Trip Preparation

Preparation is the key to a spontaneous adventure.

The dream was to go camping during the trip. So with 2 weeks to go I assembled my tent, sleeping bag Swedish army stove, meths and some food, pretty soon I realised the bike would be piled up with kit, that's not how I wanted to ride, so I made the decision no camping, it would have to be hotels all the way.

The problem is you want the security of a decent hotel at a sensible price, but you don't want to be tied down to a schedule or even a route. So do you book in advance or just turn up late in a strange town and expect to find a clean room and not get ripped off.

Advance Purchases (1 week to go)

1. Got my tickets for the Brno MotoGP directly from the track website.
2. Booked Euro tunnel tickets
3. www.ebookers.com for an overnight stop in Frankfurt, got a 4 star hotel inc breakfast for £25
4. Getting a hotel anywhere near Brno at a sensible price proved more difficult, it was simply a matter of searching the internet and sending a few emails directly for prices. Eventually found a place just south of the city.

Having not done much long distance touring before I thought it would be a good idea to met the experts for any tips, luckily Horizons Unlimited were holding their annual UK meeting in June the same weekend as the Donnington MotoGP and only a few miles away so I did both events over the weekend. Horizons Unlimited are a group of long distance bikers and a great source of information.