Motorcycle Overlanding Across Europe with Scott McQueen

Adventurers’ Club member Scott McQueen returns to Los Angeles from Europe to share highlights from a months-long motorcycle journey across Northern Europe. The trip followed a route of long days, open roads, and frequent help from strangers, unfolding day by day and shaped by the roads traveled and the people met.

The journey began in the United Kingdom, continued through France, including the beaches of Normandy, and then moved north through Scandinavia into the Baltic region. Along the way, Scott often stayed in unexpected places, meeting local hosts and fellow riders through informal connections and motorcycle hospitality networks such as Bunk-a-Biker. In Tallinn, medievel stone walls, narrow streets, and layers of Soviet and modern European history frame daily life, while conversations with locals underscore the value of taking one’s time, sharing meals, and forming connections along the way. Experiences like spontaneous stops and warm hospitality became as memorable as the route itself.
Beyond the cities, the trip continues into forests, rural backroads, and unpaved terrain across Estonia, where off-road riding introduces mud, trails, and technical challenge. These varied conditions reflect the range of environments and the skills developed along the way. This program looks at how preparation, adaptability, and help from others made motorcycle travel more accessible than it often seems at the outset.

Scott McQueen is an avid motorcyclist inspired by motorcycle overlanders like Elspeth Beard, Ted Simon, and Sam Manicom. He is also a SCUBA diver and IT specialist from Pasadena, California.

This program was organized by Grant McComb.