Category: Philosophy Of Travel
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What Is Cycle Touring (aka: Bikepacking)?
This post is part of a series of inspirational short essays exploring the who, what, when, where and how of cycle touring and bikepacking. Getting on a bicycle and going somewhere new is one of the most accessible ways to have an adventure. It doesn’t need to involve quitting your job, spending years planning, or […] Continue reading →
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The Best Way To See The World Is On A Bicycle, And Here’s Why
When you get into a car, or onto a train or plane or bus – even when you leave the house on foot – you do so almost always with the intention of arriving somewhere. You have a destination in mind, and your chosen mode of transport is simply how you’re going to get there. When […] Continue reading →
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Planning A Really Long Bike Trip? Ask Yourself These 7 Critical Questions First
I know the title of this post might sound odd. For the last 15 (wow… 15!) years, I’ve been banging on about the sheer awesomeness of going on bicycle adventures. I’ve been doing it so consistently that I’ve now published more words on this blog than in all six Lord Of The Rings books combined. Why, […] Continue reading →
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What Exactly Does ‘Freedom’ Mean When Travelling?
Freedom – or the sense of it, at least – is the one thing that keeps bringing me back to cycle touring. I have all practicalities whittled down to a slender routine; there is nothing more to learn from the act itself of travelling by bicycle itself. Yet back to it I come, year after […] Continue reading →
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Leaving Your Comfort Zone Is Not Something To Avoid
Adventure cycling demigod Alastair Humphreys has just launched a new short film of his recent bike & bothy adventure in the Scottish Highlands. (A bothy, for the uninitiated, is a remote mountain shelter which is free for public use.) It’s really good. And if you’ve never come across bothies before, it’s a fantastic introduction to their unique subculture. […] Continue reading →
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Bikepacking Vs Backpacking: Is There A ‘Best’ Way To See The World?
This is a blog about bicycle travel. Given that, many of my readers may be wondering why I’m questioning whether pedal-powered transport is the best way to the world. Because we all know bikepacking (or bike touring) is best… right? I’m hardly qualified to convince anyone otherwise. Although I have also walked across nations, I still find […] Continue reading →
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15 Unorthodox Ways To Train For Cycle Touring & Bikepacking (Bicycle Optional)
So you’re dreaming of life on the open road on that epic long-distance cycle tour or bikepacking trip. Yet you’re doing nothing proactive about it, because (among other reasons) you think you’re not fit enough. The odd commute or day-ride isn’t enough; it’s waaaaay too big a leap from your current lifestyle to the kind […] Continue reading →
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What Happens When A Non-Cyclist Spends 3½ Years Travelling The World By Bicycle
When I tell people I rode a bicycle 15,000-odd miles across Europe, Africa and the Middle East for fun, but that I’m not a cyclist, I get some funny looks. I try to explain that it wasn’t thunderous thigh-muscles I wanted but visceral life experience, fresh out of university with a head full of theories and […] Continue reading →
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It was a summer’s day in 2006
It was a summer’s day in 2006 — was it really eight years ago? — and I was driving my dad’s Vauxhall Astra to my very first job interview. The position in question was for a database designer in a software house in Barnstaple, Devon. I was 22 years old with a good degree in Computer Science. […] Continue reading →
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“Did you ever think that this would become your life?”
I received an email the other day from another long-term traveller about a project I’m currently working on. At the end of the email was the following: “P.S. When you set out on that first trip, did you ever think that this would become your life?” A damn good question with more scope than befits a […] Continue reading →