Right after we published our last post about Instagram accounts worth following, one of our readers suggested us to take a look at 2RidetheWorld - and so we did (thanks, Sérgio Lopes!). The ‘2’ hints to a couple, Simon and Lisa Thomas, who have been riding the world for 15 years now, and are considered by many - not in the least their 20K followers on Instagram - to be two of the world’s foremost Adventure Motorcyclist.
Apart from motorcycle avids, they are also authors (‘Dirty Dining’, a cooking book for the road), photographers, motivators, public speakers and world renowned travellers. If you’ve ever read ‘Jupiter’s Travels’, Ted Simon might ring a bell: he circumnavigated the globe twice on his motorcycle and started a Foundation which offers advice, contacts and, where possible, practical help to motorcycle adventurers. Guess who’s on the Committee of Advisors? Yep, Simon and Lisa.
Other than that, the couple also contributes to many of the worlds leading adventure publiciations, and has made over 40 TV appearances around the globe. Apart from their well-known Instagram account, they host their own 2ridetheworld website (www.2ridetheworld.com), which has attracted over two million visitors with thousands flocking to keep up with this dynamic pairs exploits.
Go check ‘m out!
And the medal for most appealing name in this shortlist goes to: Moto Morgana! A charming contraction of ‘motorcycle’ and ‘fata morgana’. La Fata Morgana - named after Morgan le Fay, a witch in the tales of King Arthur - gave her name to a complex form of mirage often believed to be fairy castles or floating land created by her witchcraft to lure sailors.
Fata morganas were ever since known to attract the desperate thirsty in the desert in desperate need of water, soon faced with the reality of the illusion. Just so you know.
A lure which has also attracted the Belgian couple Tom and Caroline towards the horizon: they can’t resist it, although they’ve already concluded that they’ll never ever reach it. And are glad to do so, on their Husqvarna 701 Enduro’s.
Both their Instagram account and their website (www. motomorgana.com) are all about chasing horizons, about confronting the illusion of the dream with the reality of life, and most of all about the beauty of both.
Both are passionate riders and experienced travellers, keen on exploring the world and therefor quit their jobs, sold whatever wasn’t precious and looked for support in any possible way.
Their goal is to travel six continents, reducing the level of comfort to a minimum, getting to know people, cultures, enjoying the beauty of nature, far away from hectic day to day life or mass tourism, ‘to show the world it can be done as long as you are prepared to break free from the ordinary life’. On that bombshell…
Another duo in our list - talking about couple goals: Michnus and Elsebie, a South-African couple with an unhealthy passion for motorcycle overland travel, as well as “amateurish photography, drinking beer, building friendships with quirky people” - not our words, but they just might’ve been. Great minds…
They host two Instagram accounts: one in ‘blog’-style aimed at motorcycle travellers, another one which is focused more on stunning photography of the surroundings and the people they meet.
Both are well worth a visit, but don’t hesitate to click the link in their Insta-bio: it will lead you to the Piki Piki Overland website, which is without a doubt one of the handiest, least bullcrap-loaded blogs for motorcycle adventurers you might ever stumble upon - and one of the nicer ones in terms of appearance as well. We absolutely adore it.
Far away from conventionalism, this duo serves a bunch of captivating stories, straightforward tips and images which will make you wonder why you’re still sitting behind your desk as we speak.
Having reached a combined age of 90, Michnus and Elsebie didn’t want to waste any time and set off immediately - not to set speed records or collect as many passport stamps as possible, but out of neverending curiosity, taking their time to meet people and get to know cultures, rather than shooting a quick pic and moving on. The way it should be.
The bundling of their experiences has created a great blog which doesn’t avoid the more difficult questions: How do you fund your trip? What happens if one of the bikes breaks down? How do you carry all the stuff on the bike? But also elaborate advice on what bike to choose for overland motorcycle travelling, a packing list, packing tips, what navigation to pick, and a review section on the materials they’ve used, info on specific countries, and a bunch over very nifty links... Very, very helpful, this one.
Less helpful, but at least as amazing as the above-mentioned ones is Rob's Atelier. An Instagram account which is the brain child of Robert Kerber, a now 28-year old photographer from the German town of Brandenburg, who discovered his passion for capturing meaningful moments on camera very early-on.
What once began as simple Polaroid shots developed into a great dedication to the art of photography. In 2009 Robert moved to Berlin, the place to be for many young aspiring artist. There he began his career as an architectural and event photographer.
Yet, all of the above was to static, to local for Rob.
So in March 2015 he took off to shoot a photo series around the world. Robert has since set off on a remarkable journey, riding as much as he can and documenting his trips as he moves on.
So far, he's scaled 5.400 meter high mountains of the Himalayas, trekked through the hot jungles of Thailand and photographed Australia's extraordinary outback. Amazing stuff, captured in the well-known square frame.
At the moment, Robert has settled in Queenstown, New Zealand, from where he's trying to bring sustainable living to attention.
While Lea Rieck is a well known journalist and author to watch, she might be more famous for another aspect in her life: she's gathered more miles on her motorcycle than she has collected followers on her Instagram account.
While that might not seem too impressive for most of us, know that Lea has 50,1 K followers at the moment - and 55.000 miles around the world on Cleo, her Triumph Tiger 800 XCa! Her love and passion for anything motorized developped at an early age, as she allready picked matchbox cars over Barbies in kindergarten.
In 2017 she decided to leave her job, expand her horizons and travel the world. In 18 months, on her motorcycle.
Apart from her Instagram posts, Lea reported about her travels in multiple German magazines and even wrote a book 'Sag dem Abenteuer, ich komme' (translated: 'Tell the adventure I'm coming'), which was published only recently, in March 2019.
These days, Lea can be found touring several German speaking countries, where she's promoting her book while speaking at workshops and summits. When she's not travelling the world, Lea works in Munich as a journalist, author and consultant for digital media. If ever you wanted to follow a strong female rider - this is your chance!
Two years ago we published a story about Lea, read the story here.
Missed our first article about Instagram accounts to follow? See our first part here.
