★★★★★

By Frank Pantheofer

Like you, I enjoy reading about adventurous riders, especially those who’ve struck out to travel the world. They’re inspiring, insightful and sometimes just plain entertaining. My latest find is the Motorcycle Vagabonds series by German rider Frank Pantheofer who, along with and his wife Simone, recently completed a three-and-a-half-year global trek.

Frank’s tales require a couple of books to cover their entire journey. The first volume concentrates on the couple’s departure from the EU, through the Americas to Australia;the second continues through Indonesia and across Asia, including the Himalayas, Pakistan and Iran, and their return home.

If you’re looking for an ADV recharge, you’ll find Frank’s account a good read. As the title implies, they traveled using as little money as possible, a form of adventuring that may be a little (or a lot) harsher than many prefer. Still, the reader gets to see how they did it and what it was like on a day-to-day, real-life basis.

Many of their low budget methods led to richer experiences. Others, like why they chose a pair of aging Honda Transalps, or volunteering for room and board, supply glimpses into how they managed along the way. There’s a lot to be said for the resourceful vagabonding style vs. methods with more of a budget.

Frank’s account may not be as culturally immersive as some; instead, his focus is more around their relationship and their ever-changing emotional state as the journey progressed. If you can imagine not only surviving but growing a loving and nurturing relationship under three and a half years of such conditions, then you’ll appreciate this story.

Motorcycle Vagabonds wraps up with a discussion we don’t hear often: Reintegration into “normal” life after such a long journey. For many riders, this is an unexpectedly tough period, in some cases fraught with symptoms not dissimilar to PTSD. What Frank shares will be valuable to both the would-be RTWer and the veteran.

Although the translation to English from German is a little rough at times, Motorcycle Vagabonds had me laughing and smiling all the way through both volumes. I recommend it highly.

Website: Motorcycle-Vagabonds.com
Paperback: Parts 1 and 2—$14.99 ea. | Kindle: Parts 1 and 2 $6.49 ea.*
Paperback: ISBN: 978-1533187055 and 978-1535291927
Kindle: ASIN: B01J4EJ3NC and B01J4EJ3Y6
*Also available in other formats, see website