Month: October 2009
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How To Plan Financially For Long-Term Travel (And Stay On The Road Forever)
When I left home in 2007, it was simple. I had 700 Euros stashed in my luggage, a current account containing £3700 GBP with a Visa Debit card to get at it, and a couple of emergency credit cards. I’d be as stingy as possible, because it wasn’t much! But it was all I had, and I aimed to make it home before I was in the red. Now, my bank balance is actually higher than it was when I left. I’m going to share with you some of the ideas I’ve learnt from others and put into practice myself in order… Continue reading →
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Off-Road To Shatili In The Caucasus Mountains Of Georgia
Last week I travelled to the Georgian capital of Tbilisi to meet Andy for a few days of mountain-biking in the Caucasus mountains to the north of the city. Andy told me that many people outside the country still think it must be a ‘warzone’. This is probably due to the monumental fuss made by the international media over an incident last year which has become known as the 2008 South Ossetia war. The reality of this war was a few days of localised conflict on the borders of a region which has been fighting for independence for nearly twenty years,… Continue reading →
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Images From Two Years On The Road
Travel offers enviable opportunities for developing creative skills such as photography. I’ve enjoyed taking these shots immensely, and I hope you enjoy viewing this whittled-down selection of what I think are my best snaps of all. [flickr]set:72157622428654633(square,18)[/flickr] Only the first few photos are shown here. It’s better to go and view the complete album on Flickr or as a slideshow. Or — how cool is this — you can see them marked on a world map! Continue reading →
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Getting Married And Quitting Facebook
On Saturday the 19th of September Tenny and I were married in a small wedding ceremony in Yerevan. We had made a surprise arrival at the church on Armenia’s one and only cycle rickshaw with an entourage of bicycle activists leading and following us through the main streets of the city. After the ceremony we were back in the rickshaw for a few customary laps of Republic Square, before heading to the reception in a quiet part of town overlooking the city. Continue reading →
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What You’ve Missed About Charity Bike Rides
There’s a backlash happening against charity bike rides. I’m not sure why. For me, it’s a way of trying to give in a time when you often feel like you’re doing an awful lot of taking. Every couple of months sees the announcement of yet another heroic long-distance solo bicycle odyssey, pitting man against the elements across the world’s great landmasses for months or years on end. Each of these projects is a noble one. Undoubtedly they will involve huge personal challenges — mental far more than physical. These riders are often setting themselves targets they don’t understand themselves. Three… Continue reading →