Welcome to the first edition of Erin’s Roadbook, a new series from our General Manager, Erin, where she shares stories, insights, and rider-to-rider wisdom from the world of motorcycle touring. With years of experience both behind the handlebars and behind the scenes, Erin brings a personal perspective to the incredible journeys we help create at Lemonrock.

A while ago, I posted a thread on ADV Rider titled Advice on how to “stop and smell the roses” on long moto trips.

It got a lot of great responses (and it’s still up, if you’re curious). But the consensus was clear — this is something a lot of us in the adventure community struggle with.

We want to ride everything. See everything. Eat everything. Experience every winding backroad that promises that aha moment — that perfect, fleeting feeling of riding zen we chase.

To be an adventurer is to want to consume the world with every atom of your being.

But then… reality shows up.

We’ve got PTO limits. Budgets. Logistics. The little things that stop us from throwing ourselves to the wind and letting luck lead the way.

I was chatting with a good friend recently who’s traveled with the same self-guided motorcycle tour company six times across Europe. I asked him why, and his answer stuck with me:

“They make sure we don’t waste our time. We tell them where we want to go and how many days we have, and they craft the perfect ride. I trust we’ll hit all the best roads and top sights — and actually enjoy every minute of it.”

And that — right there — is the magic of a self-guided motorcycle tour.

If you’re already hearing the call for an international motorcycle adventure, you’ve got something wild and free in your heart. But sometimes, it’s hard to rein that wildness into an itinerary you’ll actually enjoy.

Sure, when you’re riding at home, you can crank out 400 miles a day and still love every second. But once you’re in a new country, soaking in new sights, cultures, and roads — you always underestimate how much time you’ll want to stop, breathe, and just take it all in.

And if you’re anything like me, you obsess over the route choices.

Is R722 better than R721? One takes you by the ocean, the other cuts inland through the mountains. Which is going to give me the indisputable best riding experience? I could spend hours agonizing over that question.

So it’s a relief — even for a map nerd like me — to hand that decision to someone who’s actually ridden both roads and can say, “Yeah, go with R721. Trust me.”

That’s where a self-guided tour comes in. It marries adventure with freedom — while handing off all the boring stuff (hotels, logistics, transfers, etc) to someone who’s already done the legwork.

Not long ago, a traveler asked me if he could deviate from the route we pre-program into his bike for his Ride North self-guided tour..

My response? “I sure hope you do!”

At Lemonrock, you get all the support you need, with the full freedom to make this adventure everything you actually want.

One of my favorite parts of the job is customizing each tour to fit the individual rider.

Have extended family in a certain Irish town? Awesome — I’ll loop you by there so you can stop for lunch with your lovely aunt.

Want to sneak in a diving day? Perfect — here’s a list of family-run dive spots across Ireland. Pick your favorite, and we’ll make it happen.

Even though we have outlines on our website, no two tours ever end up the same. Every rider’s experiences, desires, and eye for adventure are different — and the journey should reflect that.

So, to finally answer my own question from that ADV Rider post years ago:

How do you stop and smell the roses on long rides? Trust a rider who’s been there and hand off the heavy lifting. They’ve ridden the roads, seen the sights, and felt the adventure — now it’s your turn to follow their path and savor every mile.

Ready to stop guessing and start riding? Check out our tours across Ireland and the UK, and email me at erin@ridelemonrock.com to start planning your perfect trip!