Tag: on the road
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No Stupid Questions: Any Tips For Staying Motivated On A Longer Tour?
A reader writes: Have you got any tips for maintaining motivation on a longer tour? I’m just past halfway through a Spain to Ireland tour, and I’ve just been feeling a bit burnt out. Been on the road since April with a bit of time off in July. Thanks so much for the question! This is a really interesting one. Because you’ve touched on something not often mentioned about long-term bicycle travel, which is that it can sometimes be a draining, rather than a replenishing, experience. Continue reading →
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No Stupid Questions: How To Avoid Catching Malaria When Cycling Across Asia?
A reader writes: I’ve been following you for about five years now. Am retiring next summer and setting off in May 26 for a ride to Bali. I currently live in Bolton so it was Bolton to Bali but I’m moving when I retire to Lincoln where my son is based in the RAF. So I’ve rebranded – Lincoln to Lombok! My question is about malaria. What’s needed in terms of protection. I’ve read that you’ve had malaria – not nice. What do I need to do in terms of pre trip purchase and on the road? Thanks for the question!… Continue reading →
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No Stupid Questions: How Do You Stay Intellectually Stimulated On The Road?
A reader writes: How do you keep the brain intellectually stimulated whilst on a long bicycle touring trip ? Reading, writing… any other tips? Thanks for the question! Seriously, thank you. Now we’re into the good stuff! I really wish more people would ask questions like this, instead of about the relative merits of 9- and 10-speed drivetrains and whether or not buying a vegan Brooks will help save the planet. That’s because the details of your bike and gear are things you’ll forget about the moment you start riding – but you’re going to be living with the contents of your… Continue reading →
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No Stupid Questions: Can Cycle Touring Be Bad For Your Back?
A reader writes: My stupid question (asked with the understanding that you are not a medical professional but a great resource and researcher): Can biking on a touring bike be bad for your back? Can biking on inflated tires on bumpy roads – because you’re too lazy to reduce pressure or anxious about reinflating them – be bad for your back? How can you mitigate potential back problems from biking on a touring bike? Are recumbent bikes less safe on busy roads – they look that way to me, even with the flag on back? Thanks for the question! As you… Continue reading →
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Cycle Touring WhatsApp Groups For Global Long-Distance Riders
It’s the time of year when long-haul cycle tourers who earlier set off from Europe are approaching parts of the world where information about logistics – visas, border crossings, money exchange and transfer, taking bicycles on public transport, etc – is scarce and rapidly changing. And where forums such as Lonely Planet’s now-defunct Thorn Tree used to be the digital grapevine where cycle tourers would exchange such intel, it seems today’s version is the private WhatsApp group. Continue reading →
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Game-Changing Headphones For Safe Listening While Cycle Touring Or Bikepacking (Video)
As an inherently DIY-oriented bicycle traveller, I don’t normally post about new commercial products in the context of cycle touring and bikepacking. But I do want to highlight a development in the personal entertainment industry that has changed the way I engage with digital audio on the road for the better, and which I think would benefit a great many more riders. Continue reading →
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No Stupid Questions: How To Deal With Racial Prejudice While Cycle Touring?
A reader writes: I’m sorry to be awkward but my question is about race. I’m planning to embark on a cross-Europe cycle tour this spring. I’ve read a lot of people’s blogs on similar journeys but I’ve noticed that they tend to be white travellers. As a North Indian looking guy with a very Southern English accent, I wondered if Islamophobia / anti immigrant sentiment was something I should worry about in Eastern Europe? I’d love some pointers to blogs I might have missed, as well — I understand if this might not be a topic you feel totally comfortable explaining.… Continue reading →
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No Stupid Questions: How Can I Use My Smartphone As A Bike GPS?
A reader writes: I would like up to date information on integrating my iPhone to my bikes as a GPS. Everything from safe phone mounting through power supply (I have built a usb feed into my elekky bike’s battery shoes) and route planning and following on the phone. I was raised on 1” OS and Bartholomew’s half inch maps. The half inch are unusable nowadays and the OS 1: 50,000 are too large but when folded into a map clip not big enough. I can read OS maps and like to see the Historical and Landscape information that may make a… Continue reading →
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27 Cycle Touring & Bikepacking Apps For Every Imaginable Purpose
While I’m a big advocate of low-tech bike tours, almost every long-distance rider today is bringing along their smartphone for the ride. But what exactly are the best apps for cycle touring and bikepacking? It’s a tricky question. To my knowledge, there is no single app that does everything an cycle tourer or bikepacker wants when exploring the world by bicycle. And that’s probably because the cycle touring or bikepacking lifestyle is a complex, multi-faceted thing, taking in a diverse range of activities that go way beyond route planning and navigation. No one app could possibly serve all of them! This… Continue reading →
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How To Travel For Free, Forever
A quick online search will find you endless blog posts entitled “how to travel for free”, “how to travel the world for free”, “how to travel forever”, and similar search-engine-optimised variations. Actually reading these articles, however, usually reveals that they are not really about free travel at all. Instead, they are – almost without exception – about how to earn money on the road, using tactics such as travel hacking, hospitality exchange networks and volunteering opportunities to avoid spending more than necessary. This, to me, is not travelling for free. At least, not in the sense that I wanted to explore when I… Continue reading →