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Anyone who goes over to Asia has to try riding a scooter at least once. It’s scary, fun and exhilarating. You usually dish out a couple bucks to a small shop and hand over a copy of your passport. From there you’re on your own. Here are a couple tips I learned.

1. Realize what your goal is.  Your goal should not be to get from point A to B. Your goal should be to survive. It only takes a quick glance at any beach to see the scars and road rash that a ton of tourists get when they decide to head out on a scooter, with tires smaller than my mountain bike.
2. Forget about your own traffic laws. In a lot of places formal traffic laws are forgotten. You’re an obstacle on the road, not a vehicle. Watch out for cars, trucks and other scooters.
3. Don’t try and figure out how fast your scooter can go. Remember that the scooter you’re barreling down the highway in, was probably built before you were born. So don’t try to top it out. Oh and the ones in Thailand only go up to 65-70mph if you’re interested. Doesn’t sound too fast but when you’re on a sandy highway in shorts and a t-shirt it feels pretty quick.
4. Take a tour with the pros. In any major Asian city they’ll have scooter taxi’s. They’ll whip you around the city between cars and make you wonder how much closer you can squeeze into the driver. It’s a great experience, super quick and will make you appreciate life when you reach your destination.

Bombing around in a foreign city with a scooter is a blast and well worth the experience. Have fun, don’t fall and try it out at the end of the trip. Just in case.