When you travel long distance - will you travel fast or slow?

"It's about the journey, not the destination". This is a great quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson that definitely has some ring to it. But I guess I'm the type of person that really likes setting a goal, or in this case a destination. Right now, my goal is to ride to Alaska. I'm trying to see and experience as much as I can along the way, but I like keeping a destination in mind. Something to aim for. Knowing that I'm getting closer to that goal, each kilometer that I ride my motorcycle, makes me feel happier and more excited. Every single kilometer, no matter how exciting or boring, is an accomplishment. Not having a goal makes me feel like I’m aimlessly riding around. 

Sometimes, I do make detours where I end up riding 180 degrees in the opposite direction of my goal. And I've realized that I'm okay with that, but only for a limited amount of time. As soon as I'm heading in the 'right' direction again, it instantly gives me that feeling of excitement again. 

Fast or slow traveler

People travel differently. My best friend likes to travel slow, she spends months in one country, or even in one place to really get to know it. Others like to visit the same area for a few weeks every year again. Some try to set a record and circumnavigate the world as fast as they can. I think I am somewhere in between, but definitely on the 'fast travel' side of the spectrum. And I've been a fast traveler for as long as I can remember. The name 'Itchy boots' doesn't come from anywhere. I have always had itchy feet, a never ending wanderlust. When I was backpacking around the world, many years ago, I would stay two nights, maybe three, in one place at the most, and then I'd move on. Always hungry for the next adventure. Always wondering what is around the next corner. And well, not much has changed since then, except that I now travel on a motorcycle.

Often I think, I'm tired, I'm going to spend a week in this place to rest and enjoy it. But after one day, I miss riding my motorcycle. And after a day or two, that restless feeling starts to kick in. Riding my motorcycle all day, while moving closer towards my goal, simply makes me the happiest. Staying in one place doesn't. 

Nevertheless, I receive complaints that I travel too fast and miss out on a lot of great things. They often come from those living in the country that I have traveled through. I realize that even though the way I travel makes perfect sense to me, it may not be for others. I think it might be a good idea to share with you my considerations regarding the choices I have to make when it comes to long distance, long term travel. How I make the most of it while running a YouTube channel at the same time. And things to consider when you are thinking of doing something similar. 

Seasons to travel

One of the most important things to consider when you are doing a long-distance journey, like from Patagonia to Alaska, are the seasons. Unless you want to convert your motorcycle into a snowmobile, both Patagonia and Alaska are off-limits for most of the year. Alaska especially. There is only a brief window of about two months in which you can ride a motorcycle without freezing your limbs off or plowing through meters of snow. For Patagonia, it's a similar story. That means, that if you want to ride Patagonia in the summer, and you also want to be in Alaska during summertime, you'll either have to ride all the Americas in 6 months ór 1,5 years. Extending your trip for a few months just isn’t possible in this case. If you want to slow down, it means your journey will have to be a full year longer. And let's not forget that Canada, and large parts of the USA have long winters too. 

Besides escaping winter, I've also had to escape rainy seasons. Southern Africa or Central America are good examples of where it's important to keep an eye on the season that you are in. Riding every day in the pouring rain gets old very quickly. Roads can become impassable, there may be floods, your stuff starts smelling and won't get dry, and forget about trying to make videos of your travels when it pours with rain all the time. It's just not fun. Make sure to get out of there in time!

Permits

Sometimes, the authorities of a country will determine the length of your stay in that country for you. It can happen that you are only granted a short visa, or even only a transit visa, and that will determine how fast you will be moving through that country. For Turkmenistan, for example, I got a short transit visa, and they even told me exactly which route I had to follow. I wasn't allowed to stray off that route or spend more time in the country traveling independently. On top of that, you'll have to enter the country at a specific date in cases like these too, which determines how fast you will be traveling through the previous country. 

Since the pandemic, many countries have specific Covid rules. You often have to register online before you are allowed to cross the border and in the case of Nicaragua, you'll have to register a week in advance and cross on the date that you've selected. In my case, I had some technical issues and the combination of those issues and the border requirements resulted in seeing less of Costa Rica than I had planned.

Technical problems 

Traveling with your own vehicle, like a motorcycle, means that you are going to spend a lot of your time looking after your machine. From experience, I know that it's not always easy to plan maintenance at exactly the correct mileage when you are constantly moving and riding in foreign countries. Depending on the motorcycle that you ride, it can also be a huge mission to find spare parts exactly when you need them. And if you want to travel light, you simply can't carry too many parts with you. 

In Season 1, I spent months carrying around a spare front tire and a spare rear tire because I worried I wouldn't be able to find the right tire. It was once, but never again, that I would carry all that extra weight around for thousands of kilometers! On the other hand, all the time you spend riding around searching for workshops, making phone calls, or doing detours to find a good motorcycle mechanic, you can't spend it on sightseeing. 

Running a YouTube Channel 

I choose to make my travel videos while I am on the road. Another option is that I would complete my Patagonia - Alaska journey first, and then edit and release the videos. But I enjoy sharing my experiences with you and taking everybody with me while I am on the road myself. The downside is that I spend more than 50% of my time in a country, sitting in guesthouse rooms behind my computer, editing my videos. Fifty percent of the time! Imagine how much more I could see and experience if I wouldn't be creating videos, but then I wouldn’t be able to make a living like this either.

Always leave something for next time

It's okay not to have ridden every road and seen every sight. I think you should always leave something for next time! Now that I am riding through Central America, I'm glad that ten years ago, when I backpacked here, I was also a fast traveler. That means that I have left enough places unvisited, which I am now thoroughly enjoying in round two. And I'll make sure, there will be enough left to see and do, in order to come back for another time. Maybe in another ten years!  

The most important thing to keep in mind, whether you are a slow traveler or a fast traveler, is to find the right pace of traveling that works best for you. A pace that makes you happy and enjoying your journey to the max!