The Ride of Your Life with Allan Karl
[Episode 2] Allan Karl shares his story about what inspired him to pursue his dream and accomplish something no man has ever done. In Allan’s words: “I will circumnavigate the globe alone from top to bottom, and all the way around.”
For Allan, he chose to do this journey on his motorcycle, a single cylinder BMW F650GS Dakar. With a few important modifications to his bike and a packing list that grew shorter as he realized what he really needed, he set off on July 4, 2005 and began the journey of his life that would span two years and cover 62,000 miles through more than 50 countries and all 7 continents including the Arctic Ocean and Circle.
Allan Karl was feeling something was not right about his current career path years ago. Then came 9/11, and that confirmed that he did not want to spend the rest of his adult life confined to an office space, doing something he did not have a passion for, just to make a lot of money. Instead he followed his passion for adventure travel, photography and connecting with people. And then when he read Neil Peart’s book, “Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road”, that was it, he was ready to pack up and really go. So, he sold everything he owned, bought a motorcycle and started his journey. Three years. Five continents. A broken leg in Bolivia. An uncomfortable encounter with guerilla militia in the jungles of Colombia, and much more. Back in the states, he wrote a book about it called, “Forks:A Quest for Culture, Cuisine, and Connection”. And one thing you will hear, Allan is not done traveling. Still a lot to see. And now his career revolves around his passion for travel (as well as, cooking, photography and motivational speaking too). Beyond this, he has a deep passion for connecting with new people, from different cultures. He often uses a mantra , “Stay curious”.
We caught up Allan, homebound for the first time in a while.
Episode Book Pairing
Each episode of The Gray Matters podcast is paired with a book that complements the episode’s subject matter. There is no better book to pair with this episode than Allan Karl’s own book inspired by his travels.
Forks: A Quest for Culture, Cuisine, and Connection. Three Years. Five Continents. One Motorcycle.
by Allan Karl
After three years and 62,000 miles of riding through 35 countries on five continents, he returned home only to set out on another journey–to share the truths he’d uncovered and the lessons learned during his adventure around the world. Between these pages, Allan shares the discoveries, cultures, and connections he made on this global adventure. Through stories, color photos, and the flavors of real, local food, FORKS brings his experience to life and the world to your table: the kindness of strangers, the beauty of humanity, the colors of culture, and the powerful gift of human connection.
Every experience is an opportunity to connect with others.
FORKS brings the world to your table: An around-the-world adventure story. A colorful photo book with more than 700 color photographs. A global cookbook with 40 signature recipes. “Even though I set out on his journey alone, I was never alone. If I found myself lost, lonely, or hungry, I would turn around and always find someone there.” The real truth is that it’s easy to connect with people–humanity–even in the most challenging situations: like when armed guerillas ordered him into the Colombian jungle at gunpoint, or when he crushed his leg in the middle of nowhere in Bolivia, or how he had to beg the governments of Syria and Sudan to let him across their borders. Every photograph, story, and recipe in this book presents readers with an opportunity to witness new cultures, taste exotic flavors, or journey into dangerous and unknown territories.
Get your copy of Forks: A Quest for Culture, Cuisine, and Connection. Three Years. Five Continents. One Motorcycle. at Bookshop.org.
About Allan Karl
Allan Karl is a global motorcycle adventurer, television host, professional speaker, and the bestselling author of the book FORKS. A Quest for Culture, Cuisine, and Connection. He is a passionate adventurer who has traveled to more than 80 countries, many of these during his landmark three-year solo motorcycle journey around the world. He documented his adventures and travels in his blog at www.worldrider.com and his popular YouTube Channel www.worldrider.tv
His journeys, adventures, and discoveries have included:
- Traveling around the world alone on a motorcycle
- Sailing the Flores Sea in search of the elusive Komodo Dragon
- Serving as team member and photographer in The Dakar—the most treacherous motorsport race in the world
- Crossing the Nubian Desert in Sudan by motorcycle.
When not traveling the world or off on some remote adventure, Allan Karl inspires audiences with his keynote speeches, books, online writing, and continued adventures around the world. Before his adventures, Allan worked as a branding strategist, founding several companies, including Wirestone, a top-50 digital marketing agency acquired by Accenture in 2018.
Today, Allan is the principal of WorldRider Productions, a publishing, speaking, and coaching company. His clients have included Apple, AT&T, Hewlett-Packard, Google and BMW, and others. Allan combines his business and branding experience with his entrepreneurial and adventurist spirit to help people and organizations embrace change, take chances, grow, innovate and lead — all while expanding their worldview.
These experiences and his business adventures give Karl a unique perspective and provide the basis for his inspirational and motivational management style. Allan holds a B.S. in Communications from S.I. Newhouse School of Communications at Syracuse, University in NY.