Category: Touring Advice
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On The Hidden Rewards Of Unplanning Your First Big Adventure
It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there’s no knowing where you might be swept off to. The words that Tolkien gave to Bilbo are true. Without a solid and meticulous plan, a journey can quickly end up somewhere you never expected. And, for your first trip, that’s exactly what I suggest. A couple of days ago I received emails from two people planning long cycling journeys. There seem to be a lot of people interested in adventure cycling these days, judging by the number of messages… Continue reading →
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How To Use A GPS Unit On A Cycle Tour
As with many of the technology and equipment articles I write, this one opens with a question: Do you really need to use GPS on your tour? Will a GPS unit help you significantly to achieve your goals? Or will it serve as a distraction from the experience? Could you navigate by road-sign, map & compass, common-sense and by asking for directions, and would that be more fun? Would a cycle-computer suffice to keep track of distance — and why are statistics so important anyway? Still considering using GPS for your next bike tour? Let’s continue. Continue reading →
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The DIY Beer Can Stove Is The Best Camping Stove You’ll Never Buy
Jetboil? Trangia? Primus? I laugh in your faces! The lightest, cleverest and most practical camping stove I’ve ever seen can be made by hand from a single empty drinks can. Continue reading →
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Frequently-Asked Questions About Bicycle Touring Answered
So I finally got round to going through the years of correspondence — hundreds of emails — that I’ve had through this site’s contact form. It was quite fascinating to see how the figures came out, and occasionally funny: A large proportion of messages were from people who wanted advice on various aspects of a cycle tour. Most of the answers were things I learnt after I’d left, so the best advice I could have given was simply to leave, and go through the same learning process — far more valuable than hearsay from someone else’s point of view. But I… Continue reading →
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How To Start A Travel Blog: A 5‑Minute Intro To How Easy It Really Is
Travel blogging direct from the road, on your backpacking/walking/cycling/skateboarding/unicycling trip, is not only a realistic ambition: with today’s technology it’s also a piece of cake and costs very little. Read on for a quick primer… Continue reading →
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Should I Use Panniers Or A Trailer On My Bike Tour?
This particular cycle touring debate – trailer or panniers? – has been running for almost as long as people have been going on bike trips. There’s a reason for this. As with so many aspects of equipment choice for a cycle tour, there’s no right or wrong answer when it comes to choosing between a trailer or panniers for your cycle touring luggage-hauling needs. But there are a lot of opinionated voices out there. Having used both setups extensively over the last 15 years, I’d rather like to bring a little objectivity to proceedings. The truth is that whether or not a… Continue reading →
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How To Get Sponsorship For Your Cycle Tour
When planning an extended cycle tour, many people go in search of sponsorship. Some come back empty-handed. Some are successful. But let’s be realistic: In the world of expeditions and corporate sponsorship, bike trips are small fry. Having said that, if I want to (and only if), I can now comfortably rely on getting whatever equipment I need for my trips either at a big discount or free of charge, in return for providing publicity and/or feedback to people whose good work and principles I believe in. By sharing the lessons I’ve learnt to get to this point, I hope that… Continue reading →
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The Adventure Cycle-Touring Handbook
One of the most valuable resources I had when preparing to make the leap and begin cycle touring was the Adventure Cycle-Touring Handbook. In fact, I’d say that it’s responsible for my ideas becoming anything more than just ideas. It was summer 2006 and I was living in Edinburgh during the festival season, working as a technician for a variety of venues and productions. I had two days off during those 5 weeks of voluntary sleep-deprivation. On the first, I got up at 5am and went for an epic mountain-bike ride in the foggy Pentland hills. On the second, I wandered… Continue reading →
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High-Tech or Low-Tech?
There’s a balance to be struck between taking too many and too few techy gadgets on an expedition. I’m a bit schizophrenic in this area. I’d like to say I’m naturally frugal — last year I hitched home from Armenia with only a knife, phone and poncho — but I also greatly value the usefulness of certain technologies. But some technologies become nothing but a fad, or — worse — create more problems than they solve. Over-complicated computer systems in small libraries. GPS navigation units which send drivers merrily trundling into rivers, despite warning signs and the presence of bridges.… Continue reading →
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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 →