve been riding bikes for over 10 years now, and not having a bunch of money, I would always have to learn how fix things,” he said. “I think that taught me how to fix it and put it back together. “
This isn’t the first time Bremner has journeyed across borders on his bike — in 2015, he traveled through Mexico to the Guatemalan border and back up toward Canada along the West Coast.
“It was super intimidating,” Bremner said. “I was so scared. I didn’t know what to expect, I didn’t know where to go. I just knew I wanted to go.”
These travels inspired his upcoming trip, where he will volunteer in hospitals in Honduras, Guatemala and Peru before either shipping off to Africa or flying to Australia and traveling through Asia. Having graduated with a degree in integrative physiology, Bremner hopes to gain valuable experience that will help him pursue his goal of becoming a physician’s assistant.
“I’d love to become a more empathetic, humble person,” he said. “I think that person, foremost, is my ultimate goal, but I also want to spread a positive message. I want people to see these countries as a community, not just places we check off on a list (to visit).”
Bremner plans to depart on July 20 and is raising money through a GoFundMe account
to help cover expenses. He also has been sponsored by Big Agnes, a Steamboat Springs based outdoor retailer, and Moto Mosko, a Washington-based company that sells motorcycle gear.
Along the way, Bremner will work with Honduras Child Alliance, helping with tasks such as drawing blood, cleaning wounds and checking vitals. He will also teach nutrition classes to children in Guatemala and serve at hospitals in Lima with a team of doctors from Texas.
The journey is planned for 18 months. He intends to produce a vlog on YouTube, as well as post updates on his Instagram account and a written blog, planning to spend a year to 18 months abroad.
“I spent a lot of time online, looking for places that didn’t force you to pay to volunteer,” he said. “Eventually I just reached out to the right people, and they could use my help.”
Getting to this point has been a long road for Bremner. In high school, his classes weren’t a priority. And he also smoked marijuana, which got him into trouble with the police. When he attended Colorado Mountain College in Steamboat Springs, he neglected his studies as well, spending much of his time partying.
That all began to change when he began working at the Truffle Pig, a restaurant in Steamboat Springs.
A coworker there, a recovering alcoholic, saw potential in Bremner and made a point trying to mentor him.
One Christmas this friend, who because of the nature of recovery requested not to be named, said he purchased gift cards to a local watering hole for all the waiters except for Bremner.
“When it came to Arthur, I didn’t really feel that was the right gift for him, so I gave him a book of Alcoholics Anonymous,” the friend said.
Bremner became curious about Alcoholics Anonymous and began attending meetings. Bremner said he’s been sober since April 2013.
“When I was going to CMC, I was kind of just floating around,” he said. “And then when I got sober, I started to reorient myself towards a practical goal.”
That goal was earning a fouryear degree at his dream school.
Through his travels, Bremner hopes to provide an example for others.
“I want people to see you can do good and entirely change your life for the better,” he said.