You got yourself a motorcycle, ha? 

You want to do more than just chill at a campground, ha? 

You want to take that little beast on an expedition, ha?

But you don’t know what kind of expedition you can do, ha?

No worries, I’m here to give you 10 ideas for expeditions you can do on a motorcycle.
 

expedition noun
a : a journey or excursion undertaken for a specific purpose
b : the group of persons making such a journey
 

1. Photography Expedition: If you are artistic, consider going on a photography expedition. Be very specific about where you plan to shoot, what you plan to shoot and the purpose of the shoot. Sure, you can just go out and shoot whatever but where’s the fun in that? Take a few other awesome people out with you and do a photo shoot in the wild. The possibilities are endless.

2. Historical Expedition: Let’s say you want to learn about the history of a region, country, state or province or city. Why not go on an expedition to learn more? Meet the locals, visit museums, libraries and government buildings. Ask questions. Take notes. Learn. I’ve been working on my family tree for a number of years and I’m personally planning to trace the movements of my ancestors as far back as I can. I’d like to visit where they lived, traveled, worked and were laid to rest. Their journey is a part of my journey and I want to learn what that journey was. Maybe that sounds boring as hell. I get it. A historical expedition can be about any historical topic of your choosing. 

3. Survival Expedition: This type of expedition would involve learning new survival skills in different environments. For example, get yourself a copy of a good survival skills book (I have the FM 21–76 US Army Survival Manual) or bring an expert or two along with you (or both). Choose places you would like to visit and decide on 1–3 survival skills you would like to learn in each location. Ride there and have at it.

4. Filmmaking Expedition: These days anyone can be a filmmaker. What better way to get started than to document your motorcycle journey? If you’re not up for that, there are a plethora of topics you can explore for a film. For example, I plan to visit some homesteaders to make a short 16mm documentary about small scale food production. Pick a topic you are interested in and figure out how you will shoot it. I have to admit, one of my all time favorite documentaries was one about a motorcycle ride shot on 16mm film, Long Live The Kings:



5. Farm Expedition: What is a farm expedition? Well, it could be anything you want involving a farm or farms. You could spend some time on a farm learning all that you care to learn about farming, farm animals, etc. Or you could put together an expedition to visit many farms of the same type or many farms of all different types where you will study those types of farms and learn all that you can. Your expedition can have photography or filmmaking elements if you like or you could go there to strictly soak it all into your brain.

6. Trade Expedition: A trade expedition is a great way to learn new trade skills. On this expedition, you can pick a skilled trade and travel around the country and beyond, learning from expert tradespeople. Learn one trade and then do it all over again with another trade. You can also learn a series of trades and document what you’ve learned so that others can benefit as well.

7. Self-Awareness Expedition: This type of expedition can be designed in many ways but the end result should be to get to know yourself better and to take care of yourself. It can be that you’re out for a little solitude in a beautiful forest or that you meet with like-minded people to relax and relate. When your expedition is over, you should have a better understand of yourself and possibly a workable plan of action for anything interfering with you living your best life.

8. Astronomy Expedition: Star party anyone? An astronomy expedition would include stargazing via telescope anywhere in the world you wish to be. There is so much to learn and this one would be amazing for children. Pack up your best telescope(s) and decide if you want to go to pre-planned star parties or map out your own route and locations. It will also be more fruitful if you determine beforehand what it is you’d like to learn on your expedition and what methods you will use to document your discoveries.

9. Wildcard Motorcycle Expedition: This is where you can map out a route of your choosing and do it all on a motorcycle. There are endless possibilities with this one. Maybe you want to go on a motorcycle expedition to visit all of the abandoned bridges you can get to in North America (I may even do this one). Or maybe you would like to do an around the world by motorcycle expedition to drink beer in the tiniest pubs in every city you’re in (your first stop should be the one in Dublin). You can go on your motorcycle expedition alone or with other riders and have the best experiences of your life.

10. Scientific Expedition: You don’t need to be a degreed scientist to go on a scientific expedition. You should never stop learning and definitely should never stop learning about the natural world around you. Your expedition could include learning about different terrains, geography, geology, volcanoes, dirt (my favorite), trails, etc. The possibilities are endless.What are you most curious about in the natural world?


Whatever you decide, the most important thing is to plan well and make it happen. Don't get too hung up on details and don't spend so much time planning and thinking that you don't actually go out and explore. 

What expeditions have you done on a motorcycle?