Our original plan and hope for this journey was to drive straight from Canada to Argentina, non-stop, only taking the wheels off the ground for the Darian Gap between Panama and Columbia. However, our situation required us to apply for entry through the US. Along with submitting the required paperwork, we researched back up options. You do not undertake a journey of this scale without some contingency plans. As it turned out eight months was not enough time for them to process the application, and with no estimated time frame ahead we decided to skip to plan B – ship the bike to Mexico and continue the journey from there. Driving the entire way was our first choice but we always knew that this could be the eventual route taken.

So, how do you get a motorcycle from Canada to Mexico. There are three options. First was air transit, this was a seemingly easy alternative. Air Canada can fly you and your motorcycle to a wide variety of cities around the globe, but none in Central America. We were determined not to skip more countries than absolutely necessary. Next came ground transport; international moving companies, etc. The road block there was that to import a vehicle to Mexico on a tourist visa, both you and the vehicle must be present at the port of entry. Finally, we started to research sea freight. All the preliminary research turned up stories of people shipping bikes all around the world. With high hopes we started phoning and emailing companies in Vancouver, BC; our closest ocean port. It was either 5 or 6 inquiries in when we started thinking that this wasn’t going to be as easy as we first thought. This was when we started tossing around the idea of changing the trip all together – flying the bike to South America and starting there or freighting/flying to Europe and changing the itinerary completely. We were going on a trip somewhere, no matter what.

By this point, morale was at an all time low. Until an email came in from World Cargo. A company that specializes in shipping items of all shapes and sizes around the world. They replied with a simple, “Yes, no problem. We can ship your bike to Veracruz, Mexico.” We proceeded with questions about costs, time frame, and general logistics of such a shipment. It is not easy to part ways with such a valuable asset. But all our questions were easily answered. The team at World Cargo made us feel very at ease and their professionalism inspired confidence in our decision. They took care of all the necessary paperwork and the crating. Brendon was able to help by draining the fuel, disconnecting the battery, and removing the mirrors and windshield. They were well equipped to do all these things but they were happy to let him assist and it made him happy to be included in the process. The estimated shipping time is 38 days. Not a problem, tropical Mexico is not the worst place to waste time. The hopes are high that there will be no issues receiving the bike at the port in Veracruz. When there is a will there is a way! For now we will do some touring by foot in Mexico while we await the bikes arrival.