On Yer Bike!
Since the cat has gone, there is an absence in the house. Neither of us wanted to stay, so we threw some stuff together and went to visit my sister in Wales.
John has been felled by the flu, so the bikes had to stay in the garage. For the past two evenings we’ve been sitting by the fire, watching motorcycle DVDs while the wind howled outside and the rain lashed against the windows. I think my sis and her husband are gearing up for the big one. I mean, that Scotland trip in the summer, an up-coming trip to Spain and two successive evenings of watching DVDs about planning a bike trip around the world?
The time for it has never been better. Bikers are now where backpackers were twenty years ago, yet they have all the resources at hand and there is plenty of precedent. But go now. Don’t delay until the movement gets so big that hordes of bikers swarm down every dirt road, shattering the peace. Even the challenging routes are getting old. Imagine having to queue to get through the Darièn Gap. I’ve seen it happen with diving.
That’s not the worst. Whereas insurers have relaxed about diving and gap year travel, they are likely to harden their stance when it comes to biking. Nobody in their right mind would offer standard cover for this kind of travel once it becomes common, given the high percentage of riders who need repatriation after having accidents (and taking it for granted!). It’s already hard for somebody of my age to find insurance. If I want a reputable company to cover me for longer than 90 days, I have to shop around carefully (there are plenty of companies who are happy to take my money but leave me high and dry when it matters!). Add biking to the equation and within a few years from now—if not sooner—you can forget it, even if you’re prepared to pay ten times the premium.
So go now. Don’t delay.
Tags: Biking, Motorcycling, Travel, Tag Index
Denni