When it comes to traveling the world, cars, trains, buses, and planes allow us to get to where we want to go. But, when you stop seeing travel as just getting from point a to point b is when the world really opens up. And when you have that mindset with an engine strapped between your legs, it gets even more vibrant, literally.
When one travels by motorcycle, the journey becomes the destination. Below are just a few of the reasons why you should travel by motorcycle, if only once in your life (riding on the back still counts!).
1) You’ll look bad ass doing it
Out of all the ways that one can travel, none are as quite as cool as getting there on the back of your own bike.
With a well-developed reputation for being renegades, bikers attract looks of wonder and envy everywhere they go. Rumble into a little Mexican town on a Harley and see who doesn’t want a pic.
From stylish boots to thick leather Fly Jackets, they also have a sense of fashion that many travelers seem to lack. Give it a try: your current look is getting rather dated anyway.
2) The freedom
When you travel by motorcycle, you can go anywhere your heart desires. Unlike those who are confined to where buses and trains can take them, travelers with bikes can follow their intuition down a lightly traveled rural road if they so choose.
You can interact with people in the countryside that rarely see a foreign face in the course of their daily lives, and share a meal with them.
Rather than be limited to parks that see a high number of visitors, you can ride your hog into the wilderness until you are truly alone, leaving you free to commune with nature on your terms.
3) Meet like-minded travelers
Bike enthusiasts are unlike other travelers that you will meet on the road. It can be hard to relate to those that have not moved beyond the realm of normal travel, so it is a very refreshing feeling to pull into a campground and see the rides of fellow bikers in the parking lot.
Often, it is easy to start conversations with these folks, leading to hours of storytelling that will create some of your most unforgettable travel memories.
4) You’ll grow as a person
Many in our society stick within a bubble of their own construction, fearful of what lies outside of it. By walling themselves off from anything that is remotely uncomfortable, they make themselves vulnerable to any upset that might occur in their daily lives.
Taking up bike traveling will put you through a series of challenging and uncomfortable scenarios that will force you to grow as a person in order to get through them successfully.
Unexpected events, such as suffering a flat tire in the middle of Vietnam, will teach you that the unknown is not nearly as frightening as you might have thought.
Put to the test, your ability to think and reason will allow you to take on most situations in a manner that will surprise you when you look back upon the experience years later.
5) Experience full-immersion travel
When you travel by bike, you are completely immersed into your surrounding environment. Unlike buses, where your view of the world is restricted by curtains, walls, and the ceiling, you will have no such obstructions when you are traveling on the back of your own motorcycle.
Exposed to a full range of weather, you will have a more raw and authentic experience than someone who is sheltered from their natural environment, building character and giving you awesome stories to tell your friends when you get back home.