“Really? Morocco? I mean, I don’t know.Everybodygoes to Morocco”, my friend Jurga sighed when I suggested we go South to scout some routes for a new tour. “Thing is, it’s a beautiful country, obviously, and it’s great to ride, but why would anyone still want to ride Morocco? It’s been done to death”, she said.

We then talked about Thailand, except Thailand had the same problem. So did Portugal and Spain. And South Africa. Patagonia, too. “These destinations have been done so many times, man. Everyone’s already被to Thailand and Portugal and Morocco. Or, even if they haven’t yet, surely people want new stuff these days?”, she continued, and I nodded in agreement.

If I was to go on a motorcycle tour, I’d love to go somewhere obscure, weird, remote, or at least, somewhere that’s less known and less traveled. Uganda, perhaps? Or Suriname. Somewhere that hasn’t been explored much on two wheels yet, somewhere where there are no bucket list items to tick off, somewhere that hasn’t been over-Instagrammed and labeled as an Epic Adventure Motorcycle Destination yet.

Because, let’s face it, so many places do have those labels, and most ADV magazines featuring travelers will inevitably fall back on the classics: Patagonia; Southern Africa; the Himalayas; Mongolia and Central Asia; pre-war, Siberia. In Europe, riding to Morocco (or Nordkapp, for that matter) is the ultimate adventure, while Spain and Portugal are the usual suspects for shorter spring or summer trips. In North America, Alaska and, I suspect, Baja California are the most revered two-wheel pilgrimage destinations.

Every year, there’s a new batch of travelers heading the same way, facing more or less the same challenges, and photographing the same Torres del Paine peaks and that dirt road that goes to Machu Picchu and the dunes around Merzouga and Coco’s Corner. Every year, magazines will print articles about riders traveling the Trans-Labrador Highway, Ushuaia, and Namibia, social media groups will discuss the same pros and cons of Carretera Austral vs Ruta 40, and motorcycle tour operators will promote – and sell – the same Morocco and Vietnam tours.

Pumpkin Spice Latte Adventures

As we pored over maps coming up with increasingly absurd ideas (“how about wedoMorocco, but combine the riding with, um…surfing? Or if we choose Ecuador, perhaps add some sort of a jungle retreat and also…uh…canyoning?”), I realized we were looking at this the wrong way.

Having traveled a little here and there and having been inundated in the adventure motorcycle media, events, social media, and so on for quite a few years, we’ve become too accustomed to a new normal where simply going places isn’t enough any longer. It started to feel a little like riding to Ushuaia is a bit of an everyday thing, and the only adventures that do stand out are truly unique feats – likeSinje Gottwaldriding the length of Africa solo on a Cake Kalk electric bike. Because we’ve seen so many riders do the same Epic Routes over and over and over again, it began feeling like those Epic Routes were no longer worthy of the title.

And it’s not just in adventure riding; it’s the current culture itself. I remember reading a post on Facebook commenting on the insane fact that these days, nothing feels like it’s enough anymore: “I went for a run this morning, observing others in the park, especially the dewy-faced thirtysomethings glamorously kitted out in luxury sportswear. Just a decade ago, only professional athletes or gym coaches would sport defined abs and marathon endurance; now, most working moms, accountants, and project managers do”. Just a decade ago, graduating from a prestigious university or starting a successful business would have been seen as a huge achievement; now, it’s kind of meh at best, unless you’re also a vegan blogger, mountain climber, and crypto trader who starts their morning at 4 AM with a cup of ethically sourced pumpkin spice latte while doing a motivational workshop and holidays in Bali combining mindfulness practice with surfing and motorcycling. You can’t just go for a run anymore; it needs to be a marathon, and it needs to be for a good cause. Simply finishing a project doesn’t cut it anymore, unless you’re also working full-time, podcasting, finishing your Ph.D., and taking skydiving lessons on weekends.

So much of what used to be the stuff of dreams – traveling to Chile, working remotely, getting a motorcycle license – has now become so available and so within reach that it’s starting to feel like those things just aren’t enough anymore. The overwhelm is massive, and so is the pressure to find something new, discover some unique angle, and create something original. Trouble is, the overwhelm rarely leads to anything original at all; mostly, it just leads to severe burnout.

There is no such thing as a boring adventure destination, and neither Morocco nor Thailand has been done to death. Peeling back layers of social media images, pressures, expectations, and anxiety that you’re perpetually underachieving if you haven’t done X, Y, or Z yet, what was true a decade ago is still true today, and that’s the adventure itself. The journey itself. The sheer joy of being on a dirt trail, whether it’s in a neighboring state or Mongolia. The wonder of a sunset over Torres del Paine, no matter how many times you’ve seen that picture online.

And, true, it’s amazing to see riders doing something different, trying out new bikes, coming up with new destinations, or taking themselves less and less seriously.

But more often than not, just getting on your bike and setting offisenough.