Hey Reddit! My name is Paolo. I'm 37yo and 3 years ago i quit my IT job in Australia and started travelling solo on my motorcycle. I haven't stop since. I spent a year roughly, going all around Australia and then i shipped my motorcycle to South America and started riding up from there. I recently reached Alaska and came back to Vancouver, so now i'm planning my route towards Europe and across Asia to reach Australia again, to complete my round the world trip. I post one picture a day. All my pictures are taken with my cellphone but I carry a drone as well.

I've also been sponsored by some brands that sell motorcycle gear and equipment. I do NOT get paid to travel and i've been sustaining myself just with my savings, accumulated with few years of work.

Before I left for this trip, I always wondered how people that did these kind of things (travelling for long periods of time) were actually able to do it. So, here i am, hopefully answering some question and making myself useful in this sense for others that may have the same questions i had, before i started my journey.

AmA!

Riding with: KTM 1190 adventure 2014 model.

Social media Ig: www.instagram.com/paolocattaneophoto

Fb: www.facebook.com/paolocattaneoofficial

Yt: www.youtube.com/paolocattaneo

Proof: https://www.reddit.com/user/paolo_0/comments/9g4cmq/proof/?utm_source=reddit-android

EDIT: OMG! you guys are amazing! Thanks for all the nice questions. I'll try to answer to all of you. Some of them are redundant so if i don't answer is because there's already something similar out there.

EDIT 2: I'm overwhelmed by all the interesting questions and nice words i ve received. Going to bed now. I ll come back tomorrow to answer some more! THANK YOU ALL!

EDIT 3: I'm still trying to answer all of the questions. I ll take a break now but continue on tonight. THANKS A LOT FOR ALL YOUR ENQUIRIES! Over a 1000 ! Doing my best to reply to all of you.

EDIT 4: OK!!!! THAT'S IT FOR NOW! Thank you soooooo much for all the questions and the beautiful words of encouragement and support. It s truly remarkable to see how many people would want to travel and explore our fabulous planet. Also thanks to all the haters that took time to stop and say hi and ask irrelevant or silly questions. You make the internet the most interesting place ever and you are confirming us, with your unnecessary behaviour, that we are doing the right thing.

Hopefully i ll meet some of you on the road and make sure you follow my instagram to see where I am at. Drop me a line if you see me passing through. Happy to share few stories and a chat.

Cheers!!

Comments: 1238 • Responses: 64  • Date: 

RedditxVerified445 karma

What are your avg monthly expenses and how do you afford them?

paolo_0587 karma

It's hard to pinpoint a fixed amount per month. Some months you have to bike tyres for your bike and parts and some others you don't travel much long distance so you spend very little even on gas. Averagely i would say, considering the way i travel and the motorcycle i have, i spend an average of $600 USD a month

7eight0299 karma

What country or region would you say had the best overall riding conditions( considering road quality/ scenery/ weather)?

paolo_0734 karma

Ecuador is one of the most underestimated countries in the world. Top roads (paved and unpaved), top sceneries, top food, top people. Loved it.

The-Neverhood252 karma

Can confirm. I'm Ecuadorian and I'm glad I found your YouTube video about your experience in my country. Thanks for portraying Ecuador from this awesome perspective!

Around the world on a motorcycle - Ecuador.

paolo_0137 karma

Mate, your country is gorgeous. Seriously! I loved it. Thank you very very much.

aspiring_scientist9763 karma

Hey man I'm also from Ecuador and it fills nice that my little country got some recognition, thank you. If you happen to be in Ecuador at the same time I'm visiting I will gladly invite you to a ceviche!

paolo_059 karma

Ceviche de camaron! Omg!!! 😍 with pleasure mate!

Archangelo80260 karma

Its great you are able to live out your dream. What plans do you have after you complete it?

paolo_0316 karma

I still don't know yet. It's hard to plan ahead when you live constantly in the moment. Most likely i will go back to Australia and live there. Hopefully i will still be able to work/collaborate with motorcycle tour companies or somehow in the motorcycle industry.

Kwetla159 karma

I bet you'll find it really hard to go back. I find it hard coming home after a two week holiday, cant imagine trying to re-integrate after a 4+ year trip away...

paolo_0244 karma

That, my friend, is the hardest part of the trip

gay_eggroll244 karma

Best meal you have had on the road? Nicest view? Do you worry about the safety of all that biking?

Thanks!

paolo_0350 karma

Best meal i had was a ceviche (fresh seafood) meal in Mexico. I still remember the taste of it.

Nicest view...hard to say. Definitely Peru offers some dramatic viewpoints. The Andes are amazing. I always managed to park my bike at night inside the hostels premise, so it was alright. During the day, not so much i have to say. A bit of common sense though is always useful in these situations.

StuNpLxy224 karma

How much clothing do you travel with and do you have cooking supplies or do you just hope you run into a restaurant?

paolo_0576 karma

I have 6 tshirts, 1 pair of shorts, 1 pair of jeans, 2 sweatshirts, 1 swimsuit, 1 pair of shoes, 1 flipflops, 1 hat, 2 gloves (winter and summer), neckwarmer and riding gear (jacket, pants, boots). I have a cooking set that costed me $10. A burner and fork, knife and spoon. No restaurants mate.

bluepenonmydesk209 karma

Do you ever worry that you have sacrificed too much of your future for the sake of the present?

paolo_0404 karma

Good question. There are a lot of sacrifices involved in this journey of mine, that are superficially invisible at the eyes of the observers. But if I feel that it's the right thing to do, from the inside, i believe that there will be no regrets and definitely nothing to worry about i the future.

All i have, after all, is my present.

fingerfunk200 karma

I heard that that the stars at night look really wild in parts of Australia. Was this your experience and/or do you pay attention to them in general?

paolo_0331 karma

I've never seen starry nights so beautiful than certain parts of Auatralia. It s simply mindblowing. I wish i had more pictures of it but if you go a bit back in time on my instagram, there are a couple of night shots. Here in northern canada i ve seen some amazing sky. And so in the north part of Chile and in some areas of Mexico.

I love the stars. It makes me feel so humble just looking at those!

Coofoe152 karma

What is the closest you came to death in Australia?

paolo_0586 karma

I decided to go for a swim in a nice natural pool with a waterfall. People were reluctant to jump in though. After getting out of the water, i climbed up the top of the fall and looked down...just to see that there were lots of Brown Snakes swimming in the water. (Brown snakes are some of the most venomous snakes in the world).

That was a close one.

GardenerInAWar142 karma

I feel like the reason for these AMA'S is to ask about the trip itself, but the reason most people cant and dont do these types of things is money. How much did you have saved before this, how much have you spent over the last couple years, and have you had any sort of income while doing this? What will you be coming back home to when you are done?

paolo_0227 karma

Check below. I ve answered to this in some other posts. Anyway, i ve seen people travelling with no money. I ve seen people crossing countries simply walking, on bicycles, hitchhiking. The idea that you need to be super rich to travel is a misconception derived from the fact that when you go on vacation you spend a lot of money. When your life becomes travelling, everything changes form and the expenditures are different.

JPDiddle122 karma

How many miles are on your bike? What kind of bike are you riding?

paolo_0204 karma

So far, i have ridden 81000 miles (130000 km). I ride a KTM 1190 Adventure 2014 model

Ebelinga82 karma

How is the bike working out? Would you chose it again if given the opportunity?

paolo_0167 karma

I would definitely choose my motorcycle again. Just no electronic suspensions next time. Hard to fix those on the road.

alex8773121 karma

how do you manage social life and relationships if any?

paolo_0218 karma

Good question. It s hard to manage friendships. You constantly moving and constantly meeting new people. It is very sad when you have to leave sometimes because you may have met a nice enviroment to be in and some great new friends. But luckily with social media and telecommunication nowadays, we never really loose touch with our dears.

It is hard indeed sometimes to constantly stay by yourself. It is a choice though, so i m happy to be perpetuate this status in return of the freedom of travelling unconditionally.

Neknoh95 karma

You've already answered the questions I was curious about, but for the heck of it:

Do you use Tinder or other dating apps on your trips? A profile like yours would garner quite a bit of attention I'd imagine.

paolo_0165 karma

I've used Tinder. Mostly because i don t go out to bars anymore and at night much in general. So if you hang out in hostels it s hard to find local people.

Said that, my profile is actually not that appealing because clearly i'm a guy that will leave soon or soon enough. Girls especially tend not to like this kind of thing, so most of the times it's an unsuccessful tool to meet local people.

Thankfully enough, the motorcycle itself attracts a lot of attention, simply passing through a location. It s easy to chat with people then, generally curious about your story and the places you came from, approch you and start a conversation automatically.

monsieurpommefrites47 karma

How many times did you have a little dalliance with a local girl?

I’m pretty sure there are SOME women out there who find Italian travelers on motorcycles interesting.

paolo_094 karma

The stereotypes are always out there. I do meet some women which were definitely fascinated by my background but that is not what i seek to find in people i potentially decide to get intimate with.

Images are deceiving.

monsieurpommefrites9 karma

Well said. You’re not looking for superficiality either, is that what you mean?

paolo_065 karma

I mean that beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. Personality plays a big role for me in a woman. Looks are deceiving sometimes and i m not entirely fond of those solely anymore.

There are a lot of beautiful but very shallow people out there. What s the point of share intimacy with a person that is not aware of her own existance or consciousness?

I guess i became very picky with age.

kiteloopy75 karma

I hear USA immigration are a right PITA for trips like this. Any immigration paperwork tips for anyone planning the same? (Or any other paperwork involved)

paolo_0128 karma

Certain passports are luckier than others. There's a good guide on wikipedia actually about what s required to enter specific countries.

Just google "visa requirements for xxx citizens" where xxx is your country.

I had no problems with any of the borders i had to cross so far.

kugkfokj71 karma

Ciao Paolo, un saluto da un altro italiano!

I know you probably get asked this a lot but the most interesting details to me are:

  • How much do you spend on average a month? Is travelling by motorcycle making travelling more or less expensive?
  • If you don't mind my asking, how much saving you had when you decided to start this journey?
  • What's the most beautiful experience you lived in these past years?

paolo_0110 karma

Ciao !! 😊

Averagely is $600 usd a month. Motorcycle travelling makes it more fun, more affordable sometimes and definitely more flexible. I believe overally it s the fastest and best way to travel, in terms of cost/effectiveness-effort

I saved 40k. Not a millionaire as you can see.

Riding the carretera austral, in the south of chile in autumn, was one of the most beautiful rides of my life.

paolo_015 karma

Ciao !! 😊

Averagely is $600 usd a month. Motorcycle travellimg makes it more fun, more affordable sometimes and definitely more flexible. I believe overally it s the fastest and best way to travel, in terms of cost/effectiveness-effort

I saved 40k

Riding the carretera austral, in the south of chile in autumn, was one of the most beautiful rides of my life.

GoldenFalls50 karma

What's trying to keep up hygeine like when you're constantly on the road? Have there been times where you didn't have access to showers/washing for a long period of time? What about laundry?

paolo_0134 karma

When you travel in hot areas a shower (and a cold beer) are almost a necessity at the end of a long day of riding. Sometimes showers are replaced with rivers, natural pools, oceans and/or wet wipes.

I ve managed to not shower for a week. Recently actually. But it was so cold that i was actually mainaining a decent appearance and odor regardless.

yoloGolf50 karma

How much did you save to do this? Do you feel like you saved enough, too much, or not enough?

paolo_0123 karma

So this is the "top asked question" ever. I mean, i ve been asked this so many times and it is indeed a plausible question because the first obstacle people think there is to overcome when doing something like this is MONEY. Well, let me tell you "the secret" then, because at the same time i thought about the same question when i was looking at those guys roaming around the world for years. "They must be millionaires!" I thought to myself. Faaaaar from the truth.

Ok, maybe there are some millionaires travellers out there but this is not my case.

Let me go in order. 1) i didn't "save up" for this...because you actually can't possibly know how much a trip around the world would cost you, beforehand. 2) i come from a mid-low class family and before moving to Australia i actually had debts to pay off. 3) i worked for 5 years straight. No drinking, no smoking (i was quite a consumer beforehand), no useless shopping, no girlfriend (in my case one of the causes of expenditures). No money wasting basically for unnecessary things. 4) i saved up something like 40k in 5 years. 5) living in sydney was way more expensive than travelling on a motorcycle (free camping and eating once a day saves you a lot of money in the long run) 6) i eat once a day (breakfast plus one meal in the late afternoon) 7) if i will run out of money i will start selling my stuff and/or find a job.

So i calculated that AVERAGELY i spend $600 a month, which means that sometimes you spend 1000 and some others you spend 400.

If you think about how much you spend per month, just to live where you are...between bills, food and other stuff, you may as well be on the road too. 😉

Islanduniverse50 karma

I eat once a day (breakfast plus one meal in the late afternoon)

So, twice a day?

paolo_032 karma

My breakfast is basically a coffee and a bowl of a oatmeal. So yeah. Twice a day.

Tlupa47 karma

Do you find time to eat healthy and exercise?

paolo_0124 karma

This is the hardest part of the trip. Eating healthy is very important for me but travelling on a motorcycle doesn't allow me sometimes to carry large amounts of fresh produce or store enough quantities of good/perishable food. When riding in remote places i carry canned veggies and dry food. When in towns, i go to supermarkets and local markets. The cheapes the better. I try to do 100 pushups and a 100 situps a day at least, but i fail sometimes. Some other times i go for runs. I usually exercise in public parks and use public facilities

RadianChoi46 karma

What do you miss most about living a “conventional” life? Assuming at one point you did.

paolo_0101 karma

I miss exercising and have clean food. But with a bit of efford you can have this too while travelling. Oh, and also, soft towels after showering ;)

princeapalia44 karma

I had a look on your instagram and saw that you wild camp a lot? Is this how you sleep most nights? I often wild camp when I go bicycle touring and it's sometimes tricky to find a spot in the more populated areas, so I can imagine it must be even harder with a motorbike!

paolo_075 karma

In USA and Canada i ve mostly wild camped. It s great. Lots of locations. It is quite easy and most of the times, if you avoid weekends or big locations, you are by yourself. With a bicycle is slightly more complicated because you can t cover big distances. So if a spot is busy, you may be stuck there. But i can easily do 100km in like 1 hour and change district. But yes, bicycles are surely more "invisible"

L-Carnitin17 karma

Did you look up potential camping locations at the beginning of every day? How about having a shower every, let's say, two days?

Actually I can't imagine wild camping beeing a good option in the EU. Most areas have a much much higher population density compared to US/CAN. I would worry that somebody comes by and annoys me, or calls authorities because wild camping is forbidden. How do you think about that?

paolo_042 karma

Europe is a different ball game for sure. Spaces are more limited but i m certain there are some camping oportunities there too. I also rely on couchsurfing and kindness of other people/travellers that are willing to host me.

I check camping locations every day with some app available out there like iOverlander, camping.net or wikicamp

gogoALLthegadgets36 karma

I’m interested in doing a US tour after my kids graduate.

What’s been your biggest, “I’m so fucked,” moment?

paolo_0115 karma

US has great riding locations. I highly recommend it!! I had many "i'm f*cked moments". One in particular when i almost fell into a canyon in Peru, loosing control of the front wheel, riding downhill at speed on an incredibly sketchy road. I had to turn off the bike and sit down for a second, because my legs were shaking.

Second place, different scenario, when i accidentally rode into a favela (slums) in Brasil.

Russ1313ell25 karma

Anything particularly scary happen in the slums

paolo_028 karma

No, nothing happened, but 2 weeks before i arrived in Rio, they shot two italian guys on a motorcycle that entered a favela in Rio so it was kind of messed up because of that. The favela people thought they were police.

k3nd0gg33 karma

Do you have a significant other? If not, what is the single life like on the road?

paolo_077 karma

No, i'm single. I have been single for the past 10 years. I'm used to it now so, travelling or not travelling, it's the way i live now. How else could you experience freedom otherwise?

paolo_028 karma

It mostly depend on how much time do you have and what do you like. The true beauty of Australia lies in its most remote regions like the Kimberly and the northern territory. Although there are plenty of options. If you want a good alternative vacation, compared to the usuals, fly to perth, indulge yourself in some good wine and surf in margaret river, then fly up to Ningaloo reef, then drive up to Broome and fly to the horizontal falls. It will cost you a fortune but it s worth it.

On the east coast you can fly in sydney (opera house and sfuff) then fly to melbourne and do the great ocean road. Then fly to tasmania. Awesome.

aadnalon24 karma

How long does it take for the motorcycle to arrive in South America once you ship it? What do you do in the meantime?

paolo_029 karma

From Sydney Australia it took 2 months and a half to arrive in Valparaiso, Chile. I flew home to Italy.

Bored_Office_Girl21 karma

How many languages do you speak?

paolo_056 karma

I speak italian, english, Spanish, a bit of portuguese (portuĂąol) and a bit of french.

nlamber520 karma

How many times have you been pulled over by a cop and why?

paolo_069 karma

I ve been pulled over several times. Most of the times to check on my papers. Sometimes i got pulled over by dodgy cops looking to get some "tip". Having a gopro recording on your helmet, always does the magic. 😉

Bloodypjur18 karma

Hello mate. How many times did you have to sleep outside? Do you stay in hotels/motels or do you have a tent with you? Stay safe

paolo_034 karma

I mostly stayed in Hostels in south and central america, mostly because they are cheap enough and provide safety for my bike at night. In Australia, USA and Canada i mostly FREE camped. i have a tent

carolathome12 karma

Did you ever follow Raymond Stoppelenberg (letmestayforaday.com) who hitchhiked around the world by catching rides and setting up where to sleep days ahead on his route? People would follow his posts and offer a night and meals and a ride to the next town or hitchhike spot. Practically travelling free.

paolo_016 karma

This is the perfect answer for all the questions "how much money do you need to travel around the world?" I do not know him but i m going to follow him.

DougButdorf18 karma

Are you independently wealthy? How else could you finance this adventure?

paolo_030 karma

I m living out of my own savings, yes. Far from being wealthy mate. Far from it. I just worked and saved up a bit.

Pathfinder06515 karma

Great to know you are pursuing your dreams, traveling is simply amazing and fulfilling!

I am just about to do my motorbike license exam and what scares me the most are the bike accidents I hear about. Did you have any crash during these trips? And what are the difficulties of spending so many hours riding?

Thanks for the AmA!

paolo_045 karma

I m glad to hear there will be a new biker on the road soon. I ve been riding motorcycle for 30 years. I started very early.

In the motorcycling world we tend to say:"There are only two types of bikers: the ones that came off the bike and the ones that will come off the bike".

So don't worry. It will eventually happen. It s part of the drill. I've come off my bike countless times. That s how you learn your and your bike limitations. Best recommendation i could give you is this: Never be too confident on a bike.

Always ride 20% less than your maximum. It s not a race. Have fun.

Good luck with your exam.

kbouser13 karma

What did you learn about yourself on this trip that you did not know before?

paolo_028 karma

Good question. After the first part of my trip i faced basically myself in a mirror. I left from Sydney and came back after 8 months of exploration. The funny part was that i only realised at the end that what really changed and what i truly explored was actually myself.

I faced who i was and what i became. I had incredible feelings and moments of deep sadness for realizing certain aspects about my life. My life paradigms shifted completely.

That s why i decided to embark in my round the world trip...to find out more about myself and to seek for some answers that i believe were crucial for my existance.

actual_SAVAGE12 karma

Yoooo! Did you ride up through Alberta? Specifically Calgary? Bike had a license plate out of Chili????

paolo_023 karma

At the moment i am in Vancouver. I haven t been in Alberta yet. The license plate is from Australia since i bought the motorcycle there.

actual_SAVAGE12 karma

Awwwww man. Haha i saw a dude on a bike with a tag out of Chili few months back. Thought it might if been you. That would be dope...

On a scale of 1 - 10 (10 being the worst) How sore is your butt!?

paolo_027 karma

I had to draw a line with a marker to actually see where is the middle of my bottom! Ahah 10, mate....10.

__xor__11 karma

Any tips for other motorcyclists with less experience, such as staying safe and what you think the most dangerous things to watch out for are, things that might not be too obvious and talked about?

Are there any weather/road conditions you refuse to ride in? Do you ride in the rain, or would you hunker down and let it pass?

I guess I've been riding regularly for 2 years now but I'm still fighting anxiety of the freeway after a crash a year ago. I didn't notice some mud, took a spill, broke a bone but it got me more psychological than physically. Kinda fucks with me just thinking that there's one little thing I won't notice and I'll eat it on the freeway, but I love riding so I go often just not on the freeway much. Just every time I get on the freeway and feel wind whipping at me I just start thinking about how easy it would be to crash and start getting anxious and it just stresses me out. Really hoping to get over it soon because I want to go on road trips.

paolo_018 karma

I refuse to ride in deep mud because i don t have proper tyres and my bike is an elephant. And i m also by myself so i most of the times have to get myself out of troubles alone. It s hard when your companion is a 300kg piece of metal.

Trust me that your latest crash is the best "safety belt" you could ever have while riding. It reminds you of the dangers and keeps you on your toes. Never loose that. That will keep you away from another crash. Eventually the love for motorcycle riding will overwhelm the fear of crashing so you ll ride like you used to in no time. Enjoy your ride, mate.

Obtusus9 karma

Greetings from Brazil. You mentioned in one of your posts that wandering into a favela was a "I'm f'd" moment for you. So, which places you've visited in Brazil and what is your overall opinion of the country?

paolo_024 karma

Oh mate...i can talk for hours about Brasil ! Brasil is without a doubt one of the richest countries in south america. It s so vast that it could be a continent itself. Said this, there are lots of things going on internally in the country, socially, politically and economically, that also make it one of the most complicated nations in south america. When i reached Belem, a guy took me inside the favela, with the bike. It was crazy. Then i ended up in a favela in Natal also. That wasn t too bad. Then i rode in a couple of favelas in Salvador de Bahia and those were not so good. Luckily somebody helped me to get out. Nothing happens in there. It s just not the best place to be if you are riding a giant motorcycle.

In Brasil i entered from corumbà (mgds) and went to Bonito, at the door of Pantanal. What a place!! A-mazing. Then i rode to Goiania, pirenopolis, Brasilia, chapada do viadeiros, jalapao (oh my god!!!), Palmas, Belem, San Luis, Lençois Maranhenses, Jericoacoara, Fortaleza, Natal, praia da pipa, Maceio, Salvador, itacarè, puerto seguro, mina gerais, diamantina.. estrada real..ouro preto...petropolis, rio, maresias, floripa, serra do rio rastro and fo do iguazu.

3 months. 15000km irmao.

A dream. What a country you guys have!!!

Gregory857 karma

Hello Paolo. Have you been in Suriname? How did you reach North-America from South-America?

paolo_017 karma

I haven't been to Suriname unfortunately. I went from Bogota, colombia, to Panama city with an airplane. No roads reluctantly in the Darien gap.

TheSwaglord186 karma

If you could have any Motorcycle for free to tour the world which one would you choose?

paolo_013 karma

I would choose mine. But no electronic shocks.

Firebirdapache5 karma

Is there anything you really miss from home that you cant get on your travels?

paolo_012 karma

No. Luxury for me now is not related to have or not having objects to make my living better. I have everything i need with me and what i need is very little. I gain happiness from the things i see and the experiences i have. And obviously from the sensation of being free.

DRACOSAPIEN5 karma

Very cool.

Tell us about who is the most interesting / odd / funny character or experience you've met in your travels that stands out to you, and conversely, the most sketchy / scary person or dangerous situation that stands out?

& ty for your ama

paolo_014 karma

I have to say that the most badass character i ve ever met was Greg. He crossed Australia horizontally from east to west and back on a Honda CT110cc. No visor. No padding in his helmet, no socks, no equipment. Just a milk crate strapped at the back of his postie bike (the bike used by postmen in Australia) with a jerry can of fuel and one of water. A swag rolled up at the back and that s it. The man has 4 bypasses in his heart and he smokes and drink beer like a champ. He was the most mind blowing character i ve met so far. The motorcycle version of mr crocodile dundee.

The scadiest person i ve met were in Mexico. Members of the drug cartel. Very nice with me but i could tell that they weren t real estate agents or bankers. They actually kept my bike safe while i was in Cuba. Best (and safest) motorcycle parking ever!

iliketoswimwithnemo4 karma

what was something you saw on your trip that scared you the most?

paolo_023 karma

I didn t see anything super scary. But i did have a couple of creepy moments. Slept in an ex mental institute, inside one of the cells, during s stormy night in Tasmania. It did look like the set of an horror movie.

gobanana874 karma

Have you been able to cultivate any flings while travelling solo?

paolo_08 karma

Hard not to

dog-pussy3 karma

How many flats have you had to repair so far?

paolo_06 karma

Luckily just 3. I have tubeless so it s not a big deal at all.

nebsiemanym2 karma

Hey Paolo ever since I discovered your insta I've been a big fan!

Any advice on someone going into computer science to eventually save up with the dream of doing what you're doing?

paolo_03 karma

Thank you for your support mate. Appreciate it. You don't need to work in IT to make money. You have to do what you love to do...and save up. Make some sacrifices and save up some money.

Or learn how to make apps. That will certainly help. 😁

sanseiryu2 karma

Will you be avoiding areas that could be considered hostile to western travelers? I recently attended a wedding and the mother of murdered American bicyclist Lauren Geoghegan was there. ISIS claimed responsibility for the murders and attack. This happened in Tajikistan this past summer. Good luck to you on your journey.

paolo_08 karma

I went through El Salvador, Nicaragua, Colombia, Brasil and a lot of other "complicated" countries. Didn't have any problems. Things like assaults and murders happen everywhere. No country is excluded. I don't believe that people who travel, do it with the fear that they are going to be killed because of their ethnicity or country of origin. Sometimes it does happen. But i m positive that if you ask to any traveller you will get the same answer: people are generally good and willing to help, as far as you show respect. Doesn't matter if you are from somewhere else.

xclaireypopsx2 karma

Boring question but...Have you had any issues with visas?

I would love to do an extended tour but have been put off by the bureaucracy.

paolo_013 karma

I have an Australian passport. Most of the countries i ve been through do NOT require to request visas prior to your arrival. Also USA doesn't require the ESTA if you are coming in by land. Just showed up at the border and being let in really. The motorcycle usually gets the same time you are allowed in the country.

Platypus_Sunset1 karma

Jealous. As someone with a WR250R who’s only done multiweek off-road adventures and dreams of multiyear(!) do you have any regrets about the bike you chose?

paolo_04 karma

No but i have to admit that the hondas 250 are the perfect machines for offroad adventure. With mine you need to be ready to workout a lot.

AraEnzeru1 karma

What was your favourite and/or the most fun stretch of road to ride on?

paolo_02 karma

For the way i ride, Carretera Austral in Patagonia is the most incredible road ever. For fun, the road from Cusco to Ica is the most amazing stretch of road for turns and sand riding, through Paracas national Park.

coffeefueledKM1 karma

This sounds incredible! Kudos for the courage and spirit to keep going! Do you have plans to visit the UK while in Europe? Specifically Scotland is out the way a bit but ridiculous scenes!

Wishing you safety and success friend :)

paolo_02 karma

I m coming your way next spring. Planning on doing ireland and england first. So yeah, scotland is on the list!!

iridociclytus1 karma

Scariest moment traveling?

paolo_02 karma

I had to drive out from La Paz in Bolivia during an "exicting" civil protest. Police had to remove dirt and rocks that have been thrown on the road by protesters. While i was riding out, in between people i head several gunshots...so i took off like a rocket out on the highway. Sketchy.

Pathfinder0651 karma

Where are you from? Australia? Or did you move there for the IT job?

paolo_011 karma

I'm originally from Italy. I moved to Australia in 2010 because of the sun, beaches and working conditions. I did have a job in Italy before i moved there, and i quit it. I didn't have a job when i moved to Australia.