would it be a stupid thing to do.
me and my wife have been talking about taking a extended vacation.
no longer than a year, and on our bikes, starting with france, spain, italy and greece.
we are in a ok position money wise, the big bills are finished, kids are just about old enough to please themselves, grandparents live in the same village, as do extended family.
what do you think? is it a bit selfish? or is life really too short to miss such opportunities.

I can’t think of a single conceivable reason why, if you had the means and opportunity to do it, you wouldn’t

Off you pop 😀

life really too short to miss such opportunities.

8)

My lad is 6, i’ve told him when he leaves home, i shall be doing the exact same thing. so about 10 years time 😆

😆

Do it! Life’s for living 🙂

go for it

Do it!

Working is sorely over rated!

I don’t expect a reply from the OP on this thread. He should be packing, booking flight tickets etc etc….

looks like redundancy could be looming in a couple of month.
it would be a nice thing to spend my handshake on……. 😀

Why only a year?

If you can afford to do it – then go for it.
Make the most of your health whilst you can.
You would only have regrets in the future if you didnt do it whilst you had opportunity.

I sold a business a few years back and took a year off..

God it was hard.
Sooo so hard.
Actually it was pretty damn easy.

I headed off to southern Spain and stopped off on my way down to ride/take it all in. I was heading for Tarifa for kitesurfing/windsurfing and also took my roadie, ended up spending 1/3rds on the water and 2/3rds riding with a local club in Sevilla, had a most excellent time all in all. Used the Van to sleep in when on the beach and hotels when I needed to do the washing or fancied a change.

I had a plan, I had some $$’s and a decent Van

I suggest you draw up something similar.

Then pump your tyres up and head out there…

some bloke said “if not now, then when shall we live?”

You still here??

😉

Go for it Tony…
As everyone else has said- Enjoy!!

One other thing..

Jobs when you get back.

Thankfully in these enlightened times taking a year off doesn’t seem to hamper any return to work awkward questions, least not for me.

If your kids are old enough to look after themselves, take the keys off them to your house.. It’ll be Paaaaaaartey! central in no time, and they’ll not cut the grass.

And take up skiing/snowboarding while you’re at it.

Enjoy.

Get yourself off man. Europe is not that far away should there be an emergency!!

+1 all the above!!

Approved. Do it.

Get yourself a campervan Tony and tour Europe with the bikes on the rack. Roll on retirement ! as at moment I can only tour for max 6 weeks. Go for it.

Go for it 😆

Could be in a similar position myself soon

steve, dont want the expense of a camper van. we could spend the year in cheap hotels for the cost of buying and running one.

Trekster – Member
Go for it

Could be in a similar position myself soon

John….thing is mate, dont know about you but i am quite looking forward to being finished too.
just to see what the future brings…….. 8)

Sounds like a lovely thing to do – why wait – seize the moment 🙂

Just been made redundant myself and if I were in your position( kids and money wise ) I wouldn’t hesitate . It’s not like there’s much work around at the moment anyway.
Have fun you don’t know what’s around the corner.

Do it Ton, just do it

I’m heading off for a few months on a road trip (motorbike though) – should have been on my way now but it’s been delayed till April

Down though France with a couple of days here and there to meet up with friends, then Spain to Gib and more time with friends.
Ferry from Cadiz to Lanzarote, a bit of island hoping or whatever takes my fancy before leaving the bike and flying home.

I did this last year at 48. Bought a bongo and headed south. It was ace, I did loads of riding, had a great time but coming back and having to start working again was a horrible shock to the system.

It worked out a lot more expensive than I thought it would though, even living like a dirtbag!

fabulous tony, if you can, get out there and do it for all the right reasons at the right time. Fabulous.

My mum and dad are finally getting round to the big trip they’ve been planning for years, even though Dad still hasn’t sold his business (current financial climate and all that, he wishes he had got shot of it years ago).

He’s now 73, and going to have a bloody brilliant time, but I know they would have loved it a lot longer ago.

Do it!

Kev

If you pass through the Basque country give me a bell, will sort out a couple of trails,beers and great food.

I’ve done a couple of big trips in my 20s.

Well worth while. Its a huge investment in the rest of your life.

I thought I’d keep doing it but it took a while to find a good job after the second trip. So i decided no more. Its mortgage and kids now so I can’t do it again.

But I’m so glad I did.

You might want to experiment with living cheaply before you commit, see how cheaply you can live

I’d consider a travelling in a low wage economy as you could easily spend less treking in Nepal for 6 weeks than 6 weeks camping in the south of france

Don’t do it you selfish shitbag! You need to keep working to keep the scrotes in giros!! Don’t even think about having a life!

Do it.

Write soon!

Ton, ride through Europe for the summer, end up in the Alps for winter. Ski your moobs off. Then, when the snow melts, ride back home through any bit of Europe you missed in the first half.

Do it.

lifes too short to miss such opportunities

Go for it Tony. You only live once and you wouldnt want to be looking back 10 years down the line thinking ‘if only i had’. Make the most of your good health now and do as much as you can.

Europes great, but also have a look further a field. One week in Europe equals a month in Asia/South America and a different culture is always great for the soul.

Whats the worst that could happen? You dont like it you come home, but nothing ventured…..

steve, dont want the expense of a camper van. we could spend the year in cheap hotels for the cost of buying and running one.

I’ve had 3 motorhomes that I’ve kept for a year apiece, done my long summer trip (usually a month in France) plus numerous long weekends, & then sold them in Autumn. They sometimes take a few weeks to sell but the most I’ve lost is about £1k – I actually made money on one of them. Compare that to cheap hotels – yer money is gone

We’re on our fourth van now & because they hold their price so well we’ve decided to keep it. There are big bargains to be had at this time of year (especially December in private sales), & if sold at the right time (spring/early summer) you’ll still get to enjoy most of your handshake when you return.

If you want to know some of the lessons we’ve learnt, advice on vans etc. you’ve got my email address so please feel free to get in touch.

Mark

If you don’t do it in a van, a landy or on two wheels (with or without an engine)

It never happened!

Another big vote for – do it !

I suspect if you put your mind to it you can make a list of places to visit and things to do for longer than a year.

Re: camper van – remember you can sell that at the end of trip and it gives you a degree of freedom to go where you please

Mildred
Could you send me the do s and donts re camper vans please
Phwill77 at g mail dot com
Thanks in advance

No worries – will do later on tonight.

Me and Mrs Soks keep talking about this sort of, out-of-our-comfort-zone, idea. We keep wussing out, though. *What about the pensions, last offspring at Uni, elderly parents, price of fish*
Ton, if you really think you can do it…..DO IT!!