Let us help you put together your motorcycle travel plans.

We'll provide some pointers and information that will make your motorcycle travel more enjoyable. Both Judy and I know just how involved planning a trip can be. All the logistics of places to stay, things to bring, how to pack it all and the list goes on. Being officers in the Gold Wing Road Riders Association, we've planned and assisted in planning quite a few trips from little day trips to 10 or more days with 15 plus people adventures. So let's start sorting it all out.

Just how do you start putting your motorcycle travel plans together? We always start with the basics. Where do you want to go? Well that should be easy. I'm sure you already know where you want to go. So let's look at breaking down motorcycle tours into smaller segments. First, map out your route. Determine if you will be on your bike or trailering your bike. Of course you can travel further if you trailer your bike, you just have to take all the razzing when you come home. Trailering though, will allow you more time to ride your bike at your destination so it does have it's advantages.

We always try to pad a day or two on our trips just in case the weather doesn't cooperate. Our last trip was perfect and all the bad weather came while we were trailering our bikes. I know, go ahead and rag on us for that, but once we were there we had 2500 miles of beautiful weather and travel. If you get caught in the rain there are a few things you can do to make your ride as enjoyable as possible. The key is making sure you stay as safe as possible when you ride in bad weather.

Of course one of the things we must always consider is where do we stay while traveling. There are a variety of places to choose from but we try to make it an adventure, staying at hotels, motels, B&Bs and lodging that holds some of the better amenities and services. We've learned to pamper ourselves and in a way that doesn't empty your wallet overnight. Let us show you some of the ways you can do this on your next trip.

Planning on what to take and how to pack it can be another head scratcher. Where does it all go? Do you pull a trailer that will allow you to stash more stuff? We'll give you all the tricks that we have learned to hide, squeeze, tuck and store all of your motorcycle travel bag. Oh and we'll even give you a trick to getting out the wrinkles in a pinch.

When most of us travel, we end up riding back roads, twisting turns and this introduces a different kind of problem, animals. Deer can be the worse since they are so plentiful, but there are all sorts of other animals out there that you can come across too. From bears to bees, all can make motorcycle travel a bit more interesting. We'll talk about some things you can do to make your ride safer for you and the wildlife.

One of the things we don't want to talk about but we must, that's motorcycle accidents. The last thing we want is to go down on a bike. There are certain things you can do to prepare for such an event. Beyond the gear that you wear and the maintenance preparation you do, we'll discuss little tips that can save your life in such an emergency.

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