Making 11-year trip on 3 wheels

Frenchman Hubert Kriegel with his Ural sidecar motorcycle in Wanaka on Saturday. Mr Kriegel has...
Frenchman Hubert Kriegel with his Ural sidecar motorcycle in Wanaka on Saturday. Mr Kriegel has been travelling the world on his motorcycle for more than 11 years. Photo: Tim Miller.
Frenchman Hubert Kriegel had two choices.

He could work for 10 years and be poor or he could sell everything he had and travel the world on his motorcycle for 10 years, and still be poor.

On February 16, 2005, Mr Kriegel left New York, where he had lived for 27 years, on his Ural sidecar motorcycle and embarked on an 11-year road trip, during which he has  travelled to the Arctic Circle, South America, Africa, the Middle East, India and now, 11 years and two motorcycles later, New Zealand.

The only time he did not travel on his motorcycle was when he had to send his bike on a container ship, he said.

Mr Kriegel was in Wanaka for the weekend as part of his second trip around the South Island and was planning to travel to Christchurch next.

He has been in New Zealand since March and has already travelled around the North and South Islands once and still has until his tourist visa expires, next month.

Two months before he arrived in New Zealand Mr Kriegel announced on his website he was travelling to the country and was flooded with offers of places to stay and rides from the airport.

"Kiwis are very open and hospitable, more hospitable than any other civilised country."

Travelling in New Zealand was almost like a holiday from his usual travel he said.

"When you are in New Zealand you are a tourist. It’s not travelling like in Africa or South America. You have cellphone,  you have roads, so it’s very beautiful but not travelling."

Anybody could stop what they were doing and travel, and it did not need to involve a motorcycle he said.

"I think people should know they can travel whenever they want, even if they have young children. The experience they get from being outside their comfort [zone] is better for them than any TV show or computer game."

The idea of a 10-year road trip came about after Mr Kriegel’s friend asked him what he would do once his youngest daughter had graduated from university.

"I just had a normal life like anyone else, working hard all my life and I struggled financially all my life ... I was always in the red."

After doing some equations on how much it would cost to travel the world on his motorcycle, he decided it was possible.

"I remember the 10 minutes after I realised I could do it, I started shaking."

Travelling on a motorcycle did not cost as much as most people thought it would, if you were willing to live without a few luxuries, he said.

"I don’t stay in nice hotels and I don’t have expensive dinners but I am happy. It is a lifestyle and if you are careful and follow the lifestyle you can do it easy," he said.

With the 10-year budget coming to an end, he was given a lifeline when both his American and French pensions started, which came as a huge relief, he said.

"I don’t have a very big pension but it’s enough for me to keep going on my motorcycle for as long as I want."

Mr Kriegel was taking time while in Wanaka to plan his next trip, which would be to either Australia or back to France for repairs on the motorcycle.

Follow Mr Kriegel at www.thetimelessride.com

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