I used to like the idea of being spontaneous and also did not fancy using a sat nav however once you have tried to get a room somewhere to find you cannot get one as they are full due to a local festival, over priced (Italy circa 2001, 11pm in a roadside motel style @ 175€ comes to mind) , you cannot find one (sounds strange I know but there are miles and miles of nothing in parts of Germany - well apart from excellent scenery) and to book into somewhere and find it awful, we now do as above - i.e. find a final destination and plan route around it. We use a combination of Biker Friendly accommodation on www.thebikerguide.co.uk and if there is nothing in the area we want we also look on booking.com. 

We did a trip a couple of years ago with the final destination being Colditz castle, which you can stay in. Went in July for 3 ish weeks with everything booked, set into sat nav and you know what - thank goodness as it rained everyday but one. We would set off with the next place in the sat nav - go off route when we wanted and arrive at destination stress free. We stayed at some great places, travelled fantastic roads and routes and would pass by others at the side of the road battling with a big wet soggy map to find their way.

I think once you have used a sat nav on a big trip which gets you to destinations easy, gets you out of a diversion and back on route, helps you navigate/find food and petrol, you wonder what you did before the United States military released the technology for GPS!

Canada expert, Dave Simpson, has ring-fenced a number of motorcycles from Vancouver for dates between 19th July - 15th August 2016 for tours with H-C Travel... 

Five fabulous self-guided motorcycle tour itineraries you could take in this time. Plus we can customise any tour - just for you.

Experience first hand the stunning scenery and empty winding roads of beautiful British Columbia and the Rockies in our fabulous range of tours spanning 8 to 20 days! Alternatively, you can rent a motorcycle and follow your own route.

To take advantaged of this special availability contact Dave Simpson on 01256 770775.

Don't forget we can also book your flights and organise specialist travel insurance. And your holiday finance is protected by our ATOL bond and TTA membership. 

Ride Safe

David Grist

H-C Travel - Because Only the Best is Good Enough!

PJ Jacobsen and the Honda WorldSSP team are en route to the ‘Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari’ in Imola, Italy, where they will contest the fifth round of the 2016 FIM Supersport World Championship this weekend. The 22-year-old American rider is eager to bounce back after a disappointing end to an extremely competitive race at Assen, which saw him leading in both wet and dry conditions before crashing out.

Jacobsen was twice fourth, on different machinery, in the last two runnings of the Italian round. With the latest developments made by the team to his #2 Honda CBR600RR machine, he is now looking forward to even better results and a return to podium ways.

Located within the central Italian city of Imola, the 4.936km track has witnessed some of the most incredible battles in the history of World Supersport. It is known for being extremely technical and demanding, with no room to catch a breath over the course of the lap – given the absence of long straights – and many elevation changes. 

• The IAM and its commercial subsidiaries rebrands to IAM RoadSmart.

• We asked 7,000 road users what their greatest challenges were on the road.

• The results will allow IAM RoadSmart to be a champion for all road users.

• IAM RoadSmart will be launching a range of new training programmes for consumers and businesses.

• Please visit the new website: www.iamroadsmart.com and watch the video of the story behind the rebrand.

IAM RoadSmart is the new name for the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) as of today. The change will unify the charity with its subsidiaries IAM Drive & Survive, Professional Driver Services and Driver Retraining Academy.   

The rebrand is the result of extensive research¹ which highlighted a number of key findings. Firstly, drivers’ biggest concern is actually other drivers. Safety and fuel efficiency came out as the biggest motivators for younger drivers to take further training while insurance continues to be the most effective incentive.                                                                                                                                                               

For forty per cent of mums and grandmothers, becoming more confident driving to unfamiliar places was described as a way they’d like to improve and while on-road training continues to be important for professional drivers, online courses are preferred by consumers. Time is also of the essence – the majority of consumers would rather training takes less than two hours.

Key facts:

• This change will be reflected by a brand new logo and image – visit www.iamroadsmart.com to get a glimpse of this new look.

• The rebranding coincides with the charity’s 60^th anniversary. Its 200 local groups and 92,000 members continue to play a pivotal role in developing driving and riding standards across the country.

• Over the course of 2016 and 2017, IAM RoadSmart will be launching a number of new modular products, with proposed topics including: eco driving, motorways, risk management, driving in unfamiliar places and built-in vehicle technology.

IAM RoadSmart’s chief executive officer, Sarah Sillars OBE said: “The most important thing for the majority of drivers and riders is getting from A to B with as little hassle as possible. The daily commute, travelling to a business meeting, or the drive to the shops, can be made so much more enjoyable with just a bit more awareness of the challenges on the road ahead. This is where IAM RoadSmart comes in.

“We’ve been around for 60 years and in that time roads, vehicles and distractions have changed, in some cases, beyond all recognition. To ensure we are in a position to support Britain’s road users for the next 60 years, we’ve invested significantly into researching the needs of today’s drivers and riders.  

“We will be launching a suite of new products to support the needs of all road users. The advanced driving and riding tests will remain core to what we do and will continue to be seen as the ultimate achievement, but if you just want to get more confident driving in bad weather for instance, we can help with that too.

“We’ve helped create nearly half a million better drivers and riders already and as we become recognised as IAM RoadSmart we hope to be able to help many more.”

Nigel Mansell, IAM President and Formula 1 World Champion, said: “To appeal to a new generation of drivers and riders it’s essential to understand and reflect their needs and priorities. In becoming IAM RoadSmart the IAM is taking an essential step into an exciting future, with an approach which is more relevant than ever before.

“Everyone can enjoy their driving and riding more, whether they’re a world champion or simply cover five miles a day commuting to the office. And the skills which help you with an easier journey are the same which will help to reduce the numbers of casualties on our roads. We’ve had a great 60 years; what an exciting future we all have.”