As the Grand Adventures series progresses, I’mm receiving more and more emails from people requesting practical advice on planning their trips.
I have two problems with this.
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I find giving practical advice (“this sprocket is better than that one; this glove weighs 10g less than that one”) very boring. I’mm not really a ‘practical advice’ sort of person.
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Practical advice is, for most people, camouflaging the real issue. What you really, really need to make an adventure happen is not practical advice. What you need is a bit of cash, a start date tattooed into your calendar, and the balls to get out there and do it.
Therefore I was delighted to read some genuinely helpful practical advice for planning an overseas cycle tour. I asked Tom if I could share it here.
If the busyness of modern life is stopping you from getting out there on your first overseas bicycle adventure, try following these steps:
- Find the next available window in your calendar. Multiply the number of full days it contains by 50. Guard this window with your life.
- Choose a nearby country — somewhere new — and book a plane/bus/train to a major city there. (If booking flights, check that your airline is bike-friendly.)
- Take your answer from 1, find another city roughly that many kilometres away, and book a return plane/bus/train home. (Use Google Maps to estimate cycling distances.)
- Get a cardboard box from your nearest bike shop and pack your bike into it like this. Pack your panniers, tent and rollmat into one of these, and take your bar-bag as a carry-on (if flying).
- Arrive overseas and unpack your bike. Meander towards your destination at a leisurely pace. Eat when you’re hungry. Sleep when you’re tired. Do entirely as you feel.
- Repeat step 4, having successfully completed your first overseas cycle tour.
Thanks, Tom!
My new book, Grand Adventures, is out now.
It’s designed to help you dream big, plan quick, then go explore.
The book contains interviews and expertise from around 100 adventurers, plus masses of great photos to get you excited.I would be extremely grateful if you bought a copy here today!
I would also be really thankful if you could share this link on social media with all your friends – http://goo.gl/rIyPHA. It honestly would help me far more than you realise.
Thank you so much!
Grand Adventures from Alastair Humphreys on Vimeo.
I know this comes under ‘Practical Advice’, but what’s the best way to deal with the inevitable saddle soreness? I did a mini cycle tour in England, from Worcestershire to Oxfordshire and the saddle sore was a killer, especially on the return journey.
Just ride for longer… After a month or two you’ll be fine! 😉
Thanks for nice advice! A comment to number 2: Why not just start at home? I guess most people don´t have to ride very far before they are in unvisited areas. That will also make the logistics even easier.
I definitely agree that starting at home is simpler, cheap and memorable too.
And by the way, I find it really interesting and inspiring to follow your blog and projects. Looking forward to read your new book!