Traveling with your dog on a motorbike
There's nothing like getting on your motorbike and hitting the road to feel free. Did you know that a dog is a biker's best friend? Yes, yes I assure you that traveling the world with your dog on a motorcycle is possible! To prove it to you, I interviewed a duo of cani-bikers Trop W'ouf.
It's about Julien and his dog, Cooper. These two adventurers do not let go of a pad! Julien decided to go on an adventure and discover the world during a motorcycle trip with his dog. Today, they tell us about their experiences as cani-bikers. If you are planning a road trip, our two pilots give you some essential points to remember.
Come on… Let's follow our travelers and discover the happiness of traveling by motorcycle with your dog around the world.
Put on your helmets, it will take your breath away!
Motorcycling with your dog: a passion
Oh the motorcycle rides! Julien and his adorable jack russel devour the kilometers in all weathers! Today, they have between 7000 and 8000 km on their counter. Having left since October 2019, leaving their old lives behind, they explore the world to discover landscapes and cultures. Riding a motorcycle with his dog is a real pleasure for Julien, and it's not his dog-biker who will tell us otherwise. The motorcycle brings them so much joy, freedom and sensations…
According to Julian: “It's something you have to experience to understand!”
Discover the reasons for this ban in its Portrait Wow Good : )
Familiarize your dog with the motorcycle
The motorcycle is Julien's main means of transport. When he left SPA, his dog immediately had to get on his motorcycle. In a small backpack behind him and hooooop towards the house! This first cani-biker experience did not destabilize him, but the following days Julien preferred to gradually accustom him to this new machine.
In general, the first step is to familiarize the dog with the transport bag dedicated to the motorcycle. Then, you have to put the dog on the tank, motorcycle stopped. The goal is to make it a kind of game. Once this first phase has been validated, start the engine. Socialize your dog to this new noise. It may be that this new noise impresses him a little… Try to assimilate a motorcycle outing to an ordinary walk. Treats and verbal rewards will be welcome! Do you feel your dog is ready? Put it in your backpack, climb on your car, turn on the engine and you're free! You will have understood that before sharing nice outings with your dog on a motorcycle, you will have to go through an essential discovery phase.
Julien also received a helping hand from an equine behaviorist and animal communication specialist. She allowed him to educate his dog through positive reinforcement. According to our biker, this method is extremely effective for both animals and us humans!
Preparing for your motorcycle trip with your dog
Through Facebook and Youtube, our cani-bikers have discovered many documentaries and stories of adventurers on motorcycles. All these unique adventures made them dream. They had only one idea in mind: to live these moments and share them in turn. Going on an adventure with his dog, discovering the world, being on his own was Julien's sole obsession. After a year of preparation, he was finally able to realize his dream! They packed their “suitcases” and set off to discover the world.
Equipment for traveling by motorcycle with your dog
You can't take much on a motorbike… And the most difficult thing before setting off on a trip is to tell yourself that you're going to have to do without a lot of things. It's hard to choose only the bare necessities… But according to the experience of our chief biker, life does things well. Throughout his journey, he lost things… but hey, on second thought, if his phone, his motorcycle and especially his dog are still with him then what he lost shouldn't have been very important.
Our two travelers have three boxes and a waterproof sports bag. Here is their organization.
In the suitcase on the left, they have their kitchen, bathroom and office to work in:
• 1 MSR stove
• 1 Folding plate
• 1 switchblade knife; 1 fork / spoon; 1 wooden spoon for cooking
• 1 toilet bag and 1 medicine box
• 1 Computer
• 1 set of electrical cable
• 1 Battery of 15000Mah
• 3 lighters and 2 gas bottles
• 1 Frontal
In the suitcase on the right, they have their house and their garage:
• 1 Tent
• 1 Hammock
• 1 Tarp
• 1 survival kit
• 1 tool kit for the motorcycle
• 1 Fixed blade knife
• 1 Frontal
In the Top Case, they have their dressing room with:
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Warm and winter clothes with rain gear
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2 Pairs of motorcycle gloves (summer and mid-season)
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Pairs of walking shoes and flip flops
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Mountain down -30°C
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Un hooded winter coat for his dog
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A sweater / jogging jacket for his dog
In the waterproof sports bag, they have their fridge:
• 1 ration box for 24 hours
• 1 box of dehydrated survival ration for 3 days (very compact)
• 1 shopping bag for every day
Such a motorcycle trip with his dog deserves, indeed, a big organization. For our biker and his dog, the biggest preparation was above all mental because even if you have the soul of an adventurer you have to be able to say to yourself “come on, today, I'm leaving!”
The steps were not very complicated to prepare for their motorcycle trip. Master's side: the car's personal insurance and passport must be up to date. On the dog side: a visit to the veterinarian is necessary before departure and the vaccination record must be up to date for border controls.
Cani-bikers love their dog as much as their motorcycle. Julien therefore thought of buying useful spare parts in the event of a technical problem during his journey. He also took Off-Road driving lessons with Jean-Pierre GOY to better prepare for the different terrains that he and his dog will encounter during their trip.
During their journey around the world, on the food side, our two adventurers always carried a bag with them with a survival ration inside for 24 hours and another very compact one for 3 days. They ran errands every day. His dog has the right to meat from the butcher to stay in good shape!
Our bikers have also thought of a first aid kit ! It is made up of a very wide range of medicines for Julien and equipment to cure everyday accidents and sores, both for a dog and for a human.
To communicate, our Wouafer's used three telephones: one for photos, navigation map, the other to exchange with loved ones by phone or email and the last if necessary.
To organize their route, they recorded in advance all the places that interested them on Google Maps and saved them on Julien's phone offline. They planned their stages day by day and their camps for the night, depending on the weather. There are always unforeseen events and that's what our travelers love, because they don't want to travel like a “tourist guide”. They love the unexpected and follow their instincts. They go where they want when they want!
The route of our cani-bikers
Our riders have covered between 7000 and 8000 km so far and visited 10 countries. Isn't that too wow?! They never take the main roads, they prefer to favor the small roads and paths to walk around and enjoy the atmospheres of each of the towns they cross. Our biker and his dog go for walks and participate in biker outings. It's an opportunity for them to visit beautiful places and be with friends. All bikers will tell you: the world of bikers is a big caring and very united family.
How long have they been gone? October 3, 2019 was D-Day for our friends! And yes, this date marks the beginning of the motorcycle trip of our two globetrotters. Departure to Grenoble, Direction Italy, then head for: Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania, Greece, Turkey and Lebanon.
But our motorcycle fan and his dog don't intend to stop there! They plan to continue their journey through the following countries: Georgia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Turkmenistan… as far as Vietnam and even Japan! Count on me to follow their adventures closely and interview them very soon to know everything about the motorcycle trip with his dog Julien
The anecdotes of our motorcycle globetrotters
I now leave the floor to our biker of the day. Julien it's up to you 🙂
“Thank you Sophie! I will remember all my life the day I left, my followers were impatient to see me go. It was a real driving force to tell me, now I'm going! It was very difficult to get started. My dog and I rode all day with the unthinkable in mind: “we finally realize my dream and it's ONLY the first day!”. I couldn't realize that at first. It was so strong. Arrived at the TIGNES ski resort, we pitched our tent for the night. First bivouac and first meal of this adventure with my traveling companion: my beloved dog! We took an hour to walk around and I surprised myself with tears of joy in my eyes. Never have I felt such happiness in my life. It was the strongest and most beautiful moment of my life. Today, I absolutely never get tired of this unique life without routine. I'm so happy today, that I don't want to change anything. Each day is made up of encounters and adventures.
I will never forget my fall on a motorbike with my dog at Kalamata… My worst memory! We slid on a slab of olive oil on a bend. What a fright! Luckily, the fall had no physical consequences, LUCKY for us, but our bike suffered… My dog didn't panic, he remained very calm: a real stuntman! We reassembled the bike and then took stock. No question of continuing our way, the transport bag of my dog was broken. So I called on one of my followers who was in this city to help me. Spyro arrived and took my dog in his car. He guided me to the nearest garage to take stock of the bike and accompanied me to a tailor to repair the fixings of my dog's transport bag. In the end, we had a wonderful time together, Spyro made us discover his city and many culinary specialties of the country. A unique and memorable moment of sharing. Spyro hosted us in a super nice fisherman's house, while waiting to pick up the bike. The next day, Spyro called me to let me know that everything was OK. They worked very late so my dog and I could get back on our way as soon as possible.
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Whouuuuuua what adventures Julien! Your motorcycle trip with your dog sounds like an exciting lifetime experience. I hope this article has made you want to hit the road to travel by motorcycle with your dog, but you will have understood: it takes organization! Don't take your bags, your dog and your motorbike on a whim.
Thanks again to Julien and his dog, Cooper, for sharing their Too W'ouf experience with us. For those who wish to follow their Wouafement Bien world tour, you can find them on their facebook page and their instagram account.
Pssssst: Do you want to try new activities with your dog? Take a look at these articles: “Camping with your dog"And"The GR10: the great crossing of the Pyrenees to do with your dog”. Psssssst: other articles are coming very soon on the Mag' of EmmèneTonChien.com ! Stay connected and listen and listen! !
In the meantime, for more info, holiday advice and dog-friendly tips, follow EmmèneTonChien.com on our facebook page et our instagram account : )