From Boardroom to the Sahara: A Late-Life Reset Through Motorcycle Travel
Adventure Rider Radio – Motorcycle Podcast
From Boardroom to the Sahara: A Late-Life Reset Through Motorcycle Travel
Annotations will appear as you listen
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53:49
Car
Tenere 660, the XT
This is a Yamaha adventure bike meant for long trips. The rider picked the Tenere 660 XT because it felt easier to handle for a journey like this.
Term
factory cruise control
Cruise control is a feature that helps keep your speed steady without you constantly twisting the throttle. If your bike doesn’t have it from the factory, you have to hold the throttle yourself, which can get tiring on long rides.
Brand
Atlas Throttle Lock
The Atlas Throttle Lock is a gadget that helps you set the throttle and keep it there. That means less strain on your hand and wrist during long stretches, and you can still change the throttle position when you need to.
Term
overlanding
Overlanding is like taking a road trip, but into more remote places. You bring your own camping and supplies so you can stay out longer and go off the usual routes.
Term
route mapped out
Mapping your route out means you plan where you’re going ahead of time. That helps you avoid getting lost, especially in places where roads and directions aren’t easy to follow.
Term
Garmin apps
Garmin apps refer to navigation software used with Garmin devices to provide maps and routing. In this context, the speaker uses them for Europe, then relies on a separate map source for Morocco—highlighting that map quality can vary by region.
Term
sat nav
Sat nav is the GPS in your phone or car that tells you where to turn. The host is saying they relied on it without double-checking the exact spot, and it sent them the wrong way.
Term
Waze
Waze is a navigation app. It uses real-time traffic info (and what other drivers report) to help you pick a better route.
Term
toll road
A toll road is a road where you pay a fee to drive on it. The rider used one to get back onto a straight, easy route.
Part
foot pegs
Foot pegs are where your boots rest on the motorcycle. The way they’re shaped and positioned can make a big difference in how stable you feel and how confidently you can use the controls.
Brand
IMS products
IMS products makes aftermarket parts for motorcycles. Here they’re talking about their foot pegs, which can help you feel more connected to the bike and control it better.
LIVE
There's a strange thing that happens when you leave home on a motorcycle.
At home, most of us feel like we're in some kind of control.
We know where things are, we know where we're going, we know what time we're supposed to
get there at, the fuel station is where it was yesterday, the grocery store where it
was last week, and your bed is waiting for you at the end of the day.
And because all of this feels familiar, we believe we're in some kind of control.
But maybe what we really have is routine.
Maybe what we really have is a set of handrails around us.
Familiar roads, familiar language, familiar people, familiar systems.
And when you ride away from that, when the map sends you to the wrong place,
when the phone dies in the rain, when the hotel isn't where it's supposed to be,
and you're tired and you're hot and you still got another hour to ride,
those handrails start to disappear.
Rob Bridges spent years in the boardroom side of life,
finance, responsibility, pressure, planning, and decisions that had to be made very, very carefully.
Then he retired early and set out on a six-month motorcycle journey
that would take him south into Morocco and to the edge of the Sahara.
On paper, it sounds like freedom.
But the thing about freedom is that it's not always easy to experience
when you've spent years being rewarded for control,
when your life has been built on control,
the same habits that helped you build a career, support your family,
and keep everything moving the way it should can also follow you onto the road.
In fact, they're difficult to shake.
The planning, the urgency, the need to stay on task,
the feeling that sitting somewhere is a waste of time.
And some people will tell you that if you really want to experience travel,
not just cover distance, but actually be changed by the places you go
and the people you meet, at some point you've got to loosen your grip.
I'm Jim Martin. This is Adventure Rider Radio.
Stay with us. We've got a good one for you.
I'm Javi. Clayton Smout and you're listening to Adventure Rider Radio.
And Green Chili Adventure Gear offers American made heavy duty luggage systems
for all types of motorcycles.
You can turn any dry bag into luggage using their strapping system.
And of course, Green Chili Adventure Gear is tested in extreme weather
and terrain to withstand the abuse that Adventure Riding gives it.
Tough, reliable gear, greenchiliadv.com.
So, my name is Rob Bridges.
I've recently retired and I'm basically on a six month tour,
called Rite of Passage trip to start the retirement trading.
So where are you sitting right now?
We can hear a lot of things going on in the background.
So I'm actually, I'm in a hotel in the city of Fess in Morocco
and I arrived here yesterday.
So I've just come from the south of Morocco and heading back north.
And what is this trip that you're on? What are you doing?
So basically what I'm doing, so originally, I'm originally from Zimbabwe
and I wanted to do a large trip to really mark this period of time in this transition.
My original plan was to do a trip back down to Zimbabwe.
And the more I thought about it and thought about the logistics involved,
I decided to rather do a six month tour to really sort of like touch Africa
and then go across to the east, touch Asia and then north,
hopefully get into the Arctic Circle.
And I'm 67 weeks now into that.
And but yeah, still have quite a long way still to go.
And are you a new rider? Is this a new thing for you?
I am quite a new rider, Joe.
I used to ride bikes as a kid growing up in Zimbabwe on the farm roads.
I stopped when I was about 18 years old and then I didn't ride for about 40 years.
And then I think it was about four and a half, five years ago.
I got back into it again, set my license in the UK.
I failed the first two times.
No, sorry, I chuckled, but I know that the test is very difficult now.
And not only that, I got my license when I was like 18 or 19 or something like that.
I think 18, but for my motorcycle.
And it's difficult to get a license when you're older, isn't it?
It's really tough, Jim.
It really is.
It felt very awkward for me going back.
I initially thought I'd just pick it up and it would just be how it was when I was a kid.
But gosh, it felt very awkward.
And when I failed the second time, I actually was quite tempted to give up in all truth.
But getting that license just gave me such a sense of, gosh, it's hard to explain,
but such a sense of freedom, just this knowledge that you're able to ride wherever you want to.
It was just fantastic, really.
Why did you want to get the bike license anyway?
What got you back to that?
Well, to me, I had been through, I was in a very stressful job.
I'd been through a marriage breakup, which was about six years ago, I believe,
and just wanted to start an activity that would really sort of bring me joy,
you know, and it was more of a mental thing.
I found that, you know, I remember being a kid, that riding was just a joyful experience.
And I just really hope to sort of relive that.
And it certainly has done that for me.
So the trip you're going from the UK to Zimbabwe, you said you're originally from Zimbabwe.
I gather you moved to the UK?
I moved to the UK in 2005, so born in Zimbabwe, and had a family,
and we immigrated across the UK in 2005.
So we arrived there with our two young daughters.
It was really a new start, a completely new start.
We arrived in the UK with literally four suitcases at the train station,
and literally started from nothing, really.
The reason we left Zimbabwe was, I'm not sure you probably know some of the history,
but, you know, because of the political situation back there,
it just wasn't the place for us to bring up our kids.
Oh, so when you say you arrived with your suitcases, you had no job?
No, I had nothing, no.
So literally we arrived, I had no job.
I think I had about 5,000 US dollars in cash, and, you know, that was it to start a whole new life.
We literally had to leave everything.
You know, we were a lot fortunate than most people, to be honest.
We didn't lose property, or lose farmland, or anything like that.
It was more a move for our children's future, and, you know, re-establishing,
although my grandparents were British, I had no idea that the culture shock was huge,
and re-establishing a new life in, you know, a place like the UK, it takes,
yeah, it takes some time, you know, it wasn't easy, I can tell you.
Does that sort of experience make you hungrier, you know, like, I mean,
because you're kind of up against the wall, like you've got a lot of responsibility there,
you don't have much money, and you're in a new country, and you kind of hit the ground running.
Honestly, you are absolutely right, you know, I was, before moving across to the UK,
I was well-established in my career, but I literally had to start from the bottom, you know,
and you're exactly, you've said it exactly right there, you know, I've had to literally put in
a lot more effort than I think most people would, you know, and, yeah, so, you know,
we've, so literally over the last 20 years, I've had to rebuild my career, work really,
really hard, in particular the last eight years, you know, being very, very stressful in terms of
work, the work life, but, you know, we got there just through perseverance, really.
Does an experience like that, does it leave a scar on you, or does it build muscle?
I think possibly, you know, possibly both, the, you know, I think it's given me
appreciation for things. I think I'm a lot more grateful for the good things in life, and,
yeah, I would say there's a lot of resilience that's been built up in the background over
this time, although, you know, having said that, you know, I've had a lot of, you know, I've been
through sort of panic attacks and stress-related, you know, I've had to overcome a lot of sort
of stress-related things. In May last year, I reached a point where I was literally in such a
high, strong mode. I took a week off and did a tour of Ireland. That was my first real trip,
and, you know, that really showed me that I needed to make some quite serious changes.
I took the decision, actually, last year to retire a lot earlier than I would have normally,
you know, sort of, I did a whole reassessment or everything, thought, gosh, I'd rather retire
on more modestly and have a longer, healthier retirement, and that's what I'm living at the
moment. What did you do for a living? I was in finance, so I was the, for the last eight years,
I was the finance director of a manufacturing company. We were in the food manufacturing sector,
and, you know, it was, when I joined, it was a startup. Well, it was quite a small business,
and we went through a lot of growth, and, you know, that came with quite a lot of, you know,
a lot of financing pressures, a lot of the usual growing pains that a company goes through.
And, but, you know, I've, you know, eight years of it, I think it was more than enough for me.
You say this trip that you're on is not to escape anything, but to explore what freedom,
peace, and simplicity mean in practice, unquote. When you say not to escape anything,
I found it interesting that that was the first thing that you said.
Yeah, I just, you know, you've, I don't feel that I'm, you know, sort of like running away from
my previous environment. You know, I feel it's more a transition to a more peaceful way of living.
You know, I was, you know, for example, you know, if you roll back six months ago,
I was in a very sort of, I don't know, it's hard to explain. I was in a place where everything
for me was, I was treating everything as an emergency, you know, the simple things in life
was just like an emergency. And I was just carrying a lot of stress. And, you know, this,
this trip for me is, is, is, you know, I'm hoping that it's going to be a pathway to
changing bad habits, you know, being more sort of reflective, more, more chilled and relaxed.
And it, I'm finding that it's already started to do that, you know, especially here in Morocco,
where, you know, you can sit in a cafe and, you know, for hours and meals take a long time. And
so, you know, it's, it's, it's, it's been, I'm hoping that this journey will, will,
will really sort of like transform that side of me.
So when, when you're finished the journey, what are you hoping to come back as?
Well, I'm, I'm hoping to be, you know, someone who's
just more, more present and enjoys the, the simple things.
When you're planning for this trip, or actually, when you, once you got your bike,
or when you plan to get your bike, did you buy the bike for this trip with this trip in mind,
or did you just buy the bike? I bought it about, I think about three years ago,
and I bought it for a trip. And at that point, I had no idea what that trip would be. As I said
before, originally, I was, I was wanting to do a trip down, down to Sambabwe, but when I researched
it and looked into it, you know, I realized that, that sort of a trip would probably, you know,
that wouldn't be a very peaceful, reflective trip, a big, very taxing, you know.
In what ways?
Well, it's the border crossings, you know, the, the, the, you know, the whole dealing with the
whole official side of things and being stopped at roadblocks. I mean, you know, the roadblocks
here in Morocco, many, many roadblocks, but it's a, there's a very friendly
atmosphere and environment. Whereas, you know, an African, a true
southerly African trip would be, I would, you know, completely different, you know.
So that's why I'm keeping it to the, the edges of Europe. I'm going to touch into Africa,
go across, touch into Asia and then up into the North, into the Arctic Circle.
That's the plan anyway. If I, if, if anything goes wrong or if, you know,
I can always pause the trip, but that's the goal.
And what bike did you choose for this?
So this one's the Tenere 660, the XT. It's a 2014 year. I felt it was manageable for me.
Hey, let's talk about that, that initial point where you're leaving on this trip.
What did that feel like when you're riding away? You know, I know you visited some family.
I think you visited some family on the way out. So maybe it was a little bit of a stilted beginning,
but when you really felt like you're on the road, what did that feel like?
Do you know, there was a, there was a sense of excitement, apprehension. I was,
the scale of the trip terrified me, if I'm honest with you. You know, I was, I was quite nervous
about it. I crossed over at Plymouth and the first two weeks weren't that easy. You know,
there was a, there was a lot of, a lot of teething issues and I hadn't got into a routine yet.
Like what sort of things?
Well, the weather for one, you know, so I went through a lot of rain the first couple of weeks
and I realized that my waterproofs actually weren't that great. I actually lost a phone to water
in Portugal and that caused me gosh, about a five day delay. So that was, that was quite challenging.
But just the day, just the daily routine, you know, what was interesting to me was
transitioning to, from a normal life routine to a routine on a bike. And, you know, you still
got to do your daily, you know, your shopping, your refuelling and, you know, everything's
got its place. So I think just, just getting into that new routine of life took some quite
serious adjustment. I would say about three weeks into the trip was when I really started
relaxing and started enjoying it. So in that three weeks, while you're sort of breaking
into the trip, do you feel alone? Yeah, very much so, you know, very much so. And, you know,
language obviously is the first thing, you know, just being in countries where there's just very
little English spoken. I found that to be an initial challenge. And also just the routine of
accommodation and where I'm staying each night. That was a huge adjustment to me.
What other feelings did you have in that first three weeks?
There was also, you know, there was also a sense of, you know, a sense of freedom,
a sense of, gosh, you know, I've got all this chunk of time ahead of me. It was quite an incredible
feeling, actually, you know, positively. So that was a real feeling of elation, you know.
And I was, you know, especially in this first couple of weeks, I was quite hyper-vigilant really,
and, you know, on the smallest of things, just worrying about the, you know, worrying about
having a small fall that could really mess up the whole trip, you know.
What have you learned about your, like just so far, and I know you're just sort of just
into this trip, but what have you learned so far about the bike, about you riding it?
Gosh, I've been amazed at this. I've been amazed at the bike. You know, Jim, the idea that
your motorcycle, I think the idea that your motorcycle can transport you from your garage
in your home to way off exotic places has just been mind-blowing for me. It really has, you know.
And also, you know, how resilient the motorcycle itself is. I mean, I had my bike,
you know, checked over really, really well before I left. New tires, the whole, you know,
absolutely everything. But, you know, how it's gone through the roads and, you know,
taken me where I've been so far, it just amazes me, you know, that this physical, this machine,
that, you know, it's quite, I mean, I know it's heavy, you know, but it's quite small when you
think about it and how that machine can transport you. You know, it's quite mind-blowing, really.
You know, I must say, I'm getting very attached. My original plan was to sell this bike when I
get back, but become quite attached to it and it's becoming a bit like a family member.
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So for navigating, do you have your route mapped out? How are you traveling? So you have camping
gear with you? Do you have your route mapped out? Are you just winging it?
No, I'm not. One of the reasons why I'm carrying so much luggage is I've got all my camping gear,
and that's more for as a backup. And there are some countries where I'll camp, certainly in
Europe. And as far as navigation is concerned, I've got a Garmin. It's a brand new one. I think
it's about two years old. And I've got the Garmin apps on that for Europe. And then I've sourced
a map for Morocco, which is proving not to be that good, actually. So I've also struggled with
Google Maps, funny enough, in Morocco. And I made a huge navigation error about two weeks ago,
where I was becoming a little overconfident with the Garmin. So I would literally just send the
address from the app into the sat nav and not double check that it is actually the right place.
And yeah, so I hit it off course, gosh, about 100, over 100 kilometers. So that was really
frustrating. How did you realize you're going the wrong way? Well, it pulled me, I arrived,
instead of arriving at a hotel, I arrived at a beauty salon. And I sat outside, I just couldn't
believe it. And so I had to ride around and eventually found a garage and they were busy,
everyone's people are busy, they don't have time to help you. And then this young lady came out
and she said, don't use Google Maps, use Waze. So I downloaded that app and I've been using it
ever since. And even now, I don't use the Garmin for navigating in cities. I just use it from
town to town and then use the Waze app to actually find specific places. But that was huge,
frustrating, honestly, because when that happened, I was exhausted. It was at the end of, I think,
a four hour ride. And I was absolutely exhausted. And then I had another hour to ride.
So you're thinking you're coming up to your hotel and realize you're at the wrong spot.
So is that somewhat depressing? Does it really crush you? Does it make you angry?
It does. It was very crushing. It was really, really crushing. And it was usually disappointing.
And I had the choice because I'd actually paid for my accommodation and I thought, well,
should I just cancel it and rebook it here? But then I thought, well, this deviation is going to
throw me out completely. It's going to throw my plans out completely. So I thought, well, no,
I'm just going to bite the bullet. I'm just going to ride for another hour. And I actually found a
toll road, which just took me, it was a nice, clear, straight ride. So I just bit the bullet and
just went for it and it turned out okay. It was the right decision in the end.
But what I'm thinking is though here though, like as far as, you know, you talk to some travelers
and they'll say, I mean, you know, go back to Ted Simon. I'm sure you've heard about Ted Simon.
But if you go back and look at some of those travelers that have especially traveled before
we've had Sad Naves, et cetera, but even still now, when they get diverted or when something
comes up, it's almost an opportunity to explore. And I'm wondering if you're considering that at
all, you know, so when something like that happens, it puts you in a place that you wouldn't
otherwise be. And maybe there's adventure there for you. Maybe this is part of the trip.
It's, you know what, Jim, it's interesting you say that because by nature, I'm very,
I like order and continuity and, you know, I like to know where I am and where I'm going.
And, you know, what this trip and particularly this country showing me is that, you know,
I've got to kind of like let go a little bit and lose control, you know. And that to me is a huge,
it's so different to how I've operated for so many years, you know, I just, I don't like chaos and I
don't like disruption by nature. And I'm learning to sort of come to terms with that, you know,
otherwise it's going to be a very difficult trip for me.
It must be very difficult for you because I can tell already just from talking to you in this time
that you've said a couple of times now that you don't like chaos, you like to have things in order,
yet travel is sort of chaos, isn't it? As much as you can desperately try and hold on to order
and routine, it's almost impossible with travel because you've exposed yourself to so many variables.
You know, that is so true. That And, you know, I think I came into this a little naive
and, you know, in that sense, you know, I did a lot of thinking before leaving and a lot of
preparation in terms of the equipment and, you know, the time frame of the trip. But one thing I
didn't appreciate was, you know, exactly as you've said, you know, the sort of like of the random
events that take place each day. But that really makes the trip, doesn't it, at the end of this?
Those are the things that you remember. Yeah. But I mean, if you're fighting them all the time to
try and get back on course, you, I don't know, and each of us has to work this out for ourselves,
but it does make you wonder if you're trying to get away from that, why you fight it.
Yeah, that's a really good point. It's a really good, you know, I you know, I know
some people have suggested, you know, for example, don't, don't book or don't organise your accommodation
the day before, you know, sort of, you know, I've been, heard some people say,
well, organise it around three o'clock in the afternoon. That's when you start organising your
planning your, your overnight stay, you know, but in my thinking, well, certainly at the moment,
you know, that's, that's way too late in the day for me, you know, I, I, I like to know,
I like to have a destination that I'm travelling to. That's too stressful for you to deal with at
this point. No, no, no, no, I couldn't do that. There's no ways I could do that.
But it does cause some stress though, like, I mean, because I mean, thinking your example
there when you got lost with your sat nav, took you to the wrong spot, and you really couldn't
let go of that destination that you had in mind, because you had several reasons that you abused
to back it up. You're right, you said it's going to take me off course, it's taking me out of what,
it's not what I expected, etc. And I've already booked this, etc. So you had all these reasons
to drive yourself, and then you find yourself pushing your tired, and you pushed yourself
another hour to get back on track. I mean, you could find yourself fighting to be on
track all the time and always drifting off from the prevailing winds or the current that takes
you in a different direction. You know, you know, you're absolutely right. And there's risk, you
know, there's risk on that particular day, honestly, in that last half an hour of the day,
you know, you're not you're not thinking clearly, and you know, you do sort of you do take risks,
but you wouldn't normally, you know. I mean, what I've tried to do is I've tried to, you know,
as I said before, I'm sort of learning as all the time, and I've tried to, you know, keep my
travel days a lot shorter, you know, two and a half hours for me is more than enough, you know.
Two and a half hours of travel time. Yeah, that's more than enough for me, for me personally.
And so, and another interesting thing I've found is, and it's something that I've only started
recently is as early starts, you know, sort of leaving when the day is still cool, when you're
thinking clearly, you know, yeah, so the last, the trip up to here where I am at the moment in FES,
the trip up here, I got up early each of those two mornings, and it was such an enjoyable
time, it really was, you know. Yeah, you know, you're thinking clearly, you've, you just enjoy
the whole experience so much more, that's what I found. Yeah, I totally agree, I love morning
rides, it's an incredible time, it's also, it depends where you are I guess, but it tends to
be less traffic. It's, you're absolutely right, absolutely right, and you know, the one morning
that, you know, the sun hadn't even come up, the moon was still up, it was beautiful, absolutely
beautiful, cool, you're thinking fresh, you know, it's, you leave and you arrive in a much better
mood and better frame of mind, that's what I found. One of your blog entries, now I can't remember
what country it was in, but you said, quote, I have to say that next to being a dad, riding
my motorcycle through this exotic country so far has been one of the greatest joys of my life.
Oh gosh, you know, I've, having, having lived in Yurtwell in the UK for the last 20 years,
for me, it was, it's hard for me to explain, I think crossing over into, into Morocco was such a,
I don't know, I don't know what it was, I think it was the, the, the, this sense of freedom,
but I felt such a weight lifted off my shoulders, you know, I felt that it was just a lot more
easygoing in terms of rules and regulations and the, especially those first few days where,
that's when I actually wrote that blog and it's, I had such a sense of elation and, and just,
just sheer joy, you know, riding through just such a, such a diverse and unusual place for me.
And yeah, it was, it was, for me, it was, I had to compare it to something, and I guess when I
wrote that, that was, that's what came, came to mind, you know, it is quite a statement,
it is a huge statement really, you know, but, you know, that's, that's how I felt at that,
at that time, you know, and yeah, it's, I think for me crossing over, you know, and just landing
here was quite a moment in, in this trip. Is there any feeling that you have of
insignificance being on your trip? Like, you know, because you don't have anyone to turn to to say,
hey, look at this, you're not enjoying a meal with somebody sitting in a restaurant,
you don't have that camaraderie. I know you have your connection through, you know, social media,
and you can phone home and things like that, but it's not the same as somebody being there.
It's kind of like you are doing this on your own. Yes, no, you're quite right,
and there are, there have been moments when I've, I've felt that isolation, you know, without question.
When I set, set out on this, I didn't want to feel rushed or I really wanted to have
my own agenda and freedom of choice. And I guess that's the price that I'm, I'm paying, you know,
to, to not have that camaraderie. So yes, there is definitely that, that space, that gap.
And I guess I'm trying to express that, you know, when I call home and share photos with
family and that sort of thing. But, you know, you don't quite, it's not quite communicated.
It's hard to communicate the actual experiences through media, is what I'm finding, you know,
it doesn't quite articulate or illustrate or show the emotion and the feelings and the
sensations of those moments. Because part of it is that these, these feelings,
these emotions, these, these experiences you're having, they're not all fireworks,
are they? It's not all incredible fireworks. It can be very subtle.
Very subtle, yes, no, absolutely. And unexpected, you know,
they've been, you know, for example, I didn't expect, my goal, you know, it was to simply ride
to the edge of the country here in Morocco and then, then turn around and come back. I really
wanted to experience the desert was, was just one of the things that I wanted to do. And
what I didn't realize was the, the scale of the mountains and the actual journey there.
I had no idea, you know, what that actually involved. And to me, that was, you know, far more
incredible than the actual destination itself. So that was surprising. I had no idea what,
you know, the, like the atlas, that section of the Atlas Mountains and that sort of thing would,
would involve and, and be. So that, that to me was very surprising.
Most riders don't think much about foot pegs. They look at them and think, well, it's just a peg.
But the more you ride, realize how much that one part affects your control,
your comfort and your confidence. That's why I like IMS products. They've put a lot of thought
into something that most people overlook. Their pegs give you a better platform, better connection
to the bike and better control without feeling awkward around the shifter and the brake. It's
one of those upgrades that doesn't look dramatic until you ride with it. Then you get it. IMSproducts.com
is a website. Make sure you tell them you heard them here on adventure rider radio. Just mention
it to them. IMSproducts.com. This whole trip is sort of, I think at one point you said that it's a
change of seasons for you. You're going into a sort of a new phase in life. What did your family
think of you heading off on this trip? Well, I broke the news very, very gently and over time.
And my children have been very supportive. But, you know, I think my parents have been,
been very worried about it. But they're all, I think, a lot happier with it at this point because,
you know, I'm sort of well into it. And, but, you know, at the end of the day, you know, you've
got to decide on the things that you believe you need to do and will make you happy. And you've got
to do them. You can't, you can't look back and regret, you know, Jim. And, you know, I feel,
I feel I'm at a stage now where, you know, if I leave this for any more years, I'll probably lose
the will and the desire to do it, you know. The will or desire or the, the gumption?
The gumption. Yeah. That's a good word. The gumption. Yeah. The pure gumption. And, you know,
even now, you know, you know, as I said before, when I started off out on this, I felt quite
terrified, you know. I thought, gosh, you know, what, what am I doing? And, you know,
particularly in those first few weeks, but it's amazing how as humans we adapt,
I certainly needed a fresh and new and different routine, you know, at this time in my life. And
that's exactly what this trip has been doing for me.
Right now, you're saying you're sort of falling into a rhythm now. You're feeling more comfortable
on the road and you're enjoying it. Was there a time when you weren't? Was there a time when
you had a really difficult day or a real big problem and you sort of felt like turning around?
Yeah, I think, I mean, for me, safety has been a big, a big worry, you know. When I did my island
trip last year in May, I had a small fall. But gosh, you know, I pulled a muscle in my,
in a thigh. And it was so painful. And actually, you know, it took me weeks to recover, but
it, you know, it showed me how a small mistake that, you know, that happened when I was reversing
on wet grass and my foot slipped. And it showed me how a small, a small thing going wrong can
create real problems for you. And so, you know, that was something that really was foremost in my
mind. And I guess, you know, speaking to you now as I think about it as we speak, I think, I'm
not going to be careful not to become too relaxed, you know, to not fully let your guard down.
No, you can't. You really, really can't because, you know, a sprained ankle, for example, could ruin
this trip, you know, or, you know, a cracked rib ball. And it doesn't take much, you know,
it doesn't take much. These spikes are jolly heavy, heavy machines. And, you know, I found that fall
was hugely painful. And I kind of like, you know, I fear, I fear that hitting the ground at that,
you know, at my age, it's not fun. Many, if not all experienced travelers talk about some kind of
what they'll refer to as spidey sense, six sense, you know, a sense of a feeling that they go by.
Do you find yourself getting that? Are you feeling that yet when you walk into a situation,
you're finding a better automatic read that's sort of a visceral read to you of what's going on?
It's interesting you say that. I've never really thought about that, but I think you're absolutely
right. You know, I'm very, I'm becoming very conscious of the people around me and their
motives when they approach me. I'm very sensitive to, you know, is this genuine help or is this,
you know, someone trying to take advantage of me? You mentioned about the people and you're
starting to read people a little bit better of their intentions as they come up to you.
How about your ability to deal with it? Has that evolved for you? Well, I'm, you know,
by nature, I'm an introvert. I don't like crowds, but I think it's been forced to evolve, you know.
Yes, I think that's quite naturally evolving in the background. I never thought of that,
but I think that's true, yes. One of the things you say about your purpose of what
you're doing is speaking more honestly. What were you not honest about before and what did
you not speak about before? I don't know about not being honest, but I think it's, you know,
sharing your emotions, you know, talking about how you feel, being more open.
So I think it's not, you know, a question of honesty in the literal sense, but more
honesty in the sense of being open and sharing more of yourself and your life and,
you know, even in conversation, you know, with people, you know, you know, sometimes in the
mornings, places I stay, there'll be other bikers. We'll be packing our bags. And it's just, you know,
being a bit more of an open book, so to speak, you know.
That sort of openness or honesty, I think is probably something that would evolve on a trip
like yours. But I'm wondering about, like, for family, it can be uncomfortable. Have you found
that? Yeah, no, it's interesting you say that, because I think my family are seeing, you know,
whole another side of me on this trip. That's what I think. And, you know, it's, you know,
they perceive me as this person. And I think you're quite right on a trip like this, you know,
that sort of openness will naturally have to evolve, you know. I mean, you know, in some places,
you are totally at the mercy of other people. You know, for example, in Portugal, when my phone
was destroyed in the rain, you know, I was totally reliant on the folks I was staying with. You know,
they knew the postal service. They knew the postman himself. And, you know, I was totally
reliant on them and reliant on also reliant on the chat that managed to extract the data from my
phone. You know, so there's a there's a vulnerable there's a natural vulnerability on these sort of
trips, which put you in a place where you you literally have no choice but to, you know, it's
being in that. I mean, I've always been fiercely independent, you know, which is probably why I
plan so much. But I found that that transition to being more vulnerable and reliant on other
people quite difficult, but necessary, you know, absolutely necessary. And yeah, I felt
particularly vulnerable, as I've said before, you know, that that town was over. Again, I may not
be pronouncing it right. But, you know, where, you know, I by original accommodation fell through
that just sent alarm bells going through my head. I managed to find another place within a couple
of hours. And, you know, I was totally reliant on the honesty of the guy who owned the place.
You know, and also, you know, leaving your motorcycle out overnight, you know, you're sort
of like relying on people telling you that this is a safe corner or safe road. And, you know,
they lock often I get my bike locked up in people's garages or, you know, different
odd spaces and odd storage rooms and that sort of thing. And you totally reliant on
other people, you know, in those circumstances. And that to me is being very, has been very
difficult, you know, very, very difficult sort of relying on human goodness and honesty.
Mm hmm. There have been times where I've just had to let go and I've just had to say, well,
you know, if the bike's not there, it's not there, you know. But, you know, overall, I found
people overall very decent and good. And, you know, I've seen the better nature of people,
I have to say so far. What's still tough for you? What are you still dealing with?
Um, I think, I think for me, it's, it's
mentally, I'm finding it a challenge to relax and enjoy my surroundings and not be in a rush,
you know. And I think, I think the, the working life is, is as instilled that in me. And I'm
finding it very, very difficult to just sit at a cafe and drink a sip of coffee, you know,
and watch the world go by. I'm always, I'm always finding that I need to be on some kind of a mission.
So it's, it's fighting and dealing with that propensity to, to always have a mission.
I mean, this morning, I had a real pleasant time sitting outside, you know, after breakfast
and just sort of playing with a cat, having a coffee and, and that's so unusual for me.
So that to me is a struggle. Slowing down is a struggle for me, it really is.
Because you feel like you're wasting time?
Yes, wasting time, you know, that's, that's the key thing, you know. And, you know, I think,
again, I think that the working, working world is, is what's ingrained that into us, you know.
I'm finding it very difficult to shake that. It doesn't come naturally sitting,
sitting idle just doesn't come naturally to me.
And trip-wise?
Trip-wise, I think I'm finding the, the, the, the greatest challenge I think has been the
navigation for me, certainly at this, you know, this, this section of the trip.
You know, sort of relying on technology and having to grapple with the fact that it's not
perfect at all, you know. And also just not having reliable, 100% reliable services around you,
you know, sort of garages that run out of fuel, that sort of thing, you know.
For me, it's been, been quite challenging. Wi-Fi, as we, as we've spoken before,
is being, being quite challenging. So it's not having these services that we take for granted.
Control.
Control, exactly.
Thank you, Joe. Thank you.
That was Rob Bridges from a cafe in Fez, Morocco,
where he's partway through a six-month motorcycle journey into retirement.
If you'd like to follow Rob, find out more about him, you can go to his website.
It's called GoExploreyWithaWhy.com. We've got that link and photographs in the show notes,
as we always do at our website, adventureriderradio.com.
This episode was brought to you in part by Green Chilli Adventure Gear at greenchilliadv.com,
best rest products at cyclepump.com. Anytime you're dealing with these companies or anything
you hear on Adventure Rider Radio, let them know you heard them here. And this show was built on
a model of advertising and listener support. The combination of the two, we'd really appreciate
if you go to adventureriderradio.com and click on support.
Well, that wraps up another episode of Adventure Rider Radio, and we sure hope you enjoyed listening
to it as much as we did making it. Special thanks to our producer, Elizabeth Martin,
and you, thank you very much for being a part of it by listening to the show. Hey,
the show is built on a model of advertising and listener support, which means we get some ads
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Time to get out there and ride your bike if you can. My name is Jim Martin.
Thank you so much for listening, and I'll talk to you next week.
I'm Ted Simon, and here I am on Adventurerider Radio again, and extremely happy to be here with Jim
Martin.
About this episode
Rob Bridges trades boardroom stress for a late-life reset on a six-month motorcycle journey into Morocco and toward the edge of the Sahara. The conversation follows his return to riding after decades away, the licensing setbacks, and the mental shift from emergency-mode to peace and simplicity. Along the route, they compare navigation strategies (Garmin vs Waze), discuss gear and ergonomics like throttle locks and foot pegs, and share how weather, service reliability, and solo vulnerability shape decision-making.
Original notes
A Solo Motorcycle Journey Across Morocco, Europe, and the Sahara Desert in Search of Freedom, Simplicity, and a Slower Way of Living
What happens when someone who’s spent a lifetime chasing schedules, productivity, and control suddenly trades it all for the uncertainty of the open road on a motorcycle? After retiring from finance, Rob Bridges set off alone across Morocco, Europe, and the Sahara Desert on a six-month motorcycle journey—only to discover that the hardest part of the adventure wasn’t the riding, but learning how to slow down.
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About the Podcast
Since 2014, Adventure Rider Radio has shared adventure motorcycle travel stories, Rider Skills, Deep Trouble episodes, tech and gear features, and conversations with riders from around the world. New episodes of ARR are released every Thursday, with new episodes of RAW released monthly on the 21st.
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