Germany 2009, Autumn: First Annual Autumn HU Travellers Meeting

Horizons Unlimited Travellers Meetings

Third Deutschland Travellers Meeting

Friday October 23-Sunday October 25, 2009

Why Come to a Horizons Unlimited Motorcycle Travellers Meeting?

You can meet people who don't think you're crazy for wanting to ride your bike to South America or Africa or across Asia, or even around the world! Admit it, all your 'normal' friends and most of your family fears for your sanity! So, this is your opportunity to meet the people who will encourage you in that craziness, share their experiences and advice on how to do it, and maybe you'll meet them again in Mongolia or Timbuktu!

Camping area.

Want to know what people thought of other HU Meetings? Is it worth coming to the Meeting?

"I'm so looking forward to another UK meet. My only problem is that I simply can't get to every talk I want, such is the amount of terrific presentations on offer. Each year I've been astonished at how articulate, intelligent, informative and entertaining the speakers are. I'm willing to help with anything that doesn't keep me from a talk - and my timetable will be full to bursting!" More comments here.

See what it was like last year! Deutschland 2008 Meeting Report here.

The Plan

The plan is simple. Show up on Thursday or at the latest Friday afternoon, meet people and setup. Travel Presentations and Tech seminars are planned throughout the meeting, starting Thursday night.

2009 Autumn Speakers and Tech Seminars (so far, more to come):

Presentations in English or German as possible.

  • Dakar Rally 2009 the easy way
    • Jens Ruprecht, Germany
      Argentina/Chile and the Dakar Rally 2009 on a 125cc Suzuki
  • Staying connected on the road: netbooks and mobile internet devices for travellers
    • Martin Jungowski
      A guide to Netbooks and MIDs (mobile internet devices), and how they have enabled us to take computers on the road without lugging around six pounds of way too large equipment.
  • Testride for RTW; Morocco!
    • Daan Stehouwer
      We did a testride through Marokko on two Africa Twins, to test us and the equipment for a RTW-trip. We'll show the route (gps-track) we took, the equipment and the "test idea", some movies and pictures of the trip. At the end, some conclusions from us of the testride, (lessons learned) and an interactive discussion with the crowd; perhaps you have future tips for us also!
  • Little Calf In South America
    • Uschi Hetzinger
      Argentina and Chile, half a year, woman on a DR 350
  • From Germany to the Throne of the Gods - Turkey
    • Sherrie McCarthy and Patrick Schweitzer
      A newbies guide to overland travel - Or how drinking beer in a bar in South Korea can land you in a Turkish Hospital
  • 'Stans of Central Asia
  • Women only
    • a very popular session - I'm told it's a must for the ladies, so be sure to plan on being there! A chance to talk to experienced travelling women without the men around!
  • No Papers - No Problems!
    • Bjoern Bundschuh
      An unusually unproblematic trip through Latin America - without papers nor plates.
  • Fix that flat! How to change a tire anytime, anywhere
    • Workshop
      How to prevent flats in the first place, and fix them when you get one. The best tools and how to use them for tube and tubeless tires. Hand's on practical and tire changing contest for beginners to experts!
    • Changing a tire.
      Tech sesssion

  • How to write and publish your travel book!
    • Jens Ruprecht, Germany
      Want to get your story published and on Amazon? Jens did it, and here's how!
  • GPS Tech clinic
    • Matthias Zörcher, http://www.rswolf.de/ (30 minutes from the meeting if you need anything for GPS, Ducati or Suzuki)
      Friday and Saturday presentations on using a GPS

      GPS Tech session

      Matthias at the GPS session

  • Experienced Travellers Panel - ask the experts anything you want!
  • and more to come as we get closer to the date.
  • How about you? We're all here to learn, and there's LOTS to learn! We want to do more presentations and seminars - but we need volunteers to give them! Any topic you can contribute having to do with motorcycle travel, maintenance, planning etc, lasting 20 minutes or more, would be great. Please contact me here to volunteer.
To give you an idea of what we plan to have for you, here's the seminars we had for the spring Meeting:
  • Every country in the world
    • Peter and Kay Forwood, Australia
      All 193 countries on a Harley in 13 years, the Challenges, Enjoyments and Logistics of Visiting Every Country
  • Sjaak Lucassen, Netherlands, RTW on an R1; will team up with Peter and Kay to present a unique take on travelling the world, on two very opposite - but highly successful - bikes.
  • Africa Solo: The Long Way Around
    • Werner Bausenhart, Canada (Germany) in English or German
      A Circumnavigation of Africa from London via Cape Town back to London. Werner will have some of his books too.
  • 15.000km Down Under with 3 Triumph Tigers
    • Wilco Vonk and Frank van Gerwen - TigerRaid
      A story and a double DVD movie about 3 guys and 1 girl doing 15.000km in 8 weeks through the Red Centre and the Westcoast of Australia
  • With Enfield Diesel to Lake Aral and back
    • Gerben from Holland
      nearly 20.000 km in 5 Weeks -Tashkent, Usbekistan, Turkmenistan
  • Canada to the southern tip of South America, Ushuaia
    • Kevin Bradley and Erin Van Zant, Canada
      A six month adventure
  • Vietnam and Laos
    • Peter Kongsbak, Denmark
      Riding around Vietnam and Laos on a Minsk Motorcycle
  • Offroad travelling and taking "Enduro" seriously
    • Stephan Eichenlaub
      From traveller to sport rider and back: The fascination of trying the "impossible": Riding the big KTM twin on a rallye and on the Enduromania. Travel by bike, change tyres and be ready for action.
  • An Enfield in India
    • Jörn Buchleitner, Germany
      A quick 3 weeks on a rented Enfield through India, tips and tricks.
  • Dakar Rally 2009 the easy way
    • Jens Ruprecht, Germany
      Argentina/Chile and the Dakar Rally 2009 on a 125cc Suzuki
  • Morocco: safe, exciting and inexpensive
    • Tim Cullis, UK
      Overview and hidden/special places (NOTE: Friday night only)
  • Panel - volunteers please!
    • How to get someone of the opposite sex to go travelling with you - panel and discussion. Why is it so hard? What are you doing wrong - or right? All viewpoints please!
  • Women only
    • a very popular session - I'm told it's a must for the ladies, so be sure to plan on being there! A chance to talk to experienced travelling women without the men around!
    • Doris Wiedemann lead the session, with an introduction into travelling as a woman.
  • Fix that flat! How to change a tire anytime, anywhere
    • Workshop
      How to prevent flats in the first place, and fix them when you get one. The best tools and how to use them for tube and tubeless tires. Hand's on practical and tire changing contest for beginners to experts!
  • Diesel Bike Workshop
    • Peter Selzer, Germany
      Interested in better fuel mileage? Find out from an expert!
  • How to write and publish your travel book!
    • Jens Ruprecht, Germany
      Want to get your story published and on Amazon? Jens did it, and here's how!
  • Photo Composition for Travellers
    • Grant Johnson, Canada
      The one everyone SHOULD take, but no one does... We all want to take great photos of our trip - so why don't we? This easy clinic will transform your motorcycle travel photos from boring to fabulous! BRING your photos on a CD or Flash Drive, max 10, and we'll critique and discuss YOUR photos - what's good, and what's not - and how they could be improved.
  • GPS Tech clinic
    • Matthias Zörcher, http://www.rswolf.de/ (30 minutes from the meeting if you need anything for GPS, Ducati or Suzuki)
      Friday and Saturday presentations on using a GPS

 

Rideouts Saturday

Rideouts are limited to 6 or 10 people per ride, no exceptions.

All rides will be back on site at or before 5.00pm

Road Rides - two planned, details to come.

Off-road - we could use some help - any ideas, locations, routes, off-road tracks?

The cost of going on any ride is included in the registration fee.

All rides are "register on the day." There will be signup sheets for each ride posted the evening before. First in best dressed.

Food

Served all day, breakfast €5 from 08.00 every day, then hot meals from 11:30 till 22.00, a wide and varied menu - typical dishes of the area (Odenwald), including vegetarian, at reasonable prices. Try the Odenwald Äppelwoi!(applewine).

Camping

Camping is INCLUDED in your registration fee. NO 4 wheeled vehicles in the main camping fields, there will be an area specifically for you.

Dogs - Noisy dogs will be ejected.

Travel Equipment Vendors

We're looking for Travel Equipment vendors to come and display your products, and sell as well. Please contact Grant in London or Jens Ruprecht in Germany.

Touratech - expected
Kedo Performance Products "Heroes Legend Race to Dakar" support, travel goodies and more/
Petra Friedrich from OutdoorFieber will be there with motorcycle and outdoor products.

Books - get your signed copy direct from the Author!

Jens Ruprecht

Are you an author coming to the meeting?

Leaving on a big trip?

Plan on leaving from the Meeting! We'll make it a great send-off! Or coming home around the time of the Meeting? What a great place to arrive at!

Event Schedule

(downloadable Word .doc here)
All times - and everything - approximate!

An up-to-date schedule will be posted at the Meeting.

Friday 08:00 - Breakfast, all morning, €5
Friday 1600

Registration open! CHECK-IN and sign up! You MUST be registered to go on a ride or entry to any events, seminars etc.

Friday 1730
Dinner
Friday 1900

Presentations start

  • No Papers - No Problems!
    • Bjoern Bundschuh
      An unusually unproblematic trip through Latin America - without papers nor plates
  • Testride for RTW; Morocco!
    • Daan Stehouwer
      We did a testride through Marokko on two Africa Twins, to test us and the equipment for a RTW-trip. We'll show the route (gps-track) we took, the equipment and the "test idea", some movies and pictures of the trip. At the end, some conclusions from us of the testride, (lessons learned) and an interactive discussion with the crowd; perhaps you have future tips for us also.
  • Dakar Rally 2009 the easy way
    • Jens Ruprecht, Germany
      Argentina/Chile and the Dakar Rally 2009 on a 125cc Suzuki
Saturday 08:00 - Breakfast, all morning, €5
9:00 - 11:00 Late Check-in.
Saturday - Tech sessions will start in the morning!
Saturday Lunch

From 11:30, served all day. Payable to the venue on the day. Range of specials from the blackboard served all day, various excellent prices. Vegetarian meals available.

  • Fix that flat! How to change a tire anytime, anywhere
    • Workshop
      How to prevent flats in the first place, and fix them when you get one. The best tools and how to use them for tube and tubeless tires. Hand's on practical and tire changing contest for beginners to experts
  • Staying connected on the road: netbooks and mobile internet devices for travellers
    • Martin Jungowski
      A guide to Netbooks and MIDs (mobile internet devices), and how they have enabled us to take computers on the road without lugging around six pounds of way too large equipment
  • Women only, with Susan Johnson
    • a very popular session - I'm told it's a must for the ladies, so be sure to plan on being there! A chance to talk to experienced travelling women without the men around!

  • How to write and publish your travel book!
    • Jens Ruprecht, Germany
      Want to get your story published and on Amazon? Jens did it, and here's how!
  • GPS Tech clinic
    • Matthias Zörcher, http://www.rswolf.de/ (30 minutes from the meeting if you need anything for GPS, Ducati or Suzuki)
      Friday and Saturday presentations on using a GPS
Saturday 1900
  • Little Calf In South America
    • Uschi Hetzinger
      Argentina and Chile, half a year, woman on a DR 350
  • 'Stans of Central Asia
  • From Germany to the Throne of the Gods - Turkey
    • Sherrie McCarthy and Patrick Schweitzer
      A newbies guide to overland travel - Or how drinking beer in a bar in South Korea can land you in a Turkish Hospital
  • Experienced Travellers Panel - ask the experts anything you want!
Sunday

Breakfast served from 8:00, €5

Pack up, talk to a few more people, and head home!

Registration

Entry fee includes admission to the slide shows on Friday and Saturday, and other events during the day Friday and Saturday. Camping is also included in your entry fee for Thursday, Friday and Saturday night. If you arrive early there is generally no problem finding a spot to camp, no charge. Just eat there and they're happy!

PRE-Registration is now closed. Just show up at the Meeting and you can register and pay there!

Accommodation other than camping, and meals are NOT included.

How to Pay

If you have NOT already registered - it's easy - just show up at the Meeting and you can register and pay there!

IF you HAVE already registered, and NOT paid, you can pay as follows, OR at the meeting: (more details in your confirmation email)

Option 1. Pay by PayPal

a. You will shortly receive an e-mail confirmation. Check to ensure the details are correct. If you don't receive an e-mail confirmation within a few minutes, it means your e-mail address wasn't correct, (or the Internet has eaten your e-mail). Try again. A human being will actually get a copy of the e-mail, and we promise we won't sign you up multiple times. ;-)

b. After you have filled in the form and submitted it, you will have an opportunity to pay by Click to go straight to the PayPal Payment link.. Please be careful calculating the amount, the form isn't that smart yet!

OR:

Option 2. Pay by Bank Transfer

a. You will shortly receive an e-mail confirmation. Check to ensure the details are correct. If you don't receive an e-mail confirmation within a few minutes, it means your e-mail address wasn't correct, (or the Internet has eaten your e-mail). Try again. A human being will actually get a copy of the e-mail, and we promise we won't sign you up multiple times. ;-)

Make your Payment to:

Jens Ruprecht
Konto-Nummer: 20562200
BLZ: 553 900 00

 

Membership - Show you're proud to be a Horizons Unlimited Traveller!

Just to clarify the membership situation: Currently there is no requirement to be a member to access the website, the HUBB or to receive the monthly e-zine. For now, what you get for your membership contribution is our sincere gratitude, good karma and knowing that you're helping to keep the motorcycle travel dream alive.

We will also upgrade your status in the HUBB to Member. In addition to recognising your contribution through your status, this will allow you to upload a custom profile picture and custom avatar, store up to 50 private messages, upload more pictures (10 MB maximum storage) and create polls.

Another benefit we can provide is if you decide you want a t-shirt, mug, fleece jacket or other Horizons logo product from the Souk, you can purchase Member logo products at the basic price. Just let us know and we can arrange access to the Members Private Store.

T-Shirt Deal

Top quality heavy cotton t-shirts in black, or grey if pre-ordered. We will have a range of sizes available, but quantities will be very limited, so if you wait till the day, there might be none left in your size.

The new Synthetic t-shirts are in a beautifully made wicking material, and make great travel / riding t-shirts as well as all-round wear t-shirts. Available in black or grey at most meetings. MUST be pre-ordered.

Note that we will have a very few t-shirts extra at each meeting, but to be sure you must pre-order and pay in advance.

2009 Tshirt slogan "They told me to get lost - so I did!"

2009 T-shirt slogan:

They told me to get lost... so I Did! Tshirt graphic.

2009 Front Pocket:

Front pocket picture.

The front pocket's a lot smaller in relation to the back of course! :)

You can help!

If you have a few minutes, please download the poster (Adobe pdf format) and print off a few and hand them round your club or your local bike shop or anywhere seems like a good place.

(You may need to right click and choose "save target as...")

Poster in pdf format, English (886kb) full colour Autumn 2009 poster.

Poster in pdf format, Deutsche (886kb) full colour Autumn 2009 poster.

Thanks for the help!

The Meeting Location for 2009

Gasthaus „Zur Schneeburg“
69509 Ober-Liebersbach
(30 min. north of Heidelberg)

Getting There - GPS, Maps

GPS-Koordinaten „Zur Schneeburg“
N49 36.422
E8 42.421

Restaurant/Farm website, with details on getting there: www.zur-schneeburg.de

Map to the Meeting, click for more details.
Map to the Meeting - click for more details.

If you have any links or details for the area please let us know.

Other Accommodation Possibilities

If you have any information for the area please let us know.

Pretty nice hotel:

Der Watzenhof
69502 Hemsbach/
Balzenbach

Tel: 06201 70050
Fax: 06201 700520
Email Hotel: kont...@watzenhof.de

Liebersbacher Hof (clean, safe, maybe 2 stars)
Liebersbacher Strasse 63
69488 Birkenau(Nieder-Liebersbach)
Tel: 06201-32558

Information about the area

The Odenwald Region, a little bit south of Frankfurt, east of the Rhine river is a very nice area for motorcyclists because of its pretty little hills, forests, romantic villages and perfect motorcycle roads! If you have never been here – you will love it! A ride in the morning – an afternoon coffee somewhere in an ancient castle and then back to our campground with all these beautiful people – what else do we need? We are only 15 min. away from the nice little towns of Heppenheim and Weinheim. Once you are here in the region – don't miss visiting the old town of Heidelberg.

If you have any links or details for the area please let us know.

Local Hosts

Jens Ruprecht is the lead organizer of this event. Thanks go to Jens for volunteering to bring Horizons Unlimited Travellers Meetings to Germany!

If you have any questions, contact with rideout registration, vendor, venue and speakers questions.

See you at a meeting this year!

Grant and Susan



 

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2025 Confirmed Events:

  • Virginia: April 24-27 2025
  • Queensland is back! May 2-4 2025
  • Germany Summer: May 29-June 1 2025
  • CanWest: July 10-13 2025
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