Start simple with a Semi-Automatic Scooter

There are many ways to travel overland in any continent or country you are exploring, but there`s truly only one cool way to see any country, and that is by motorcycle. Forget the worries and fears that have been instilled in your since you were a kid about how you should never get on a two-wheeled deathtrap – as long as you`re confident in yourself and take things slowly you`ll be just fine and fit in the mass local populous that also rides bikes from the age of about 14.

Northern Thailand

There`s just really nothing quite like feeling the wind whisk through your beard as you bend and lean into turns, recognizing which pavement offers the best grip, and downshifting gears as you feel the landscape grow and decline. It`s a complete sense of freedom that you simply can`t achieve booking a bus or a train. As much as you can look outside the window in either case, you likely will only catch glimpses and will try and sleep for about 50% of the ride. Not only that but you`ll be on the packaged route with about 20 other travellers doing the same thing, stopping at the same rest stop and continuing on to the same destination. Having a motorcycle is a way to break the tourist trap and feel subjectively connected to the region you`re travelling.

Hanging out with new friends in a ‘decent’ location!

You can pull over whenever you feel like, check out a waterfall you saw a sign for, meet a friendly group of locals who aren`t used to seeing westerners on bikes, and enjoy the subtle joy that comes with truly feeling the road you`re driving on. Not only is it an amazing way to see a country, but you`ll find yourself lost in your thoughts as you drive alone with stunning scenery all around you – often times brewing over places you`ve been and things you seen, or just letting you mind take you wherever it pleases.

What bus is going to find this road?

Everyone goes through the same dilemma. “Should I ride a bike?” with thoughts that you’ve never done it before, you don’t know what the bikes are like here, and you are simply afraid of the road. Although you might be a little nervous on your first few twists of the road, after 5-minutes you’ll feel quite comfortable on your new ride, and after half a day you’ll be ready to rip it around the country. Also, most of what you’ll rent for a day or so are fully-automatic “twist & go’s” that’ll never stall on you and only max out at about 125cc’s (which isn’t very powerful), and don’t pester you with any shifting. As your experience grows you’ll learn the benefits of having the control of your gears, especially in places with lots of hills and valleys. In any warm or even slightly cooler climates there truly is no better way to get off the beaten track and explore the smaller parts of the country you’re travelling.