Having survived Bolivia’s “Road of Death” down and back up again, ​it left me windblown, the mind blown and exhilarated. The visceral experience of jaw-on-the-floor views fast became a regular reward from the two years of saving and sacrifice to get there. (La Paz and Yungas region, Bolivia) (Jason Spafford/)

Many daydream about taking a motorcycle trip across continents. There may be real or perceived hurdles to conquer, so what does it take to do it? For anyone whose life can align—and respectfully, not everyone’s can—a commitment to the decision is all it takes. Then comes doing whatever’s necessary to make it happen. It sounds easy, and in reality, it is! The hardest part is at the start when you have to relinquish all the things that keep you from doing it in the first place.

Biting off more than I could chew in the soft stuff led to repeatedly performing the “monkey lift” to get our bikes back on track. In truth, parts of the trip like this leg were punishing for me; I sometimes lacked the confidence to execute Jason’s sage advice—a gnawing bone of contention for him—and it led to many discomforts, but never once did I worry about us. Our relationship has gone the distance and is here to stay. (Baja Peninsula, Mexico) (Jason Spafford/)

Tip 1. Moto-Travel Involves One Step: Going

Is it better to just go where the wind takes you? Or indulge in a bulletproof itinerary? Organizing your first big two-wheeled adventure can be daunting. There’s much to consider and more to research. A wise person once said, “Each research session makes the trip look more difficult, so I’ve decided to stop researching.” That’s a gem to uphold—particularly if you find yourself wheel arch deep in excessive pre-trip planning. Chris Scott’s Adventure Motorcycling Handbook, Horizons Unlimited’s Achievable Dream DVD boxed set, and the Haynes Adventure Motorcycling series are solid starting points. Doing the groundwork will make life simpler on the road; you’ll spend less time troubling over details to enjoy yourself.

Rimming the incredible vista, ice-capped glaciers thrust up like filed teeth, their spiny points raking the bottom of the clouds. Incredible! We thrive on this type of adventure, endlessly rugged and a little dangerous, and share our successes and failures. We live at large, and the thrill of motorcycling together has made our lives tender and raw, tough but euphoric, and inextricably linked. (Huascarán National Park, Peru) (Jason Spafford/)

Tip 2. Drawing a Line

Before you begin pinning down dates and places, research destinations. Take notes, talk to those who have done exactly what you’d like to do. Get a notion for what sounds like your bag of fun. Make a wish list of what you want to see and do, and get a good map. Things often take longer than anticipated. Plan for that. You know roughly where you’re going. You’ve acquired the latest guidebooks, an enviable map collection, Google search terms, and buddies who’ve been there before. The criteria used to select potential destinations will make your research more effective. However, be prepared to change your best-laid plans. Ultimately, it’s your adventure; make your own decisions to create your own experiences along the way.

Related: Top 15 Motorcycle Tips For Street Riding Safety

The power of three was not lost on Jason while installing stator number three at the back of Napa to attempt Death Valley yet again. Third time lucky, as they say. (Lone Pine, California) (Jason Spafford/)

Tip 3. Common Sense

Avoid treating published materials as gospel; from experience, I can say they aren’t always accurate and can be outdated the minute they’re published. Try to verify information with more than one source. Consider language barriers, safety, political situations, and the climate of a region before delving into specific areas. An invaluable stream of the latest destination intel can be drawn from fellow travelers en route, so make friends with them, plus the locals. Local knowledge is king. Most folks relish swapping stories and sharing the lowdown.

We’d encountered snow, sun, and sand in the space of a week, but this place was a slice of Argentina I could dine out on for months. We’ve fallen for constantly changing horizons, whether we’re standing in a colony of gentoo penguins on the Antarctic Peninsula, or watching humpbacks bubble-net feed beneath us, or seeing Mount Fitz Roy in Patagonia fade in our rearview mirrors. It’s an endless loop of sunrises and sunsets, of nights spent under skies ablaze with stars. Tension trickles from our bodies, leaving us as light as dandelion seeds. (Patagonia, Argentina) (Jason Spafford/)

Tip 4. Shiny Stickers ‘n’ Stamps

Becoming conversant on visa requirements is advisable before departure, as stipulations vary significantly. Considerations include visa types, single or multiple entries, waivers and extensions, expiration dates, and maximum stays. Your local consulate or destination’s embassy should be a reliable resource. Is a Carnet de Passage (an international customs form allowing you to bring your motorcycle temporarily into a country) required for your destination country? Ask Uncle Google. I appreciate when visas can be issued online, though some require sending the travel document to an embassy. You’ll relish those visas issued at the border—e.g., those 60- to 90-day stays for South and Central America.

How fast is too fast? Dunno. Jase hasn’t worked it out yet. What I do know after our big moto trip is that “the joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon” (Chris McCandless). (Monument Valley, Arizona) (Jason Spafford/)

Tip 5. How Much Does a Big Trip Cost?

Astride our motorcycles through the Americas cost us far less than sitting on the sofa at home. Our annual mortgage cost alone was comparable to funding the ride from Argentina for 12 months. The amount depends on where you’re going, the terrain, and your bike choice. Much depends on whether you prefer traveling on a shoestring or lavish luxury. We budgeted $9,000 per person for a year through South America (excluding shipping and ad hoc excursions). South America cost us $50 per day combined, so we were basically on budget.

Five Saving Steps

Step 1: Set a savings goal. Write it down: dates, countries, a new language. Whatever’s important to you.

Step 2: Figure out what it costs. See others’ financial reports at SM Boiler Works and Atlas Rider. You need to consider shipping/flights, gas, food, motorcycle maintenance, accommodation, transport, entertainment, insurance, borders/visas/permits, costs from back home, and factor in a hidden expenditure buffer.

Step 3: Have a stiff drink.

Step 4: Make a plan. Take the months until departure and divide by how much money you’ll require.

Step 5: Make it happen.

Vast open spaces like the ones found in Alaska largely comprise the reason why we ride—the uninhibited feeling of where an unscripted future may take you is unparalleled. The trip facilitated us to diversify the way we lived our life, aligning it to invite an evolving set of phenomenal firsts. (Dempster Highway, Alaska) (Jason Spafford/)

Tip 6. How Does the Average Person Afford It?

It may sound obvious but start saving early—at least a year. It took us more than two years. Manage nonnegotiable bills first, not last. Cut everything else. Financial literacy is king: realistic budgeting, smart banking with minimal fees, maximum interest earned, and consistent savings. Live below your means, eat in with friends as opposed to wining and dining out, and take frugal strides to distance yourself from the cycle of consumerism.

Side by side, I’ll remember our weeks in the Atacama Desert as cloudless, the air golden and pumped with a vulnerable excitement. There was a sense that having made it this far, I may not have touched the vanishing point, but it didn’t matter. It was just part of the way to something else. (Atacama Desert, Chile) (Jason Spafford/)

Tip 7. Keep It Sustainable

Affordability is key. Fortunately, hunting down campsites (iOverlander, Free Campsites), negotiating room rates (Horizons Unlimited, Adventure Rider), renting a room (Airbnb), home-sharing within the moto community (MotoStays), and couch-surfing (Couchsurfing) will reduce your daily spend. So will non-riding days, self-catering, and patronizing street food vendors.

Related: 20 Riding Tips From 20 Pro Motorcycle Racers

The grueling satisfaction of long days, side by side on motorcycles, can make or break a relationship. Life together on motorcycles is an extraordinary adventure, packed with more highs than lows, and every time I ride with my partner, Jason, I love him more—even the days I loathe him. He and I are almost five years into a two-wheeled story that’s still unfolding. (Alberta, Canada) (Jason Spafford/)

Tip 8. What to Bring

I wish I’d respected the “less is more” rule. Itemizing what you think you need versus what you actually need is a challenge. Go with the “trial and improvement” method. Seasoned moto-travelers have provided some savvy packing lists, e.g., CCG Adventures, PikiPikiOverland. Relax though, anything you forget can be procured or shipped in the field. Attempt to keep a third of your pannier space free. Good luck!

The bike’s wheels continued to crunch contentedly over compacted snow when there was a sudden clunk and crash of the motorcycle. Finally, the skidding came to a halt, and I stopped in a heap with my bike. The sky had gone gray as wool. Beset with a shoulder that had taken a beating, I didn’t exactly spring to my feet as much as I wanted to, if not just to defend the sanctity of my pride. Regaining some equanimity and resuming my happy-go-lucky air would take longer. (The Yukon, Canada) (Jason Spafford/)

Tip 9. Resource Bank

Humbly reach out when you’re on the road. Connect with friends and relations along the way (social media, The Outbound app). In addition to savings or a passive income, why not work while traveling, volunteer for free digs (WWOOF, Grassroots Volunteering, Workaway), or work remotely (Fiverr, Freelancer, Upwork)—allowing you to extend your trip duration. Check out Open-Explorers—around-the-world trip with “2 wheels, 1 world, 0 money.”

Just like the road to get there, our pleasure-drenched memories of the Americas calcified, and we experienced it feeling we’d blossomed many friendships, forged intoxicating new ones, and deposited in the Good Times Bank. (Purmamarca, Argentina) (Jason Spafford/)

Tip 10. Stepping off the Rat Wheel

Great if your employer gives you a sabbatical. If not and you tender your resignation, plan to start a new job when you return home—the end of a trip might not seem half as sweet otherwise. After the trip concludes, you’ll work again and claw your way back up. Learn how to save money initially, and then you can do it again. After the trip and some time at home, you will bridge the financial gap left by not working. Believe me when I say it’s worth it. We hope to see you out there!

By journeying into the unknown and coping with all its capricious twists and turns, we had come out the other end better for it. So far, we’d been gifted with countless pleasurable experiences mingled with the odd misadventure thrown in for good measure. We could carry all we needed on the back of two motorcycles, which, wonderfully, excluded all those unnecessary societal burdens. We were done with those. (Bagdad, Arizona) (Jason Spafford/)

With 80,000 miles clocked on the odometer since docking our container ship into Uruguay, I’d stopped seeing our trip as an extended holiday. Our ride had become a way of life for Jason and me. It enabled us to stop trying to matter; it made us ready to simply live. (Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah) (Jason Spafford/)

Source: MotorCyclistOnline.com