Teacher travelling solo by motorbike from Brazil to Oxford has faced jaguars, sharks while snorkelling and dog bites

A teacher travelling solo by motorbike from Brazil to Oxford has faced jaguars in the wild, been bitten by a dog, snorkelled with a shark, and said he will “always remember” the kindness of strangers.

Henry Manuel, 44, from Oxford, took a year out from his job as a primary school teacher in 2014 to travel the world, where he became fascinated by scooters being used for everyday travel in Indonesia.

The following year, he rode a scooter from one end of Indonesia to the other, before spending the next two summers driving a car to and from England and Kazakhstan.

Determined to make his next “long road trip” even harder, he learned how to ride a motorbike and saved money while working in Brazil, and set off on his Suzuki V-Strom 650 XT from Sao Paulo in July 2024.

By June 2025, he had travelled from Brazil to Alaska and is now making his way through Asia towards England in time for his brother’s July wedding.

Reflecting on the journey, he said it has confirmed his belief that “the urge to travel is the urge to learn” and that people everywhere are capable of kindness.

Henry told PA Real Life: “I think I’ve seen how wonderful people are in the world – I really believe that everyone in the world is good.”

In 2014, Henry took a year out from teaching to travel the world.

While in Indonesia, he found it “very striking” that “normal life” for most people involved travelling by scooter.

So, in 2016, while working at a school in Kazakhstan, he spent one summer holiday driving a scooter from one end of Indonesia to the other over six weeks.

He remembered “how great” it was to drive around in his own vehicle – so, wanting a car but finding it too expensive locally, he decided to buy one in England.

To get it back to Kazakhstan, he chose to spend his next summer holiday, in 2017, driving it there.

The following year, when he was leaving Kazakhstan, he drove it back to England.

He added: “I’m driving home from work, which everyone does, right?

“It just happened to be that I was driving from Kazakhstan to England!”

He also set himself the challenge that wherever he worked next, he would return to England by motorbike, to make “things harder”.

After saving up, learning to ride and purchasing a motorbike, he set off on the journey from Sao Paulo in July 2024.

He had a route in mind, but focused mainly on researching border rules and entry requirements for each country.

Henry added: “My ideal day would be waking up in the morning and packing my stuff up, getting on my bike and just driving and then wherever I manage to end up is where I end up.

“I’ll find somewhere to stay – I have a tent on my bike, if it comes to it.”

His budget for the trip was £10 a day for food and £10 a day for accommodation, plus petrol, which varies from country to country.

He estimates he will be travelling for around 650 days, spending approximately £13,000 on food and accommodation, with a further £20,000 set aside for additional costs such as flying his bike between countries.

By June 2025, he had travelled from Brazil to Alaska, passing through places such as Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, El Salvador and the United States.

He said: “One of the first things I did was see jaguars in the wild in Brazil – that’ll stay with me forever.

“And then in Peru, driving in some of these absolutely incredible mountain passes that zigzag up the mountain.

“I got to the top and there was a guy dancing and pretending to play the saxophone, recording a music video, and there were these two girls in traditional Peruvian clothes dancing as well.

“I thought I entered a crazy alternative universe.”

However, while in Ecuador, a dog approached him and bit him on the leg.

A local took him to a health centre and, fortunately, he did not need any injections as the dog was not a stray.

He even ended up having dinner with the dog’s owner, which he said was a “fun experience”.

When visiting the Galapagos Islands, off the coast of Ecuador, he went snorkelling with turtles swimming beside him and a shark swam “right into” his camera.

While staying in a hostel in El Salvador, he got talking to a stranger and ended up staying with their family in Guatemala.

He said the family showed him around and, despite not sharing a common language, he had an “amazing time” and they were “so lovely and kind”.

His highlights when travelling through the United States included visiting the building where Ghostbusters was filmed – as he loved the film and video games as a child – as well as seeing Mount Rushmore.

Some of the “absolute best” moments of his journey so far have come from his interactions with others.

He said: “I’ll always remember the guy who gave me a cinnamon roll on Route 66 because I took a photo of him.”

When he reached Alaska, despite running out of fuel on the way and relying on a stranger to fill his canister, he said it felt “incredibly special”.

He then made his way into Canada and flew to Japan in October 2025 and on to Thailand in December 2025, continuing his journey through South East Asia.

Currently in Cambodia, he plans to cross into China in April and travel to Tibet, visiting Everest’s North Base Camp in May.

In June, he will head to Central Asia, and in July he will cross into Europe in time for his brother’s wedding in Oxford on July 25 2026.

Reflecting on his journey so far, he said: “I think it’s shown me that learning is my favourite thing to do – I think the urge to travel is the urge to learn.”

Throughout his journey, he has documented his travels on social media, as he “loves telling a story”.

He now has more than 9,500 subscribers on YouTube under the handle @anotherlittletrip.

When he arrives back home in Oxford, he believes he will feel a “great sense of accomplishment” and is excited to see his family – he is yet to meet two of his nephews in person.

He said: “I’m probably going to cry, aren’t I?

“It’ll be such a crazy mix of feelings and after my brother’s wedding, I start a new job in Dubai three weeks later.

“There’ll be melancholy having finished these travels, but I’m very, very excited to get back to teaching again, because I do miss it.”

For more information, visit: www.anotherlittletrip.com.