Draft copy, 2026-09-08. Not yet approved for publication.

How to budget a motorcycle tour

The tour price is the largest number but rarely the whole one. Build the budget in four blocks and the surprises disappear.

1. The operator’s price

What you pay the operator: bike, guide or route, accommodation, and whatever the inclusions list says. Read that list against the exclusions list; the second is where budgets fail. Prices on this site are shown as the operator publishes them, in the operator’s currency, with a rough sterling equivalent for comparison only. Confirm the current price with the operator.

2. Getting there

Flights, the airport transfer at both ends, and a night before the start if you land late. Many tours begin early on day one; arriving the night before usually costs less than the risk of missing the start.

3. Riding costs the operator does not carry

• Fuel, unless included. Ask for a daily estimate.
• The insurance excess deposit: the amount held against damage, often blocked on a card for the whole trip. You need that credit available even if you never spend it.
• Excess reduction, if offered and if you want it.
• Entry fees, tolls and ferries on the route.
• Riding gear: hire if the operator offers it, or the cost and baggage of bringing your own. Helmets are frequently excluded from hire.
• A permit or licence check where an International Driving Permit is required. Requirements vary by country and by your nationality: confirm the current rule with gov.uk or the relevant embassy, not only with the operator.

4. Everything else

Meals not included, drinks, tips for guides and support crew where customary, travel insurance that explicitly covers motorcycling at the engine size you will ride, and a contingency for a lost day.

A method

Write the four blocks as columns. Fill the operator’s price from their page. Fill the rest from their inclusions list and your own flights. Add ten per cent. If the total is uncomfortable, the cheapest lever is usually format, not destination: a self-guided trip on the same roads is usually cheaper than the guided version, often noticeably so. The format guide explains the trade.

This site earns a commission from some operators when you book through a partner link. That does not change any price you pay, and it does not change the order operators appear in.

Updated 2026-09-08. This guide names no operators and carries no partner links.