Charley Boorman has traversed deserts, crossed continents and explored almost every corner of the globe from the seat of a motorcycle, but his advice for anyone who dreams of embarking on a truly epic journey is pretty simple:
"Pick a date and stick to it. We all have busy lives and the world can't possibly survive without us. That's bullsh*t! Take that step - go just down the road or go 1 000 miles."
This, along with keeping a journal and taking lots of photos to remember every moment, is what has enabled the legendary biker to dream up and execute some of the grandest journeys of our time.
Need we even remind you about the absolute epicness of the documentary series Long Way Round (and later Long Way Down) he undertook with Ewan McGregor?!
Catching him just before setting off on his next adventure, a 16-day, 5 000km trip through Southern Africa - from Cape Town to Vic Falls and back again - we got to chat to Charley about the 'softer' side of his travelling life.
See what he had to say about essential travel items, dream destinations and memorable moments:
1. What are the items you would never hit the road without? Why?
Baby wipes are the traveller's essentials... Either that or grow your own Aloe Vera on the back of your bike! It's probably the only luxury that can slip into a jacket pocket and costs a couple of dollars!
The other item is my jambox - it's a bluetooth music player that connects with your phone - has a great loud bass sound and lets you feel home from home with your music - oh yes - music too! Have to have music, it calms the soul..
(www.charleyboorman.com)
2. You’ve been to pretty much every distant corner of the earth, but where is the one destination you’re still dreaming of exploring?
I'm pretty excited about a potential visit to China. We all know that their economy is so strong now and they have a presence in every country in the world commercially.
Due to that the country is opening up more, so its seems like a great opportunity to get out there and find out more about the country and the people, the culture. Yes, itching to get to China..
3. If you had to pick a single memorable moment from long way round/long way down, what would it be?
I think as we arrived in New York and we'd had two amazing emotions hitting us at the same time. We were elated that we'd done it, we'd ridden from London to New York while at the same time we had the sadness that it was all over. It was a strange feeling - sort of confused and very emotionally charged. I can still get goose bumps when i think about it now...
(www.charleyboorman.com)
4. What is it about the road that keeps calling you back?
Well you know its not really the road... Its the places and the people who you meet.The world is such a welcoming place. Ignore all the 24x7 news about death and destruction.
If we listened to that we'd never leave our front gardens. Everywhere I go around the world I meet lovely friendly people. The number of times you ever have a negative experience are minuscule - we all want the same things in life, a nice place to live, education for our kids and a job etc, the world is full of like minded people. Its the politicians who often mess it up!
Of course, being on a bike - with just you and the view... Its a great way to think, to ponder the world... You cant beat travelling on a motorbike...
(www.charleyboorman.com)
5. We’ve heard rumours about you opening a restaurant – could you maybe tell us a bit more?
I have a great friend called Dare Jennings, he runs a lifestyle international brand called Deus Ex Machina. Check him out on the interweb! Along with the retro bikes and clothing, he sells fantastic food. That model, that cool style is what I'm thinking of recreating - food, clothes and bikes...
Not necessarily in that order. Retro cafe racer style bikes are beautiful.
A good designer can create some awesome casual clothes and a talented chef can make a lunch into a banquet. Put them all together and that's a great product - that's the plan.
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