For most of us we are right now in the middle of ‘planning season’, where we are looking at calendars and maps and trying to figure out when we might take those precious vacation days and just how we might use them to attend events or go see things that interest us. I’d like to give you some ideas along that line. Of course, a lot of this depends on exactly how much time you have to use, and for most of us money is also a factor. If your time is very limited (work and family obligations affect almost everyone) you might want to consider shorter trips and not plan an around the world trip right now. If money is a factor (isn’t it always) then you’ve got to look for ways to save it. But anyway, here are some ideas…
Since this is the MSTA Official website, let me begin by recommending you attend as many MSTA Regional Rallies as you can. They generally are over a weekend and generally are held fairly close by. Chances are that if you live anywhere east of the Rocky Mountains you will find one of them within a day’s ride of where you are. You can find the complete 2025 list by clicking on the Rally Calendar tab of this website. Most of them are held at pretty inexpensive type hotels usually. Not dumps, but not the real expensive ones either. If you go for a 3-night rally and split the hotel room (we also always negotiate lower rates for attendees) the room cost isn’t that much. Many also include breakfast in the hotel rate and some of the rallies even have a dinner or two included in their low rally fee price. We usually try to have camping available close by too.
If you’re a Racing Fan consider attending events. Moto America, WERA, and AHRMA are among the largest organizations that sanction and promote events around the country. Many areas of the country also have regional organizations. Many of the tracks offer camping on-site or have it close by, which can cut your costs and enhance your experience. These are almost always weekend events too. There are a couple of large ‘rallies’ that you should attend at least once in your life, too. Vintage weekends at Barber Motorsports Vintage in Alabama and Mid-Ohio Vintage Days in north-central Ohio, are the two that come to mind right away. Both of those are held at racetracks and include vintage racing of many types, along with bike shows, seminars, a swap meet, and lots of other fun stuff going on.
There are also the big, huge, ‘biker’ rallies that everyone has heard of, such as Daytona Bike Week, Sturgis, and others of that ilk. Visiting www.cyclefish.com is a great way to find out about those events and hundreds of other local ones held around the country almost every weekend. Most national and international riding clubs also have a list of events that they, or their associated clubs, put on every year. The BMWMOA, the BMWRA, and the AMA are all good resources for information on local and national rally events.
One other thing that you might use for inspiration is themes. By this I mean you might choose a theme for a trip. Perhaps it will involve museums, historical locations, or any other interest you may have. I spent two summers some years ago visiting every state and national park in Kentucky. Along the way, I also visited every covered bridge and river ferry. Most of these were day trips, but a few involved overnights too. Last year I spent much of the summer visiting Tour of Honor sites in Kentucky, Indiana, and Ohio. I plan to do the same thing again this summer. As with the parks, much of those will involve only day trips. Nut in order to get to all that I want to, I will have to do a couple of overnights too. I’ll probably do some camping for those trips.
I hope that you will use these ideas, and any that you might have, to inspire you. Sometimes the hardest part of tripping is just deciding where to go. Here’s some links to the resources I mentioned:
RideMSTA Events
MotoAmerica
WERA
AHRMA
Cyclefish
BMW Motorcycles of America
BMW Riders Association
AMA
Tour of Honor