Hi! I’m Tom, originally from England, but the island was too small.
For 20 years I’ve been exploring the world by bike at every chance I get.
Why? Simply put: because it’s the closest thing you’ll find to pure freedom!
Here at TomsBikeTrip.com I share hard-earned lessons about cycle touring and bikepacking, tell original stories, and road-test new ideas.
A love of adventure has powered my 100% AI-free blog since 2006, when I first decided to travel the world by bicycle and write about it.
Welcome!
The blog: over half a million words of hard-earned, hand-written cycle touring & bikepacking advice.
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A Day To Move Beyond Fossil Fuels
Cycling legend Kim Nguyen, the tenacious chap behind the Ride Planet Earth bicycle journey from Australia to Copenhagen for the COP15 conference, has been hard at work since finishing his epic ride. He’s asked me to help him promote Moving Planet, a day of action on September 24th (that’s this weekend!) in support of transitioning Continue reading →
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Film Blog: The Results Are In, And The Title Is…
…well, that’s the thing — I don’t think we’re quite there yet. So I’m extending the deadline as far as physically possible — this Friday. More than 60 70 80 90 100 comments have been posted in the discussion so far, an overwhelming amount of input and thought, for which I can’t thank you enough — Continue reading →
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Microadventure: A Lap of Zone One in 24 Hours
[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/28991462[/vimeo] Recently, Howies* set up a microadventure competition, in which a grand’s worth of outdoor clothing was put up for grabs for the best told microadventure story. But the rules didn’t specify that the microadventure should take place in the countryside. The result was this incredibly fun urban adventure. Continue reading →
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Film Title Needed In The Next Three Days! (Competition)
UPDATE: For lack of a decisive title, I’ve extended this to Friday 23rd — after that, there’s really no going back. I’d like to ‘crowdsource’ a film and book title by Saturday, the 17th of September. This weekend. If you come up with the magic bullet, I’ll send you: an invitation to the U.K. premiere next year, a Continue reading →
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Film Blog: How To Find An Adventure Cyclist’s Inner Storyteller
When you’re trying to record voice-overs for the film you’re making about an adventure cyclist who hates being put on the spot at the best of times, there are a few things you might try in order to get the results you need: Wake the adventure cyclist up at 5:30am Throw him in a lake and Continue reading →
Books, eBooks & Guides
I’ve written a range of guidebooks and travelogues to read at your leisure, whether you’re preparing for a bike trip, living life on the road, or home and dreaming of the next big ride.
How To Hit The Road: A Beginner’s Guide To Cycle Touring & Bikepacking
First published in 2017 and updated in 2021, this book is my comprehensive newcomers’ introduction to the art of the bicycle-mounted adventure.
Every aspect of a cycle tour or bikepacking trip is covered in 34 chapters, split over three parts: pre-trip planning, initial execution, and adapting to the long haul.
As well as broad, practical advice, I’ve woven inspiring and reassuring anecdotes throughout the book – because getting away from the starting line isn’t about knowing everything, but having the confidence to begin.
Drawing on my personal experience of almost two decades of adventure cycling, more than 50 veteran riders from diverse backgrounds have also contributed to this guide, making it one of the most well-rounded introductions you’ll find to this radically liberating form of independent travel.
Whatever you’re planning and wherever you’re going, if it involves a bicycle and the spirit of adventure, How To Hit The Road has got you covered.
Janapar: Love, on a Bike
My first travelogue, originally published in 2013 and the subject of a successful crowdfunding campaign, telling the true story of my first 3½ years on the road.
This was far from your typical long-distance bike tour, however. From the cover blurb:
When twenty-three-year-old Tom Allen and his friends set off from their English village to cycle around the world, they were expecting physical hardship, extreme conditions and a serious case of culture shock. But the hours spent poring over maps could never have prepared them for the experience of life on the road: the petty squabbles, the extreme hospitality, the unexpected joys and dangers.
And then Tom meets Tenny, a feisty Iranian-Armenian girl with dreams of her own, and hits a crossroad. Should he give up his grand plan for the girl he loves, or cycle off and risk missing out on the greatest adventure of them all?
Temporarily out of print (except in the USA), Janapar is still available as a Kindle ebook from all Amazon portals worldwide.