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    Hit The Road: A Woman's Guide to Solo Motorcycle Touring
    Hit The Road: A Woman's Guide to Solo Motorcycle Touring
    Hit The Road: A Woman's Guide to Solo Motorcycle Touring
    Ebook203 pages2 hours

    Hit The Road: A Woman's Guide to Solo Motorcycle Touring

    By Tamela Rich

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    About this ebook

    Come for the Tips, Stay for the Stories.

    "Hit The Road: A Woman's Guide to Solo Motorcycle Touring" includes stories from Tamela Rich’s motorcycle travels, plus checklists, tips, and resources for anyone who wants to get the best out of a two-wheeled adventure.

    The book helps readers:
    1. Identify their Traveler Type
    2. Learn to plan the perfect itinerary for their Traveler Type
    3. Understand their fears and how to overcome them
    4. Choose personal safety devices and strategies best suited to them
    5. Learn money-saving tips that will let them spend more time on the road
    6. Prepare for travel by downloading checklists for packing, mechanical inspections, tools, and emergencies
    7. Understand what to do if something unwelcome happens on a trip
    8. Experience the joy of traveling solo without feeling lonely
    And much more...

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTamela Rich
    Release dateJan 31, 2018
    ISBN9780984047338
    Hit The Road: A Woman's Guide to Solo Motorcycle Touring

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      Book preview

      Hit The Road - Tamela Rich

      Part I

      Before You Hit The Road

      Chapter 1

      Solo Touring: Go Your Own Way

      We've all said it, I need to get away .

      Many people who say this—usually accompanied with a longing sigh—think about a pristine beach attended by a cabana boy, or a five-star spa in an exotic locale. Others start inspecting their camping gear and looking for outfitter recommendations, while still others fire up TripAdvisor looking for the best river cruises in their bucket-list destinations.

      I’m most likely to daydream about an experience that will leave me speckled with bug bits, and smeared with road grime.

      I began my love affair with the open road as a child, traveling with my family in the Vista Cruiser station wagon from Ohio to California every other summer for a family reunion. We traveled old Route 66 before the Interstate system diverted traffic and changed the physical and cultural landscapes forever. We faced a couple of days in the scalding desert both going to and coming from California—brutal in a car with vinyl seats and an underpowered air conditioner.

      We would stop in the middle of the day to get a breather doing something air conditioned, like browsing the Big Texan Steak Ranch's gift shop, which housed a rattlesnake in a glass terrarium to entertain tourists like us. The Big Texan is still famous for its 72-ounce ( 4.5 pound) steak, nicknamed The Texas King,  which you can eat for free if you can do it in one hour or less—along with a bread roll with butter, a baked potato, shrimp cocktail, and a salad. The pricing was probably different in my childhood, but today the meal costs $72—paid in advance and refunded to winners of the challenge.

      I recall the ceremonial nature of someone making a run at The Texas King. They would be led to a reserved dining table on a raised platform, accented with spotlights so that the entire dining room could watch the spectacle. The crowd gasped as a big slab of steer was brought to the table with a flourish. The discrete throw-up bucket situated beside the patron's chair was either a considerate touch or health department mandate.

      As I recall, the manager-cum-carnival barker recited the rules of the challenge, wished the patron good luck, then rang a big dinner bell to signal the start of the clock.

      Ah, America. Land of excess. Not only is our country blessed with diverse landscapes, the mix of cultures is unmatched anywhere else. Between the two, it’s no wonder road tripping is such a uniquely American pastime.

      By the time I reached high school, we had stopped taking our biennial treks. Not only were my siblings and I busy teenagers with summer plans of our own, the price of jet fuel and airline tickets meant my grandparents could fly back to see us instead. I lost touch with my aunt, uncle, and cousins—a sad byproduct of life in the fast lane.

      The shoulder-padded 1980's convinced me to dive into the corporate world with the rest of the Yuppies. I thought the good life was to be found in making piles of money. I started learning that climbing the corporate ladder becomes a life of its own that leaves little time for travel and exploration (of either the world or the soul).

      Then came 2007. The meltdown of my industrial cleaning company brought me to my knees, and to a moment of mid-life clarity. I needed to relaunch my life.

      Something deep inside told me that learning to ride a motorcycle was just what I needed to help me gain self-confidence and create a new story for myself. After so many years up in my head during my career, I think part of motorcycling's allure was its physicality.

      With three months to get the proper training, gear, and equipment, I took a solo motorcycle trip across 19 states in 40 days, alone with my thoughts as I rediscovered America.

      I'd experienced several failures in the six previous years and that road trip helped me redefine myself as a success. As a long-distance motorcyclist I had taken a risk that most people had warned me against—and prevailed. Most importantly, I had changed the way I thought of myself.

      There's nothing like life on the road.  I discovered the joys of planning an itinerary around a legendary piece of roadside kitsch, and grasped that perhaps the best way to learn history is by visiting heritage museums and interpretive sites along highways and in national parks instead of books and documentaries.

      I've noticed that many middle-aged women's motorcycle origins stories include similar motivations of relaunching life and rediscovering who they truly are. Instead of a failed business, it could be anything from a dissolved marriage or death of a parent, to empty-nest syndrome or retirement. A motorcycle is a good way to scratch a variety of itches.

      Research on women traveling solo

      research icon

      Whether you're a veteran solo traveler or someone who's feeling an urge to break away for a change of pace, there are plenty of other women out exploring the world.

      According to the George Washington University School of Business, nearly two-thirds of today's travelers are women. Many of them travel solo or exclusively with other women. The Travel Industry Association estimates that 32 million single women traveled at least once in the last year, and about a third of them travel five times or more.

      Not only do women like traveling more than men, but there are also economic and social forces behind our dominance in travel statistics. Many women have or had careers and are therefore more independent than previous generations, which might be why women whose spouses don't share their interests or vacation schedules are willing to go alone.

      Then again, some women just want to get away and clear their heads, and feel socially and economically empowered to do so.

      Women travel differently from the way men do, according to a story in the Boston Globe. Among other differences with men, including a desire for solo travel, women often want to include community service projects on our itineraries, and we can easily find like-minded travelers using social media. I found both friends and a social cause on Facebook prior to my first solo trip, joining a group of American and Canadian women who decorated their motorcycles in pink swag to raise money and awareness for breast cancer causes as we rode from our homes to the Conga Rally in Wyoming.

      Determine your Traveler Type

      Mona Lisa figure

      Your unique interests and motivations will help you plan all your trips—solo, and with others.

      Since a solo trip lets you cater exclusively to your own interests, I designed an interactive quiz to help you determine your Traveler Type. The quiz will give you two scores, the first for what’s important to you while traveling:

      • Altruists derive joy from serving others—at home as well as during their travels.

      • Cultural travelers enjoy arts and music festivals, gallery crawls and art museums.

      • Scholarly travelers enjoy learning about the world around them: cultures, history, flora and fauna, geology, and so forth.

      • Foodie travelers prioritize food and beverage experiences and tend to have experimental palates.

      • Nature travelers want plenty of time to explore the natural world.

      • Social travelers crave spending time with and meeting new people.

      A second score will place you on three continuums for how you like to travel:

      • Luxury or Budget Minded

      • Cautious or Adventurer

      • Structured or Flexible

      Whatever your reasons for traveling, make sure your trip(s) meet your needs. It is one thing to say you want some time alone, and another to fill your itinerary with rallies and family reunions because that's what you usually do on the road. The rest of Hit The Road is written around the assumption that you’ve determined your Traveler Type, so go ahead and do that now.

      Easing the Fears of those you love

      family in good hands icon

      I frequently hear the remark, "I'm surprised that your husband lets you travel by yourself." Thanks to the Motorcycle Industry Council's research I can report that 49% of women motorcyclists are married, so presumably, my marriage is not unique.

      My husband Matt doesn't ride a motorcycle and doesn't necessarily like that I ride one; what overrides his cautious nature is that he loves me and loves what motorcycle touring means to me. I do my bit by checking in by text once once or twice daily, or with a call at the end of the day when I have phone service. More about that later.

      Explain to your significant others what’s behind your desire to hit the road, otherwise you might spend your whole trip worrying about your relationship—a surefire way to suck the joy out of the experience.

      Many women prioritize relationships above all else, and if you’re one of them, a solo road trip might be cause to question your values, especially if you get pushback from those you love. The next section may be helpful in preparing you to talk to your loved ones.

      Your Turn

      Icon for Your Turn: piece of paper, pencil, light bulb

      To get the most out of this book, let's start with a couple of exercises designed to help you get to know yourself, your motivations, and your aspirations.

      1. What attracts you to the idea of a solo motorcycle tour? Maybe your reasons fall into these categories:

      I want a new challenge or experience.

      Self-care; I want to do something for myself.

      I want some time alone.

      I don't want to put my dreams off while I wait for someone to go with me.

      I want to go at my own pace, stop when and where I want to.

      I feel empowered when I'm out there on my own.

      I am tired of being with the same people/going the same places/doing the same things.

      If no one else wants to go, I'll go myself.

      2. Whatever your reasons, make sure your trip(s) meet your needs. It is one thing to say you want some time alone, and another to fill your itinerary with rallies and family reunions because that's what you usually do on the road. The rest of Hit The Road is written around the assumption that you’ve determined your Traveler Type, so go ahead and do that now.

      Pro Tips

      Hand making “okay” sign indicating Pro Tips

      Next time you develop an itinerary, check it against your Traveler Type to be sure you're getting plenty of what makes your heart sing.

      When planning to travel with a companion, ask that person to assess

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