For us, it is a pleasure to have received in PauTravelMoto Emilio Scotto, the popular writer, photojournalist and adventurer of Argentinean origin, who as many of you may already know, holds the Guinness World Record for the longest motorcycle trip in the world. During the ten years of his trip, he traveled through 279 countries on a beautiful Honda GoldWing GL1100, called “La perla negra”. With two books published, “The Longest Ride” and “From the earth to the moon and back by motorcycle”, and on the way to a third, he has been pleased to give us a review of his two publications, as well as tell us some of his experiences.
[lwptoc]
36 years on a motorcycle
In 1985, at the age of 30, Emilio Scotto traveled around the world on a motorcycle, with no logistical support, no money and no prior knowledge of motorcycling, with the aim of exploring the world during the last years of the 20th century.
Upon his return, he founded Emilio ScottoWorld Tours, where he currently offers exotic motorcycle tours, in which the integration of accompanying persons has a special focus. In short, from the day he set out to travel the world until the 2020 pandemic, he never got off his motorcycle.
First book: “The Longest Ride”.
In 2007 Emilio Scotto published his first book: “The Longest Ride”. In it he narrates in abbreviated form a journey of 800,000 kilometers that lasted ten years, starting in South America, followed by Central America, Mexico, until reaching the United States. From there, he went on to the Soviet Union and continued on to Africa. He has a long list of countries traveled that leave us with amazing adventures that cannot be missed.
As of today, his first publication has two editions: an initial one in which a review by Pope John Paul II appears, and a second one in which the original review is replaced by one by Buzz Aldrin. Emilio explains it to us as a curiosity, because that first edition is being quoted for about a thousand dollars. We have a copy of the book “The Longest Ride” for consultation in the PauTravelMoto Library.
Second book: “De la tierra a la luna ida y vuelta en motocicleta”
In 2020, taking advantage of the pandemic, he edited his second book, “De la tierra a la luna ida y vuelta en motocicleta: América del Sur. Ruta Azul 1”, which is the first book of what will be a collection of six books.
In this first publication, Scotto narrates the first six months of the ten-year journey. He talks about the world, about his history, in the present tense and in first person, and tries to make the reader feel that he is traveling in his Honda GoldWing, in “un mundo que ya no existe”. A different world then because new technologies did not yet exist. In addition, it puts us in the historical context of that time, very different from today, because there were countries at war, impossible borders and closed countries.
Around the world again
Today, going around the world is something feasible, since we have at our disposal a wide range of supports that facilitate any displacement on the motorcycle, despite the costs that these may involve, and more and more motorcycle travelers are launching themselves into the adventure. In short, traveling by motorcycle is within the reach of any motorcycle traveler. However, more than 30 years ago, traveling around the world was a real challenge.
Emilio Scotto said that he experienced terrible moments of wars, situations with pirates and storms, etc. Adventures that today sound like fiction films. These situations and many others encountered during his long voyage, make him think again and think that today he does not see himself with the strength and unconsciousness that led him as a young man to begin the greatest adventure of his life.
The temptation to give up
Every human being has at some point the thought of abandoning what he or she is doing for whatever reason, and it is completely licit. However, the traveler does not have to succumb to this thought of abandonment, and this is the case of Emilio Scotto during his trip around the world, as he confessed that he had several moments in which he asked himself “what am I doing here?“, especially during his passage through Senegal, Nigeria or Gabon, where he slept with his helmet on to avoid getting his head wet, and with his motorcycle destroyed, however, his restlessness to know the land made him rethink that the inclemencies of the trip were worth it, and that is why he is who he is today.
Places that I would repeat
During the question and answer session, Emilio Scotto affirmed that “there are no beautiful or ugly places, just as there are no good or bad people”, but what is important to bear in mind is that the current situation was probably not the same as it was thirty years ago in almost all the countries he visited. For this reason, Emilio Scotto, today, would return to all the countries he visited, especially those that have remained in his heart: Spain, Guatemala, Colombia, Brazil and India.
There is no doubt that Emilio Scotto was the forerunner in traveling the world by motorcycle, teaching us what motorcycle travel is today, and of course what was a great adventure that served as a great example for us. Therefore, we are sure that many of you dream and enjoy every trip you make on a motorcycle, so, from PauTravelMoto we encourage you to continue discovering the world, to have fun with every kilometer you travel with a motorcycle, and to share with us your trips. We are waiting for you at La Casa del viaje en moto.