Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Last updated: 15/11/2020

01. Why did you choose a Vespa scooter to ride RTW? Have you done any modifications / improvements to the engine?

Stergios: Some people say that the best bike to set off for a big journey is the bike you already ride. I already knew my scooter's simple engine, its quirks and the possible problems it could get me into. Plus, I was broke! I had a very limited budget, so my thought was: “If I spend money on a new bike, I won't have money to travel”. As for any engine modifications / improvements, I took my mechanic's advice at scootershop.gr and did nothing at all.

02. How much planning did you do before the trip?

Planning a trip is a relatively subjective procedure. The route we follow is a combination of time, climate, company, mood and money. In terms of bureaucracy, we try to be as much prepared as possible. When I set off for Africa, I had all the documents, obligatory and suggested vaccines etc, but at the same time, I had a ridiculously cheap tent bought from a supermarket and a sleeping bag of very questionable quality. So, what's my point? Obviously I had some material failures on the road, but almost nothing is irreplaceable. In South America, we continued with a slight improvement of equipment. We have to say though, that all our choices are made according to our own way of feeling comfortable or simply because of our low budget. No need to follow our lead!

03. What about travel insurance?

04. How many countries have you visited?

05. How did you transport the bike from Europe to Africa and from Africa to America?

06. How do you plan the routes you'll follow? How many kilometers per day?

07. How do you decide how long you will stay in one country/place?

08. When is the next book / video / blog / social media post coming? Why don't you publish material more often?

The social media frenzy and the convenience that comes with the easy access to the Internet, have as a result the abundance of content published by almost anyone who carries a smartphone. So, many of our friends and followers ask us why we're not online all the time and why we don't publish videos, stories etc. more often.

Being active on various social media platforms is our choice, as well as in what way and to what extent we expose our work and ourselves. Traveling is our lifestyle and jeopardizing it due to overexposure would be catastrophic. So, we try to protect ourselves and our privacy, first of all by NOT publishing real-time posts on social media. The photos you see are chosen and edited according to what stories we want to tell and according to the time we want to make them public.
Blog posts are a bit belated because we don't publish a detailed everyday travel journal. We prefer to write a text about our route and give a general idea of a country or a place we travel, after we have crossed it. Writing in two languages (in Greek and in English), picking the pictures to publish with the text and get them all ready to be uploaded takes time.
In order to prepare a video – or a series of videos – with a specific style, narration, script etc, we need to be in a quiet place, suitable for work. Behind a 20min video, there are some weeks of work: selection and arranging of the material, preparation of the time-lapses, writing the script (the story-telling), recording the narration, video editing, color and sound correction, adding the effects, translation into English and putting English subtitles etc. In this part of the trip, we prefer not to do vlogs as a means of just giving information or simply describing our everyday life and showing plain road. For us, film-making is a form of art and this way we express our creativity, challenging ourselves to improve the quality of our work every time.
We have chosen to give free access to all of the above to our friends and followers. At the same time, we work freelance (articles in magazines, translations etc). These jobs are a priority, as they are our only income.
Writing a book is a very demanding procedure: organizing the material, choosing the stories, doing all the research (historical, anthropological, social, cultural etc), writing, correcting, editing, doing the whole layout etc (when it's self-published). We are very precise with what we want and how we want it and we always try our best, so we wouldn't compromise the quality of our work by writing a book on the hoof.
One other “duty” we have assumed is the “Worldvespa Crew”, a social media group we made for our friends who have decided to support us with donations. In this group we publish raw material and unedited work and we have a more constant presence. It's the least we can do to show our gratitude.

09. How do you carry all the stuff on the bike?

There are endless debates on the internet about traveling light or overloaded etc. For us, there is no certain rule. If something makes our life easier, we take it along. If we're tired of something and have stopped using it, we toss it. We have bags, saddle bags, backpacks etc which we tie on the scooter's front and rear rack, on the scooter's floor, in the glovebox... You can watch Stergios explaining everything about his luggage in Africa, here (only in Greek for the moment).

10. Are you ever concerned about the security of your bike and stuff?

We're always concerned about security but after all this time on the road, we have concluded that the dangers of theft are almost always about the same. The possibility of getting mugged or have our bike stolen is present about anywhere, either we're in our hometown or in places abroad. So we mainly follow the rules of “common sense”. If we feel insecure in a place, we just turn away and leave. If a local warns us about a place, we tend to consider their advice. Plus, we never carry large amounts of cash, we always keep our documents hidden, we don't have expensive gear (at least, if we loose something we won't suffer any major disaster) and of course, we never leave the bike unattended. As for the places where we choose to stay, we always try to choose rooms with a secured parking space or if this is impossible, we park the bike in a secured place nearby. Until this day, we've never faced any trouble with attacks/robberies/thefts.

11. What happens if the bike breaks down?

Kitsos, our scooter, hasn't suffered any major breakdown. All the troubles we faced could be fixed by ourselves. We carry a case with spare-parts and the tools we may need to fix it. Even in the DRC where we didn't have a spare clutch (after the second time it got burnt), our mechanic (scootershop.gr) helped by shipping everything we needed with a courier company. Actually, this was the only time that we had to have spare-parts urgently shipped. Besides, we can find spare parts for the Vespa almost anywhere. We even have used cables from a bicycle store when the clutch cable was cut in Patagonia. Kitsos' engine is very simple to repair.

12. How long will you be traveling?

13. How do you fund your trips? Do you have any supporters? Do you work while on the road?

Stergios: When I decided to leave Greece and set off for my RTW trip, I was almost broke. So what I did was to work for one summer as a seasonal waiter in a Greek island and sell everything that could be sold from the stuff I had (my bicycle, my other motorbike, my extra motorcycle gear, some clothes, my mobile phone etc). I was lucky because when I started counting my budget, I found out that a scholarship I had been granted from my school was finally credited to my account, as well as the severance pay owed to me when I was made redundant. So, I had managed to start my trip with less than 10,000€ in my pocket. When Alexandra joined me, her main source of funding the trip was the savings she had for her PhD.

During the preparation of the trip, some people (through the businesses they run) who liked my idea of traveling RTW, supported it by providing me with useful gear: spare-parts, cameras, helmet. More supporters came along the way, who provided us with camping gear and a tent when ours had started to fall apart. Moreover, we should mention the donations made by people who appreciated the work on our blog and our videos, or simply the concept of our trip. The part of our trip that started on the 2nd of January 2019 is also self-funded – we worked hard the last two years – but we also have the support of some brands/companies that provided us with new gear (video) and of course, all our friends from around the world who support us by making donations.

Initially, the only “work” on the road was to update the blog with new stories and publish videos and pictures on our social media accounts. Gradually, we realized that traveling, shooting videos / pictures and writing are the things we love most, so we decided to dedicate ourselves to all the above and take things more seriously. Being able to make a living from what you love is for us one of the most important things to be happy. It is a difficult road we chose, but hasn't every road its difficulties?

A bit more on the subject here.

14. How much do you spend on average?

The challenge for us is to travel on the lowest budget possible and this way, be able to spend on the road as much time as we can. We call our days of traveling “days of freedom” and we have adjusted our needs according to our lifestyle. The African leg of the trip lasted almost 15 months and the expenses including everything (petrol, food, accommodation, visa costs, insurances, spare parts, 2T oil, tickets, etc) were 5,491€ in total (12.53€ per day). You can find the cost of the trip across Africa in numbers here. As for South America, where we traveled 2up for almost 3 years (at the time of writing), our expenses including everything were 9.743€ in total (9,51€ per day). You can find the cost of the trip across South America in numbers here.

15. How do you ride long-term as a motorcycling couple? Isn’t it hard sometimes?

We never felt that we have to deal with this or consider it as an issue. We acknowledge the fact that usually, couples who live together see each other in the evenings after they get back from work and during weekends – if their lifestyle gives them enough time. For us, being together means literally spending all day together, working together and, as we ride 2up, being in actual contact for at least 8 hours per day. It would be a lie to say that there is no tension between us whatsoever. There are difficult times, when one of us (or both) is in a bad mood or when we have to deal with complicated situations and have different ways of resolving them. The key to this is respect. We respect each other's space and time and we try to “chose our battles”. Much of the tension is a result of “external factors” and has nothing to do with our relationship and when a bad moment comes, we try to keep our moths shut and think. There are also days when we ride in silence without disturbing each other's thoughts. We know that we both like/need similar things in order to be happy and we always try to talk and be “updated” about if we are ok. More on the subject here.

16. Don't you miss home?

This question can start a big conversation about “what is home?”. Home for us is our tent and our scooter. So, when we set up out tent we are automatically at home. What we miss though, is our families and friends. And here comes the question that solves everything: would we be happy if we stayed in a place only because our families and friends are there? The answer is “no”. The important decisions in life aren't easy but since we have chosen this lifestyle, we have to accept all its sides. Besides, communication has become way easier than before, so we can talk with the people we miss almost any time we need.

17. Have you had any accidents or fell seriously ill?

Luckily, we hadn't any accidents nor serious illnesses. Apart from catching a cold, or suffering some food poisonings (and for Alexandra some minor gynecological issues), we never fell seriously ill. As for the falls with the bike, they all happened in soft sand or mud, so no injuries whatsoever. In any case, we always carry a first-aid-kit and we have done all the mandatory vaccines and many of the ones suggested by the travel health department of our country of origin.

18. What about women's stuff?

Alexandra: This is an issue that concerns every female traveler and – from my experience – it has to be planned carefully in order to avoid problems. Women are more sensitive when it comes to personal hygiene and once a month we need to take some extra care, regarding our menstruation. Of course, depending on how much each woman suffers from menstrual cramps, or how stable is her menstrual cycle, this process can be easier or more difficult. What I normally do is note down and calculate the possible days of my period. This way, we plan our route in order to avoid a demanding ride and we usually spend one or two days at a place with at least some hygiene facilities. Moreover, I always carry all the stuff needed: from the simplest ones such as pain-killers and pads, to the more complicated ones, such as prescribed medicines for infections (vaginitis etc). I also carry a clean towel and a specific cleaning product (Tol Velvet Hygienic Foam Wash by Pharmasept) that I find very helpful as it can be used with or without water. Last but not least, I recently bought a menstrual cup and my first impressions on it are more than positive (if you haven't heard of it, just google it!).

19. Is there anything that you would change if you could in the way you travel?

Stergios: When I set off for my trip I packed everything I thought I'd need, but since that day back in 2013, many things have changed. I tossed a lot of gadgets along the way but also got new ones I hadn't thought I'd need. But, this is a very subjective matter. What's important to me can be simply nothing to another traveler.

Regarding our low budget style of living and traveling, this won't change easily since, apart from a necessity it has also become a philosophy. As for our choice of vehicle, we don't want to be dogmatic. Traveling 2up on Kitsos is great fun and it is an important component of our story, but since we don't want to prove anything, if someday we stop enjoying it, we can change it for another vehicle. But, don't worry, this won't be happening any time soon! Maybe in our late eighties, when getting on a bike will have become a complicated procedure...

20. How do you deal with extreme weather conditions on the road?

We do what everyone would do. Appropriate clothing (for the rain / cold) and patience. If it is dangerous to continue, we stop until the weather gets better. If the road conditions are bad due to heavy rain (or snow – but this is something we haven't encountered yet) we just wait or change our route. If there are strong winds (such as in Patagonia) we drive carefully or again, stop until it gets better.

21. Where do you sleep?

We generally prefer to stay in our tent. We do a lot of wild camping or spend some nights in organized campsites, depending our needs. We have spent many nights at the parking spaces behind petrol stations where we can find toilet facilities/showers, WiFi and security (we prefer this option when we cross sparsely populated areas -with villages and small towns- where it is difficult to find a remote place to camp). When we arrive at cities or urban areas where it is impossible to camp, we prefer the cheapest types of accommodation. Couchsurfing can be a choice or at least, an economical airbnb room. What we usually prefer though, is to find cheap rooms (hostal / alojamiento – for South America) that are meant for locals and can't be found in travelers' guides. These options are way cheaper and sometimes better than a dormitory in a classic hostel.

22. Where/what do you eat?

23. What water do you drink? Do you use filters?

We generally don't drink bottled water. It is a safe option for short-term travelers, but not for us. The cost is too high, plus there is no bottled water available in all the places we go. What we usually do is ask if the tap water is drinkable. If the locals drink it, then we drink it, too. We admit that this is not a wise thing to do, but that's what we ended up doing. In Africa, if any of our fellow travelers carried a water purification system, we'd use it, but this wasn't always an option. Sometimes we boil tap water before we drink it, but depending on the circumstances this is not always applicable. In South America, we bought a UV light purifier which we used when we had no idea about the quality of the water, but we found its use a bit complicated and costly, since it needs batteries. This time, we are using the Katadyne Vario. Here you can read everything about our experience using it.

24. Where do you shower/go to the toilet?

This had never been an issue for the 2 ½ years we were on the road and it probably won't be for the next leg of our RTW trip either. In Africa, when showers were not available, we'd carry enough water for a quick shower after a long dusty day on the road. In South America, we'd shower at organized campsites. When this wasn't an option, we'd use the water we were carrying for reasons of personal hygiene, or wet wipes. Relieving oneself in the nature if there's no toilet available is always a choice (always respect nature – never leave toilet paper or products of personal hygiene behind)

25. What about your camping gear?

We have traveled in the past with very low quality, cheap camping gear. It's true that sometimes it can be annoying, but it's also true that it can't stop us from traveling! However, after all this time on the road, we now know our needs. We have concluded that for our kind of travel we don't need extremely costly, professional gear. Mid-range gear, with attention to quality (durable, waterproof, lightweight) is more than enough. Here is a video we made with our basic camping equipment.

26. What about your motorcycle gear?

Stergios: For the first part of the trip, I left with what I already used: trousers and jacket by Colori, Sidi boots. The only thing that was new was my Reevu flip-up helmet, sponsored by the Greek importer of the brand. I was satisfied by my gear. The only issue I had was with the helmet, but only due to my style of traveling. The helmet itself was of great quality and I found its rear view system very useful, but I often rode with the helmet fully open due to the extreme heat and, combined with my slow pace, resulting to lose its good balance and become heavy for my neck. Alexandra: A simple jet LS2 helmet and knee and elbow protections. In this leg of our trip, we will have brand new gear (ARMR clothing & Vemar helmets). You can read our review here.

27. What kind of cameras/laptops etc do you use?

Stergios: At first I had 2 Drift Ghost action cameras + a Nikon DSLR (Thanos' camera). When my fellow traveler, Thanos went back to Greece, I bought a Samsung NX1000 mirrorless camera with the 20-50mm (kit) lens. I bought it without thinking about it too much – it was on discount – in Bamako. In South Africa I changed the 2 Drift Ghost with a new Drift Ghost S, and my Samsung NX1000 with a Sony A6000 (and two lenses: selp1650 & sel55210). Alexandra had a Sony A6000 (with the kit lens), too. Also, for the two first years of the trip we carried two laptops: a Toshiba C660-1P3 and a Toshiba NB10T-A-101.
This time we have a GoPro Hero 7 Black action camera and two Sony A6000. Our lenses are: a selp1650, a sel55210, a Samyang 12mm f2 NCS CS, an SMC Pentax-M 50mm F1.4 (with adapter) and an SMC Pentax-M 28mm F2.8 (with adapter). Last but not least, we have two laptops: an Asus VivoBook S15 S510UQ-BH71 and a Vero K147.

28. How do you charge devices/batteries?

29. What are your favorite mobile phone applications?

1. LiveTrip traveller is a free app that helps us create a map with our route by taking the co-ordinates and dropping pins with info, photos etc. It is a great travelers' community where everyone can share their trip and exchange information, meet or just keep track of their route. You can see our trip here.

2. Bitwarden or whichever app for online password management. Because nobody can remember all their passwords.

3. Revolut (the app, the card and all their services) have saved us from hundreds – if not thousands – of money lost in bank commissions, exchange rate commissions and all kinds of commissions. It's a company that provides banking services around the world with much more fair terms than those of the banks. If you're planning to travel abroad (especially in countries with different currencies), look for it!

30. What do you use for navigation?

OsmAnd, an app that turns your phone into a GPS and works with maps that you can download directly to your device and use it without internet connection. It's free for the first 10 maps and if you need more maps and updates, it costs only 4.50€. What's also important is that it is based on OpenStreetMap (OSM), a collaborative project to create a free editable map of the world (we have also contributed some POIs).

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