Why?

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” — Mark Twain

The simple answer is because we are sick of being ordinary. Life is so comfortable nowadays it is easy to become mundane.

Many people spend their lives waiting to do something exceptional. Great journeys seem to define who we are as people and serve to broaden our horizons and challenge our prejudice. Were this journey an easy one it would not serve this purpose.

Supposedly the journey then becomes a question of ‘why not?’. Why nots include bandits, bugs, and creative sanitary conditions but rarely are these life threatening.

Having recently acquired a university education I discovered that much of my education seemed to prescribe me into working a job to acquire more wealth and nothing else. In today’s world this means money and a comfortable existence but real happiness is obtained from appreciating life, not the possessions we have. If this seems overly wishy-washy, think of it in the sense that working for someone else means selling your time to spend it doing things you would rather not do. So, it’s time to do something different. When was the last time anyone did anything great that was comfortable for them? If you’re comfortable, watch out.

Follow some links on the right hand of the Home page to others who have made similar journeys. There are not many places in this world that people have not been before. If these websites don’t excite you then nothing will.

Josh Forde

I am a Wellington boy and have lived here most of my life. My desire to complete this journey began when I finished my last trip overseas: South America 2003. Returning to New Zealand I realised that although I love my country, I was struck by how small it really was. Although I intend to return, I know that I need to travel the world to be happy here.

The planned return to travel has always been a dream to travel an extraordinary swath of the world, to include Mexico, Costa Rica, especially Colombia and spend more time in the intoxicatingly beautiful Brazil. The journey has always been daunting but the choice to make the trip by motorbike makes it much more practical than navigating public transport networks.

In preparing for the trip I have discovered a new-found love of motorbikes – time will tell if the affair will endure!

For Jon and I, our paths will part in Rio de Janiero. Jon for Europe and I will be staying on in Brazil. I have always had a desire to do some form of community service and I hope to perform volunteer work in Rio de Janiero doing something practical to alleviate the staggering poverty I saw when last there.

The contrasts of rich and poor are stark and when travelling one of the most disturbing aspects of poverty is how we become immune to it. In Rio however I saw sights such as 8 year old street children with no clothes, asleep on the pavement as they had no other place to go. The world is full of bad stories but I hope to devote some time to helping some people. I may not be able to change the world but I feel a responsibility to give some of my time and effort to help at least some people worse off than me.

Previously in 2006 I was involved in the OXFAM Trailwalker, where with 3 companions we walked 100kms each in fundraising for their works. If you are in New Zealand and feel moved to do something about poverty I would recommend you visit their website.

Jonno Bogacki

I’m 24 years old. I play guitar a bit, I like to sleep in.

A while back, Josh mentioned to me his intention to fly overseas, buy a motorbike, and worry about where he turned up after he got there. It sounded like a crazy pipe-dream, but it made me feel warm and fuzzy inside. Two months later, all my debts are paid off, and my car is up for sale… And it looks like we’re actually going to make it happen.

Almost exactly a year ago I found out I was pretty sick. Three quarters of the last year have been a write off, with me splitting my time between the hospital, and the couch. A year on, and with treatment finished, I still have my sunny disposition, a bunch of sickness beneficiary cheques, plus some cool new scars to show off.

Before we started planning for this trip, I hadn’t ridden a motorbike. I immediately spent my $4k in savings (for a wife, or a house or something) on my flatmates Honda CBR 250 - a zippy 250cc sports bike. I figure I can sell the bike just prior to leaving the country, and get my 4k back out of that. Between this, my car, and the numerous other useless items which I have pawned off on trademe, I figure i’ll have enough money to get me over there, on to a motorbike, and hopefully home again. We’ll see.

… and now I find myself here - on the edge of something scary but wonderful, about to fall off. A little money, no debt, no commitments. Just me, a friend, and the road.

Peace, Jah Love,
Jonno.