Holidays & Touring

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This Page is for general Motorcycle Touring Information, equipment, pannier systems, books, reference sites for information...

See separate pages for 'Motorcycle Tour Operators in the UK', 'Tour Operators in Europe' and 'Motorcycle Tour Operators in the rest of the World'.

Getting wired? Here's articles on Motorcycle SatNav using a PDA and Installing a Camera System on a motorcycle.

Best Biking Roads in Europe. Start dreaming of this year's motorcycle touring now.

And here is an article what we wrote as a First Timers guide to Motorcycle Touring if you have never done it before.

NEW REGULATIONS

Despite rumours on some sites, you do not need to carry a flourescent safety vest in case of breakdown in Belgium and France. In a car, you do, and you must wear it if you break down by the roadside. Actually, that's true for most of Europe. It doesn't seem to apply to motorcycles, though it might be worth sticking a day-glo bib with your tools just in case.

STOP PRESS

Have you heard the recent proposals for France?  Compulsory Day-Glo.  Bikes over 7 years old banned from cities....  More here: http://www.mag-uk.org/
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Auto Europe (actually the whole World)
Car hire. Yep, you need to get from the airport to the wherever you are going. Its a bugger to find who hires cars in Utter BeyondLand. These guys know loads of local and international car hire
Auto Europe (actually the wh​ole World)
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Flexicover
Travel Insurance with more cover options than most policies. Multi-trip per year. Long stay for those longer trips. Comprehensive cover for everything from medical emergency and repatriation to
Flexicover
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Gear-Zone
Good for Outdoor Kit. Tents, sleeping bags, torches, plates and wee stoves. Waterproofs, stuff sacks and dri-bags.
Gear-Zone
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Wall Maps
Wall Maps of France, Italy, Germany, Spain, ...all EU countries. Or define your own area and they'll print it. Various world wall maps. All Printed, laminated, or with hanging-it-up things,...
Wall Maps
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2 Ride The World
Simon & Lisa Thomas riding round the world.
2 Ride The World
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Adventure Motorcycle
Dedicated to overland travel by motorbike. Travel stories, touring news, bike reviews, forum.....
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Adventure Motorcycle
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Adventure Rider
Bulletin board / Forum for ...Adventure Riders.
Adventure Rider
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Adventurers Workshop
Big range of Adventure Touring stuff, mostly for newer bikes, BMW GS, KTM Adventurer, etc. US based, but will ship.
Adventurers Workshop
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Alpentourer
Excellent site about Alpine Touring. Passes, hotels, places, ... Good information (some in German).
Alpentourer
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AlpineRoads
Alpine Passes listed, wee maps to locate them, places of interest, etc. Also Dolomites. List of where the nearest dealer is for when you break down. Top Pass recommendations. A must-read if you are
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AlpineRoads
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Alpiraid
Italian bikers who like the Alps. Good information on less well-known and off-road routes.
Alpiraid
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Arold Reinders
Arold's trip from The Netherlands to South Africa on an old Yamaha XT500
Arold Reinders
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Baja GPS Guidebook
Want to ride the Baja Peninsula, with a full set of GPS waypoints and routes. Here it is.
Baja GPS Guidebook
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Bente Bråthen & Dag Jenssen
Married couple from Norway, dedicated to travelling. Most of Spain, a lot of Norway, and North and South America. Also photo galleries from other destinations.
Bente Bråthen & Dag Jenssen
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Bernd Tesch
Professional Motorcycle Adventurer, Motorcycle-Travel-Expert, author, publisher, journalist und survival-trainer. Site sells serious expedition boxes, racks, large fuel tanks, etc.
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Bernd Tesch
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Best Biking Roads
Hundreds of the best biking roads in Europe - and some in the US. Posted and reviewed by members.
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Best Biking Roads
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Bike Pics, Events and Trips
Bike pics and wallpapers: BMW, Ducati, Buell, KTM, MV Agusta, etc. Bike events pics: Roadster meetings, 24 hours Montmelo, etc. Bike trip pics in Catalonia.
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Bike Pics, Events and Trips
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Blue Hills Touring Park
Always a warm welcome for all motorcycle riders, Great position for touring Cornwall, 35 minutes from the Eden project and 45 minutes from Lands End and one of the best biking roads in England
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Blue Hills Touring Park
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Brittany Ferries
Ferries to France from the South Coast: Portsmouth, Poole, Plymouth. Also Cork to Roscoff and Plymouth to Santander in Spain.
Brittany Ferries
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Caja Sahel
Adventure touring metal panniers, mounting frames, and accessories.
Caja Sahel
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Caravan Bargain
Campervans and motorhomes for sale. Only useful if you can get a bike in the back, of course :)
Caravan Bargain
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Caravan Breakers Parts Request
Yet another Parts Request Site. But this one is for Caravan Parts, useful if you are converting a van into a camper.
Caravan Breakers Parts Reques​t
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Caribou Cases
Tough motorcycle luggage from the US. Tougher than original equipment, but less in-yer-face than ally boxes.
Caribou Cases
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Carla King - Motorcycle Misadventures
A motorcycle travel writer's writings, readings, journeys, gear, and recommendations. Particularly about motorcycle touring in China.
Carla King - Motorcycle Misad​ventures
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Chris Addison
15 month odyssey from Europe, through Asia Minor, the Subcontinent, South East Asia, South Africa to the Middle East, and finally Eastern and Western Europe. Total distance 70,000 km, on a KTM 640
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Chris Addison
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Chris Jones & Spice Griffith
Around The World 101 : No Prequisites Required. Chris and Spice check out the world for a couple years on KLR 650s.
Chris Jones & Spice Griffith
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Classic Britain Hotels
Over 200 of the best independent hotels in the UK - most hotels are bike friendly.
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Classic Britain Hotels
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Claus Possberg
Serious Adventure Tourer and Photographer.
Claus Possberg
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Condor Ferries
Ferry company serving Jersey, Guernsey, St Malo and Western France.
Condor Ferries
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CycoActive
US-based. Serious accessories for hardcore offroad adventure touring.
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CycoActive
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Dale Borgeson
Motorcycle Touring information for beginners. What to pack, discussin of hard-cases, soft-cases, what tools you need. From a laid back dude with the right attitude.
Dale Borgeson
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Dave & Helen
Rode an Enfield Bullet from India to the UK.
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Dave & Helen
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Dave Barr RTW
RTW on a 1972 Harley-Davidson with two prosthetic legs. Respect.
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Dave Barr RTW
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David Lambeth
Overland bike preparation expert. Big tanks, bash plates, uprated shocks, luggage racks built, water storage systems, GPS, ....
David Lambeth
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Doug DeBen
From Seattle to Tierra Del Fuego, journal and lots of pictures.
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Doug DeBen
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eBookers
Flights, hotels, packages,... Good for the independant traveller to sort out your own hotels and stuff.
eBookers
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Erin & Chris Ratay
Around-the-World tour, a motorcycle adventure on two BMW bikes that took more than four years (1999-2003)
Erin & Chris Ratay
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European Health Insurance card (EHIC)
About the E111 card. Which isn't a card, and isn't called E111 any more. Its about how to get basic health care abroad.
European Health Insurance car​d (EHIC)
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Expedia
Flights and hotels finder.
Expedia
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Expedition Support
Over four decades of experience in running and supporting expeditions, small and large, with contacts all over the world. Contact if you are planning a trip and are looking for support or assistance.
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Expedition Support
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Find a Cyber Cafe
Gotta get your email while travelling ? List of thousands of Cyber Cafes world-wide.
Find a Cyber Cafe
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Foreign and Commonwealth Office
International Travel Info from from the FCO. Advice is often over-cautious, and areas they say are dodgy for business travellers are often perfectly fine for an overland biker. Well worth reading
Foreign and Commonwealth Offi​ce
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Formule1 Hotels
Basic and cheap hotel chain across Europe. Usually situated handy for motorways.
Formule1 Hotels
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French Roads
Information on the Southern Alps, the bit in Provence which is properly called 'Alps-Maritime'. This area includes the excellent Sospel road, Col de Tende, the fantastic Nice-Geneva route, and others.
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French Roads
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Gear Pac
Motorcycle touring gear. Ortlieb bags, tents, stoves, torches....
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Gear Pac
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Gelert Outdoor Equipment
Camping Equipment manufacturer in Wales. This is the manufacturers own site, useful for browsing stuff. Get the kit in your local or online shop.
Gelert Outdoor Equipment
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Gites de France
Search for Gites in France. Most will want you to book a week or two, not overnight. Good if you want to base yourself in one area.
Gites de France
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Glen Heggstad
Riding round the world on a 650 BMW.
Glen Heggstad
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Global Bike Tours
Thousands Of Tours. Hundreds Of Operators listed on one website
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Global Bike Tours
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Go Travel Insurance
They will cover Motorcycle Touring, but not on the standard policy. They have a new policy which definitely does cover us, you may have to ask specifically for it, I'm checking.
Go Travel Insurance
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Golden Triangle Rider
Motorcycle touring information in Thailand / Laos / Cambodia. Cross border info, bike rentals & imports. Plus hundreds of trip reports with thousands of photographs on the GT Rider forum.
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Golden Triangle Rider
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gps4touring
Tour Europe on your bike using GPS to find campsites, B&B, gites and great biking roads.
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gps4touring
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gps4touring
Motorcycle touring accessories plus GPS coordinates and details of campsites, B&B's, gites and great biking roads throughout Europe.
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gps4touring
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Great Divide Ride
Stuff about riding the Continental Divide from Canada to Mexico.
Great Divide Ride
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Happy Trails
Specialist dual-sport and adventure touring products. In US, but good for parts you can't get anywhere else. Pivoting bar risers, proper big ally top boxes, one-off pannier racks.
Happy Trails
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Horizons Unlimited
Motorcycle Travellers Bulletin Board. One of our favourite bike web sites - if you are a motorcycle traveller or adventure biker in any way, stop in here regularly.
Horizons Unlimited
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How Far Is It?
Quite cute. Works out the distance between two places in the world. Its as the crow flies, which may not correspond to real life, but it gives you a first approximation. Brussels to Prague is 448
How Far Is It?
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International Motorcyclists Tour Club
Club for touring riders. Club nights, meetings throughout UK. Organise groups to go touring together.
International Motorcyclists T​our Club
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Into the Blue
Generic Exciting Stuff. Hangliding days, offroad experiences,.... and classic bike tours
Into the Blue
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iSPOG
Nice site about some adventure motorcycle trips.
iSPOG
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Jim Rogers
RTW biker, with a rather different view on things. Wrote an excellent book, Investment Biker, highly recommended reading if you understand international trade and commerce.
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Jim Rogers
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Kermit Chair
High quality wooden folding chair. Folds to 22''x4''x6''. Expensive, but quality kit. Made in Nashville.
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Kermit Chair
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Khyam Tents
UK Tent manufacturer. Does quick-erect and geadesic types. Sleeping bags, groundsheets and tent carpets. Carpets!
Khyam Tents
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Kiwi Bob
Jesse Luggage Systems, nicely shaped ally panniers for BMWs. And BMW GS exhausts. Based in Germany.
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Kiwi Bob
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Lonely Planet
Guidebooks and travel resources. Specific guides to cities/areas can be bought and downloaded online.
Lonely Planet
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Mono-Trail
Single wheeled touring motorcycle trailer to tow behind your bike.
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Mono-Trail
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Motor Home Hire
Portal for motor-home hiring throughout the world.
Motor Home Hire
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Motorbike Routes
Online resource for motorbike routes and services. Routes in various formats downloadable to your GPS.
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Motorbike Routes
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Motorbikes and Parts UK
Luggage Specialists dealing in Givi, Kappa, Hepco&Becker, Shad, Krauser, SW-Motech and others.
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Motorbikes and Parts UK
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MotorCamping EU
site where you can find all biker-friendly camp-sites, hotels and B&B inside Europe.
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MotorCamping EU
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MotorTouring.com
Roadbooks and GPS routes. Site in Dutch only.
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MotorTouring.com
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Nick and Lesley Poole
Round the world trip, regular report/updates
Nick and Lesley Poole
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Nutt Travel
Ireland / UK Ferry crossing specialists.
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Nutt Travel
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Off Road Skills
Ride around the world like Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman. Simon Pavey is the guy who taught them off-road skills in South Wales. He can teach you to survive the Dakar as well.
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Off Road Skills
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Overland Solutions
Rally and Touring Equipment and Bike preparation. Jerry Cans, Zega Boxes, Mondo Enduro DVDs.
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Overland Solutions
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Overlanders
Will pick up your motorcycle(s) from Ireland or UK and deliver it to where you want to tour. You jump on a plane to there and ride. Then they bring it back for you. Covering Europe, Russia & Ukraine
Overlanders
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P&O Ferries
Dover-Calais; Hull-Rotterdam; Hull-Zeebrugge; Portsmouth-Bilbao.
P&O Ferries
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Pottertons Cases
Long established British company make various containers & cases - including nice waterproof Aluminium Boxes which work great as a top-box. That and a set of soft panniers, you are good to go.
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Pottertons Cases
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Revpack
Tough and stylish throwover bags for touring.
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Revpack
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Rohan
Functional travel clothing. Lightweight, non-iron, roll up small stuff that will fit in your panniers easy, and look smart when you go out. Or do you want to live in the sweaty leathers you have
Rohan
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Rough Guides
Travel Guides, site has some information online.
Rough Guides
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Run x Fun
Racing School in Italy. Nicer weather than track days in the UK, I guess :)
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Run x Fun
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Smoky Mountain Connection
They live to bring riders to the Smoky Mountains. Free maps, rides, roads, where to stay and what to do, have it all.
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Smoky Mountain Connection
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SpeedFerries
Fast Ferry from Dover - Boulogne
SpeedFerries
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Steam Packet
The Ferry company that goes to the Isle of Man.
Steam Packet
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Ted Simon - Jupitalia
The seminal Jupiter's Travels author does it again.
Ted Simon - Jupitalia
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Tour Europe Organisation
Contemplating a trip into Europe. Generic info, but covers bikes too.
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Tour Europe Organisation
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Touratech
Proper adventure touring kit. Ally boxes, stuff sacks, GPS, ....
Touratech
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Touratiger.Org
Touratiger.org - Motorcycle Adventures. Raising Money And Awareness For Charity. Sept 2010 - UK - Mt.Ararat follow it all on the website.
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Touratiger.Org
Triumph
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Tourist Offices
Partial, but useful, list of national Tourist Offices. Lists the ones that have offices in the UK. French tourist office, German Tourist Office, Japan Tourist Office, .....
Tourist Offices
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Toursareus Motorcycle Events
Motorbike holidays in the regions you desire to explore. If you are looking for a spectacular, one of a kind, motorcycle adventure holiday
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Toursareus Motorcycle Events
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Trans-Atlantic Bikeshare
Club whose members are willing make their bikes available to other club members - worldwide.
Trans-Atlantic Bikeshare
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Transworld Surplus
Ex-army surplus. Very useful, rugged quality, and incredibly cheap, stuff for camping.
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Transworld Surplus
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Travel by GPS
GPS Maps for on and off road sightseeing, free downloads of waypoints and stuff. Mostly for hikers and backpackers.
Travel by GPS
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Travel-Dri
Waterproof roll bags, torches, all sorts of cool touring stuff.
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Travel-Dri
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Trophy Tec
Ruggedized navigation and comms equipment for serious off-road and overlanding.
Trophy Tec
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TWin's & TWige's TW Site
Site of two YAMAHA TW Trailway fans who went on holidays with it: Tips, Routes, Road-book, Pictures,...
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TWin's & TWige's TW Site
Yamaha
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TwistyRide
The only motorcycle route planner which takes on the best recommended biking roads from your home to your destination. Motorbike itineraries, most scenic roads, riding directions, GPS roadbook, maps.
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TwistyRide
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Ultra Blade
Motorcycle Touring Tips for France & Spain
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Ultra Blade
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US Govt International Travel Info
Travel Warnings & Consular Information Sheets from the US Govt.
US Govt International Travel ​Info
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Vector Maps
In German, has online some large images of maps of various bits of Europe. Not detailed enough to take with you, but good enough for a quick printout.
Vector Maps
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VIP Pole Position Travel
Specialists in VIP travel to MotoGP events world wide - individual, corporate, groups.
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VIP Pole Position Travel
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Wilderness Motorcycle Tours
Wilderness Motorcycle Tours are designed to give you a personalised experience within a tour. 2010 sees a full season of Scottish Tours, finishing with a Tour of Morocco in October. Change your
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Wilderness Motorcycle Tours
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Wolfman
Soft luggage for motorcycles and recreational vehicles. Looking for a UK distributor.
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Wolfman
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Zen Overland
UK distributor for AndyStrapz Expedition Panniers. Soft-luggage alternative to overlanding metal boxes. Seat-bags, bar-bags, etc. And the webbing straps are excellent.
Zen Overland
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