How wrong could I be? Once upon a time, I assumed that everyone who embarked on any sort of adventure must be born to it, have adventure embossed on their DNA, and start off with no qualms that they would cope with everything in front of them. I now know that, just like me, they are often quivering like jelly at the prospect. Not only are these motorcycle travellers up for doing it, they are brave enough to write about their fears, their depression, and, like me, to admit that the way they are handling personal matters needs some serious thought.
I thought this might be a serious self-help book, but quickly realised that it is a thrilling story where the author has no opportunity for too much reflection on his problems.
With his motorcycle, Canadian Jeremy travelled to nearly 30 countries while, by his own admission, managing to do at least one outrageously stupid thing in every one. I laughed at the way he described how he evaded police in Egypt, tasted teargas in Israel, scrambled through minefields in Bosnia and Lebanon, and wrangled a venomous snake in Austria.
Did his chosen therapy help him? Read the book to find out!
Jeremy Kroeker has travelled to nearly 30 countries with his motorcycle and done at least one outrageously stupid thing in every one. One October he rode from Canada to Panama in an attempt to flee the pain of a broken relationship. Motorcycle Therapy–A Canadian Adventure in Central America rumbles with comic adventure as two men, fleeing failed relationships, test the limits of their motorcycles and their friendship. Join the horn-honking, signal-flashing, wheeliepopping pair as they endure painful bee stings, painful snakebites and (when they talk to girls) painful humiliation.
I was very frustrated by Christian's indecision and over-preparation that dogged headway to the start of his trip.
Once he eventually gets going, he recognises his personal unseen walls that had hemmed him in for years as he travels through Africa. I was relieved to read of his progress as he breaks through these walls as Africa unfolds and both challenges and charms him.
His journey helps him to build a trusting and healing relationship with his motorbike that I entirely identify with.
Christian Brix set out to ride his motorbike from London to Cape Town in late 2016. It did not go to plan. As he travelled 18,000 miles across parts of West Africa, Southern Africa and East Africa he learned many difficult lessons about the continent and himself, but it was not the trip he had hoped to make. Some adventurers boast of the more gung-ho aspects of their journeys or seek to take overly glamorised pictures for their Instagram profile. But there are a few who honestly chart the underside; the fear, the doubts, and the confusion. On the surface,…
Reduce stress, ease anxiety, and increase inner peace—one day at a time—with a year of easy-to-follow mindfulness meditation techniques.
Certified mindfulness teacher, bestselling author, ultramarathoner, wife, and dog-mom Nita Sweeney shares mindfulness meditation practices to help anyone break free from worry and self-judgment.
In 1982, aged 23, heartbroken Elspeth packed in her course in architecture, packed camping equipment and tools, and set off to ride around the world. Unlike myself, who learnt how my Royal Enfield Bullet worked as I went along, she dismantled and rebuilt her BMW motorcycle before she left London.
During the two and a half years she was away, she survived serious illnesses, crashes, corrupt police, brutal crashes, and assault. Despite all these mishaps, the book is full of uplifting stories and describes the surprising results upon her return.
In 1982, at the age of just twenty-three and halfway through her architecture studies, Elspeth Beard left her family and friends in London and set off on a 35,000-mile solo adventure around the world on her 1974 BMW R60/6.
Reeling from a recent breakup and with only limited savings from her pub job, a tent, a few clothes and some tools, all packed on the back of her bike, she was determined to prove herself. She had ridden bikes since her teens and was well travelled. But nothing could prepare her for what lay ahead.
I have travelled extensively in India so was fascinated to read about a part of the country I had not visited.
The author, travelling solo, used a locally sourced dirt bike for the 2,000-mile journey to traverse the unforgiving Himalayan terrain in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. Whilst meeting lamas, shamans, and opium farmers, she encounters alarming myths and rituals.
I found it fascinating to read about this remote region, but also to learn that Antonia was on her own personal journey and how she pushed bravely through severe anxiety and fears with great spirit and humour.
**SHORTLISTED FOR ADVENTURE TRAVEL BOOK OF THE YEAR, 2018 EDWARD STANFORD AWARD**
A thrilling and dangerous adventure through Arunachal Pradesh, one of the world's least explored places.
'A fabulously thrilling journey through a beguiling land' Joanna Lumley
'With tremendous verve and determination Antonia plunges through an extraordinary world. Thank heavens she survived to tell this vivid and thoughtful tale' Ted Simon, author of Jupiter's Travels
'A tale of delight and exuberance - and one I'd thoroughly recommend. Bolingbroke-Kent proves a great travelling companion - compassionate, spirited and with a sharp eye for human oddity' Benedict Allen, author of Edge of…
Reduce stress, ease anxiety, and increase inner peace—one day at a time—with a year of easy-to-follow mindfulness meditation techniques.
Certified mindfulness teacher, bestselling author, ultramarathoner, wife, and dog-mom Nita Sweeney shares mindfulness meditation practices to help anyone break free from worry and self-judgment.
Whilst there is no mention of motorcycle travel in this book (and I have read it three times now), it finally provided the key to the quest I didn't even know I was on during my own ongoing motorcycle travel history.
Why did my relationships fail? Why was I so restless? When I recognised myself within the pages, I didn't know whether it was a huge relief or whether I had been hit by a truck! Gratitude doesn't begin to cover it.
Is someone else's problem your problem? If, like so many others, you've lost sight of your own life in the drama of tending to someone else's, you may be codependent--and you may find yourself in this book.
The healing touchstone of millions, this modern classic by one of America's best-loved and most inspirational authors holds the key to understanding codependency and to unlocking its stultifying hold on your life.
With instructive life stories, personal reflections, exercises, and self-tests, Codependent No More is a simple, straightforward, readable map of the perplexing world of codependency--charting the path to freedom and a lifetime…
Who spends the night in a stranger’s tent in a random Bulgarian field—only to learn he’s a wanted criminal? Who hands over her beloved Royal Enfield Bullet 500 to a Moroccan lad with a pretty donkey while she rides a camel into the Sahara for her birthday? Who finds herself at a Cuban wedding, dodging potholes in a dodgy Chinese sidecar rig—before stumbling into a Rolling Stones concert in Havana? That would be Jacqui.
In On the Road Again, Jacqui takes us along for another unforgettable ride—this time across Montenegro, Cuba, Australia, Germany, Greece, and many places besides—on her loyal Royal Enfield motorbike. Whether navigating mountain passes, foreign languages, or unsuitable relationships, Jacqui’s wit, grit, and unshakable sense of adventure make this a motorcycle travel book like no other.
