After my recent post aboutbiggest RTW myths，读者已要求有关处理边界，签证，和自行车航运另一篇文章。如何复杂和困难的是它在现实中？

对我个人来说,边境口岸,文书工作,shipping were never an issue. But then, I’ve had it easy so far. In Europe, I only had to deal with one initial customs procedure after shipping my bike here from Valparaiso, Chile, and only because it’s an US-registered motorcycle (I’ll do a separate post about that). In North America, border crossings between US-Canada and US-Mexico were practically effortless; Mexico’s customs procedures are fairly straightforward and easy even including the bike deposit. Cuba was slightly different, because we had to get temporary Cuban number plates and licenses for the bikes, but the whole thing took about 5 hours to do and cost around $20, so I don’t feel this was an arduous process. Getting a visa for Cuba involved about 15 minutes and about $25 in a Mexican travel agency in Cancun.

South America is even easier. You show up at the border, get your passport stamp at the immigration office, then head to customs (“aduanas” in Spanish), get your temporary vehicle import paper, and you’re good to go. As long as you don’t overstay – some countries offer 180 days per year while others only give you 90 – there is no hassle and no stress.

到今天为止，我已经越过15的边界在北美，南美，加勒比海地区和欧洲，不计算申根区或多次回往复口岸和南美边境运行，并运我的自行车从南美到欧洲。我从来没有支付任何贿赂，从来没有等待超过6小时，从未被“固定器”或边境官员扯掉，从来没有感觉到害怕或者边境口岸否则不堪重负 - 有一个例外。在2013年，我在试图穿越秘鲁，玻利维亚接壤秘鲁注册的自行车。因为我做了零事前研究，也没有对秘鲁，玻利维亚关系的复杂想法，我被卡住了十天收集所有必要的文件被允许离开秘鲁和玻利维亚的输入。我认为这是我自己的错（无知不能作为借口），这就是为什么我没有在我的整个过境经验计数此实例。在美国注册的自行车，从没有离开或进入任何国家从加拿大到智利的任何麻烦。

The one thing that helps the most, and this is very important anywhere in the world in any situation, is being respectful, patient, and grateful. Too often, Westerners show up at borders with an air of superiority, expecting to get everything done in ten minutes because that’s how it works in其country. They get angry, annoyed and sometimes downright hysterical when things don’t go their way. They show up with demands and expectations, often not speaking a local language, and with little respect to local procedures and culture. The thing is, first and foremost, we should all be grateful that these countries allow us in in the first place. Travel is a privilege, not a right. Understanding where you are, how things work, how people think, and what is accepted as norm is key to smooth border crossings. Getting a ton of document copies from multiple offices and waiting around in sweltering heat for hours might feel unjust to you, but to local officials, this is their reality every single day. They do their best with what they’re given, often for ridiculously small pay. If you show up at a border and are respectful, patient, and kind (instead of moaning how hard it is for you to waddle around in your bike gear to collect all the stamps and copies, why not buy every border official an ice cream and see what happens?), 99% of the time, it’ll be smooth sailing. And sure, there might be a grumpy individual here and there, deliberately taking as long as they can, or asking for a “visa fee” that you know does not exist. There are bad apples everywhere. Generally, however, the world is much nicer, safer, and kinder than we imagine.

然而,正如前面提到的,我有这么简单far. The Americas and Europe are hardly the tricky parts of a RTW. What about places like China, Pakistan, Iran, Egypt, Sudan? I turned to other experienced RTW travellers for advice.

XT历新利18苹果险记：中国，中亚，澳大利亚和新西兰

Xenia and Martin, a Swiss couple riding RTW for over two years now, have travelled from Europe to Australia and New Zealand via Central Asia, China, India, and South East Asia. They are currently preparing to ship their bikes to Africa, so I caught up with Xenia to ask her about border crossings and visas so far.

“Martin and I have never paid any bribes as we are strictly against it, and we were never ripped off at any border, although there were a few attempts by officials in Central Asia where they asked for non-existent visa fees or offered us the wrong exchange rate. However, I’m always very well prepared for each border crossing and I know exactly what fees are required, so tricks like that just doesn’t work on us. At the same time, they aren’t frequent at all, it’s certainly not a rule for every border – most are quite easy, efficient, and quick”, – Xenia said.

According to her, during the two years on the road, border crossings were not a difficulty. “You do need to be prepared. Find out time zone differences, opening times, be mindful about holidays on either side of the border, and know exactly what paperwork is required. I find embassies useless for this, because their information is either outdated, or it is mostly aimed at travellers who fly into the country as opposed to overlanders with their own vehicles. My best bet, when researching a new border crossing, isHorizons Unlimited,iOverlander和Facebook群组。Horizons Unlimited Motorcycle Travelers和Overland Sphere是巨大的。对于中亚，Caravanistanis a life saver. Talking to other overlanders who have done a particular border recently is the best way to gather information and prepare accordingly”, – Xenia explained. She added that it’s best to go to a border crossing early in the morning and have a supply of water and snacks in case the waiting lines are long.

“For us, the toughest border crossing was into China. Even with a local guide, it took three days because the system was very new and nobody was very sure of what they were supposed to do. They were very strict about “weapons” and food: they confiscated a small Swiss army knife from our friends, along with my canned tuna. Getting out of China, on the other hand, took 24 hours. Another tough crossing was between Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan because they did extensive luggage searches looking for drones and other prohibited items. Finally, New Zealand and Australia were scary for us because they have very strict rules about bikes being spotlessly clean. If they find even a speck of dirt on your bike, you’re looking at paying over $400 to get it cleaned, plus there’s quarantine…So, you do need to be careful when shipping to New Zealand and Australia”.

Xenia’s advice for smooth border crossings is simple: be friendly and polite but firm. Have all your paperwork in order, know exactly what is required at each border, never pay bribes, and don’t show frustration. “It all may sound complicated, but it really isn’t – it’s simply a matter of being organized”.

Egypt and Sudan

Kinga Tanajewskahas been riding RTW for three years now, crossing Russia, Mongolia, Central Asia, Europe and Middle East from Australia. She is currently in Sudan, aiming to ride around Africa before heading to the Americas.

While Xenia and Martin plan everything meticulously, Kinga prefers to improvise. “I’m terrible with research, so I just rely on social media and ask people who have recently travelled the same route. It’s worked so far! Mostly I just organize everything as I go along. For Iran, Egypt, and Sudan, for example, you need acarnet de passage, but even that can be obtained while on the road. I had my carnet when I left Australia, but it was only valid for 1,5 years. I got a new one issued and sent to me in Europe with no problems”, – Kinga said.

对她来说，最困难的边境口岸是埃及。“It’s all pretty chaotic, there are all those requirements and multiple fees for so many different things… I spent ten hours at the border, but I got in. I usually do everything myself, but in Egypt, it pays to have a local fixer because they can really speed up the procedure. My advice for Egypt? Just patience, lots and lots of patience”, – Kinga explained.

Iran & Kenya

ASTA和利纳Two Wheeled Adventures已经在世界各地缠身覆盖美洲，亚洲，欧洲和非洲。据阿斯塔，处理文书工作，签证和运输是一个学习曲线，但它比它看起来要容易得多。

当你想想在家里坐在你的沙发上“一切都显得吓人的，复杂的。当你在那里做，你这样做，就是这样。当你走你理出头绪。问题是，这个世界实际上是更漂亮和更文明比我们想象的，当我们在家里。例如，我们被告知，这将是很难得到我们的自行车出在肯尼亚港口和本地系统是“共动物园”，但是当我们到了那里，它实际上只用了我们一天的时间让我们的从容器中，一切都被自行车非常有效地完成。世界上功能相当不错无论你走到哪里，所以没有点得到调动起来的官僚您在出发前。你会看着办吧”， - 阿斯塔说。

For Asta and Linas,Central America是他们的第一个挑战，作为边境口岸参与获得的来自不同办事处和大量的等待周围的文件的多个副本。Shipping their bikes across the Darienwas another learning curve, as there were so many options available. But their most daring international shipping feat wasgetting their bikes from Iran to Kenya, as riding across Saudi Arabia was an impossibility (this was in 2017, when unmarried women were not allowed to enter Saudi Arabia and women were not permitted to drive) and it was already too late to backtrack across Turkey towards Morocco due to weather.

“最初，我们计划从那里乘坐东南亚和印度运往我们的自行车非洲，但最终乘坐俄罗斯，蒙古，中亚，伊朗等来代替。这一切都取决于你的目标，但作为灵活是在RTW之旅的一大资产。现实情况是，你根本不能为每一个可能发生的，并迅速做出决定当场是什么将帮助你的能力计划最” - 阿斯塔增加。

So there you have it: the key to success lies in yourself, not the mood of border officials or different procedures and systems around the world. Be respectful, patient, and prepared; be flexible; talk to other travellers, have all your paperwork in order, don’t overstay your welcome, and you’ll be just fine.

Featured image:XT Adventures