Sam Manicom ...
Motorcycle Traveller & 'Accidental' Author
'One of the best story tellers of adventure in the world today.'
Side Stand Up Radio - USA
Sam was born in the Belgian Congo. His parents worked and lived through the two rebellions that preceded the change of this West African country's name to Zaire. They brought the family home to England when he was ten years old.
His first trip was a backpacking seat of the pants voyage of discovery across Europe, India and Australia, which often saw him down to his last $10. On arrival in Australia, no one asked him if he had any money and a return ticket. He had neither. What was needed, he earned along the way and this he says was a great learning experience. "I suspect that without it the journey would have been a far less rich experience. My biggest lessons were attitude and priorities. The three-year trip taught me that the world is an amazing place full of amazing people."
On his return he worked in retail management, with his last shop being in St.Helier on the Channel Island of Jersey.
Wanting to do something completely different, Sam learned to ride a motorcycle and three months later set off to ride the length of Africa. This one-year trip turned into an eight-year epic across 55 countries around the world.
Since 1996 Sam has been writing for Motorcycle Sport and Leisure, Motorcycle Voyager, Adventure Motorcycle Magazine, Adventure Bike Rider, Motorcycle Monthly, The Riders Digest and various other motorcycle magazines and newspapers around the world.
Sam met his partner Birgit in New Zealand in year two of the trip, and she joined him for the latter four years across Africa (again), South, Central and Northern America. She was travelling by bicycle when they met but transferred steeds to ride her own motorcycle, a 1971 BMW R60/5.
His first book, 'Into Africa', was written as a result of readers' letters to editors. 'We like Sam's articles. When's he going to write a book?' Until that time he'd been travelling with just new adventures in mind.
Sam is a keen advocate of motorcycle travel. 'The travel bug bites hard, but motorcycle travel bites deep and doing a long trip by bike is the stuff of dreams. Writing books seemed like a great way to share the fun, the disasters and all the amazing things that happen to you out there.'
Sam's second book is 'Under Asian Skies' - an enthalling and frequently surprising journey across some of the most colourful parts of the world.
This is followed by 'Distant Suns', which takes you riding through Southern Africa. An ever-changing and challenging land. You then travel with Sam and Birgit across to the stunning beauty of South America, before exploring Central America; an area of the world that is often neglected by travel writers.
His latest book is 'Tortillas to Totems' You'll be motorcycling across the dramatic landscapes of Mexico, the USA and Canada. There are plenty of twists in this tale, and lots of opportunities to get sidetracked by the unexpected.
You'll find that Sam's books give you a taste of all the things that go to make an adventure in foreign lands. He says, 'People are the key and they are often the instigators of the best adventures.' Sam will take you delving into the histories and cultures of the lands, and not only does he describe what it's like to be on the road on two wheels but he does so with powerful descriptions and real honesty.
All Sam's books are available for download in Kindle format.
