Category: Planning & Logistics
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No Stupid Questions: What Traffic-Free Cycle Touring Routes Exist Beyond Europe & the USA?
A reader writes: My question is (having done two longer bike trips on really nice bike trails in Europe, the Danube and Loire) – is this kind of easy, road-free, relatively level trip available OUTSIDE of Europe? I’m not so interested in the US, I know there’s a couple (the canal trails, etc). But in other parts of the world. Thanks for the question! As usual, there’s a short, simple answer, followed by a long and rambling discussion. Bear with me! The short version is that if you’re looking for packaged trails for cycle touring – that is, branded, signposted, popular, well-documented,… Continue reading →
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No Stupid Questions: What Are Your Top Wet Weather Cycle Touring Tips & Tricks?
A reader writes: Tom, I always enjoy your updates and reports. No big questions here, but one that does come to mind is what are your tips and tricks for riding in the rain. Most of us just do it, and have learned some ways to make it less than miserable like using a visor to keep drops off of glasses, and opening pit zips to vent. But I’d like to hear what you have learned from your travels. The question of “what do cycle tourers do when it rains?” used to be a frequent one in Q&As about Janapar – and back… Continue reading →
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No Stupid Questions: Can I Emulate Cycle Touring But Without The Bike?
A reader writes: Quick intro: [I] finished school in 2021, cycled around South Africa for a few months in 2022, and currently in Livingstone, Zambia about to start travelling solo around Southern Africa for a few months. Originally I wanted to cycle back home but for various reasons I have decided to hitch-hike instead. And basically I’m thinking of doing it like you would on a bike tour, just without the bike. So like hitch to a spot, wild camp, hitch, wander around, etc. What I’m wondering is practically how do you make it work from day to day? […] I’m good… Continue reading →
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No Stupid Questions: Should You Ask Permission To Wild Camp In Britain?
A reader writes: Hi Tom, Having cycled LEJOG and stayed at Airbnb and a couple of youth hostels, I’m planning on bikepacking/ wildcamping. Cycling until I’m either too tired to continue or where a convenient place appears. Questions are, do you ever get or attempt to get permission to camp or bivvy, and do you plan where to stop in advance? I’m looking to be free from a schedule. Apart from getting the Caledonian sleeper back south from Inverness. Thanks for the question! It’s never a bad time to discuss wild camping on bike trips. Confidence in where you’re going to… Continue reading →
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No Stupid Questions: How Best To Pack My Panniers For Cycling Round The World?
A reader writes: I’m keen to streamline my set-up and I’m curious to know what round-the-world pannier set-up you’d recommend… I’m thinking 2 × 12.5l front panniers, 2 × 12.5l rear panniers with an Ortlieb 31l Rack Pack and a 12l frame bag giving me around 93l storage. In addition, my front rack will enable me to carry a small duffel bag if needed. I’m considering possibly getting 20l rear panniers but I feel they’re too bulky and unnecessary. However, for long stretches where water and food might be scarce, they could work out well. I’ll be beginning in March/April ‘24… Continue reading →
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Cycle Touring & Bikepacking Insurance: All You Need To Know (& Popular Insurers)
This is a detailed introduction to understanding and choosing insurance for cycle touring and bikepacking trips, both short-term and long-term. I get a lot of questions on the topic of insurance for cycle tours, so this article is my attempt to answer all of them in one thoroughly researched, human-written, 100% AI-free post. The following advice is generally applicable to anyone looking to insure a cycle tour or bikepacking trip, whatever length, duration or destination you have in mind, and whether it’s your first ever bike trip or you’re just looking for up-to-date information about insurers who cover travelling by… Continue reading →
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Do I Really Need Ortliebs? A Buyer’s Guide To Panniers For Cycle Touring
One day in 1884, Thomas Stevens left California on a bicycle, carrying a bag of gold and a pistol rolled up in a blanket, and became the first person in recorded history to cycle round the world. Today’s bicycle travellers pack a little more gear than that! That’s because we want to enjoy seeing the world, rather than bribing and bullying our way through our bike tours as Stevens did. To carry all the cycle touring equipment commonly used today – ultralight tents, camping stoves & cookware, clothes, toolkits, and other core kit-list items – most bike tourers attach panniers to their… Continue reading →
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Dates Now Live for the 2022 UK Cycle Touring Festival
Good news for those of us looking forward to another year of adventures in the saddle: the dates for the 2022 edition of the UK Cycle Touring Festival have just been announced! In fact, it’s already less than a month until the event kicks off on February 12th 2022. As with previous years, the schedule includes workshops on all aspects of cycle touring, storytelling sessions to get you inspired, and much more spread over the course of an 8‑day programme. This will be the third year running in which the festival will take place online, though the organisers Laura &… Continue reading →
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What’s The Best Camping Mattress Or Sleeping Pad For Cycle Touring & Bikepacking?
Welcome! It’s time to deep-dive into another thorny topic (no pun intended): how to choose a camping mattress – or, as my North American friends call it, a sleeping pad – to fit the specific needs of cycle tourers and bikepackers. We’ll be looking at the various types of camping mattresses and sleeping pads, which types are best for cycle touring and bikepacking trips, and ‘best’ might differ depending on physiology, personal preferences, the details of your ride, and of course your budget. I’ll combine buying advice from my quite-a-few-years of bike touring experience with up-to-date product selections of the camping… Continue reading →
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There Is No Better Time To Be Planning Your Next Dream Cycling Adventure
Now is probably not the best time to be setting off on a globetrotting bike trip. But as we’ve all discovered over the last few months, upheavals can create the ideal conditions for change – including changing the way you think. Amid much uncertainty and, yes, real hardship and trauma, this year has brought with it a priceless opportunity to reimagine the paths we’ve been travelling through life, and to redirect those elements of our futures we can control towards newly-reconsidered destinations. That’s why – even if your departure date remains to-be-confirmed, and even if the places you’re thinking of going are… Continue reading →