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How to Afford a Motorcycle Trip Around the World
Jun
If there’s one question I’ve heard more than any other, it’s, “How can these around-the-world motorcyclists take off for months or years without needing to work?”
Are they all independently wealthy? Does Instagram pay them to be influencers? Do they have trust funds? Pensions? Or some other income stream that’s out of reach for most ordinary people?
Budgeting for Long-Term Travel
While some motorcyclists have retirement funds, rental properties, or other guaranteed income sources, and there are certainly a few lucky ones earning some money as influencers, long-term travel is still completely achievable even if you don’t have those setups in life. However, be warned: sacrifices will be necessary.
Using my life as an example, I didn’t have any of these advantages. I grew up with a single mom, four siblings, and an absent, drug-addicted father in a rundown area of Los Angeles. I couldn’t afford college, so I went straight to work after high school, testing video games for barely more than minimum wage. I worked long hours, saving every penny I could. A decade later, I was living alone with a motorcycle in my shared garage, earning up to $55,000 a year.
It might not seem like a baller job to most, especially not in Los Angeles, but from my perspective, I was doing better than I ever knew possible. So, I was able to save thousands of dollars at a rate of a few hundred dollars a month. I never took on any debt, bought old vehicles I could afford outright, and avoided drinking, partying, or dining out. Budgeting was an obsessive part of my life due to my upbringing. I always had to choose between what I wanted and what I needed.
For me, racing or riding my motorcycle almost always won over lavish vacations, the newest gadgets, fancier cars, or more organic products. So, when I lost my job and found myself staring at a map and my Yamaha FZ-07, it became my once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to blow my savings on the trip of a lifetime.
And that’s it. That’s my secret. No debt and saving money. Crazy, right? But that’s as complicated as it gets.
My First Trip
I saved about $30,000 over a decade, which took me—and eventually a partner—through 49 states in the U.S., 32 states in Mexico, three provinces in Canada, and all the way down to the bottom of Panama and back over about two years.
To live on the road full-time, I gave up my apartment and returned at the end of my savings, scrambling for work and living out of my tent until I could afford an apartment again. It was extremely stressful, but it was a worthwhile trade-off. This is one of those sacrifices you have to be ready to handle.
Working on the Road
I’m a fan of the go-all-in-without-a-plan approach, but sometimes you can also work while traveling. I’m a writer. I’ve written and recorded several books now, both nonfiction and fiction, and my book sales have helped alleviate the financial burden of life on the road. I also freelance for magazines, which brings in small streams of income here and there. I wasn’t really a writer before my first trip, but I discovered I really enjoyed it during my travels.
So, what’s something you might enjoy and could do on the road? My partner did odd jobs like turning a wrench. I’ve met others who stopped to help with harvests or used websites like Workaway or AuPair, where you exchange labor for free accommodation and sometimes a small stipend. If you’re lucky enough to be a full-time digital nomad with a conventional job that allows you to work remotely, there’s no reason you can’t hunker down in one place during the week, saving your travel and exploration for weekends.
Costs on the Road
There are some expenses you can’t avoid. Fuel, for example, costs what it costs. I’ve paid anywhere from $2 a gallon to $8. Fortunately, motorcycles are generally fuel-efficient, so on a 200-mile day, I usually spend about $30 on fuel for my FZ-07. Food varies by country, but eating out at a restaurant can cost anywhere from $5 to $20. Picking up simple groceries like noodles, spinach, and canned sauce at a supermarket is often closer to the $5 to $10 range. I also travel with a handful of seasonings to liven up meals so they don’t get too boring.
For accommodation, if I can camp for free using BLM land or national forests when I’m in the U.S., that’s my go-to. If, for any reason, camping isn’t a good idea (say in foreign countries, bad weather, or a desperate need for a shower), depending on the country, the cheapest hotels or hostels are anywhere from $10 to $80 a night.
Thankfully, my bike requires little maintenance, but I always make sure to set aside money for consumable parts like sprockets or tires.
Realistically, total costs can average from $50 to $100 a day, depending on accommodation.
Travel Slowly
When I set out on my first trip, I was always on the move. Wake up with the sun, ride 300-400 miles, set up camp, repeat. I’d take a day to hike or sightsee here and there, but it wasn’t exactly relaxing.
Around the tenth month, though, packing up and moving every single day started to take a toll on my mental health, and I found myself wanting more breaks, staying longer in one place, getting to know some of these new people beyond introductory chit-chat, and experiencing each destination a bit more. If you’re not always on the move, you don’t buy gas every day. If you have a hostel with a kitchen, you can save a bit by cooking for yourself. If you have someone willing to let you stay with them for free for a while (Bunk-a-Biker can be a great resource), you can use some of that saved money for the touristy things you’ve always wanted to do.
It’s a constant give-and-take, but at least for me, I want to live on a tight budget without giving up everything. There’s a good balance between being frugal and still having fun, and it’s easy to get so caught up in saving money that you forget this journey is about more than just existing in different places in a blur of campsites and new faces. For example, I definitely blew a whole month’s budget learning to scuba dive in Belize. But what’s the point of going to places you’ve never been if you can’t do the things that make them special?
Whatever your circumstances, if traveling the world by motorcycle is something you truly, deeply desire, you’ll find a way to make it work. It’s not for the faint of heart, and it’s rarely easy, but the extra effort you put into affording it will make it all the more rewarding.
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How to Afford a Motorcycle Trip Around the World
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