3 travel books that will make you want to rev up

One Life to Ride - A Motorcycle Journey to the High Himalayas

At Vintage Rides, we could not possibly leave this book out and with good reason. The author, Ajit Harisinghani, recalls his motorcycle tour in North India, and on a Royal Enfield no less! At the age of 52, he decided to take a month off work to see if he had what it takes to make his lifelong dream a reality: travelling the breadth of India from his hometown Pune to the Himalayas. A Royal Enfield enthusiast, the writer transports you to the highest motorable road in the world, the Khardung-La pass, and introduces you to a whole host of local characters along the way, like Sufi saints, fake fakirs and homesick soldiers. One Life to Ride is an honest reflection of Ajit’s adventure and will no doubt inspire you to go for your dreams.

The Rugged Road

This book by Theresa Wallach is a remarkable account of two women who travelled 7,500 miles from London to Cape Town overland on a 600cc Panther. As the book cover summarises, “this is quite simply the most amazing motorcycle journey ever told and a revelation to today’s traveller,” and we couldn’t agree more. Back in 1934, Theresa and her travel buddy, Florence Blenkiron, were the first to cross the Sahara on a motorcycle and even achieved the feat without a compass! As they travelled the entire length of Africa, they were put through their paces with extreme heat, breakdowns, prejudice and political problems, making the Rugged Road a gripping read, especially if you’re planning to sign up for one of our motorcycle tours in Rwanda or South Africa.

Two Wheels South: A Motorcycle Adventure from Brooklyn to Ushuaia

We're ending this post with a newer release. In this stunning book, published in 2019, Matias Corea recalls his motorcycle journey through the United States. It took him six months to travel from one end of the American continent to the other with his best friend. From New York to Ushuaia, from the Hudson River to the Tierra de Fuego, Matias Corea crossed 13 countries, covering over 18,000 miles. He obviously describes the trip on his vintage BMW, but he also takes the time to give a detailed description about how to prepare for such an adventure. We’d also just like to point out that the author is a graphic designer, and it shows! So if you love fine photography, you are in for a treat.

Fancy getting away? Why wait! Take a look at our new motorcycle tour in Morocco. Photo credits: Thomas Goisque