Trapped by Coronavirus: The Day Motorcycle Travel Came to a Sudden Stop
Coronavirus forced our world into lockdown. Millions flew home, stockpiled on toilet roll and hunkered down to see out the pandemic. But it’s not that easy for motorcycle travellers. Some managed to ship their bikes out in time, others had to leave them and fly out… and the rest stayed behind. Most are trapped inside closed borders, a few want to leave but can’t, one caught COVID-19 and the rest are just trying to make the best of a tough situation. Here are their stories, why they’re still on the road and what their new plans are…
6th May 2020
Notier's Frontiers
Uganda
Throttle Adventures
Nicaragua
Just a Journey
Thailand
Kate'n'Ride
Argentina
Geoff Keys
India
Improbably Adventuring
Morocco
Brit on a Bike
Peru
Diaries of
Laos
RTW Roxy
Australia
Far and Further
Morocco
BikeHedonia
Thailand
Memoirs of a Motorcyclist
Thailand
Esta es mi Vuelta
Myanmar
Mad or Nomad
Thailand
Notier’s Frontiers
- Tim and Marisa Notier
- From: USA
- Stuck in: Uganda
- KTM 1190 ADV
- Left: Aug 2017
- End: Unknown
- Miles: 60,000
My wife and I set out to travel around the world to experience all of its hidden treasures, different cultures and to help find our way in this world while getting lost at the same time. We quit our jobs and sold all of our possessions to find out if it would be the worst decision – or the best decision – we had ever made.
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How coronavirus has affected us
Why we're still on the road
The new plan
How coronavirus has affected us
Marisa and I often take small breaks throughout our journey. We spent a month in Colima, Mexico and another month by Lake Atitlán in Guatemala. Of course, there are more restrictions now than we have had in the past. We now have a 6pm curfew – something I haven’t had since I was 16 years old. But we are allowed to ride to the small shops to get food and some fresh air.
We rented a small house that only cost us around £100 a month, so we got lucky as far as finding cheap accommodation, but we have yet to find out how all of our paperwork checks out when we try to renew our temporary import. We are hoping that it all goes smoothly, but are wary because the borders may be looking for reasons to make an extra buck or two.
Why we're still on the road
We had to think deeply about where we wanted to get ‘stuck’. There are a couple of African countries where I would prefer not to be landlocked. Uganda seemed to have a handle on pandemics, with Ebola having a huge impact on daily life in the not so distant past. We are originally from Chicago, Illinois, and that didn’t seem like the best place to avoid a virus that spreads like wildfire. Our parents agreed and we settled in for the unforeseen future while the world heals.
There were originally more than ten people staying at the same hostel as us. That’s whittled down to four over the last month. But we are happy where we are with good friends and plenty to keep us occupied… for now.
The new plan
We are pretty content on waiting it out here in Uganda until the borders reopen. The cost of living is cheap and any plane tickets to and back from the States would seriously deplete our funds.
We are basically clueless to what the future holds. As for the crossings of Kenya, Ethiopia, Sudan, and Egypt, we will just have to wait and see how it all plays out. Fingers crossed that we, along with all of the other travellers, are able to continue our journeys and breath in the fresh air. The world is and always will be an amazing place to explore.
Stay safe out there and we hope to cross paths one of these days!
You can check out Tim’s books here.
Throttle Adventures
- Wamuyu and Dos
- From: Kenya
- Stuck in: Nicaragua
- BMW F700 GS
- Left: Jul 2018
- End: Dec 2021
- Miles: 25,000
We’re a couple from Kenya who left home back in 2018 to fulfill our dream of travelling the world on motorcycles. Being the first people from Kenya to ride round-the-world is really important to us too because we get to tell the great story of Kenya and promote our incredible country as we travel.
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How coronavirus has affected us
Why we're still on the road
The new plan
How coronavirus has affected us
Coronavirus put a complete halt on our travels. All the borders around Nicaragua are closed and we can’t leave the country. While it is possible to move within the country, we have chosen not to as we have a part to play in managing the spread. Travelling around will only expose us and Nicaraguan citizens. Staying put is our way of being responsible to ourselves and the country that is hosting us.
This decision has obviously increased the cost of living. We can’t camp anymore as it wouldn’t be comfortable for long periods and so we have to pay for proper accommodation. That comes with increased food costs and other home necessities that we never had a budget for. We also have to pay for visas, bike insurance and temporary import renewals monthly. Food is easily available but we’re far from open markets and have to shop from a supermarket, which makes it a little more expensive than when we were travelling.
We have had to cancel our trip. Shipping the bikes home so that it will be easier to fly out when airlines resume flying has been the biggest challenge.
Check out Wamuyu and Dos’ awesome article on Mad or Nomad: The First Africans to Ride Round-the-World.
Why we're still on the road
We were in Panama when the Coronavirus started and many thousands of miles from home. Our plan for this year was to ride up to Alaska. We were in Costa Rica when it started to get out of hand and so we looked for the best country to be in for visas and that was Mexico.
We started our mad dash north. We needed visas for Honduras and Guatemala and estimated a week in Nicaragua and another week to Mexico. But unfortunately the borders closed for all nationals two days after we entered Nicaragua. We were only left with flying out to Mexico and couldn’t leave our bikes behind because of processing the bike imports and the cost of flying them was ridiculous. This left us with nowhere to go and we had to settle on staying and shipping the bikes back home.
We have come to terms with ending the trip and going home to observe the post COVID-19 travel dynamics. Family and friends worry about us but the airspace over Kenya has also closed. We are still hoping to send the bikes home as it will make our return easier when airlines resume. We feel safer here than being in airports and on planes where it would be too difficult to social distance.
The new plan
It’s difficult to plan with the world on lockdown. Our priority right now is to have the bikes shipped home. If we can get them on a boat back home, then it would be easy for us to fly back. But as we can’t ship them yet, we’re stuck.
We’ve heard that airlines have pushed re-opening until June. Borders also remain closed so we can’t leave to any other country. That means we have to stay in Nicaragua until there are flights to Kenya.
We are keeping safe indoors and taking care of our mental status by talking to family and friends. It’s not easy but we’re fortunate to have each other. There are other travellers out there on their own and we imagine it’s much harder for them.
Just a Journey
- Zofia Radzikowska
- From: Poland
- Stuck in: Thailand
- BMW F 800 GS ADV
- Left: Oct 2018
- End: Unknown
- Miles: 26,000
I’ve always wanted to travel and am so lucky to be able to do it without any time constraints. I used to travel with a very tight budget, but I’m now in a privileged position as I can work remotely as a web analyst. I started in 2017 on a bicycle, got tired after one year of pedalling and switched to a motorbike. It was quite a challenge as I had never even ridden a scooter before. So, I went back home to Poland, got a driver’s licence and bought a bike. Six months later and I left to ride through Europe to Southeast Asia. I met Roman in Iran and moved into his van. Since then my travelling has become a mix of biking and van-life in-between.
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How coronavirus has affected me
Why I'm still on the road
The new plan
How coronavirus has affected me
We were in Cambodia and planning on crossing the border to Laos when the coronavirus situation got serious. As soon as we realised that the borders might close at any moment we dashed into Thailand. We didn’t want to get stuck in Cambodia. Their healthcare system is non-existent and you can’t trust the officials. Thailand is way more developed and politeness and respect is a major value in Thailand, which became really important considering xenophobic acts in some other countries.
Before the provinces closed down, we managed to extend our visa and get to Koh Chang Island where we are currently. It was a great choice. As soon as we arrived the borders closed, the provinces shut down shortly after and then the island was off-limits too. There are restrictions on some services like massages, pubs, alcohol and going out after 10pm, but that doesn’t really affect us. People are kind here and wearing masks while shopping is a pretty good trade-off for being stuck on Paradise Beach.
Why I'm still on the road
Honestly, going home was never an option for us. I can see no benefit to being back in Poland. Our government is horrible and has placed insane restrictions like closing forests. The healthcare system isn’t effective and that’s even before coronavirus. A beach hut here is cheaper than renting any flat in Warsaw.
The only reason I’d go back to Europe is to meet my friends and family, which is not possible now anyway. There aren’t that many corona cases in Thailand anymore (there have been no recorded cases in our province) and we have good health insurance just in case.
If I have to be stuck in one place, then I want to be outdoors at least… and a beach seems to be a good option!