Around the World by SCOOTER AND SIDECAR

On October 21, 2017, I found myself rid ing off from London’s iconic Ace Cafe on a Honda SH300i scooter with sidecar. Beside me was my childhood pal, Reece Gilkes. Our destination was the exact spot we were departing from, as the plan was to be the first to ride around the world on a scooter and s idecar.

- Matt Bishop

On the starting line were 65 others, there to ride in convoy to Paris. All were stickered with the U.K. Modern Slavery Helpline number and had their fingernails painted fluorescent yellow in honor of Unseen UK’s “Let’s Nail It” campaign. That day was a brilliant start to achieving our goal of raising awareness about modern slavery and human trafficking, one kilometer at a time.

A few days later, the convoy departed and we continued south. Before planning the trip, we had never ridden a motorcycle, had no idea how a scooter worked, or how to repair one—completely clueless. But we ventured south anyway. It was to be a baptism by fire.

Cut to a couple of months later, it’s New Year’s Eve, and we’re broken down in the middle of the Sahara with something mangled hanging off the sidecar’s wheel. With no idea how to fix it, and the sun setting, we’d given up for the day just as a local guy pulled up. He, along with the local police, arranged for a recovery truck that deposited us in the town of Hurghada on the coast of the Red Sea. Although completely knackered, we managed to stay up to watch the fireworks before crashing in a dodgy hotel. The following day, New Year’s Day, was spent learning what a wheel bearing was.