Riding your Motorcycle Abroad

Riding abroad, especially in neighboring countries, brings another dimension of pleasure to your biking. Compared to Thailand, motorcycling can become far more enjoyable.

Positives include emptier roads, a greater pro-biking attitude and, if you visit the right spots, an abundance of brilliant routes, happy people – they seem to wave to anything on two-wheels – and scenery.

Life is of course different in these countries and you need to be mindful and prepared for this before you set off. Having problems hundreds of kilometers in a country of which you not speak the native language can be much more difficult to cope with. Doing your very best to prevent them occurring in the first place, or at least reducing their impact is important to enjoying biking in foreign zones to the full.

Getting used to riding on the wrong side of the road is quite straightforward, but it's also dead easy to resort to your default setting and switch back to riding on the left. Some sort of reminder can help with this. Be patient getting used to different riding habits and styles, and be especially observant in cities where there's a bigger chance of making a mistake. Bear in mind that some roads can be very slippery especially in the wet.

Planning a route well can avoid hassles, and leaving home with a fully serviced motorcycle, medical insurance cover, breakdown cover, a few spares (light-bulbs... ), and all of your motorcycle and riding documents will make life much more convenient. Most roads in the neighboring are paved, but keep in mind that roads in countries like Cambodia and Laos can be of a lower standard then you are custom to in Thailand, also a small amount of local currency in a special location, essential for on the spot fines from police, who can be much more strict than there Thai counterparts.