Expedition preparation
Added on Thursday, July 8th, 2010 by Carole Nash Editor
Expedition preparation
In his exclusive biking blog Charley Boorman tells us all about preparations for his latest trip - biking all the way from Cape Town to Victoria Falls. He’s also giving all you bikers out there some top tips on how to prepare for a big road trip, so join Charley on his next big adventure by following his latest blogs.
This August / September I’m leading a whole bunch of bikers on an incredible trip from Cape Town to Victoria Falls. The trip heads north from the Cape, along the coast before heading inland through Namibia and east along the Caprivi Strip, finishing at the ‘Smoke that Thunders’ - the iconic Victoria Falls.
Covering over 5000 kilometers, we will see some of the very best that the Dark Continent has to offer - beautiful landscapes and incredible wildlife - experiences that dreams are made of.
But how do you embark on such a trip? Especially if you’ve never ridden this type of terrain before, or travelled in Africa. Well, in the next few blogs I’m going to highlight some of the key points along the way and hopefully show that some common sense steps, along with a ‘can do’ attitude will get you ready for action! Remember, some of your best memories will be the result of things going wrong!! So keep cool and run with it - knowing that you are truly ‘living’ and you will have stories to tell on your return! An added bonus is that the whole experience starts the minute you decide to do the trip - research, planning, maps, kit etc. so enjoy it - phase one! I remember how exciting it was sitting with Ewan and drawing across maps and opening boxes of new kit - wow, it’s a real adventure and we’re living it!
Having decided on your target country and route, you need to research research and more research. Simple questions: What will the weather be like - and what effect will this have on the tracks and roads? What Visa’s are required and are there ‘extra’ taxes on the boarders? What about local customs and rules of the road - and never forget local holidays and the effect they may have on your trip eg. Ramadan.
So, way before bike preparation and riding skills, there’s a whole host of stuff to get familiar with. Like eating an elephant - lets break it down to smaller manageable junks (though being honest I’ve never actually eaten an elephant!):
Pre Trip Prep:
Route, Weather, Customs/Rules, Visas, Insurance and repatriation, Medication, Documentation and Technology
Riding and Bike Prep:
The Bike and Tyres, Clothing, Accessories, Off Road Riding, Roadside Maintenance, Fuel, Spares, Money and corruption
When you’re doing a TV series, all the above becomes a massive project - and yes, it can include a fair number of people - as your objective is a well planned and hopefully entertaining TV show. However, as an individual or small group, it doesn’t have to be so complicated. Enjoying the planning is essential - don’t let it become a chore - step back from it and remind yourself what you’re doing. You’re breaking out of the mould and going off into the unknown - yeee haaa!
Join me on my blog next time where we’ll go through the Trip and Bike Prep piece by piece. Believe me, when I tell you, I’ve seen it go wrong - and that’s where the key lessons are!
Cheers
Charley Boorman July 2010
www.charleyboorman.com
