Winding Wheels – Let go of the plan, 40.000 kilometers criss cross through Africa

With the departure date set for early spring 2020, we planned and prepped our journey from our hometown in The Netherlands to Cape Town in South Africa. Then COVID hit. At first, we hoped to just wait out the storm at home. In September 2020 we realized waiting wouldn’t solve things. We decided to just go south and see what happens. We aimed for Morocco.

The border with Mauritania was still closed at the time, but we hoped that by the time we would get there, the situation would change. The opposite is what happened. Right after we entered Morocco, the country shut all its borders and we found ourselves trapped. With the freedom of wandering around through the deserts and mountains of Morocco, we cannot think of a better place to be locked in during the COVID-pandamic.

Finally Morocco opened its borders again. With Europe, not with its neighbouring African countries. After six months we decided to go back to Europe. Not to go back home, but to keep on travelling. We loaded our bikes onto a container in Rotterdam bound for Cape Town. A new chapter started, when we hit the start buttons of our bikes a couple of weeks later in South Africa. Open borders and new countries to explore, right in front of us.

Although not much is certain these days, there is one thing we know for sure. From here, the only way is up!
Photo by wetzlosweltwaerts
Photo by wetzlosweltwaerts
Photo by wetzlosweltwaerts
Photo by wetzlosweltwaerts
Photo by wetzlosweltwaerts

Joshua Steinberg & Joana Breitbart – Sudan: Desert of humanity

Photo by Wetzlosweltwaerts

As we embark on our two-year journey primarily across the African continent, we find ourselves trapped in Sudan with the turmoil of Ethiopia's civil war under our noses and Covid's restrictions at our backs.

Stranded amidst the arid, inhospitable steppe of the Sudan-Ethiopia-South Sudan triangle, we encounter a bubbling fountain of humanity that carries us on its waves through the difficulties ahead.

Overwhelmed by the unspeakable hospitality we received and by the complexity of the contexts we were allowed to immerse ourselves in, we now feel the urge to pass on what we experienced.

The time spent in the barren desert state of Sudan, which for travellers is more of an obstacle than a highlight, surpasses in its emotional intensity all past experiences of our third, 24-month journey so far.

Photo by wetzlosweltwaerts
Photo by wetzlosweltwaerts
Photo by wetzlosweltwaerts
Photo by wetzlosweltwaerts
Photo by wetzlosweltwaerts

Violeta Ivanova – Holy Moto – Solo RTW on a Harley

Violeta Ivanova - Holy Moto

Violetta from Varna, Bulgaria, a.k.a Holy Moto rides around the world solo on a Harley Davidson Fat Bob called Boris. Phychologist, human recourse manager, entrepreneur, mom of two daughters, passionate rider, president of WIMA Bulgaria, Ladies of Harley Officer and a so much more!

Violetta started her RTW adventure in April 2019. Until April 2022 she travelled together with her beloved Boris through Asia, Australia, New Zealand and South America. Along the way she was faced with an accident in India, floods in Thailand and Peru, bush fires in Australia and a lockdown in Colombia. But most of all she had an amazing time everywhere, meeting incredible people from all over the world.

Violeta will be telling us about travelling solo as a woman on a Harley Davidson? Because, Why not?

Violeta Ivanova - Holy Moto

Facebook: Holymotorbike

Instagram: Holymoto_rwt

Blog: holymotorbike.com

Violeta Ivanova - Holy Moto
Violeta Ivanova - Holy Moto
Violeta Ivanova - Holy Moto
Violeta Ivanova - Holy Moto
Violeta Ivanova - Holy Moto

Martin Brucker – On the way home (part 2)

From Ushuaia in Argentina up to Dead Horse in Alaska and after crossing to Russia, Mongolia and Central Asia back to Germany -  Part 2 of a ride 6 1/2 years 'on the way home'.

Martin  travelled from 2010 to  2016 around the world on his trusty BMW G650 Xchallenge. He covered more than 255.000km crossing 70 countries "On The Way" home to the Black Forest in Germany.

Martin is back at DO2021 to talk about the second part of his trip From Ushuaia in Argentina, he takes you all the way up through the Americas and Cuba to Dead Horse in Alaska. He tells about the winter in Vancouver, shipping to Russia, the trip through Mongolia and the ride through the Stans back to Germany.

Along the road, Martin had to deal with some obstacles. He dislocated his shoulder, he lost half of a tooth, he had some clutch problems and had to replace his cam chain.

Website: Auf-dem-weg

Facebook : Martin Bruckner

Adventurism – How to come up with Plan D

Overlanding is problem solving every day. Some problems are easy, where to buy food, where to sleep? Others are more difficult. Where to get a fresh stack of dollars, or how do you get across a difficult border? Somehow, we were pretty unlucky on our trip through Africa and I will use some of our adventures as examples of how we got out of some precarious situations. Hold your breath, because it is going to be a bumpy ride!

YouTube: Adventurism
Instagram: @adventurism.life
Website: adventurism.tv

Caterina Triolo – Where is your husband?

During her 7-month trip, Cate traveled from Mongolia to Germany on her CRF250L. She had never before driven her motorbike on gravel, doubted that such a journey would even be possible without any technical knowledge and, as a newbie to motorcycle riding, she immediately started her journey in the Gobi desert in Mongolia.

She soon discovered her biggest off -road enemy: Sand. As you might have guessed: she learned to ride off-road the hard way, or rather: in 42 falls.

Her journey brought her through 'the Stans', up the Pamir Highway to 4655m and through Iran. Women are not allowed to ride a motorbike there. Foreigners are an exception. She experienced great hospitality and curiosity, never rejection.

In Turkey she had an accident with a digger and broke her leg. She was brought back to Germany and her joyful travel life was cut short. But the dream of completing the journey continued.

A year later, she left again. In Switzerland she picked up her travel buddy and together they rode the Romanian part of the Trans European Trail (TET). Her tires barely touched the ground more than her handlebars. But this time she reached Germany on 2 wheels, finally.

Ulla & Bernd – Aimlessly on the road – Ziellos Unterwegs

Ulla and Bernd had not camped in 30 years and had never before considered a motorcycle trip - Ulla did not even have a motorcycle license - when they saw the travel presentation of an acquaintance. They became so fascinated and inspired that they decided to go out on their own adventure.

A motorcycle license, 13 months, 37,000 km and 21 countries later, they have just returned home to Germany. Get inspired by their story and their experiences!

Lien De Ruyck – Sønderling Vøyage

Lien De Ruyck - Sønderling Vøyage

3 months, 3 companions, 3 motorcycles, 3 continents, 3 oceans, 30,000 km ... At the end of May, Lien De Ruyck started her Sønderling Vøyage with 2 traveling companions: a cross-continental ride eastwards from Brussels to New York. Straight through the former Soviet Union, Russia, Mongolia, Korea, Canada and the USA.

What started jokingly at a bar in Mechelen more than a year ago turned out to be serious. They could take on the world on the minuscule map of a pocket diary. With a thousand kilometers per millimeter, borders and thresholds seemed relative. The group barely knew each other when they left, but they share the same roaring passion for motorbikes. It became a journey and a social experiment, with 'Amor Mundi' as the slogan.

A presentation that you don't want to miss at Discover Overland!

Facebook : Lien De Ruyck

Instagram: @lienderuyck

Website: Sonderling.be

Polarsteps: Around the world with @Sonderling

 

Tim Hewitt – Small displacement – big continent

On a whim in December 2018 Tim and his partner Lea decided to visit a friend in South America, with no idea where he was living. Turns out he's about as far south as possible. There's only one good solution: buy a couple of 150cc Hondas and hit the road.

What can you expect to see in this presentation? Patagonia, the Andes, endless pampa, insane trails, no license, salt water bike baths in Bolivia, broken bones, border bribes and how to buy a motorcycle in Chile.

Facebook : Tim Hewitt