Investment Biker: Around the World with Jim Rogers, (Hollbrook, MA: Adams Media Corporation; 1994), 402 pages.
From March 1990 through August 1992, the author and his girlfriend travelled around the world on their BMW motorcycles. Starting in New York City, they flew to Ireland and travelled through southern Europe to China and Japan, then turned around and went through northern Europe back to Ireland. They then drove the length of Africa from north to south, almost circumnavigated Australia, rode through New Zealand, rode through the Americas from Cape Horn in the south to New York in the north east through to Anchorage, Alaska, traveling a total of 65,000 miles. The book is a record of his travels including observations of the countries he visited. Most but not all of the book is devoted to his travels. We learn of the difficulties of riding a bike around the world though conditions ranging from first class roads to bumpy dirt tracks. The book also casts a keen observer's eye at the countries through which he travels. He comments on the living conditions of every country he visits, and gets to the heart of what makes each country successful or unsuccessful. As a professional investor, Rogers also comments on the economic conditions of many countries, primarily based on his observations and interactions with the people he meets. He gets to the heart of what makes a county successful, what makes life good for its citizens, what makes currencies more valuable, and others less valuable. In light of his observations about the countries he visits, he returns to a repeating theme, namely the similarity between the direction of the U.S.A.'s economy and that of failed third-world countries around the globe.
This is a gem of a book. It is s both a record of an amazing round-the-world motorcycle trip, and a reflection on what makes a country successful. Rogers's analysis and writing is direct and honest. It is unencumbered with flowery introspection or self-doubt. It is full of practical advice and commonsense for the traveller and to a lesser extent the international investor. If the book has a weakness its his failure to give any detailed observations of his travels through the United States. He also writes comparatively little of his travels through Australia. This limited treatment of two large countries surprised me. I think the book is the poorer than it could have been due to so little coverage of these large countries. Nonetheless, this is a very good book that should be enjoyed by readers interested in travel, investing, and motorcycle travel journeys.
