With so many unanswered questions about motorcycle travel, we strive to keep you informed, and ready to enjoy their next great motorcycle adventure trip, we furnish customers of RIDE Adventures with this 12-page guide that you can download for FREE!
While travelers of all types (bus, airplane, rental car or other) can benefit from the information in this free download, in the spirit of RIDE Adventures, we've of course "geared" this document toward motorcycle travel. Whether you're heading out on a South American adventure, across the Asian continent, or going to any of these places for the 2nd time, this information is meant to help you save time, money, headaches and hassles so you can focus on enjoying your trip instead of getting sidetracked with issues. Some examples from within are:
ATM's (Cash Machine's) - If an ATM is not working after your first 2 attempts, be careful about trying a 3rd time! Instead, find another machine and avoid the possibility that the card will be kept by the machine for security reasons. Always opt for the ATM that does not require full mechanical insertion of your card (use one that is “swipe” only if possible.) Of course, always make sure no one else sees your PIN number when using ATMs.
MAPS - Your rental probably already includes a local map with your motorcycle, but don’t count on finding more or “better” maps once you’re on your way! Purchase maps ahead of time (if you don’t feel your provided map will be sufficient) because finding maps in foreign countries might be much more of a challenge than you might think.
ENCOUNTERS WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT - It sure is an unfortunate topic, and one that we’d rather not have to think about. In certain countries however, you’re bound to come across the occasional police officer that will fabricate an excuse for why you owe them money. This is less likely to happen if you’re with a group, and almost completely unheard of if your group is lead by an organized tour operator from the area. (Followed by a 3-part explanation of how to handle these situations.)
Again, international motorcycle travel can be intimidating for people who have never ventured out across oceans or borders before, so we're trying to make it easy for you! While many of us have this impression of certain continents or countries as being inherently dangerous, the truth is: People the world over are generally good & helpful, and you almost have to be looking for trouble or extremely unlucky to get caught up in bad situations.
Take a look at travel statistics to country like Mexico for example where, in recent years, drug cartel violence has reached all-time highs with death tolls and decapitations being reported regularly. Despite all this unfortunate violence, did you know that 22.7 million foreign travelers arrived and traveled safely in Mexico in 2011? (Source: Bank of Mexico) Especially since all the drug cartel violence is known to be concentrated amongst those involved, it's safe to say, you'd have to be extremely unlucky or looking for trouble in order to find it there. As people will always joke: With odds like that, if you find trouble...make sure to play the lottery the same day!
We hope you find this information we're offering a valuable tool both before and during your international motorcycle travels. Warning though: Experiencing beautiful countries like Mexico, Ecuador, or the Dominican Republic can be addictive though! Once received by the warm and friendly people and discovering just how gorgeous these countries are, your impressions of such destinations will be changed forever and you're likely to want to keep traveling! That's okay though...we're here to help.
