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The Bicycle Travelers Blueprint
The Definitive Guide To 21st Century Bicycle Touring




Written By Darren Alff
Park City, Utah - U.S.A.

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Copyright by Darren Alff

This book may be purchased for educational, business or promotional use. For more information please write:

Bicycle Touring Pro
P.O. Box 982216
Park City, UT 84098
U.S.A.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner without written permission expect in the case of brief quotations in critical articles and reviews.

SECOND ONLINE EDITION

ISBN: 978-0-9787878-5-1

PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

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This book is dedicated to my Uncle Tom,
who first introduced me to bicycle travel
and inspired within me a love of the outdoors...

...and to my Mom and Dad, who gave me the
freedom to dream big and reach for the stars.

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What Exactly Is A Bicycle Traveler?
The world is changing and so is the way people travel by bike.
For years there have been individuals called bicycle tourists
who (in the summer, more often than not) would load up their
bikes with a small stash of belongings and cycle off into the sun-
set, covering long distances under their own human power.
Since its beginning, bicycle touring has been a small, almost
completely unknown, sub-sect of the cycling world. The activity is
rarely featured in magazines, newspapers, or any type of tradi-
tional media. If bicycle touring receives any coverage at all, it is
usually for a cyclist who is touring in the name of charity - rais-
ing money to find a cure for Cancer, or Alzheimer's, or the poor
and starving somewhere in Africa.
Today, while the participant count is still very small, the number
of people conducting bicycle tours is growing and the num-
ber of individuals traveling by bike and/or relying on two-
wheeled people movers as their sole means of transportation
continues to expand on a daily basis.
Having bought this book, I assume you have some understand-
ing of what bicycle touring is all about. In short, it is the simple
act of riding your bike from one point to the next and it usu-
ally involves some kind of overnight stay in-between your depar-
ture point and your destination.
However, there is a big difference between the traditional
bicycle tourist and what I refer to as the bicycle traveler.
What exactly is a bicycle traveler?
Well, in short, a bicycle traveler is a person who sees what they
do as more than just a trip by bike.
While traditional bicycle tourists see their outings as a relaxing
break from work and family pressures, bicycle travelers see their
adventures more as a way of life. For these people, it isnt about
touring at allfor them, it is a new way of living!
For these individuals, bicycle travel is a lifestyle choice that re-
volves around traveling with their bikes, going where they
please, constantly learning from the people and places they find
along the way, and embracing each and every moment
whether it be at home or a thousand miles away on the other
side of the planet.
This book is called The Bicycle Travelers Blueprint because my
aim, by the end of this text, is to give you enough information
that you can not only complete your first bicycle tour with ease,
but also, if you so choose, join the ranks as a 21st century bicy-
cle traveler!

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What Characteristics Set Bicycle
Travelers Apart From The Tourists Of
The Past?

The parallels between traditional bicycle tourists and the bicycle
travelers I so frequently feature on my website at
www.bicycletouringpro.com are vast. However, there are a
number of defining characteristics that set these two groups
apart.
To start, this new generation of bicycle traveler values time and
experiences more than they value money and social standing.
While many who tour by bike save up and wait until retire-
ment to live out their bicycle touring dreams, this new generation
works hard to live out their adventures now. This doesnt neces-
sarily mean these people are poor or a burden on society. For
many, it simply means having the best of both worlds. Bicycle
travelers believe that they can live a good life and have enough
money to do the things they want without having to wait until
retirement in order to do them. Overall, they are less concerned
with buying a big house, driving a fancy car or living in style
once they turn seventy. In many ways, they are putting off their
future retirement in order to take mini-retirements now!
This new kind of bicycle traveler wears clothes, rides bikes, and
uses gear that blends in with the people and places they are vis-
iting. The bicycle traveler has no need for fancy breathable jer-
seys; tight, revealing Lycra shorts; or neon colored clothes. The
bicycle traveler isnt out to win any competitions, fit in with the
rest of the cycling world, or to look like a bum. Theyre doing
their own thing, both on the bike and with the clothes they
choose to wear. They may be cyclists, and they may be travel-
ers, but they look good and do their best not to scream Hey,
look at me! Im a cyclist! when visiting foreign lands.
Many of these traveling cyclists do not work traditional nine to
five jobs. Instead, they prefer to have flexible hours, using their
off time to travel and explore personal hobbies and interests.
Many of these people work from home (or on the road) via a
laptop, cell phone or personal computer. Others work seasonal/
part time jobs that allow them to travel when they arent at work.
The bicycle traveler is more interested in creating their own ex-
periences than following the routes others have traveled in the
past. While many bicycle tourists find following established
routes to be safe, easy, and enjoyable, this new kind of travel-
ing cyclist could care less about pre-established bike paths and
signs. Dont get me wrong, having a nice bike lane is a wel-
come luxury, but the lack of signed routes isnt going to stop
these people from seeing the world. Besides, theyre much more
interested in the road less traveled. Heck, they dont even care if
there is a road! Theyll figure out how to get to their destination

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one way or another.
These people are technologically proficient and make no apolo-
gies for being so well-versed in the digital world. They travel
with GPS devices, computers, digital cameras, cellular phones,
and solar panels. They document their travels and share their
experiences with people from around the world via social net-
working sites, blogs, email newsletters and other technological
networking tools. Many of these people use the Internet as a
means of keeping in touch with friends and family back home,
as well as a means of actually making money while they travel.
Global Internet access is enabling this new breed of cyclist to
travel the world, work from anywhere, and actually produce a
positive cash flow while on their journeys.
Finally, this new generation of bicycle tourist sees their travels
more as a way of life than as something you do just once in
your life. These people are in it for the long haul. Many of them
started cycling and/or traveling at a very young age, found bi-
cycle touring, and have gone on to this new type of bicycle
travel as the years progressed. Even when they arent traveling
by bike, the lessons these people have learned while on their
travels play an important part in the way they live their lives to-
day. To this new generation, bicycle travel isnt just a retreat
from the officeits a new way of life!

The Progression Of Bicycle Travel
In the past, there were five main type of bicycle tours and they
progressed in the following way:
THE LONG DAY TRIP: This type of tour is usually conducted
by an organization which brings bicycle riders together in a sin-
gle location and these people ride their bikes for a relatively
long distance in a single day. Typical rides of this type can
range from 60-100+ miles in a 24-hour period. While bicycle
touring is typically an overnight activity, these large events will
often times label themselves as bicycle tours.
THE SUPPORTED TOUR: The supported bicycle tour is a tour
where your gear (i.e. food, clothes, camping equipment, etc.) is
carried in a vehicle that meets you at various checkpoints along
your route. Some of these tours require that you pay to be a part
of them and in this case, the tour leaders typically drive a van or
truck of some kind, while you get to ride your bike along a pre-
established route. Other times, groups of individuals will simply
get together and take turns driving a chase vehicle while the
others in the group ride their bikes.
THE CREDIT CARD TOUR: Credit card touring is when you
travel by bike and pack almost nothing but the clothes on your
back and a credit card (or cash) to buy things along the way.
Instead of carrying a tent, you pay to sleep in a hotel each

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night. Instead of cooking your own food, you buy your meals
along the way. Credit card tours are typically less than a week
in length and are usually not supported by a touring company.
THE GUIDED SELF-SUPPORTED TOUR: Then there are tours
where you carry everything you need to survive on your bicycle
(i.e. food, clothes, tent, stove, etc.), but a guide from a touring
company leads you along a specific route. With these types of
tours, you usually ride with a small group of people and are
then escorted on a daily basis by an experienced bicycle tour-
ing guide.
THE FULLY SELF-SUPPORTED TOUR: Finally, there is the self
-supported bicycle tour, which requires you to travel alone
(without a guide) and carry all the clothes, tools, and gear you
will need to survive for days, weeks, or months on end. This is
the type of bicycle touring many people are familiar with and
even today it is one of the most popular ways to travel by bike.
This, however, is where the progression of things used to end.
Self-supported touring was seen as the ultimate adventure for
touring cyclists. Now, however, the bicycle traveler reigns su-
preme as the highest form of bicycle adventurer.
BICYCLE TRAVEL: This is the new breed of bicycle touring. It
goes beyond self-supported touring because its so much longer,
more technologically advanced than the bicycle tours of the
past, and (most importantly) lifestyle driven. This new form of
bicycle touring is not a short term stint. It is a new form of
travel and a new way of living.
The difference between the bikes tourists of the past and bicycle
travel is that tourists travel with an end date. Whether their trip
by bike is a week, a month, or a year in length, the trip eventu-
ally comes to an end and the participants ultimately return to
their normal lives. The bicycle traveler, on the other hand, has
no end date. He just keeps going. One trip leads into the next
and the adventure continues indefinitely. For the bicycle traveler,
their journey may start out as a trip by bike, but it ends as a life-
style choice.








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What You Can Expect To Learn From
This Book
I understand that not everyone reading this book is going to
want to become a long-term bicycle traveler. You may be happy
conducting a shorter trip by bike or even joining a group of
friends on a guided bicycle tour.
Even if the lifestyle of the modern bicycle traveler seems appeal-
ing, you may be content with your current job or feel that you
are unable to move about for long periods of time due to
friends, family, business or personal commitments. I under-
stand and thats okay!
Whether your goal is to change the way you live, cycle around
the world, pedal across your home state, or simply spend more
time exploring your local neighborhood, I guarantee that there
will be something in this book for you.
My overall goal with this book is to show you just how easy bi-
cycle travel really is.
You see, many people think you have to be a cycling nut in
order to ride your bike across an entire city, state, or country.
But the truth is, most bicycle travelers are normal people like you
and me. With just a small amount of training and the right infor-
mation, you can complete your first bike trip with relative ease.
There are 3 main things you need to know in order
to conduct a successful cycling adventure:
1. How to select the right bicycle and gear for your trip.
2. How to plan out your route and schedule out your days.
3. How to mentally and physically prepare yourself for life on
the road.
The Bicycle Travelers Blueprint covers all of this, and a lot more.
And by the time you finish reading I think youll be BLOWN
AWAY with how simple it really is to plan, prepare for, and exe-
cute your very own bicycle touring adventure.
Inside the pages of this book you will learn a number of valu-
able lessonsmany of which are important to carry with you as
you venture out and begin your own bicycle touring endeavors.
In the first part of this book you will learn that you dont have to
own the best equipment in the world to leave home on an ex-
tended bicycle adventure. Most of the items you need for bicycle
travel are things you likely already own. And with the informa-
tion I will provide for you in the first chapter of this book, you
can easily pick out the rest of the gear needed for your trip with-
out breaking the bank.

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After that, you will discover that you dont necessarily need thou-
sands of dollars on hand to go on an extended bicycle adven-
ture. In fact, most bicycle travelers spend between $5 and $50
per day. If you think this is unrealistic, just you wait and see! The
second major section of this text covers trip planning, route se-
lection, budgeting and more.
Finally, most people think that the physical act of riding your
bike for days on end is the hardest part about bicycle travel, but
its not! The hardest part is actually the mental preparation
needed for life on the road. If you go into your trip knowing
what to expect, however, you stand a much greater chance of
successfully completing your tour. Thats why the last section of
this book is dedicated to helping you understand what it is go-
ing to be like to travel with your bike for days, weeks, or months
on end. This is the part of the book where I REALLY introduce
you to the psychology behind the art of long-distance bicycle
travel.
The bottom line is this:
* If you are totally new to bicycle touring and have no idea how
to plan, prepare for, or execute a bicycle tour of your own, this
book is going to teach you everything you need to know.
* If you have attempted a bicycle tour in the past and didnt
make it as far as you would have liked, the information found
inside this text will assist you on your next journey.
* And if you are thinking about going on a self-supported bicy-
cle tour (and/or potentially changing the way you live by be-
coming a long-term bicycle traveler) and you want to make sure
you start out on the right foot, the information in the pages of
this book has been written just for you.











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Breaking All The Rules: Or What
Makes This Book Different
For months I struggled over the layout of this book. I couldnt
figure out which content to put first and which content to put last.
There didnt seem to be a logical order in which to assemble all
the data and thats because there wasnt!
After months of outlining and years of writing on
www.bicycletouringpro.com, I finally came to the conclusion that
bicycle travel is not a linear process. Just as there is no single
way to conduct a successful bicycle adventure, there is no one
best way to walk you through the bicycle touring process.
This of course, makes writing a book (which comes in linear
form and reads from left to right) somewhat difficult.
That said, Ive done my best to group the data in this book as
logically as I possibly can. But be warned: Dont take the order
of things here all that seriously. Just because packing and gear
selection comes before trip planning and creating a budget,
doesnt necessarily mean you should prepare for your trip by
doing things in that order. In fact, you probably shouldnt as
picking out your bike and gear will depend on the route you
plan to take and the amount of money you have to spend.
So, my warning to you is this: Dont take anything in this book
too seriously. The information provided for you here has been
constructed, not as a die-hard set of rules that need to be fol-
lowed exactly, but as a blueprint that you are both welcome and
encouraged to use as you please.
Whether you take the information I provide for you in this book
and follow it to a T, use only a portion of it, or rip it to shreds
and go against every piece of advice I have given thats what
this book is all about!
I am actually encouraging you to break the rules of traditional
bicycle touring! Try something new! Be different! Approach it
from a different angle! Work backwards instead of forwards!
And question everything!
The world of bicycle travel is at an exciting new stage. The
sport is changing and thanks to you and thousands like you,
bicycle travel stands a chance of finally becoming more than just
a trip by bike.
Are you ready to get started?
Then turn the page and lets begin!



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Table Of Contents
Chapter One: Packing & Gear Selection

Basic Bicycle Touring Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Types Of Bicycles Used For Touring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Wheel Sizes: 700c Vs. 26 Inch Vs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Using Your Own Bike Vs. Buying
Or Renting One Once You Get There . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Panniers Vs. Trailers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
What To Look For When
Selecting Your Ideal Bicycle Pannier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Major Bicycle Pannier Brands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Do You Need Two Panniers Or Four? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Selecting A Bicycle Trailer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Why Color Is So Important On A Bicycle Tour . . . . . . . . . . 29
Do You Need A Handlebar Bag? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Bicycle Tour Clothing Essentials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Summer Bicycle Touring Clothes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Winter Bicycle Touring Clothes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Off The Bike Clothing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Your Rain Jacket And Pants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Shoe Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Pedals: To Clip Or Not To Clip? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Tents, Bivys, Hammocks & More . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Selecting A Tent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
How To Eliminate Extra Weight From Your Tent . . . . . . . . . 43
Selecting A Sleeping Mat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Selecting A Sleeping Bag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Basic Cooking Gear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Selecting A Camp Stove . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Complete Gear Packing List #1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Complete Gear Packing List #2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Complete Gear Packing List #3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

10 Important Items You Might Not
Think Of Bringing On Your Bike Tour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Fenders And Basic Rain Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Selecting A Bike Lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Locking Up Your Bike . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Bicycle Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Bicycle Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Your Tool Kit: Spare Tubes, Spare Tires, Spare Parts . . . . . . 67
Odometers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

10 Pieces Of Paper For Your Travels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Journaling While On Tour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

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The 7 Secrets To Successfully Packing Your Panniers . . . . . . 73
An Inside Look At Pannier Packing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

Forget About It! You Dont Need
Half The Things You Think You . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

Chapter Two: Planning & Preparation

How To Plan A Bike TourIn Reverse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Picking A Location For Your Travels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Make A Commitment & Declare It To The World . . . . . . . . . 81
Create A Plan Of Action . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Research Your Destination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Create A Budget . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Plan Your Route . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86

Do You Have To Be A Cycling
Nut In Order To Travel By Bike? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
The Biggest Fears Of People Who Travel By Bike . . . . . . . . 89
The True Dangers Of Bicycle Travel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
There Are No Rules With Bike Travel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
You Can Always Change Course . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

Preparing Your Bicycle Before You Leave On Tour . . . . . . . . 94
Basic Bicycle Repairs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
How Much Training Should You Do? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Riding With A Full Load For The Very First Time . . . . . . . . . 96

Getting Your Parents Permission
To Go On A Bike Tour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
How To Come Up With A Budget . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Planning Your Route . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101

Two Weeks Before You Leave Home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
The Anxiety That Builds Up Before A Bike Tour . . . . . . . . . 108
First Day Depression . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
The Three Major Hurdles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110

Lodging Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
How To Get Free Hotels & Campgrounds
For Your Travels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Internet Lodging Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115

Chapter Three: On The Road

Getting Your Gear To The Start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Getting Your Bicycle Home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121

What An Average Day Of
Bicycle Touring Looks Like . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Finding The Right Pace For Your Travels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Riding With A Partner: Drafting Vs. Splitting Up . . . . . . . . 123

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Dealing With Extreme Weather . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Traveling At Night . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Stealth Camping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Using Libraries To Your Advantage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
How To Travel On $3.00 Per Day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
More Than Just Riding Your Bike . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Pack Too Much Stuff? Mail It Home! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Beating The Lonely Travel Bug . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139

Multi-Task Your Digital Camera . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Traveling With A Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Making International Phone Calls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
10 Things I Learned From My First Bicycle Tour . . . . . . . . . 147

Bonus Material: Just A Little Extra...

The Lesson I Hope You Learn From
My Bicycle Touring Lifestyle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Questions? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Connect With Me . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Recommended Books & Movies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Recommended Websites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159

16








CHAPTER ONE
Packing & Gear Selection






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Basic Bicycle Touring Equipment
Bicycle touring is simple in regards to the fact that there are few
items you really need in order to pull off a successful trip. Here
are some of the basic items you will need for your travels:
A bicycle
Some way of carrying your belongings (whether in a
trailer, panniers, or a backpack)
Camping equipment (such as a tent, sleeping bag, etc.)
A stove and the appropriate fuel
Bicycle tools
Clothing (i.e. shorts, shirts, rain jacket, etc.)
Safety gear (such as a helmet and light)
Technological devices (such as a cell phone, camera, etc.)
Food and water
And a number of other various items and accessories.







Types Of Bicycles Used For Touring
The following is a brief overview of the different types of bicy-
cles used for long-distance bike travel. As you will see, each bi-
cycle type has its benefits and its drawbacks.
Mountain Bike
You've probably got an old mountain bike in the garage and
are wondering to yourself, Can I really do a long distance tour
on this old thing?
Well, I'll be the first to tell you that crossing the country or even
riding around the world on a mountain bike is entirely possible.
I've done it, so I should know!
That being said, I'll also be the first person to tell you that riding
a mountain bike for long distances is also not the easiest thing in
the world. Most mountain bikes are not made for extensive rid-
ing on paved roads... so as you will see in a moment, there are
better options!
Mountain bikes are great in some situations, however. If you
plan to spend a significant amount of time riding on unpaved
roads or trails, then a mountain bike is an excellent vehicle for
your bicycle tour. Many bicycle travelers riding around the
world opt for a mountain bike because they want to be pre-

18
pared for whatever conditions they might encounter on their jour-
ney. A mountain bike is a good choice for shorter trips (just a
couple days), off-road travels, or long-term adventures spanning
the globe.
Road Bike
Maybe you don't have a mountain bike in your garage, but you
might have a road bike! A road bike is one of those fast little
numbers you saw Lance Armstrong riding in the Tour de France.
Road bikes are great for long day rides and supported tours
where your belongings are being carried in a SAG wagon, but
for the long distance self-supported tour, road bikes typically
won't cut it.
Road bikes can work for shorter trips (usually a week or less in
length), but if you plan to spend significant amounts of time in
the saddle, there are better choices.
Recumbent
A recumbent bicycle is a bike that you sit and lean back in as
though you were sitting in a chair. Many people who ride re-
cumbent bicycles have back or knee problems, but some people
like them just because they're fun to ride.
Some recumbent bicycles are equipped for the long-distance bi-
cycle travel, while others are not. Do your research before buy-
ing a recumbent bicycle to make sure it can carry your gear and
get you up the long hills you'll likely be climbing.
Folding Bike
Folding bikes are most famously known as commuter bikes, but
thanks to the growing number of long-distance bicycle travelers,
folding bike companies have started to produce folding bicycles
made specifically for long-distance touring.
The advantage of a folding bike is that you can pack it inside a
suitcase and put it on an airplane, boat, or bus and travel with
your bike in relative ease. Traveling with a full-size bicycle is not
always so easy... so folding bikes (while they may look a little
funny) do have their advantages.
Touring Bike
Finally, there is the touring bike. This is a bike made specifically
for long-distance touring.
What makes a touring bike different than all the bikes men-
tioned previously?
Well, there are a number of things, but here are some of the
features that almost all touring bikes have in common.

19
Touring bikes have wider tires than road bikes, enabling them to
support more weight and ride in rougher conditions. Most tour-
ing bikes can handle a fair amount of off-road riding.
Touring bikes are usually made of heavy-duty steel. Because
touring bikes need to carry more weight, they need to be made
of stronger metals.
Many touring bikes will have extremely low gears so that you
will have an easier time climbing hills.
Touring bike makers know that you are going to be spending a
long time in the saddle, so they design the bikes to be more
comfortable on your back, butt, hands, and neck. With a touring
bike, you ride in a more upright position than you would with a
traditional road bike.
Touring bikes are also built to support racks on the front and
back of the bike, allowing you to carry up to four panniers
(bags) on your bike at a time.
And there are a bunch of other little things touring bikes may or
may not have that make them better for long-distance touring. As
you do more research on the subject, you'll begin to learn ex-
actly what these small bonuses are and whether they are impor-
tant to you or not.
As you can see, there are a number of different types of bikes to
choose from. And there are even some other styles of bike that I
haven't mentioned here. Each has its benefits and its drawbacks.
Picking the bike you will need for your bicycle tour is going to
depend on where you plan to go, how long you plan to spend
out on the road, how much gear you plan to carry, and what the
road conditions are going to be like.
Extra Resources:
On my website at BicycleTouringPro.com I have compiled two
separate lists of touring bicycles you should look at. They are as
follows:
Traditional Touring Bicycles
http://bicycletouringpro.com/blog/touringbikes
Touring Bikes Made For Off-Road Travel
http://bicycletouringpro.com/blog/offroadbikes
Note: The reason I have not included this list of bicycles in this
book is because the bikes on this list are constantly changing. By
having the list online I can add, remove, or edit the list whenever
I want, without dating the information in this text.



20
Wheel Sizes: 700c Vs. 26 Inch Vs...
As you begin the process of shopping for a bike, you will dis-
cover that there are several different wheel sizes to choose from.
Traditional touring bicycles are often times built with 700c
wheels, which are very much like the kind you see on fast little
road bikes. Off-road touring bikes, however, are usually built
with 26 inch mountain bike type wheels. And others still are built
with 29 inch wheels (which are becoming more popular), which
are about as big as 700cs, but are shaped more like mountain
bike wheels.
Folding bikes and recumbent are another story and I wont dis-
cuss them here. Wheel sizes on these types of bicycles may
range from as small as 18 inchers to as large as 700cs and
beyond.
Deciding which wheel size to use for your specific tour is the
key! There are a number of things to keep in mind, but in the
end the secret to selecting the right wheel size depends almost
entirely on where you plan to go while on your travels.
26 Inch Wheels
While most traditional touring bikes come with 700c wheels,
those traveling to remote areas of the world are usually better
suited with a pair of 26 inch wheels. There are two main rea-
sons for this:
1) 26 inch wheels are the kind you see on most mountain bikes.
Using these types of wheels/tires is usually better for travel on
dirt roads, rocky trails, and in areas where the streets are less
than perfect.
2) 26 inch wheels are best to use in remote places of the world
because the bike shops in these areas are unlike to carry 700c
wheels/tires. The 26 inch wheel is standard just about every-
where in the world where as 700c wheels are not. So, if you
take a bike with 700c wheels on a trip around the world and
then find yourself in need of a new tire in a place where they
only carry 26 inch tires, you are going to be stuck!
This alone is huge! And this, in my opinion at least, is the num-
ber one reason you should go with 26 inch wheels if you are
planning to travel to a place in the world where bike shops are
few and far between.
700c Wheels
That said, most bicycle tourists dont travel around the world or
go to especially remote places. Most people who travel by bike
stick to paved roads and many of them cycle in areas where
700c wheels are easy to find at local shops and repair houses.

21
For cyclists in North America, Western Europe, Australia, and a
few other spots around the globe, finding 700c wheels/tires
wont be a problem. So, if you plan to ride in one of these ar-
eas, then using a bike with 700c wheels is an excellent choice.












Using Your Own Bike Vs. Buying Or
Renting One Once You Get There
If you are planning to travel a long distance to the starting loca-
tion of your tour, then you may be wondering whether or not it
would be best (cheaper) to bring your own bike with you or to
simply purchase a new or used bike once you get there.
Many airlines now charge a small fortune to fly a bicycle with
them and so buying a new or used bike (or renting one) at the
start of your tour may be a good option.
My recommendation, however, is that if you can, try and bring
your own bike with you.
There are two main advantages to using your own bike:
1) With your own bike you will be able to prepare it ahead of
time with the proper racks, saddle, and other gear you will
need for your journey.
2) Riding your own bicycle will make you a million times more
comfortable (especially in the beginning) when you start
your tour.
Over the last ten years I have traveled to dozens of different
countries around the world and I have always brought my own

22
bike with me. I do it largely for comfort, but mainly for peace of
mind.
If you do plan to rent or buy a bicycle at the starting location of
your tour, try to get your hands on an identical bike before you
leave home. This, of course, requires you to call or email a bike
or rental shop situated at the start of your tour location and ask
them specifically what type of bicycle(s) they would be able to
provide you with.
After speaking with them, go to your local bike shop(s) and find
a bike that identically matches the one(s) described to you by
the bike shop/rental owner at the start of your tour. If you can
find the same bike, give it a test drive and determine then and
there whether or not that specific bike will work for you on your
journey.
It may not be the ideal situation, but buying or renting a bike at
your starting location might just save you a whole lot of
money and it could turn out to be a fun and rewarding way to
travel by bike.



Panniers Vs. Trailers
If you know absolutely nothing about bicycle touring, you might
think that bicycle travelers carry their belongings in a backpack.
I know that's what I thought when I started planning my first bi-
cycle tour! But carrying your things in a backpack is not the typi-
cal approach for most traveling cyclists.
The reason you don't want to carry your gear in a backpack is
because using a backpack is going to make you hot, sweaty,
and sore! When you spend up to 12 hours a day riding your
bike, the last thing you want is to have a big heavy bag on your
back.
Instead of a backpack, there are two main ways to carry your
gear on your bike, and thus, eliminate any excess pressure to
your back, neck, or body.
The two main ways that bicycle tourists carry their gear is with
the use of panniers and/or a trailer.
Panniers are backpack-sized bags that attach to the front and
rear racks of your bicycle. A standard touring bicycle can hold
up to four panniers, and thus, a whole lot of gear!
A trailer, on the other hand, is a one or two-wheel metal cart
that you pull behind your bike. Inside the trailer you store your

23
belongings and, like panniers, the weight of your equipment is
placed off of your body.
With two different ways of carrying your gear, I bet you are
wondering, "What is the best way to do it?"
Well, this is a topic that's quite controversial amongst bicycle
travelers. Some claim that panniers are the best, but others think
that trailers are the only way to go.
Ive surveyed hundreds of experienced bicycle travelers and
found that 94% of those surveyed use panniers, while 5% use a
trailer, and 1% insist on using a backpack.
While there is much debate over whether or not panniers or
trailers are best, I think the numbers speak for themselves.
Panniers are the #1 pick for most traveling cyclists!
While panniers are the clear favorite, there are some good rea-
sons to use a trailer.
For one, trailers are good if you don't want to invest in a spe-
cially made touring bike. You can attach a trailer to almost any
kind of bicycle, put your gear inside the trailer, and pull the
thing behind you! Not having to invest in a new touring bike is a
big attraction for many people.
Trailers are also easier to pack. Trailers typically have one main
compartment and because of this it is easy to throw your things
into the trailer and take off down the road. Packing you pan-
niers is not always as easy.
Lastly, some trailers are great for off-road bicycle tours. Many
long-distance cyclists ride on single-track trails and fire roads...
and trailers typically outperform panniers in this area.
In most cases however, panniers are probably going to be the
ideal way to carry your gear.
One of the main reasons panniers are preferred over trailers is
that your bike is much more compact when cycling with pan-
niers. As soon as you attach a trailer to your bicycle, you are
suddenly twice as long as you normally would be on a regular
bike. In many cases the added length of your bicycle and trailer
isn't a problem, but when you start riding in traffic and need to
navigate your way around small or perilous obstacles, you can
really have a hard time... and could seriously get injured in the
process.
The other drawback of a trailer is that it adds 1 or 2 more
wheels to your rig. The more wheels you have touching the
ground, the more traction you are creating and the more you
are going to have to work to get your bike up and over those
hills.

24
Panniers are easier to ship, easier to carry, and some of them
can actually be used as a backpack for your time off the bike.
I have found that the main reason many cyclists decide on a
trailer vs. panniers is because they try riding with panniers for
about 10 seconds and then give up simply because riding with
front panniers has a tendency to throw off your balance and is
something that does take some practice.
Need Additional Help?
If you need help deciding what type of bike to ride, whether you
should use panniers or trailers, or just about anything else I talk
about in this book, you can always send me an email or connect
with me via social media sites like Facebook and Twitter... and
Ill be happy help in any way that I can.
My contact information can be found at the following address:
http://bicycletouringpro.com/blog/contact-information/
Note: I get hundreds of emails every day and am often times
traveling in areas with limited Internet access, but if you contact
me, I will get back to you as soon as I possibly can.


What To Look For When Selecting
Your Ideal Bicycle Pannier
Selecting the perfect set of panniers can be difficultif not
impossible.
As of this writing, there are more than 30 different companies
around the world that make panniers for bicycles and each of
their products has its benefits and its drawbacks.
If I were looking for my ideal bicycle pannier, however, these
are the features I would look for:
Waterproof - (Or nearly waterproof) When it rains or snows,
you want to know that your possessions are safe inside your
panniers. This is why having waterproof or nearly waterproof
panniers is so important. With more and more cyclists now car-
rying computers, cell phones, MP3 players and other electronic
devices, its more important than ever that your bags be water-
proof.
Lightweight - A good pannier also needs to be lightweight. As
cyclists, we are always trying to find ways to reduce the amount
of weight on our bikes and panniers should be no different.
The lighter the pannier, the better!
Durable Even if the pannier is lightweight, its still got to be

25
able to live up to the demands of life on the road. Whether us-
ing panniers on a long road trip or as a daily messenger bag
for your local errands, the bag itself has got to be able to han-
dle whatever you throw at it. This means no broken zippers. No
ripped cloth. No holes in the bottom. No broken hooks or
straps. No leaks in the seams. The ideal bike pannier has got to
be able to take a beating.
Secures To The Rack And Doesnt Jiggle A good pan-
nier also needs to have a locking system that holds the bag in
place on your bicycles front or rear rack. Some panniers use
two single hooks at the top of the bag, while others have more
complicated locking mechanisms. Whatever the case may be,
the ideal pannier has got to be secure when attached to your
bike. This means it cant jiggle and shake as you ride and it
certainly cant pop off the bike entirely when you hit a big crack
or pothole in the road.
Easy To Carry Off The Bike Obviously the ideal pannier
has to fit well on your bike, but its also got to be easy to carry
off the bike. Whether you are using the pannier as your grocery
bag for your daily shopping or as a daypack on a multi-day
tour, the ability to comfortably carry the pannier off the bike is
one feature many bike panniers are currently lacking.
Can Be Used For Touring Or For Commuting Most
people wont want to invest in two separate sets of panniers
one for touring and one for commuting. For that reason, the
ideal pannier should be able to be used for both activities.
Not Too Big Or Too Small If you have a pannier that is
too big, then you are carrying excess material you dont need to
be carrying and youll be tempted to pack more stuff than you
actually need. On the other hand, using a pannier that is too
small means not being able to carry everything you need. So,
the size of the pannier is very important. It cant be too big
and it cant be too small.
The Ability To Add More Stuff If Desired The ideal bike
pannier shouldnt be too big or too small, but it should give you
the ability to add just a little bit more if you so desire. Many
panniers are made with expansion lids which give you the
ability to add just a little bit more stuff to your bag if you really
need to get it in their. Using this feature typically makes the pan-
nier a little less stylish, but its a great feature to have when you
absolutely must carry a wee bit more.
Stylish - Talking about stylish, the ideal pannier needs to look
good on your bike and in your hand. Current bicycle panniers
seem to come in four main colors: black, blue, red and yellow.
But if you are looking for a pannier that comes in a more neutral
brown, gray, or other such color, you may have some trouble.
Environmentally Friendly This is becoming more and

26
more important. Consumers nowadays want to know that their
purchases are, at the very least, not doing considerable damage
to the environment. So, having a pannier that is made with recy-
cled or environmentally friendly materials is extremely important.
And if you can go one step further and ensure that the bags
werent made by children in sweat shops, thats even better!
Easy To Access When On The Bike A good pannier also
has to be easy to access while you are riding. Often times you
will want to grab your phone, map, keys, or other item out of a
bag, but you dont want to have to get entirely off the bike and
create a big ordeal out of the situation. Instead, you want to sim-
ply lean back, reach into your pannier, pull out the desired item
and continue on your way. If there is a set of straps, locks, belts
or bungees that you have to navigate your way through each
and every time you get something out of your panniers, then ac-
cessibility drops and getting items out of your bags suddenly
becomes a chore.
Keeps Contents Cool Whether you are carrying food, toi-
letries, or electronics, the ideal bicycle pannier will keep the con-
tents of your bag at a safe temperature. The ideal bicycle pan-
nier wont get too hot (even in extreme heat), nor will it dew up
with condensation caused by moisture in the air.
Can Be Used To Stand Out Or Blend In Many of to-
days bike panniers come standard with reflective tape and
bright colors, which are useful for gaining attention out on the
road or riding in the dark. But what if you want a set of panniers
that doesnt scream, HERE COMES A BICYCLIST!? (Something
that is extremely important to many modern bicycle travelers).
The ideal bicycle pannier should be able to be used in such a
way that the rider has the option of either standing out or blend-
ing in. You might want to stand out when cycling in heavy traffic
or navigating your way along a narrow, windy road. But you
might want to blend in when exploring a new city on foot or set-
ting up a stealth campsite in the woods. Having a set of pan-
niers that is, possibly, reversible or two-toned would be a great
feature to look for.
Lockable - Many bicycle travelers and daily commuters might
also like the option of locking their panniers to their bike when
they step inside a building or venture away from their two-
wheeled vehicle. If there were a way to not only lock the pan-
niers shut, but also secure the bags to your bicycle, then this too
would be an excellent feature to have.
Safe To Take On A Plane With more and more people
traveling by bike nowadays, and airlines getting even more strict
about their carry-on luggage requirements, it is important that
panniers not have any sharp edges, hooks or other such materi-
als that would make airline officials nervous about letting you (or
your panniers) on the plane.

27
Organization Options Finally, having some sort of way to
organize your things inside the pannier would be nice. Many of
todays current panniers are designed with internal or external
pockets to help in the organization process. These pockets, how-
ever, do add extra weight and usually use zippers of some kind,
which are prone to breakage and wear as time rolls on. Other
panniers avoid the organization option entirely with designs re-
sembling that of a bucket a giant hole, which everything is
dropped into and dug out of at a later point in time.









Major Bicycle Pannier Brands
To see a complete list of every company in the world that makes
bicycle panniers, please visit the address below:
http://bicycletouringpro.com/blog/bicycle-panniers/
Some of the pannier brands I recommend include:
Arkel
Deuter
Lone Peak
Ortlieb
Pacific Outdoor Equipment
Vaude












28
Do You Need Two Panniers Or Four?

Traditional touring bicycles are built to carry four pannierstwo
in the front and two in the back. But just because a bike is built
to carry a full set of panniers doesnt necessarily mean you have
to use that many bags. In many cases, using a full set of pan-
niers is overkill and thats where deciding between the use of
two or four can be difficult.

Like many things in the world of bicycle travel, there is no cor-
rect answer here. Deciding between the use of two or four pan-
niers will depend on the size of your panniers, the length of your
tour, the amount of money you are willing to spend, and any
number of other factors.

That said, here are some guidelines to help you decide between
the use of two or four panniers on your next bicycle touring ad-
venture.

If you are planning to be on the road for one week or
less, you can probably figure out a way to carry every-
thing you need in just two panniers.
If you are going to be traveling for more than a month,
you will probably want to opt for four panniers.
If you are going to be carrying a stove, fuel, and all the
food and water needed to cook you own meals, then
four panniers is likely your best bet.
If you are bringing your computer with you, you might
need the extra room provided by a full set of panniers.
If you want to carry your sleeping bag and/or sleeping
mat inside one of your panniers (something I recom-
mend), then having four panniers is ideal.
And if you want to ensure that the weight of your gear
is distributed equally across your bike (something I will
talk about later), then four panniers is the way to go!
But if you can fit everything you need into just two pan-
niers, then by all means, use two panniers.

If you are planning your tour well in advance, I recommend pur-
chasing two rear panniers and then attempting to pack every-
thing you will need for your journey on your bike. If everything
fits, then you dont need to worry about purchasing a set of front
panniers. But if you cant make everything fit on the back of your
bike with just those two rear panniers, then you will need to go
out and purchase a set of front panniers (and a front rack).

The key here is to do this with plenty of time before you leave on
your journey. Due to the fact that bicycle touring is still a rela-
tively small and unknown activity, getting your hands on a spe-
cific set of panniers at the last minute can prove to be difficult.



29
Selecting A Bicycle Trailer

While selecting the right pannier can prove to be difficult with
more than 30 different pannier brands spread out across the
globe, selecting a trailer for your bicycle travelers is a wee-bit
easier.

For a complete list of bike trailers that can be used for long-
distance bicycle touring, please visit the following web page:

http://bicycletouringpro.com/blog/bicycle-touring-trailers/

You will note that there are two main types of trailersone and
two wheelers.

One wheeled trailers are great for narrow, bumpy roads and
trails, but they are more difficult to balance and pack when the
bike is at a standstill.

Two-wheeled trailers are steady and easy to pack, but they are
typically wider than one-wheeled trailers and are more prone to
behind struck by passing vehicles. Two-wheeled trailers are built
mainly for on-road riding and many of them can be used to
carry pets and/or children in addition to your regular bicycle
touring gear.

Why Color Is So Important On A
Bicycle Tour
Color isnt something many first-time bicycle travelers put much
thought into. But the truth is, the colors you pick for your pan-
niers, trailer, clothing and gear is all very important.
Why is color so important for the aforementioned items?
The colors you choose for the products mentioned above are
important because they determine your safety out on the road.
For years now, cyclists have darned bright flashy neon colored
clothing, helmets, and gear. Theyve done this for a reason!
These colors get drivers to pay attention! The last thing you want
when traveling by bike is to get hit by a passing motorist and
bright flashy colors have been shown to help drivers spot you
out on the road and move out of your way or slow down if need
be.
That being said, not everyone traveling by bike wants to look
like a spandex clad superhero riding down the road (I know I
certainly dont) and there are times when looking like a neon
yellow light bulb is not only a bad idea, but could also be detri-
mental to your safety.
My main argument against bright, flashy clothes and gear is that

30
such attire draws attention to you in situations where you may
not want to be taken notice of. In some places around the world,
having flashy colored panniers and/or clothing makes you in-
stantly stand out as a tourist. The colors you select may signal
that you have a certain amount of money or that you simply do
not know where you are going. In many places around the
world, this isnt a problem, but in some locations looking like a
tourist is not a good idea.
This is, quite obviously, a controversial topicand one that I feel
quite differently about when compared to the rest of cycling
world.
That said, I feel that color selection is something to consider
when purchasing the gear needed for your travels. And whether
your opinion differs from mine in regards to the subject of cloth-
ing and gear color, just keep in mind that the colors you select
do indeed say something about you and do play a major role
when it comes to your safety out on the roadwhether you like
it or not!




Do You Need A Handlebar Bag?
A handlebar bag is a small bag (they come in different sizes)
that hangs off or clips onto the handlebars of your bike.
Whats important to note here is that using a handlebar bag,
like many things with bicycle touring, is a personal choice. There
is no rule that says you must or must not use a handlebar bag. In
the end, deciding whether to use a handlebar bag or not comes
down to 1) what kind of tour you are going on and 2) your own
personal preferences.
First of all, the length of your tour plays a small part in deciding
whether or not you need a handlebar bag simply because those
taking a trip just a couple days in length can get away without
one. For these people, reaching back into their panniers (or
down into their trailer) each time they need to access their things
wont be that big of a deal.
But for someone who is planning to spend weeks, months, or
years on the road, having a handlebar bag can really come in
handy.
The difference here is that those on shorter tours can usually put
up with stopping each time they need to access their belongings.
This small aggravation wont be that big of a deal when con-
ducted for just a couple days. But for those planning to be on

31
the road for an extended period of time, stopping and bending
over (or getting off the bike) each and every time they wish to
take a picture or check the map can become extremely draining
as time goes on.
The second big part of deciding whether or not to use a handle-
bar bag is determining exactly what items you wish to carry in
the bag so you can access them easily while out on the road.
The truth is, you do not need a handlebar bag for bicycle tour-
ing. The use of a handlebar bag is a personal choice. But if you
are like me and you value your camera and the photos you take
with it and you hate to stop every single time you need to look
at your map, then using a handlebar bag makes life on the road
a whole lot easier.
In regards to the size of handlebar bag you should use, that
again is up to you. For me at least, any good handlebar bag
should be big enough to carry your camera (and any other items
you wish to easily access while you are on the road) and it
should have a map case of some kind built into the top of the
bag so you can view your maps without having to stop your
bike every time you need to look up directions.


Bicycle Tour Clothing Essentials
One of the most important parts of packing for a bicycle tour is
deciding which clothes to bring and which clothes to leave at
home.
Because each and every bicycle tour is different, there is no one
way to correctly pack for a bicycle adventure. What clothes you
eventually decide to bring with you is going to depend on per-
sonal preference and the general location and time of year of
your tour.
The following is a basic run down of your traditional bicycle
touring clothes:

Riding Jersey(s)
Bike Shorts
Athletic/Walking Shorts
Cycling/Walking Shoes
Warm Jacket
Sunglasses (in a hard case)
Jeans Or Other Long Pants
Rain Jacket & Pants
Long Sleeved Shirt
T-Shirts
Underwear
Arm/Leg Warmers
Socks
Sweat Pants (or pants to sleep in)
Gloves

32
Summer Bicycle Touring Clothes

You have a lot of options when it comes to bicycle clothing. You
should know, however, that just because you are riding a bicy-
cle, that does not mean you have to conform to the cycling
world and don a pair of tight spandex shorts or dress up in
bright, flashy neon colors. The modern bicycle traveler doesnt
usually follow the pack when it comes to his or her clothing
choices. Instead, we tend to wear clothes that, while still work
for cycling, allow our skin to breathe and do not instantly brand
us as cyclists once we step off our bikes.
The photo to the right shows the summer riding clothes I wore on
a recent 9-month bicycle through 16 European countries. As you
can see, there are no spandex shorts or bright colors. If you
were to remove my helmet and sunglasses I could walk into a
crowd of people just about anywhere in the world and youd
never know that I was a cyclist.
1) Giro Xen Bike Helmet
2) Sunglasses
3) Fox Racing Jersey
4) Mens DKNY Watch
5) Road I.D.
6) Fox Racing Mountain Bike Shorts
7) Black Anklet Socks
8) Shimano Mens Multi-Purpose Cycling Sneaker



















33
Winter Bicycle Touring Clothes
Bicycle touring is traditionally thought of as a summertime activ-
ity, but people who travel by bike full-time dont let winter stop
them in their tracks.
Winter bike touring is not for everyone, but if you want to give it
a try, here are some recommendations in regards to the clothes
you can wear. Not only will items of this type help to keep you
warm and dry when cycling your way through ice, snow, rain
and mud, but they (for the most part at least) will kept you from
overheating and getting sweaty.
1) Giro Xen Helmet
2) Scott Snow Goggles
3) Seirus Innovation Ultra Clava Winter Face Mask
4) Fox Racing Jersey
5) Hurley Lightweight Jacket
6) Burton Snowboarding Jacket
7) Mens DKNY Watch
8) Dakine Snow Gloves
9) Road I.D.
10) Patagonia Snow Pants
11) Warm Ski/Snowboard Socks
12) Shimano Mens Multi-Purpose Cycling Sneaker
































34
Off The Bike Clothing
While many who travel by bike will spend most, if not all, of
their days on their bikes, the modern bicycle traveler spends just
as much, if not more, time off the bike than on it.
For this reason, I suggest you carry a change of clothes that you
can use to walk around in and meet people with. Most impor-
tantly, your off the bike clothes should not instantly brand you as
a traveling cyclist.
The image to the right shows the clothes I wear for walking
around in while on my travels. You should note that, because I
dont ride in traditional Lycra bicycle shorts, my riding shorts are
doubled up and used as my around town shorts as well.
1) Hat
2) T-Shirt
3) DKNY Mens Watch
4) Road I.D.
5) Lone Peak BP-500 Briefcase Pannier (Laptop Bag)
6) Fox Racing Mountain Bike Shorts
7) Pearl Izumi Touring Socks
8) Nike Walking/Running Shoes





























35
Your Rain Jacket And Pants
What should you look for in a good rain jacket? And do you
really need rain pants for a summer bicycle touring adventure?
These are two very good questions.
As for what to look for in a good rain jacket, there are four main
things I recommend you seek out:
1) Your jacket needs to be waterproof. This should be
obvious. And yet, there are many rain jackets on the
market that are not 100% waterproofwith taped
seams and a quality rain hood.
2) A good rain jacket needs to be breathe. If you put
your jacket on and are instantly sweating, its a bad
jacket! You want to find a jacket that keeps you
warm and dry, but doesnt make you overheat and
sweat.
3) Your jacket needs to fold down to a very small size.
Because you wont be using the jacket every day
(only when it rains or when you want to use it to
keep warm), the jacket should take up very little
space inside your panniers or trailer.
4) Finally, the jacket should probably have some color
to it. Even though I talk a lot about wearing clothes
that blend in with the rest of society, your rain jacket
is an item that needs to stand outespecially if you
plan to cycle on busy roads and in rough conditions.
My recommendation is that you have a bright jacket
for riding in the rain and another warmer jacket that
you can wear when you are off the bike.
As for rain pants, I have found them to be almost completely use-
less in summer conditions.
Rain pants tend to make you hot and sweaty no matter what.
And based off of countless conversations I have had with other
traveling cyclists, almost all of us opt to ride without rain pants
during the summer months. For us at least, we find getting our
legs wet while on the bike to be a small inconvenience when
compared to having to pack and carry a separate set of rain
pants (which remain largely unused for most of our travels) and
then being uncomfortable when we do eventually decide to use
them.
After more than ten years of long-distance bicycle touring, I now
leave my rain pants at home.
Note: Riding in the winter is a different story and rain/
waterproof pants should be packed if you plan to ride in cooler
weather.

36
Shoe Selection
When you travel by bike, you're going to be spending a lot of
time in the saddle. But there comes a time at the end of each
day when you will step off your bike and want to walk around.
Which brings up the question, "What kind of shoes should you
be using on your bicycle tour?"
Shoes are very important on a bicycle tour because they are the
items that connect you with your bike. Select the right shoes and
your ride will feel like a dream. But select the wrong shoes and
your tour could quickly turn into a nightmare.
Road Shoes
To start, I want to
show you the type
of shoes that road
riders typically
wear. The reason I
want to show you
these shoes first is
because they are
great for long day
rides, but horrible
for long-distance self-supported touring.
In all my years, I've never seen a single person on a long dis-
tance bicycle tour wearing these types of shoes.
Road shoes are fine for long day rides or guided tours where
your normal tennis shoes are carried for your in a vehicle that
follows you along your route. In fact, if you have another pair of
shoes to change into once you get off your bike, riding in these
types of shoes might work just fine.
For the most part, however, road riding shoes are typically
somewhat uncomfortable and they can be incredibly hard to
walk in.
As you will see in a moment, there are better alternatives when it
comes to shoes for traveling cyclists.
Mountain Bike
Shoes
The most common
type of shoe I've
seen in use by long
distance bicycle
tourists is the
Mountain Bike
Shoe. This type of
cycling shoe uses a

37
Shimano SPD clip to attach your shoes to your bike.
The reason these types of shoes are so popular for touring is that
they allow you to connect with your bicycle for a powerful, en-
joyable ride... but they also allow you to walk considerable dis-
tances in relative comfort. You probably wouldn't want to walk
for more than a couple miles in these types of shoes, but cover-
ing a mile or two in MTB shoes typically wont hurt you at all.
Tennis/Running Shoes
Finally, you might consider riding in regular pair of tennis or
running shoes. I rode with New Balance running shoes on my
first bicycle trip and they worked quite well. And just this past
year I cycled through Europe wearing a pair of $30 Nike run-
ning shoes. Once againno problem!

The disadvantage of riding with regular running/walking shoes
is that they don't provide you with the fluid, powerful ride that
you get with shoes that clip to your bike. However, once you get
off the bike, you'll be completely comfortable covering long dis-
tances on foot. If you plan to do a lot of walking on your bike
tour, riding in regular tennis shoes might be a good idea.











38
Pedals: To Clip Or Not To Clip?
When selecting the type of shoe you want to use on your bike
tour, you need to keep pedal selection in mind as well.
Because I'm recommending you wear either normal running/
tennis shoes or mountain bike shoes, I'm only going to discuss
the type of pedals that correspond with these two types of shoes.
Tennis/Running Shoe Pedals
First of all, if you plan to wear a regular pair of tennis/running
shoes, you have two options.
The first option is to use a standard mountain bike pedal like the
one shown below.

The better option is to use a pedal like the one shown here
(mounted with toe clips).

Unlike traditional bicycle pedals, pedals with toe clips allow you
to not only extract force to your bike on the down stroke, but on
the upstroke as well. This may not sound like a big deal, but it
makes a huge difference when you are spending hour after hour
on the bike. With toe clips your stoke will be more powerful and
your ride will be that much more enjoyable.
If you decide to get a pair of toe clips for your pedals, be sure
to get the best clips you can find. I've ridden with inferior clips
and they don't even compare to the better ones on the market.
Spend the extra money and get the best clips you can find. It
will be worth it once you get out on the road!

39
SPD Pedals
Shimano Pedaling Dynamics, better known as "SPDs" are con-
sidered the standard for mountain biking pedals. Invented in
1988, the SPD pedal features a small cleat in a recessed hole
on the sole of the shoe. This feature allows you walk with rela-
tive ease when off the bike and enjoy a strong, smooth ride
when in the saddle.

SPDs work a bit like ski bindings in that they allow you to clip
into the pedal when you want to... and snap out when the shoes
comes under a certain amount of pressure (whether on purpose
or in an accident).
There are two types of SPD pedals you might choose to use on
your bike tour.
The first is a pedal with SPD clips on both sides like the one
shown on the following page. This is what you will see on most
bicycles.

The other type of pedal you might consider is the one shown
below featuring an SPD clip on one side and a regular flat
pedal on the other side. This type of pedal enables you to use
SPD shoes or regular flat-soled shoes when you go out on a ride.


40
I can't tell you which shoe/pedal combination is going to be
best for you. It all depends on how long you plan to be out on
the bike, how much walking you think you'll be doing, and what
kind of conditions you expect to encounter out on the road.
If you need additional help selecting your shoe/pedal combina-
tion, feel free to contact me:
http://bicycletouringpro.com/blog/contact-information/
I am happy to answer any questions you might have.









Tents, Bivys, Hammocks & More
If you plan to camp while on your bike tour, you have some
choices for as to how exactly you can do that.
You can camp in a tent (which come in all sorts of different
shapes and sizes).
You can sleep inside a bivy sack (which is kind of like a combi-
nations between a sleeping bag and a tent).

41
You can sleep in a hammock (providing that there are trees or
other such objects around to hang such a contraption).
Or you might choose to sleep out under the stars (depending on
the time of year and weather conditions).
All of these are fine options, but most bicycle travelers carry ei-
ther a tent or a bivy sack, as these two choices offer the best
protection from the elements, give you a private place in which
to change your clothes, separates you from the weather (and the
animals), and they allow you to camp just about anywhere you
please.




Selecting A Tent
Your tent is your home out on the road and you want to be com-
fortable inside your home. For that reason, you need to find a
tent you are going to be comfortable living in for the duration of
your tour. For this reason, I recommend that you select whatever
tent is going to make your feel most at home.
That said, there are a number of things to keep in mind when
selecting a tent:
1) Size - First of all, you need to keep the size of your tent in
mind. Before buying a tent, be sure that it is small enough to fit
on the back of your bike or inside one of your panniers. My first
bicycle touring tent was an MSR Zoid 2 Two-Person Tent that
was small enough to fit inside one of my rear panniers and it
took up just a little more than half of the bag. If you are carrying
a 3-man tent or something even larger, your tent will obviously
take up much more space.
2) Weight - Secondly, you need to select a tent that is light-
weight. As with every piece of gear that you bring with you on
your long-distance bicycle travels, you need to find the lightest
instruments possible and your tent is no different. Be sure to
look at the weight of every tent you consider purchasing and do
everything in your power to make your tent as light as it can be
(more on this in a moment).

42
3) Color - Color can also be very important when selecting a
tent especially if you plan to do any sort of stealth or wild
camping (If you dont know what this is, dont worry. I will ex-
plain it in great detail later in the book). When doing this type
of camping, you want to do your best to hide yourself amongst
your surroundings, and in most cases, your surroundings are
going to be a combination of green and brown colors. Selecting
a tent that is in these colors will help you to disappear into your
surroundings when you want to.
However, there are times when you may want a brightly colored
tent. For example, what if you were to have an emergency and
you wanted to signal for help? In this case, you might want a
tent that is bright red, orange, or yellow so you could use the
material from the tent to flag down law enforcement officials or
wave in a helicopter.
As you can see, color is important. You just need to decide
whether you want a tent that can be used to blend in to your
surroundings or a tent that is made to stand out. The choice is
yours!
4) Ventilation - Your tent should be well ventilated. On my
first bicycle tour I bought a tent for $30 and thought it would do
me just fine, but quickly learned that the reason this tent was so
cheap was because it was totally unventilated meaning there
was no way for air to get into or escape from the tent.
The main problem with having a tent that is poorly ventilated is
that during the night, condensation builds inside the tent, and by
morning, there will be a large amount of water hanging to the
top of your tent. Then, as soon as you move or hit the tents fab-
ric siding, this condensation will instantly fall onto you and eve-
rything inside your tent instantly soaking you and your gear.
So, there it is. You need a tent that is small, lightweight, the right
color for your type of travel, and well ventilated.








43
How To Eliminate Extra Weight From
Your Tent
First of all, cut off all extraneous straps or cloth that you dont/
wont need on your tour. Secondly, leave any extra poles or
parts at home. Many tents contain extras that you might
need, and while its nice of the tentmakers to include these extra
materials, you can leave these extraneous parts at home.
The biggest and easiest way to remove weight from your tent is
to eliminate as many tent stakes as possible. For example: My
current bike touring tent is supposed to need a minimum of nine
(9) different stakes in order to function, but I only carry five (5)
stakes with me on my tours. Here is how I do that:
Below is a diagram of my tent, showing where the tent stakes
are supposed to be driven into the ground. As you can see, my
tent supposedly needs eight (8) stakes just to hold it into the
ground, and one (1) additional stake that is used to mount the
rain fly.

The way that I eliminate the number of stakes I carry with me on
my tour is by simply not using stakes number 3,4,7, or 8. The
reason I dont need these stakes is because stakes 1,2,5, and 6
are the ones that really hold the tent to the ground. Stakes
3,4,7, and 8 only help to make the tent wider, and for this rea-
son, I feel they are somewhat unnecessary.
If you are using a different tent, however, you may not be able
to use this same technique, but its worth looking into before you
leave home.
Note: Breaking a tent stake is a possibility and for this reason I
recommend you carry one (1) extra stake with you in the event
of a break. If, however, you break more than one stake, I recom-
mend you improvise by using a stick or wire and you should
also consider practicing your hammering skills. Never use your
foot to drive your tent stakes. This is a surefire way to break or
bend your tent stakes. Use a rock, a stick, your Leatherman, or
another nearby object to drive your stakes into the ground. DO
NOT bring a hammer with you for the sole purpose of using it to
drive your tent stakes at night! A hammer weights way too much
for you to be carrying it just for this purpose. Leave the hammer
at home and find a rock or nearby piece of wood to hammer
home your tent stakes at night.


44
Selecting A Sleeping Mat
The sole purpose of a sleeping mat is to 1) make your comfort-
able, so you can sleep at night and 2) lift you up off the cold,
hard ground, therefore making you that much warmer
something that is very important if you plan to camp in cooler
conditions.
There are a number of great sleeping mats to choose from, but if
you dont mind me making a recommendation or two, here are
two fantastic sleeping mats that I use myself:
The Exped DownMat 7 Sleeping Mat
This particular mat is 2.8 inches (7 cm) thick and is capable of
handling winter weather conditions. If you want to make sure
you arent sleeping with a rock in your back, this is the mat I
suggest you check out.
Pacific Outdoor Equipment Peak Oyl Elite Sleeping
Pad
This is one of the most durable mats I have ever come across. It
isnt as thick as the Exped DownMat mentioned about, but it is a
great mat that is also capable of handling 4-season weather
conditions.
Selecting A Sleeping Bag
When you are selecting a sleeping bag for your long distance
bicycle tour, there are three main things to keep in mind.
1. How cold is it going to be?
This is an important piece of information that you need to re-
search before you leave home. The location and time of year in
which you will be traveling will determine the approximate
weather conditions. If you are planning a summer bike tour, you
can likely get away with a very small and lightweight sleeping
bag. However, if youre going to be riding across Switzerland
in the wintertime, youll likely need something much warmer. Do
your research ahead of time and look for a sleeping bag that
can support you in those specific weather conditions.
2. How much space do you have on your bike for
your sleeping bag?
It is also very important to think about the size of the sleeping
bag you select. When traveling by bike, the size and weight of
every object you carry is crucial, but there is no object that can
more easily eat up space on your bike than that of your sleeping
bag. You want to try and get the smallest and warmest sleeping
bag you can get. Thats the trick! Most of the time, the warmer
the sleeping bag, the larger the bag is going to be. So this can

45
be a little tricky. When selecting a sleeping bag, I recommend
you actually go to a sporting good store and check out the bags
for yourself. This way you can actually see the size of the
bag and determine for yourself whether or not it is going to be
too large for your travels.
3. How quickly can your bag dry if it gets wet?
My last recommendation for the selection of your sleeping bag is
to find a bag that, if it were to get wet, could dry very quickly.
For this reason, I have never toured with a down sleeping bag.
While down is warm and can be compressed to a very small
sizes, down is also incredibly difficult to dry in the event that it
does gets wet. The last thing you want on a bike tour is for your
sleeping bag to get wet and remain that way for days or even
weeks on end! For this reason, I recommend a synthetic sleeping
bag that dries very quickly after coming in contact with water.
While synthetic sleeping bags are typically a bit larger
than down sleeping bags of comparable warmth, I believe its
worth it to carry that little bit of extra weight, as I feel safe in
knowing that if my bag does get wet, it can dry out very quickly.



Basic Cooking Gear
If you plan to cook your own food, your basic list of cooking
gear might consist of the following:
Backpacking Stove
Fuel Bottle
Cook Pot (with lid)
Utensils: Spoon, Fork, and Knife (or maybe a Spork)
Insulated Travel Mug
Water Filter
Various Herbs & Spice
Soap and Rag (for cleaning)

Cooking gear is one of the things I see many bicycle travelers
overdoing it with. Ive seen some people with as many as three
different pots, two stoves, four plates, four bowls, cloth napkins,
and more! In most cases, much of this stuff is simply superfluous.

In most cases, you can get away with just the following:

1 Backpacking Stove
1 Fuel Bottle
1 Cook Pot (with lid)
1 Sharp Knife
1 Spork
1 mini bottle of soap (for cleaning)

In most cases, this is all you need. If you are going to be cook-

46
ing for two or more people, then you will need to make adjust-
ments to this cook set list. Otherwise, this is it.










Selecting A Camp Stove
It was during my third long distance bicycle trip that I began to
fully understand the importance of having a good camp stove.
Unable to fly with a tank full of propane, I landed in Raleigh,
North Carolina with the intention of visiting the first sporting
good store I could find and purchasing myself the propane/
butane mixed fuel I would need for the rest of my trip.
Unfortunately though, after three days of travel, I had not only
failed to find the fuel I needed, but I was completely incapable
of finding a sporting good store with anyone that knew anything
about camp stoves.
After a week on the road, I decided to ditch the stove I had
brought with me (my MSR Pocket Rocket) and purchased a to-
tally new stove that ran on unleaded gasoline (the kind you fill
your car up with).
Of course, when I went to the gas station to fill up the stoves
tiny tank, the attendant immediately ran up to me, arms waving,
screaming at me to get off his property telling me in broken
English that I couldnt fill up my little camp stove at his pump.
So I went down the road and found a gas station that would let
me fill up my little stove. In fact, they even pumped the gas for

47
me! All $0.13 worth!
For the rest of the trip, my little unleaded fueled stove worked
just fine. It leaked a little and made my panniers smell like gaso-
line, but overall, I was incredibly happy with the performance of
this cheap little gas-guzzler.
A month and a half later I was in Portland, Maine, checking my
bike onto the airplane, when three men in police uniforms
grabbed me and pulled into the office of the chief security offi-
cer at the airport.
What is happening?! I thought to myself. I was completely
freaked out!
As it turns out, I had not thoroughly cleaned out my camp stove
and the smell of gasoline was still pouring from this bomb-like
device. After an intense investigation and questioning by at least
six different uniformed men, the chief of security let me go and I
never saw my little camp stove again (I cant tell you what hap-
pened to the stove here in this book, but if you ever run into me,
be sure to ask about this story and Ill tell you exactly what hap-
pened! It was scary and very, very strange!).
In the end, I made it on the plane, I didnt get arrested, the
plane didnt blow up, and I never saw my little camp stove
again. But all of this got me thinking about the fact that traveling
with a camp stove can just plain SUCK!
If youve ever given it a try, you probably know what Im talking
about. There are numerous types of stoves, and finding the types
of fuels that match up with your correct stove when traveling can
be, at times, totally impossible.
Thats why I thought I should take some time now and show you
three different camp stoves that I have used on my past bicycle
tours and point out the benefits and drawbacks of each of these
cooking devices.
MSR POCKET ROCKET PROPANE/BUTANE MIX:

The MSR Pocket Rocket is a small, lightweight, and foldable
camp stove. It is my favorite camp stove, and if I could only find

48
the fuel for it anywhere in the world, I would never bother with
any other type of stove. This is the stove I was traveling with on
my third bicycle tour, but was unable to find fuel for. For some
strange reason, the state of North Carolina did not seem to
carry this type of fuel at the time (or I just couldnt find it!).
The reason I like this stove so much is because of the fact that it
is so incredibly lightweight and compact. I also like it because it
comes in a durable hard case (which is excellent for protecting
the stove while out on the road). The main reason this stove is so
great though is because the stove is so incredibly controllable.
Simply turn the nozzle to the desired level and unleash the pre-
ferred amount of heat. With this stove you can turn the flame up
high or let is simply simmer. The choice is up to you!
I still travel a lot of with this stove, but I only use in on trips
where I know I will not be traveling by train, plane, or any other
form of public transportation. Finding the propane/butane
mixed fuel for this particular stove is relatively easy if you are in
a big city with an adequate sporting good store, but if youre
out in the boondocks, youre likely to be eating cold food for
quite sometime, as this specific fuel can be difficult to find.


MSR WHISPERLIGHT INTERNATIONALE:

The MSR Whisperlight Internationale is one of the best stoves to
bring along if you plan on traversing the globe as this stove runs
on numerous types of fuels. The Whisperlight can run on white
gas, kerosene, and unleaded auto fuel. The stove and its fuel
bottle (sold separately) detach when not in use and the stove
itself folds up to a level that is about twice as large as the MSR
Pocket Rocket. This small increase in size is totally worth it if you
are traveling overseas and are unsure as to which type of fuels
youll be able to find while out on the road.
Caution: Read the directions for this stove carefully and be
sure to keep the gas lines clean! Each time you use this stove,
you must pump air into the bottle so that the gas can disperse
into the stove. But be warned do not over pump! The first time
I used this stove I was at a campground in Washington State

49
and put way too much pressure into the fuel bottle. As soon as I
lit my match, the stove and the entire picnic table it was sitting
on burst into flames. Luckily, I was able to extinguish the fire
with two water bottles that I had nearby, but I was incredibly
lucky. This stove cannot be controlled as well as the MSR Pocket
Rocket, but it is incredibly useful in the way that it burns just
about every fuel imaginable (but most importantly unleaded
gasoline).
SODA CAN ALCOHOL STOVE (HOME MADE):

Im now going to talk about a stove type that is somewhat
strange and certainly not for everyonethe soda can alcohol
stove.
The best thing about this stove is that it cost me less than $0.50,
I made it myself in less than half an hour, and the fuel for this
particular stove can be found anywhere in the world! (Not to
mention that this stove weighs practically nothing!
The soda can stove is a home made stove created from two alu-
minum soda cans. It runs on alcohol (or I like to use a product
called HEET, which can be found at just about any gas station or
auto care center.)
When you are traveling by bike, hiking, or doing any sort of
activity in which you need a compact camp stove, there are
three main things you are going to look for, and the soda can
stove has them all: Its lightweight. Its small. And the fuel can be
found anywhere. Beyond that, the flames are never out of con-
trol and it is surprisingly good at doing its job (cooking your
food and drink).
The drawbacks of this tiny camp stove are that it can be dam-
aged during travel (although this is rare if youre sure to pack it
well), it gets extremely hot and should not be touched while in
use (and for several minutes after the flame has been extin-
guished), and the flame can not be turned off until the fuel runs
out (meaning that its better to put in less fuel that more). But with
a little practice and some common sense, this little aluminum
stove can be a surprisingly reliable and durable camp stove for
use on your next bicycle adventure.
Learn how to make a soda can stove here:
http://www.bicycletouringpro.com/blog/soda-can-stove

50
Complete Gear Packing List #1
Selecting which gear you need and dont need is a difficult task.
Like so many things with bicycle touring, the gear you choose to
bring with you depends on where you are going, what time of
the year you will be traveling, how long you plan to be out on
the road, and a number of other factors.
Because there is no one correct way to pack for a bicycle tour, I
have decided to show you three totally different packing lists
from three very different bicycle tours. Using these three lists, you
should be able to figure out which items you will need for your
particular journey and which items you can leave at home.
This first gear packing list comes from one of my first bicycle
touring adventures in the United States of America. I was on the
road for a little over a month and these are the items I brought
with me:
Touring Bicycle
4 Panniers (2 front and 2 back)
1 Handlebar Bag
Maps
Digital Camera
Lip Balm
Wallet
Cell Phone
Knife
Hat
Journal
Reading Book
Other Important Paperwork
Bike Lock & Key
Sunglasses (in a hard case)
Stove and Fuel Canister
Fork and Spoon (wrapped inside a handkerchief)
Battery Chargers
Food
Cook Pot
Lighter/Matches
Sleeping Bag
Extra Tubes
Tent
Bike Pump
2 Tire Levers
Bicycle Multi Tool
Chain Lube
Bungee Cord
Toiletry Kit
1 Warm Jacket
1 Pair of Jeans
1 Rain Jacket
1 Pair of Rain Pants
2 T-Shirts
3 Pairs of Underwear
1 Pair of Arm Warmers
3 Pairs of Riding Socks
1 Pair of Warmer Socks
1 Long Sleeved Shirt (to sleep in)
1 Pair of Sweat Pants (to sleep in)
1 Pair of Riding Gloves


51
Complete Gear Packing List #2
In 2009, I spent nine months traveling through Europe with my
bicycle. The list below is everything I brought with me to the fin-
ish of that trip. There were several other things that I brought
with me at the beginning of the tour that I mailed home over
time, but the items listed below are the ones I finished withand
are therefore the most important items to share with you.
Bike Friday New World Tourist folding bicycle
Two water bottle cages.
Planet Bike 20 fenders
Rear folding rack
Front low-rider rack
Nike tennis shoes
Shimano Multi-Purpose Cycling Sneakers
Helmet
Bike lock
Sunglasses & case
Journal
2 reading books
Athletic shorts
5 pairs of boxers
Burton Snow/rain jacket
Fox cycling shorts
Fox cycling jersey
Jeans
3 T-shirts
3 pairs of socks
Exped DownMat 7 Pump sleeping mat
Sony Vaio Laptop Computer
Universal Power Adapter
Sleeping Bag
MSR Zoid 2 Tent
Camp towel
Eagle Creek toiletry case
Toiletries
2 Ortlieb Bike Packer Plus panniers
2 Ortlieb Sport Packer Plus panniers
Large duffle bag
2 water bottles
Hat
Topeak Harpoon H2 Master Blaster bike pump
Patch kit (containing 2 tire levers)
LED flasher light
Pant leg protector
2 bungee cords
Belt
Wallet
Camera mount
Microphone
Camera battery charger
AA/AAA battery charger
Passport
Knife
Spork
Garmin Legend GPS
Rear light
Mini camera tripod
Flip Mino HD Video Camera
Mini keychain flashlight

52
Spare change/coins
Lone Peak BR-500 Briefcase Pannier
1 spare tube
8GB USB stick
Multi-Tool
Lip Balm
3 pens
Watch




























Complete Gear Packing List #3
The list below was assembled by BicycleTouringPro.com reader,
Jim Dirlam, who gave me permission to publish his gear packing
list.

As you will see, his gear list is way bigger than my own and
there is no way I would ever recommend carrying this much
stuff.

But as Jim noted to me via email, this is a list of everything one
might need on a bike tour, but not necessarily everything one
should bring.

Bicycle Accessories

Front +/ Rear Rack & Panniers and/or Trailer
Handlebar Bag (+ mounting bracket)
Rain Covers and/or Plastic Bags (for non-waterproof
panniers)
Trunk (Rack) Bag or PVC Dry Bag* (for rainy tours)
Seat / Frame Bag (good for storing tire repair kit)
Comfortable Saddle (personal choicenot racing seat!)
Handlebar Extensions w/ Paddled Grip Tape
Stem Riser / Adjustable Stem (may need if touring w/
mt. bike)
Water Bottles+Cages and/or Hydration Pack (i.e. Cam-
elbak )
LCD Cycle Computer (w/ new or extra battery)

53
LED Flashing Tail Light
LED Head Light (or use camping headlamp)
Mirror (mounted on handlebar / helmet)
Air Horn / Bell (i.e. Delta AirZound)
Multi-mount (i.e. Topeak BarXtender / Minora Space-
Grip)
Front + Rear Fenders
Bungie Cords / Webbing Straps (2-3)
Bike Lock (key/combo cable is sufficient; U-
Locks=heavy/overkill)
Reflectors (or reflective safety vest or reflective clothes)
Dog / Bear Pepper Spray (attach to bike frame)
Bike Mojo (i.e. mascot/trinket on bike)dont ride with-
out one!
Camping Gear

Tent (1/2 man)+(rainfly; poles; stakes; stuff sacks;
ground sheet) or
Camping Hammock or Tarp + Tyvek / Poly Ground
Sheet
Sleeping Bag (15-20F Down / Synthetic) + Compression
Sack
Sleeping Bag Liner (for mild/cold camping or hostel use)
Air Mattress/Pad+Stuff Sack (i.e.Therm-a-Rest; Insul-Mat;
Z-rest)
Air Pillow (or use extra clothes in stuff sack)
Nylon Stuff Sacks (various sizes; for clothes + gear)
Backpacking Stove (in stuff bag or cook pot)
Fuel Bottle (1122oz: liquid gas/alcohol or 8oz butane
canister)
Cook Pot (1-2 liter pot w/ lid; aluminum / titanium)
Utensils: Spoon + Fork + Knife set (lexan / titanium)
Insulated Travel Mug (hot coffee in camp/town or to take
on bike)
Water Filter/UV Purifier/Aqua Mira (for backcountry or
intl travel)
Water Tank (i.e. Platypus/MSR: for collecting + pre-
filtering + shower)
*PVC Dry Bag (handy for keeping large items dry on
rack)
Portable Camp Chair (i.e. CrazyCreek or ThermaRest
chair-kit)
Light Backpack / Daypack / Hydrationpack (if doing
side hikes)
Bike Cover (coated nylon / poly tarpcut to fit your bike
& gear
Clothes Pins (6-8; for drying clothes / securing bike
cover at night)
Mosquito Head Net (used in buggy areas like AK or
MN)
Cycling Clothes

Helmet (proper size & fit) + optional Visor
Cycling Jersey or Synthetic T-Shirt (2-3)
Cycling Shorts (1-2 maybe 3 for long tours)
Cycling / Synthetic Underwear [Boxer/Briefs + Sports
Bras] (2-3)
Cycling Gloves (1 pr. / 2 pair if on long tour)
Cycling Socks (Synthetic / Wool; 2-3 pr. i.e. Coolmax )
Clip less Cycling Shoes (or trail/running shoes if using

54
toe-clips)
Foul-Weather Cycling Clothes (in nylon stuff sack)
Long-Sleeve Jersey / Light-Mid Synthetic/Wool Zip Shirt
(1)
Cycling Long-Tights / Insulated Windpants (1)
Rain Jacket + Pants (1 set waterproof nylon / Gore-
Tex )
Fall/Winter Gloves / Mittens+Liners (1 pr.)
Synthetic Helmet Liner / Sweat Bands / Bandana (1)
Helmet Liner / Skull Cap / Fleece or Wool Hat (1)
Balaclava / Neoprene Face Mask (1)
Arm + Leg Warmers (1+1 pr.)
Waterproof Socks (1pr. i.e. Sealskinz / Gore-Tex )
Waterproof Rain Booties / Gaiters (1 pr.)
Helmet Cover (1)
Camp + Town Clothes

Clean Synthetic / Cotton T-Shirt / Collared Travel Shirt
(1)
Fleece Jacket/Vest or Mid/Heavy L/S Pullover (1)
Synthetic Hiking / Running / Swim Shorts (1/1)
Synthetic Pants / Convertible Pants/Shorts w/elastic belt
(1)
Synthetic Underwear (1 + clean/dry briefsoff the bike)
Base Layer (synthetic long underwear top+bottom1 set)
Synthetic / Wool (warm!) Socks (1 pr.)
Baseball Cap / Visor / Sun Hat (1)
Sandals / Rubber Clogs / Flip-Flops / Running Shoes (1
pr.)
Food Bag

50 Nylon Cord (for hanging food; carabineer at-
tached + small sack)
Meals + Snacks
Multi-Spice (i.e. Mrs. Dash ) or Individual Spices (in film
canisters)
Sports / Energy Drink Mixes (i.e. Gatorade powder)
Documents (in wallet/travel pouch/handlebar bag)

Drivers License (or other official photo ID)
Passport (if traveling international)
ATM / Debit Card
Credit Card(s) (w/ banks hotline # to call if lost / stolen)
Cash (+ extra $20 in $1s & changefor vending /
laundry)
Personal / Travelers Checks
Travel Tickets (airline / train / bus)
Photocopies (passport / license; stored in separate
place)
Emergency Contact Info (on biz card / journal / wrist
band)
Health +/ Travel Insurance Card
Student ID Card / Youth Hostel Card
Phone Calling Card
Contacts List (family / friends) + Stamps (for postcards)
Biz Cards (w/ contact info: name/e-mail/website/
address/phone)


55
Personal Items

Watch (+ alarm; altimeter; barometer; compass)
Sunglasses (+ case; extra lenses; neck strap; cleaning
cloth)
Contact Lenses (+ lens case; lens solution)
Eyeglasses (+ case)
Sunscreen (SPF 30+; sweat proof; spray is more conven-
ient)
Insect Repellent (25% DEET or alternative)
Lip Balm (i.e. Chapstick / Blistex)
Gadgets + Travel Items

Cell Phone + Charger
LED Headlamp + Batteries
Digital Camera; Memory Cards; Charger; Case (+ ac-
cessories)
Extra Battery; Card Reader; Mini Tripod; Screen Shield;
Lens
iPod / mp3 Player (Radio; Recorder + Earphones;
Charger)
GPS (+ charger / batteries / bar mount i.e. Garmin;
Magellan )
USB Flash Drive (for photos; maps; waypoints; book-
marks; contacts)
USB mini cable (for uploading photos, etc.)
PDA / Pocket-Mail Device (becoming obsolete)
Laptop Computer (+ carry case; charger; accessories)
NOAA Weather Radio (handy for long/remote tours)
2-Way Radio (i.e. Motorola; handy for group / SAG
tours)
Maps (in case/zip-locki.e. Adventure Cyc /Rand
McNally /AAA )
Guidebook (in zip-lock; i.e. Lonely Planet ; Frommers )
Pen (2) + Sharpie (black marker) + Highlighter (for mark-
ing maps)
Journal (small notebookor voice recording device)
Reading Book / Magazine
Small Padlock (for hostel lockersif using)
Binoculars
Bike Tools + Spare Parts

Air Pump (mini / mid size; pack in bag instead of on
bike frame)
Patch Kit + Tire Levers
Spare Tubes 1-2 (+ 1 spare tube for trailer if using)
Presta / Schrader Valve Adapter (1-2)
Tire Pressure Gauge
Degreaser (Gunk or biodegradable kind)
Chain Lube (Pedros , White Lightning , etc.)
Spokes (3-6; 3 sizesspecific to your wheel)
QR Axle
Trailer QR Axle + Retaining Pins (if using trailer)
Brake Pads (specific to your bike)
Spare Tire (folding beadfor bike or trailer)
Brake/Shift Cable
Nuts + Bolts + Bailing Wire (specifically for racks,
brakes, etc.)
Hose Clamps + Carriage Bolts (for repairing blown
shocks, etc.)

56
Replacement Cleats + Hardware (SPD=2 bolt / Look=3
bolt)
Shop Rag (Bandana/Handy Wipesfor cleaning greasy
hands)
Bicycle Multi-Tool (i.e. Topeak Alien II )or indiv tools
below:
Screwdrivers; Wrenches: 2-10mm Allen; Spoke; Pedal;
Crescent)
Chain Tool + Spare Link(s)
Cassette / Freewheel Removal Tool
Basic Knowledge of Bike Repair (or manual /
downloaded info)
Additional Repair Items

Multi-Tool / Pocket Knife (i.e. Leatherman /Swiss Army /
Gerber )
Duct Tape & Electrical Tape (small roll; 1+ yd.)
Plastic Zip Ties (various sizes)
Glue / Liquid Thread Lock (Crazy / Gorilla / Loctite
small tube)
Batteries (AAA: for headlamps; bike LEDs; AA: camera;
etc.)
Plastic Bags: (zip-lock / compactor / garbagedifferent
sizes)
Bite/Flow Valve (for hydration bladderif using)
Air Mattress Patch Kit (or use bike patch kit)
Sewing Kit (needle; thread; buttons; small safety pins,
etc.)
Folding Sewing Scissors (or use multi-tool / knife)
Safety Pins (4-5; large)
Shoe Laces (or cut pieces from nylon cord)
Zipper Pulls (can substitute w/ small zip ties)
Rubber Bands (4-5; heavy-duty)
Seam Sealer (small tube)
Toiletries

Travel Towel (i.e. MSR Pack/Towel or chamois)
Washcloth (i.e. bandana or www.ultralighttowels.com)
Soap / Shampoo; (i.e. Mtn/Camp Suds / Dr. Bonners )
Deodorant (travel size)
Toothbrush + Toothpaste + Floss or Floss-Sticks
Toilet Paper (small roll in zip-lock) or Handy/Baby
Wipes
Hand Sanitizer (i.e. Purell )
Skin Cream (i.e. Noxema or Aloe Vera)good for
wind/sunburn
Nail Clippers + Nail File
Tweezers
Hair Brush / Comb
Hair Ties Scrunchies (for long hair)
Disposable Razor (+ shaving cream)or substitute
Compact Mirror (for contact lens wearers)or use bike
mirror
Womans Hygiene Products
Ear Plugs (for sound sleeping in woods, hostels, etc.)
Prophylactic (i.e. condoms)maybe youll get lucky!
Prescription Medication
Multi-Vitamins


57
First-Aid / Other Toiletries

Band-Aids (assorted sizes & shapes)
First-Aid Ointment (i.e. Neosporin )
Adhesive First-Aid Tape
Moleskin / Blister Bandages
Alcohol Wipes
Cotton Swabs
Compress / Gauze Pads (med / large size)
Ibuprophen (i.e. Advil ) / Aspirin (i.e. Bayer )
Anti-Chafing Balm (i.e. Vaseline for saddle sores)
Anti-Itch Cream (i.e. Hydrocortisone)
Muscle Relief Cream (i.e. Icy-Hot, Sports Cream )
Foot Powder (i.e. Gold Bond )
Anti-Diarrhea Tabs (i.e. Imodium AD )
Antihistamine Tablets (i.e. Benadryl )
Zinc Tablets (i.e. Airborne )cold prevention
Sports Injury Cloth Bandage
Neoprene Knee / Ankle Wrap
Survival Items

Lighter (butane / disposable) + Storm Matches
Compass (on handlebar / watch / hand)
Whistle
Emergency Space (mylar) Blanket
Personal Locator Beacon (i.e. SPOT; ACR Terrafix/
Microfix)

10 Important Items You Might Not
Think Of Bringing On Your Bike Tour
For the most part, packing for a trip by bike is really a simple
process. If you plan to camp, bring a tent and a sleeping bag. If
you plan to cook, bring a stove and a fuel canister. And no mat-
ter where you plan on going, be sure to pack a few extra pairs
of socks and underwear.
But what about the stuff that isnt obvious? What about the stuff
that most people forget or simply didnt know to pack in the
first place?
The following is a list of items I have found to really come in
handy at certain points on my travels and they might just
come in handy for you as well if you remember to pack them!
1. Camera Tripod/Mount
Most bicycle travelers now carry a camera of some kind with
them. Whether it be a compact handheld or a over-sized SLR
with a giant zoom lens, bringing a tripod and/or mount of some
kind is an excellent idea. There will surely be times on your trav-
els when you will want to get in the photo yourself and with-
out a tripod or mount, this could be very difficult to do. Traveling
with a partner or two makes snapping photos easier, but if
theres no one around, youre alone, and you want to get in the

58
photo, then a camera tripod or mount will certainly save the
day.
Note: You just need a mini-travel tripod that is capable of sup-
porting the weight of your camera. You dont need full-size tri-
pod.
2. Needle & Thread
My needle and thread literally saved my shorts on my second
long distance bike tour through the Midwest of the United States.
I was on a train, on my way to Kansas, when I sat up quickly to
run to the dinning car and the button on my fly popped com-
pletely off my shorts. I went from suddenly feeling hungry to
suddenly feeling a draft. Luckily, I had remembered to pack a
needle and thread inside my panniers. So, while holding my
shorts in place with one hand, I pulled out my emergency sew-
ing kit stashed away inside my panniers with the other hand and
ran to the restroom to quickly attend to my shorts. A few minutes
later, the button was sewn back into place and I was up and
walking like a normal person again, just a few minutes later.
The lesson here is that a needle and thread can certainly come
in handy when traveling by bike. Not only will you use these
items to repair broken buttons, but also to sew up rips and tears
in your panniers or tent, to mend broken shoe laces, or to do a
plethora of other tasks you might encounter on your travels. Of
course, knowing how to actually sew will help you use these
items if the time ever comes for such a thing.
3. Spare Rack Screws
Rack screws are the small metal screws that are used to attach
your front and rear racks to the frame of your bike. These little
guys are notorious for wiggling themselves loose while you ride,
so packing a few extras is always a smart idea. You can usually
pick up a couple of these screws for free from your local bike
shop. And if you cant get any there, your local hardware store
should have something that will work. Just know that losing a
rack screw while out on the road isnt a big deal as long as
you have an extra or two hidden away inside your panniers or
trailer.
4. Camp Towel
Its hard to believe, but some bicycle tourists still travel with a full
size bath towel. These traditionally large and elegant towels are
nice, but they take up a huge amount of space (an entire pan-
nier in some cases) and weigh a ton! I guess some people just
dont know that there is a better option.
The camp towel, which is a lightweight, fast drying product pro-
duced by a number of companies around the world, is one of
the quickest and easiest ways to save precious space inside your

59
packs and cut down on your bikes overall weight. They come in
a number of different sizes and colors and while they may not
be as nice and fluffy as your bath towel back home, theyre a
must have for any bicycle traveler.
5. Mini USB Cord
A USB mini cord is that small black or gray cord that is typically
included with the purchase of a new digital camera. Ive brought
this compact item with me on almost all of my long distance bi-
cycle tours over the past few years and its come in handy sev-
eral different times. Not only is this tiny piece of electronic hard-
ware ideal for uploading pictures to a nearby computer
(whether that be a public computer or your own personal lap-
top), but the cord can also be used to transfer files between an
external hard drive and some digital video cameras. Over the
years, this little cord has been my backup system for my digital
photos and files. When the computer Im using doesnt have a
memory card slot, I use my USB cord. When I want to transfer a
file downloaded off a public library onto my camera, so I can
access the file at a later point in time, I use my USB cord. And
when Im syncing my laptop with my external hard drive, I use
my USB cord. Its small, doesnt weight much, and isnt used
very often, but when you do need it, youll sure be glad you
have it.

6. Hat
Most (not all) traveling cyclists carry a helmet of some kind. But
not all cyclists carry a hat. This surprises me because I, well,
am a hat person. Not only is a hat of some kind good for keep-
ing the summer sun off your head, neck and face, but its a great
way to cover up your helmet hair once you step off the bike at
the end of a long, hard day. I have carried a traditional base-
ball cap on just about all of my bicycle tours, but the type of hat
you end up using is ultimately up to you. A hat, nevertheless, is
a good item to add to you packing list.
7. Extra Camera Battery
If youre traveling with a digital camera, bringing an extra bat-
tery or two might be a good idea. Most digital camera nowa-
days are sold with lithium batteries, which when dead must be
charged up before being used again. This, of course, can be a
challenge for traveling cyclists. If you find yourself out in the mid-
dle of nowhere, with no one around, no buildings in sight, and
your camera battery goes dead, it could be hours and/or days
before you have a chance to recharge your battery again. In the
meantime, you could be missing some incredible, once-in-a-
lifetime shots, as you cycle past without a functioning camera.
For this reason, I always recommend that if you are planning to
travel with a camera that uses lithium batteries, make that extra
investment and buy yourself an additional battery. These batter-

60
ies are still pretty expensive, but youll be glad you have an ex-
tra once your battery dies out on the road and youve got no-
where to recharge it.
8. Business Cards
Youre bound to meet people on your travels who will be inter-
ested in what you are doing. And many of these people will
want to keep in touch with you once your travels come to an
end. But rather than having to grab a pen and paper every time
someone wants your contact information, you might consider
carrying a small pile of business cards instead. On the cards be
sure to list your name, email address, mailing address, phone
number, website and any other information you feel comfortable
giving out. Then, whenever someone asks for your contact info,
just pull out a business card and hand it to them. This is espe-
cially useful for riders seeking to raise money for charitable
causes or for cyclists with websites seeking to gain new read-
ers/followers.
9. Toilet Paper
You know what this is for! But many cyclists dont pack an extra
roll for emergencies. They figure there will always be a toilet
around when they need one, but that isnt always the case!
There are times then you might need to resort to extreme meas-
ures and perform your business in a place that is far from
equipped with standard bathroom supplies. In such cases, a half
roll of toilet paper really does come in handy.
10. Important Computer Documents
Finally, you might consider carrying important computer docu-
ments from your home or work computer with you on your trav-
els. Whether you carry your important financial statements, a list
of passwords, family photos, or whatever it may be, bringing
these pieces of information with you on the road is now possible
thanks to digitization and worldwide Internet access. You can
carry your computer documents on a standard SD or memory
card, like the one used in your digital camera, or you can carry
a USB stick and store your important documents on there. Either
way, youll be glad you have those documents with you when it
comes time to use them.







61
Fenders And Basic Rain Protection
Do you need fenders for your bike? The short answer is no.
No, you dont necessarily need rain fenders on your bicycle to
go on a long-distance bicycle tour.
That said, fenders do help to keep the rain, dirt and mud off of
you and your gear and if you are planning to be on the road
for a long period of time, a good set of fenders is well-worth the
investment.
Fenders range in price from super cheap to extremely expensive.
I have found, however, that many of the cheaper plastic fenders
work just fine and are more than reliable.
You dont necessarily need fenders, but they play a big role in
making your time out on the road that much more enjoyable.





Selecting A Bike Lock
There are two main things to look for when selecting a bike lock.
The first and most important is that the cable is thick enough that
it can not easily be cut. In the past Ive emerged from the bank,
post office, and grocery store only to find that there were large
chucks of plastic cut from my bike lock. Fortunately, the bike and
lock remained intact because the cable itself was thick enough
to withstand whoever happened to be trying to cut it free.
Secondly, you need a cable lock that is long enough to wrap
around your bike, its rear tire, and the object you are trying to
secure the bike to (i.e. a telephone pole, picnic table, tree, or
bike rack). The longer the cable, the better. But keep in mind
that the longer your cable is, the more weight you are going to
be carrying on your bike. My bike lock is long enough to easily
go through the frame of my bike, the rear tire and the object Im
locking my bike to. If I really wanted, I could run the lock
through my front tire as well which might come in handy if I
were in an especially dodgy area.
There are several types of bike locks to choose from: Lock and
key combinations, combination locks, U-locks, and several oth-
ers.
I dont recommend U-Locks because they are heavy and typically
only long enough to wrap around short objects such as metal

62
poles and adolescent trees.
Combination locks are great because you dont have to worry
about losing the accompanying key, but you need to make sure
that the combination area of the lock is ultra-strong. I have seen
many combination bike locks smashed open with a hammer or
other such tool.
My preference is for your standard cable lock and key. The lock-
ing mechanism on these types of locks are (typically) quite
strong. However, you do have to worry about losing the key,
which could be quite bad if you were to lock the bike up in a
remote area and then be unable to find the key.
I prevent the loss of my bike lock key by always having it at-
tached to a lanyard, which I then keep attached to my bicycle
handlebar bag or a particular piece of clothing. This way, the
key never gets lost, slides off my bike, or is misplaced in any
way.
Finally, when it comes to keyed locks, it is best to buy a lock that
uses a real metal key. Some locks have plastic keys that easily
break and bend. Avoid these at all cost!


Locking Up Your Bike
The following is a list of items you might wish to lock your bike
to while on your travels:
Metal Poles:
If you are going to lock your bike to a pole (i.e. street sign, tele-
phone pole, building support, etc), make sure that the pole is tall
enough that the bike and lock cannot simply be lifted over the
top of the pole. The pole should be at least 10 feet tall (or taller),
as this will prevent any normal human from being able to lift the
bike to freedom. I will usually never lock my bike to a pole
unless it is at least 20 feet tall, but thats just my own paranoia
getting to me I think. Its up to you to decide what is going to be
safest.
Secondly, make sure that the pole is actually stuck in the ground.
Many stop signs, streets signs, and industrial poles are set in the
ground, but can be easily lifted out of the earth and carried
away. The last thing you want to do is lock your bike to a pole
like this, only to come back to you bike and find that not only is
it gone, but so is the pole you had secured it to!
Finally, make sure the pole is thick enough that it cannot be cut,
hammered, or bent out of place. I once spoke with a bicyclist
who had locked his bike to a PVC pipe that was sticking out of

63
an old shed, only to return moments later and find that his bike
was gone and the PVC pipe had been smashed to bits.
Trees:
Like locking your bike to a pole, make sure that the tree you are
locking your bike to is tall enough that the bike and lock cannot
simply be lifted over the top of the tree.
Also, make sure that the tree itself is thick enough that it cannot
be easily sawed, kicked, or hacked down. I would probably
never lock my bike to a tree that had a diameter of less than 5
or 6 inches.
Also, make sure that the tree cannot be easily uprooted. Unlike
metal poles that are most often submerged in concrete, trees are
often times found in moist soil and the tree itself can sometimes
be pulled out of the ground with a simple heave-ho.
Finally, make sure you lock the bike around the trunk of the tree
and not just a branch or root. I hope I dont have to tell you why
this is a necessity!
Picnic Tables:
If youre camping at a campground, city park, or other outdoor
arena, its very likely that there is a picnic table in you vicinity. If
so, this is an excellent object to secure your bike to!
Make sure that you lock your bike around the center of the
bench, in an area where the lock cannot be simply lifted over
the edge of the table. Ive seen this mistake countless times with
other bicycle travelers and its ruined many cycling expeditions.
Secondly, make sure the table itself is secured to the ground.
This isnt an absolutely necessity, but it definitely adds an extra
layer of security. This is especially important if you are traveling
alone, as a picnic table and your attached bike can easily be
moved my two or more evildoers. If you have two bikes attached
to the table, it is unlikely a would-be thief would try and move
the table with two or more bicycles locked to it.
Finally, if youve got your bike locked to a picnic table in a pub-
lic park or campground, try and position your tent as close to
the bike as possible. This will allow you to see or hear anything
that might be happening to the bike during the night. The closer
the bike is to you, the better!
Bike Racks:
If youre making a stop at a bank, post office, or grocery store,
its likely youll find a bike rack in front of the store/business. Be
thankful that the store has provided you with a place to lock up
your bike, but dont always assume you must lock your bike
there.

64
Many times I will refuse to lock my bike to a bike rack and
here are some reasons why you might make the same decision:
First of all, many bike racks are small, lightweight metal loops
stuck into the ground with a single bolt. Some racks are not se-
cured into the ground at all and these are the racks you want
to avoid! If you can pick up the rack with two hands, then you
need to find another place to secure your bicycle. The last thing
you want is to lock you bike to a bike rack and find that the bike
and the rack itself were hauled away while you were inside the
building.
Secondly, Ive seen many bike racks made out of such thin or
rusted metal that you could break the rack apart in a second if
you happened to have a hammer with you or were simply strong
enough to break apart the metal. Never lock your bike to a se-
verely rusted or damaged rack.
Instead, you want to lock your bike to a rack that is secured to
the ground (or building), that is made of thick, impenetrable
metal, and that is in a location where people passing by could
see a potential thief tampering with your bike. If the rack looks
good, use it to secure your bike and gear. Be sure to back the
bike in and secure both the frame and rear tire to the rack.
Never lock your bike solely around your front tire as this is the
easiest part of the bike to remove and later replace.
Nothing To Lock To:
There are many times when you will be unable to find something
to lock you bike to. No posts, no trees, no bike racks nothing!
If you find yourself in this situation, dont give up and leave your
bike open for potential thieves. Instead, here is what I recom-
mend.
If you are going into a store, try and find another bicyclist that
you can team up with. Ask if you can lock your bike to his or her
bike. By locking your bike to another, you will prevent a would-
be thief from simply picking up your bike and riding off. With
two bikes locked together, most thieves will be unable to pick up
and walk away with your belongings. There is power in num-
bers! The more bikes you lock together, the better!
If you are in a campsite and there is nothing to lock you bike to
at night, lock the bike around one or more of the poles on your
tent. If someone does tamper with your bike at night, your tent
will start to rock and the thief will either run away or you will
awaken and be forced to make the thief run for his life.
If you want to go inside a building for an extended amount of
time and you are worried about your things being stolen while
they are out of view, here are some suggestions for you:
Most of the time its fine to simply leave your bike locked up out-

65
side a store with your panniers/trailer still on it. You might do
this when running into a fast-food restaurant to use the restroom
or fill up your water bottles. You might even do this when run-
ning into a supermarket to grab some food. But this should not
be done when you are going into a business for an extended
period of time.
Before going inside a business in which your bicycle will be out
of sight, I recommend you first find a place to lock it up! If possi-
ble, lock the bike up in a public place! If there are a lot of peo-
ple around, it is very unlikely that the bike will be stolen.
If you can, lock the bike in an area visible from inside the build-
ing. This way you can see if someone is tampering with your
bike and easily run out to stop them.
I always bring my handlebar bag with me when I go inside a
building. Inside my handlebar bag I carry my wallet, camera,
cell phone, bike lock key, and all of my other valuable posses-
sions. This way, if my bike or panniers do get stolen, I at least
have my phone to call for help. I also have my identification and
credit cards to help get me on my way.
In some cases though, you may want to go inside of a building
for an extended period of time and you may want to bring
everything inside with you.
First of all, I do not suggest leaving your bicycle outside for an
extended period of time. If you think you will be inside the build-
ing for more than 15 minutes, youll usually want to find a better
way of securing your belongs than just leaving them outside,
hanging on your bike.
If youre going inside a theatre, for example, and you want to
make sure your bike and panniers do not get stolen while you
are inside, the first thing I would do is ask the theatre manager
or someone working at the theatre if I could bring my bicycle
into the building. When they see that all of your belongings are
on your bike, they will usually help you find a place inside the
building to store your belongings (typically in a closet, base-
ment, or low traffic area). They typically want your business, so
they are usually happy to help you out.
If they dont want your bike inside their building or they simply
cant think of a good place to store your bike, then you should
lock your bike outside and carry your panniers/gear in with
you. Then ask the manager or one of the workers if there is a
place that you can store your gear. This is usually a lot easier
than asking them to store your fully loaded bicycle.
If this doesnt work, leave your rear panniers on your bike and
carry in your handlebar bag and the front two panniers. Make
sure that the items left inside your rear panniers are of little ap-
parent value (i.e. Your sleeping bag, tent, stove, sleeping mat,

66
etc.). This way, if they do get stolen or tampered with, it wont
be the end of the world
When securing your bike, wrap the lock through the panniers as
best you can. Most panniers are made of cloth, so they can eas-
ily be cut and removed from the lock, but simply wrapping the
lock through the panniers will deter would-be thieves in most
cases. Do whatever you can to make it as difficult as possible for
someone to quickly steal your belongings.
In some cases, simply leaving your bike outside is not an option.
If the manager of the business you are trying to solicit will not
help you out, you may just want to forget about going inside at
all and move on to a business that is more willing to accommo-
date you.







Bicycle Mirrors
A mirror is a great way to stay safe while out on the road. Of
course, not everyone traveling by bike wears a mirror and not
everyone likes to use a mirror when traveling. I, however, am a
huge fan of bicycle mirrorsespecially on long-distance bicycle
tours.
If you are even the slightest bit worried about being hit by a car
while on your bike, then a mirror is one piece of equipment you
must have. Having the ability to see behind you is of great im-
portance on a bicycle adventure and a mirror is something that
could potentially save your life! Ive met people in the past who
have been hit by a car, attacked from behind, and pushed off
the road by a passing RV. But the reason I dont have a story
like that is because I rarely ride on crowded roads without a
bike mirror.
A bicycle traveler should be constantly aware of his or her sur-
roundings. Without a mirror, youre putting yourself at risk and
increasing your chances of catastrophe out on the road.
To learn more about bicycle mirrors and to read about some of
the mirrors I have used and recommend for long-distance bicycle
travel, please visit:
http://bicycletouringpro.com/blog/mirrors

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Bicycle Lights
In most cases, you are going to want both a front and rear bicy-
cle light for your travels. In many countries, having a front and
rear light is mandatory for cyclists traveling in the dark. In other
countries, having only a rear light is required. And in many
places, having no lights at all is tolerated, but not necessarily the
safest thing to do.
I typically travel with a large, red, AA battery powered rear light
and no headlight at all. Instead of carrying a headlight, I will
often times pack a headlamp (which goes around my head), that
I can use for reading in bed at night, finding items around
camp, or as a headlight when riding at night.
Packing in this way and thus doubling up the use of my head-
lamp as both a reading lamp and my front bike light enables me
to save both weight and space on my bikeboth of which are
important for the long-distance traveling cyclist.
I dont have any recommendations for which specific bike lights
you should use. My only suggestion is that you get lights that 1)
use the same type of batteries and 2) shine as brightly as possi-
ble.
If you have or know if a bicycle light that you highly recom-
mend, Id love to hear about it!
Your Tool Kit
A basic tool kit for a self-supported bicycle tour might include:
1 Multi-tool (with screw drivers, Allen wrenches, etc.)*
2 - 3 Tire Levers*
A Patch Kit*
A Spoke Wrench
1 - 3 Spare Tubes*
1 Extra Tire
Chain Lube*
An Extra Chain
1 Pedal Wrench*
2 - 3 Spare Spokes
3 - 4 Spare Rack Screws*
Extra Brake Cables
Spare Derailleur Parts

Items marked with a * are itesm I would consider absolutely
necessary, while the rest depend on the location of your tour,
the length of your travels, and your overall worry in regards to
your bike potentially breaking down.









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Odometers
Many bicycle tourists consider their odometer/GPS to be one of
the most important parts of their bike. They not only want to
know how fast they are going and how many miles they have
ahead of them, but they (most importantly) want to keep track of
the total miles they are racking up on their tour.
Bicycle odometers and GPS devices are great and have a num-
ber of excellent uses, but I simply cant stand them on long dis-
tance bicycle tours!
After less than a week on my second bike tour across America, I
got so sick of starring at my odometer that I ripped it off my han-
dlebars and threw it away. Since that time, I have never
(NEVER!) ridden with an odometer while on tour. I do, however,
carry a GPS device with me on my travels usually, but as you
will see in a moment, I very rarely attach it to my handlebars for
constant use while I am riding.
Here is why I recommend you kick your odometer off of your
handlebar and out of your immediate sight:
Staring at an odometer or GPS device mounted to your handle-
bars is addicting. You want to know how fast you are going and
how many miles you are racking up, but when you look down
every three seconds to see how much further you have gone, this
only becomes demoralizing. Based on my own experiences, the
last thing you want on a bike trip is to become demoralized.
The second point I should make is that carrying an odometer is
often times unnecessary. You dont really need it. Its really just a
toy. And while its nice to know how many miles you have trav-
eled, you can usually figure this out with street signs and mile
markers anyway. Rather than carry a GPS device or electronic
odometer, consider leaving them both at home and saving a tiny
bit of weight! Its one less thing youll have to worry about.
The last point I should make is that many cyclists put too much
emphasis on the distances they are covering. Many tourists get
so wrapped up in the miles/kilometers that they are clocking
that the other aspects of the ride become less important. Getting
rid of your odometer takes your eyes off of the handlebars and
puts them on the scenery surrounding you. In the end, it doesnt
matter how many miles you cover. This isnt a race. This is sup-
posed to be fun! So hold your head up and enjoy the ride.
If you insist on tracking your miles with an odometer or GPS de-
vice, here is what I suggest:
Rather than mounting the device to your handlebars, mount it to
your seat post. If you are using an odometer, place the odome-
ter magnet on the back wheel (instead of the front) and put the
odometer itself under your seat. This way you will still be track-

69
ing your miles and speed, but you wont be forced to look down
at the odometer every seven seconds. With the odometer/GPS
underneath you, you can now enjoy your ride and check how
many miles youve covered when you stop to get off your bike.













10 Pieces Of Paper For Your Travels
If youre going over your things and making sure youve got eve-
rything youll need while youre out on the road, be sure you
dont leave home without the following ten pieces of paper:
1. Passport: If youre going out of the country, youre going to
need a passport. Even if you dont plan to leave the country,
who knows, you might just get the urge to cross borders, so you
might as well bring your passport along just in case. If you dont
have your passport yet and youre planning to leave on tour
soon, remember that the passport application process can take
time. I would get your passport at least three months in advance,
as this extra time will ensure that you do not have to worry
about the passport coming at the very last minute.
2. Journal: If you want to keep track of the events that take
place on your tour or you simply want to record your thoughts
from the road, then you need to bring a journal. I recommend
you carry a hardback journal over a flimsy paperback journal,
as the paperback can become worn and destroyed after a very
short period of time out on the road. If youre anything like me,
your journal will be one of the most used items on your bike.
3. Maps: Whether you plan to use dedicated cycling maps,
general AAA road maps, or maps printed off the Internet, you
dont want to forget these valuable pieces of information.

70
4. Itinerary: Whether your trip is planned down to the minute
or youre going to let the wind blow you where it may, you
likely have some sort of itinerary for your trip (even if it is a
rough itinerary). Dont let this information float around in your
head. Instead, put it all down on paper and stick it in your bags.
By the time I leave on my tours, I usually have my itinerary
memorized, but its useful to have that itinerary on you when
youre out on the road. Not only that, but your itinerary is a fun
item to show people you meet along the way. They will be inter-
ested in where you are going, how far you will be traveling
each day, and the other details of your ride. Showing them this
piece of information is a great way to strike up a conversation
about your travels.
5. Tickets: Unless you are starting and finishing from your
home, youre likely taking a plane, train, boat, or automobile to
the point where your tour will begin. Dont forget your tickets
and be sure not to lose them once youre out on the road.
6. Emergency Contact Information: Somewhere in your
bags (or on your person) you should have a list of your emer-
gency contact information. You want to list your name, your
home address, your country, and the names, addresses, phone
numbers, and email addresses of people who should be con-
tacted in the event of an emergency.
7. List of Contacts: If you are visiting friends or staying with
people along the way, youll want to bring their contact informa-
tion along with you. And if you want to call friends, mail your
family postcards, or do business while youre out on the road,
then you wont want to forget your important list of contacts.
Bring an organizer with your or keep this information stored in
your cell phone or other such device. I usually type all of my im-
portant contacts up on a single piece of paper and then fold that
paper up and stuff it in my bag.
8. Reading Book: There is going to be a lot of time on your
tour when you will have nothing to do and no one to talk to.
Having a reading book gives you something to do and gives
you something to think about besides how sore, tired, and hun-
gry you are. Bring along a book youve always wanted to
read your favorite book from your childhood or a book that
can help you become a better person.
9. Cash: I usually start my tour with about $200 USD in cash.
Its a large enough amount that it will last me a long time, but it
is small enough that if I lose it or it gets stolen, Im not going to
have to cancel the tour and call it quits. Many campgrounds and
other such businesses require cash, so you need to have at least
some cash on you at all times.
10. Business Cards: Youre going to meet a lot of people as
you ride and some of those people youll likely want to stay in
touch with. If this is the case, you may consider bringing some

71
business cards with you. Ive met some cyclists who made spe-
cial business cards just for their bike ride, while others used the
same cards they use for their professional occupations. What-
ever you choose to do is fine. Whats important is that you have
a piece of paper you can write your information on in the event
you meet someone you want to stay in contact with.












Journaling While On Tour
If youre planning a bicycle tour, then this is an excellent time to
start a journal.
When youre on tour, youre going to have a million thoughts
running through your head at any given moment. Many of these
thoughts will be about finding food, water, and lodging but
then there will be times when you can sit back, enjoy the ride,
and think about your life, the goals you have set for yourself,
and the circumstances that surround you at this given point in
time. These are the thoughts you want to put down in your jour-
nal.
Every person has a different understanding of what a journal is
and how it should be used. In my opinion, there is no correct
way to use a journal.
That said, Im going to tell you how I use my journal as a means
of recording my life and plotting out my future and my hope is
that by sharing this with you, you will get some ideas for as to
how you too can use a journal to improve both your bicycle ad-
ventures and your life as a whole
To start, most of my journals are filled with recorded events. I
talk about what has been happening with me and what I am
feeling about a particular situation in my life at the moment.

72
These thoughts allow me to reflect on my situation and ponder
the decisions I want to make in the future. Writing all this down
also allows me to come back at a later point in time and recall
the events that took place.
My journals are largely filled with my plans for the future. To
me, this is the main reason that I journal. I write down ideas,
draw up storyboards, and scribble pictures. I am constantly
working to improve myself and my situation, so I write down my
plans and ideas in my journal. By writing it all down, I get a bet-
ter idea of the actions I want to make in the future.
The most rewarding part of keeping a journal is that it keeps me
motivated. When you stop and pause to write down your
thoughts, the world suddenly slows its spin and you are able to
think more clearly. Suddenly, that huge crisis youve been hav-
ing at work is no longer a big deal. Suddenly, the three flat tires
you had on the road today dont seem that bad. In fact, you re-
alize that this is going to make a great story one day! I like to
journal because it gets me excited about where I currently am
and where I hope to be in the future.
If you are planning a bicycle tour, you should start journaling
right away. Dont wait until the first day of your tour. You need
to get in the habit of setting aside a time to slow your world
down so that you can sit back, relax, and think about your day.
An important part of journaling is that you do it consistently
ideally every single day. You dont have to write anything long,
but you need to write something. The reason I say this is be-
cause skipping just one day can cause you to skip two days,
and then three days, and before you know it you arent writ-
ing in your journal at all. And once you stop, its that much
harder to pick it up again. The same is true with biking and
many other things in life. Do it every day and it becomes a
habit. But skip just once and before you know it, you arent do-
ing it at all.
Get a journal today and start writing! What you write down
doesnt really matter. As time progresses and you get more com-
fortable writing in your journal, youll develop a system that
works for you.








73
The 7 Secrets To Successfully Pack-
ing Your Panniers
Packing your panniers is really quite easy as long as you keep
these seven things in mind.
1. Center Your Weight
Not only do you need to keep your weight as low as possible,
but you need to keep it centered on your bicycle. There shouldn't
be too much weight in the front of your bike or too much weight
in the back. On the same note, there shouldn't be more weight
on one side of the bike than on the other. Keeping your weight
centered will not only help you keep control of your bicycle, but
it will help prevent mechanical breakdowns, broken spokes, and
stress to your body's back, neck, shoulders, and arms.
2. Leave Some Extra Space
When you are packing for your trip, be sure to leave some extra
space in your panniers for items you might need/want to pick
up along the way. If you leave home and your panniers are al-
ready stuffed to the gills, you have too much stuff!
3. Everything Has Its Place
Living out of your panniers requires that you pack and unpack
your gear on a daily basis. To make sure you don't lose any-
thing in the packing process... and to save yourself huge
amounts of time, make it a practice to put everything back in the
same spot each time you pack up your bike. This will prevent
you from having to unpack every single pannier when you need
to find a particular item.
4. If You Need To Get It While You're Riding, It
Should Be Up Front
While you're riding, there are going to be a few items that you
will want to access regularly. Packing these items inside your
handlebar bag (or at the very least, inside your front panniers)
will make reaching them much easier. Having your water, map,
sunglasses, camera, and snacks for the day all within arm's
reach ensures that won't have to get off your bike every time you
want to check the map, take a photo, or get a quick bite to eat.
5. Practice Packing Before You Leave Home
Before you ever leave your home, practice packing your pan-
niers. Practicing will help you figure out what items you really
need for your tour, and help you figure out how to distribute
your weight evenly. I recommend living out of your panniers for
at least two weeks before you leave home as this will make your
first several days of bicycle touring that much easier.

74
6. Protect Your Gear And Secure Your Valuables
More and more cyclists these days are traveling with high end
cameras, GPS devices, and pricey laptop computers. To make
sure these valuable items are secure, I recommend packing them
in your rear panniers and placing them on the non-traffic side of
your bike. Front panniers are often less stable than rear panniers
and more likely to bounce off their racks. Placing your expensive
gear on the non-traffic side of your bike will ensure that if, for
some horrible reason, you are clipped by a passing vehicle, the
only bags affected by the accident are ones that contain dirty
clothes and easy to replace food items.
7. Consider The Elements
Finally, consider the weather you might experience while on
your travels. Waterproof (or water resistant) panniers help to
keep rain and snow from soaking your clothes and computer.
The sun and heat also need to be taken into consideration -- es-
pecially if you are planning to travel with expensive electronics.
If you are carrying a computer or camera, do what you can to
place them on the shady side of your bicycle and consider pack-
ing especially important items inside additional padding, covers,
or waterproof sacks.
For additional information, please watch the following video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTrn1_NKX2Q
An Inside Look At Pannier Packing
The diagrams on this and the following page demonstrate how
you might pack your panniers from for an extended bicycle tour-
ing adventure.
There are two main points to take from these diagrams:
1) Weight

When packing for a bike trip, balancing the weight of your pan-
niers is quite important. By balancing the weight of the gear in-
side your panniers you are 1) improving the maneuverability of

75
your bike and 2) ensuring that no abnormal stress is placed on
your bicycles frame or wheels. If you get the weight wrong, you
could have a hard time controlling your bike or you could
break a spoke, bend your wheel, and get stuck out in the middle
of nowhere with a busted bike. Any of these situations are easily
avoided if you simply pack your panniers with weight in mind.
If you look closely you will see that the way Ive packed the
bags in the diagrams on this page have given a pretty even
weight distribution to both bags. In my left pannier, the heavy
objects include my tent, food, and fuel. In my right pannier, the
heavy objects are my sleeping bag, spare tubes, water bottle,
and tools.
The weight of my panniers is going to change on a daily basis,
however. Because my left pannier is going to contain most of my
food, the weight of that pannier will depend on exactly how
much food Im carrying at any given time.
On the same hand, if it is a cold day, I might decide to take my
jacket out of my right pannier and wear it while Im riding. If
thats the case, my right pannier would be considerably lighter
at that point in time.
In just about any situation the weight is not going to be 100%
even, but you want to do your best to get it as close as possible.
Being off by a few pounds isnt a big deal, but if one pannier
weighs considerably more than the other, then you seriously
need to consider repacking your gear.
2) Organization
The other thing you should take note of from the diagrams on the
previous page is that I have organized the items inside my pan-
niers so that items of a similar nature are all in the same bag
and/or pocket. My tools are all in one pocket, my electronic
devices are in another pocket, my food and cooking gear is all
in one pannier, and my most unused items (tubes, arm warmers,
and backup water bottle) are all in another pocket.
By organizing my gear this way I able to accomplish two things.

76
1. By placing similar items all in the same pocket or pannier I
always know where my things are. I know that my left rear pan-
nier holds my electronics and my right rear pannier holds my
tools.
2. Secondly, by packing in this manner, I am able to access
items of a similar nature in record time. If I had my stove in one
pannier, my cook pot in another pannier, my fuel in another
pannier, and my food in another pannier, Id have to tear all
four bags apart just to cook my dinner. But by packing these
items together, I can simply grab one pannier, cook my dinner,
and leave the other three panniers completely untouched. By
packing this way, it not only allows me to more easily find the
items I want, but most importantly, it keeps me from tearing all of
my panniers apart as I look for the item(s) Im trying to find.







Forget About It! You Dont Need Half
The Things You Think You Need
Imagine: Youre out on the road, climbing a five thousand foot
pass, when you suddenly look back and realize youre carrying
an awful lot of stuff on your bike. As sweat pours from your fore-
head and your bike slows to a stop, you think to yourself, Did I
really need to bring my pillow? My blow-dryer? Those three Ste-
ven King novels? What in the world was I thinking bringing all
this stuff on my bike tour?
Packing for a bicycle tour is not an easy task. Its difficult for a
beginner to determine which items are essential and which items
can be left at home. And to make matters worse, there is no list
on earth that details the essential items needed for every bicycle
adventure. What you decide to pack will ultimately depend on
where you are going, what time of year you will be traveling,
and what comforts from home you will be able to do without.
Determining what items you truly need is not always easy. And
as you will learn, many of the items you think you need are
items you simply dont need at all.
To illustrate this point, I just recently returned from a three-week
trip to California where I visited with my family, met up with
some old friends, and took the train down to San Diego to stay
with my aunt and uncle for a couple days before returning to my

77
home in Park City, Utah.
Upon returning home, I began unpacking my suitcase and real-
ized that half of the things I brought with me to California were
items I never once used while I was away. Books, clothes and
electronics made up the list of unneeded items for my short three-
week getaway.
As I continued to unpack, I realized that there were a lot of
things in my home that were unneeded as well. Shoes I had
never worn, electronics I no longer use, and magazines I will
never read again.
As I continued unpacking, I realized two very important things:
1) I have everything I need. I dont really need any more stuff.
2) I can do away with a lot of the stuff I already have. I either
dont use it, dont need it, or dont want it anymore.
The point Im trying to make here is that when you begin prepar-
ing for your upcoming bicycle adventure, you are going to be
tempted to bring everything you own with you on your bike. Its
easy to get carried away and think you will need all your com-
fort items from home.
But Im here to let you know that you dont need all those things.
You may need to buy a new bike, tent, or panniers, but most of
the items you will need for your bike tour are items you already
own.
If you need further assistance packing for your upcoming bicycle
adventure, you can always send me an email. I am happy to
answer any question you might have.
http://bicycletouringpro.com/blog/contact-information/

78








CHAPTER TWO
Planning & Preparation






79
How To Plan A Bike TourIn Reverse
Most people, when planning for an adventure like a bicycle
tour, think in chronological order. They think they have to save
up the money, plan out the route, get all the gear, find a riding
partner, make arrangements with their work, tell their friends
and family, and then when all of that is sorted out then they
can finally commit to the idea of an adventure by bike.
But thats not the way it works!
Instead, the first thing you need to do is make the decision that
Yes, I am going to go on a bicycle tour. Having bought this
book, Im pretty sure youve already made that commitmentor
you are, at the very least, thinking long and hard about actually
making a bicycle tour of your own.
Congratulations! This is the first step to a successful bicycle tour-
ing adventure.
Over the next several pages, however, I am going to walk you
through what I believe to be the 6 most important parts of the
planning process. Ill go over each of these stages in short now,
and then we will go back over them in further detail later in the
book. But for now, just know that we will be planning your bike
tour in reversestarting with:
1) Picking A Location For Your Travels
2) Committing To The Trip & Telling The World About Your
Plans
3) Creating A Plan Of Action (Kind Of Like A To-Do List)
4) Researching Your Destination(s)
5) Determining Your Budget
6) Planning Out Your Route









80
Picking A Location For Your Travels
The first step to any type of trip by bike is deciding where you
want to go. For some individuals, having no destination at all is
part of the adventure. But for most of us, we want to at least
have a general idea of where we will be going on our trip
and this is where the planning process should begin!
After more than 10 years of traveling with my bike, Ive come to
the conclusion that the secret to a successful bicycle touring ad-
venture begins with picking a destination that YOU are most
drawn to.
Let me rephrase that: If you want to have fun on your trip
and actually return home having completed the journey you set
out to complete, you need to pick a location for your tour that
you are most interested in.
Over the years I have been asked hundreds, if not thousands of
times, where some of my favorite bicycle touring destination are.
And every time I get this question I hesitate to answer, simply
because I know that:
1) My favorite cycling destinations may not appeal to others in
the way that they appeal to me.
2) My favorite travel destinations have almost always been
places that no one ever told me aboutbut I discovered on my
own because I was passionately interested in the area.
You see, if you really want to have a great time on your travels,
you need to pick a location that YOU are most passionate
about.
If you choose a location that you are not 100% excited to visit,
there is a good chance you will end your tour prematurely.
When you hit that first big hill, encounter your first full-day of
headwinds, or you suddenly get hungry and your next food stop
isnt for at least a couple hours up the road, you are going to be
tempted to stop, turn around, and go home.
But when you pick a location for your travels that you are ex-
cited about, those temporary inconveniences simply don't mat-
ter. When you find yourself traveling in a location that you are
excited to be in, you wont quit because you know that the tem-
porary pain of that hill, that wind, and that hunger is some-
thing you can push through in order to get to that location you
have so been looking forward to experiencing.
Before you even begin to look at purchasing a touring bike,
planning out a budget, or searching for travel partners, my rec-
ommendation is to think long and hard about where you MOST
want to go in the world.

81
If you want to simply explore your local neighborhood, then
that's what you should do! If you want to visit a neighboring
state, then thats fantastic! And if you want to travel half-way
around the world and explore a country that up until this time
you may have only read about in the newspapers (or on the
Internet), then that is what you need to do!
Until you decide on a location that you are 150% excited about,
the rest of the planning process simply doesnt matter.
At this point in the planning stage, you cant let others dictate
where you should go on your travels. At this point, you should-
nt be worrying about how or when you are going to get to
your destination. At this point, don't think about how much it is
going to cost, where you are going to sleep, or who you are
going to travel with.
At this point, all you need to do is DECIDE WHERE YOU MOST
WANT TO GO IN THE WORLD.




Make A Commitment & Declare It To
The World
After youve decided on a location for your travels, the next step
and most important step is making the decision that the tour is
really going to happen.
Most people, when planning for an adventure like a bicycle
tour, think in chronological order. They think they have to save
up the money, plan out the route, get all the gear, find a riding
partner, make arrangements with their work, tell their friends
and family, and then when all of that is sorted out then they
can finally commit to the idea of an adventure by bike.
But thats not the way it works!
Instead, the first thing you need to do is make the decision that
Yes, I am going to go on a bicycle tour. Once youve de-
clared that your bicycle adventure is really going to happen,
you need to give yourself a deadline.
For example, you might say, Yes, I am going to go on a bicy-
cle tour. I am going to leave the second week of June and I will
return around the end of July.
Once youve made that declaration to yourself, thats all you
need to kick-start your bicycle tour into reality.

82
Once you've made your declaration, you can then work back-
wards to fill in all the gaps.
Now that you know when you are leaving, you can start work-
ing on a timeline. You can make a list of everything that has to
happen before you leave. You can work to get all the gear you
will need. You now have time to arrange things with your work.
You have time to tell your friends and family. You have time to
find riding partner.
Now that you've declared that your bicycle tour is really going
to happen, you now have a goal to shoot for. You have a dead-
line!
Take it from me: Incredible things happen when you push your-
self to make them happen under seemingly impossible time re-
strictions. By giving yourself a deadline and a goal to work to-
wards, you will make things happen 100 times faster than you
would otherwise.
If you are thinking about making a bicycle tour at some point in
the future, make the decision right now that your bicycle adven-
ture really is going to take place. You dont have to know how it
is going to happen, what road you will be traveling on, or
where you will be staying. Just make the decision now that your
trip by bike is going to become a reality. Define a date for that
reality and then...
Create A Plan Of Action
Once you've decided that your bike trip is really going to hap-
pen, the next step is figuring out exactly what actions you need
to take before you can leave home on your big bicycle touring
adventure.
Once you've set the date for the start of your tour, you can then
begin working backwards to determine exactly what actions
need to be made before you leave home and head out on your
bike.
Here is a list of some of the things you might need to handle be-
fore you leave home:
Tell your boss you will be leaving.
Find a riding partner.
Rent out your house/apartment.
Come up with a budget for your tour.
Buy a new bicycle.
Get all the gear you will need for your tour (i.e. pan-
niers, tent, sleeping bag, stove, etc.)
Raise the necessary funds.
Do your taxes.
Get your passport.
Plan out your route.
Find airline tickets.
Figure out where you are going to be sleeping every
night.

83
Send out press releases and inform the local media.
Build a website about your tour.
Inform your friends and family about your plans.
Ask for donations.
Get into shape.
Improve your flexibility.
Start eating better.
Give your bicycle a tune up.
Find out if your cell phone will work in the locations you
plan to visit. If not, find a new phone provider or up-
grade your service.
Input important coordinates into your GPS device.
Find someone to watch your house, feed your animals,
and water your plants while you are away.
Put your car and/or other belongings into storage.
Pay your outstanding bills.
Research the areas you'll be traveling through.
Learn the language(s) of the area(s) you will be visiting.
Set up your online billing.

and the list goes on!
Only you will know exactly what needs to happen in order for
your bike tour to become a reality. What's most important is that
you take the time to sit down and write out a list of exactly what
needs to transpire in order for your bicycle tour to take place.
Start by writing down exactly what tasks need to be taken care
of before you leave on your tour. Then put that list in chronologi-
cal order, starting with the tasks that need to happen right away
and ending with the items that can wait until later.
Once you've got your list of tasks that need to be accomplished,
put a deadline on each task and work hard to never miss a
deadline. Having a deadline on each of these tasks will push
you to accomplish these objectives in record time. Once you set
those deadlines, you'll be surprised at just how quickly you can
make things happen.
Then, once you've got your deadlines in place, begin doing
something on a daily basis to knock those tasks off your list.
Some tasks will be small and may take only a few minutes.
Other tasks will be large and may require a number of weeks to
complete.
Make a list of everything that needs to happen before you leave
home; put that list of tasks in chronological order; assign dead-
lines to each objective; and then start working to mark those
tasks off your list.





84
Research Your Destination
After you've decided on a location for your tour, committed to
the trip by telling others about it (and setting a deadline), and
created a list of tasks you need to accomplish before you can
leave home, it is then time to do some research on the location
(s) you plan to visit while on your travels.
Using the Internet, you can easily find out the following informa-
tion for just about any country in the world:
What languages do the native people speak?
Are there dedicated bicycle routes to travel on? If so, do I
want to take them? Or do I want to take a different route?
What are the road conditions like?
What kind of bicycle will I need?
Will I be able to eat the food?
Will I have access to the medications I need?
Will I be able to log onto the Internet? If so, how?
Will I feel safe traveling alone? Or should I go on a guided
group tour with other individuals?
Will I be able to find adequate places to stay each night?
What is the weather going to be like?
How will I get there and return home at the end of my trip?
and the list goes on.
This part of the planning process may take an hour or two or
it could take a couple days. But after a while you should have a
pretty good image of the location you plan to visit and you
might just have a few more tasks to add to your to-do list
such as:
Purchasing a new bike to handle specific road conditions.
Learning a new language
Buying bicycle and/or road maps
Informing your doctor about your travel plans.
Purchasing an International phone/Internet plan
Buying warmer clothes to handle cooler weather conditions
Contacting friends and family for free accommodations
along your route.
Etc
After youve done a little research on the locations you plan to
visit while on your travels, you may need to go back to your first
list of tasks that need to take place before you can leave home
and add a few things.
Once you've done your research and added or subtracted items
from your to-do list, it is now time to start calculating just how
much this bicycle trip is going to cost.




85
Create A Budget
Once you've decided upon the destination for your bike tour,
the next step is to create a budget. Unless you've got more than
enough money to go around (I know I sure don't), you're going
to want to know how much your bicycle adventure is going to
cost.
If you are planning to take a guided bicycle tour where the cost
of the tour includes food, guide fees, transportation, etc the
budget isn't going to be hard to figure out. The price of the tour
is how much the trip is going to cost. You might have to add
transportation to and from the end points of the tour, but that
should be relatively easy to figure out as well.
On the other hand, if you are planning a self-supported tour
where you will be determining both your route and your budget
along the way, coming up with a detailed list of probable ex-
penses is a bit more difficult.
To start, look at where you plan to go. Let's say you are plan-
ning to go to Europe. You'll first want to look at the cost of
flights. That is going to be a major upfront expense. Then look at
the cost of hotels, hostels, and campgrounds. Based on the
money you have available for this trip, what kind of accommo-
dations can you afford? Do the same for food, leisure activities,
and anything else you think you might spend money on when
traveling with your bike.
Most people when planning a vacation think that the trip itself
is going to be more expensive than what it costs them to stay at
home and live their normal life. But based on my experiences
(and the experiences of many world travelers I know), traveling
can actually save you money! But you've got to be smart!
There are ways to live far below your means when traveling by
bike and Ill share some of these techniques in future article at
BicycleTouringPro.com, but for now, just keep in mind that your
bike trip does not have to be an overly expensive getaway. If
you stick to a budget based on amounts of money you can actu-
ally afford to lose, you can have an incredible life-altering ex-
perience by bike and not have to spend an arm and a leg along
the way.
If after determining the cost of your trip you realize that the cost
of airline tickets, food, lodging, fun activities and more is going
to be out of your price range, figure out a way to find the money
to make the tour possible.
On most of my bicycle tours, it is the airplane tickets that set me
back the most. If traveling to Europe, I might need an extra
$500 - $1,400 dollars just to get there. If I don't currently have
this much money to spend, I create a plan to make that much
money before I leave home. I might sell one of my bicycles, get

86
rid of my car, work overtime at my job, take on a second job, or
try and raise the money through some other means.
You should never let a couple hundred (or even a couple thou-
sand dollars) hold you back from making your bicycle touring
dreams a reality. It may seem like a lot of money right now, but
once you get out on the road and realize that you are living
your dream, you'll be glad you worked hard and sacrificed that
small amount of extra cash to make your dream become reality.
Besides, the reason I have you planning this tour six months in
advance is so you have the time to create a plan that will pro-
vide you with the means of making your bicycle tour actually
happen. If you don't have the funds right now, figure out a way
to get the necessary money.
Remember: It's only money! You can always make more money,
but you can never get back the time you have right now.
Remember: People don't regret the things they do. They only re-
gret the things they don't do!



Plan Your Route
We've been working backwards to plan your big bicycle tour-
ing adventure and we're almost finished. The only thing left to
do now is plan your route!
When planning your route of travel for your long distance bicy-
cle tour, the best and easiest way to start is at the beginning.
Figure out where your tour is going to start and then figure out
how you are going to get both yourself and your bike to that
location.
Are you going to fly there?
How much are airline tickets?
What is the airline's policy in regards to flying with a bicy-
cle?
Are you going to rent a bicycle once you arrive?
Are you going to be meeting anyone at your destination?
Where are you going to be staying your first night?
Day #1 is the most difficult day to plan. After that, the planning
process typically moves much quicker.
Once you've established how you are going to get to the start-
ing place of your tour and where you are going to stay that
night, now you need to determine your route for the remainder
of your ride.

87
Take it slow and plot your actions out on a map. Move a single
day at a time. Figure out how far you are going to ride, where
you are going to sleep, how much you think it will cost to travel
that day, what you will do for entertainment along the way, and
any other details that need to be worked out. Repeat these steps
for the rest of your tour.
Just like every other step in the planning process, once you've
planned out your route, you will need to go back and take a
look at the things we've done in previous steps and adjust ac-
cordingly. You may need to make changes to the budget or you
may need to add more items to your to-do list. Make the nec-
essary changes and then start working towards accomplishing at
least a single task on your to-do list on a daily basis.
The advantage of planning a bicycle tour six months in advance
is that you have the time to get your life in order and make the
necessary preparations. Because you have at least six months to
put your tour together, you don't have to rush, but you shouldn't
be sloth-like either.
When planning a bicycle tour in advance:
1). Decide Where You Want To Go
2). Make the decision that the tour is actually going to
happen.

3). Decide which steps need to take place in order for
you to leave home.
4). Research your destination(s).
5). Create a budget.
6). And then map out your route.
Once you are all finished, go back and make any necessary
adjustments.











88
Do You Have To Be A Cycling Nut In
Order To Travel By Bike?
People often times think that just because Ive ridden my bike
across the United States six times and traveled through dozens
of different countries around the world on a two-wheeled vehi-
cle, that this somehow translates into me being a bicycling ma-
niac. They think that because Ive done all these things that Ive
got to be one of those nuts they see zipping around their town
on Saturday mornings dressed in spandex and a neon pink jer-
sey plastered with logos.
But you know what? THATS NOT ME! In fact, you want to know
something else? Something very few people know? Okay. Here
it is: After almost ten years of long distance biking, I still dont
consider myself to be a cyclist and frankly I dont think I ever
will.
Youll hear it again and again. When most people find out that
you are cycling for days on end, sleeping in a tent, and relying
on the kindness of strangers to get from one place to the next,
the most common response you are bound to get goes some-
thing like this: Are you crazy?
Most bicycle travelers take it as a compliment, but it brings up a
subject worth discussing.
Many people think you have to be nuts in order to go on a bike
tour. And even those that dont think its crazy to travel by bike,
many still believe that you have to be a cycling fanatic in order
to conduct a long distance bike tour. They think youve got to
have the latest high-tech gear. They believe youve got to be
100% up to date with the latest specs and terminology. And
they think that going fast and getting there in record time is what
bicycling is all about.
But heres the truth: YOU DONT NEED TO BE A CYCLING FA-
NATIC IN ORDER TO TRAVEL BY BIKE.
Whats so great about bicycle travel is that it is the un-sport of
the cycling world. We arent out there to win races. Most of us
arent licensed bicycle mechanics. And most of us dont do ex-
tensive training before we set out on our rides.
While we all ride for different reasons and enjoy different as-
pects of the cycling experience, I am here to once and for all to
bust the myth that you have to be a cycling nut in order to go
on a bike tour. It simply isnt true!
If you are a first time bicycle traveler and youre stressing out
about learning all the terminology, knowing every little detail of
your bike, and keeping up with faster riders in your group
dont worry about all that! Just get on your bike start riding
and do whatever you can to have fun along the way!

89
The Biggest Fears Of People Who
Travel By Bike
Over the past two years Ive been surveying my readers at Bicy-
cleTouringPro.com and asking them to answer a series of ques-
tions about bicycle touring, world travel, their age, interests and
more.
One of the questions I ask in the survey is, What is your biggest
fear when planning a bicycle tour? and here is what they
had to say:
What the chart above shows is that the number one fear that
many people have when preparing for a trip by bike is that they
will somehow not be able to finish the trip. Nearly a quarter of
the people who completed my bicycle touring survey said they
feared overexerting themselves, losing their motivation to keep
going, or simply being unable to keep up the pace of day to
day travel.
Not surprisingly, traffic, bad drivers, and accidents were re-
ported as the second largest fear amongst those surveyed.
Theft, robbery and personal safety took third place with more
than 11% of those surveyed saying they feared being accosted
while out on the road or losing their gear to thieves when step-
ping away from their bikes.
A surprising number of people feared simply having a mechani-
cal problem out on the road that they would be unable to fix.
Finding places to sleep, shower, and go to the bathroom every
day is also be a big concern, with just over 7% listing this as
their biggest fear when planning a bicycle tour of their own.
And wouldnt you know it, but a significant number of people
reported being afraid of wild animals, creatures that go bump in
the night, and yes even monsters!
Other fears reported by BicycleTouringPro.com readers included
not being able to get away from home/work, a sudden lack of
money or surprise on-the-road expenses, running out of food/

90
water while in an isolated locale, getting lost, encountering bad
weather, and being alone for extended periods of time.
In case you cant read the tiny print on the graph on the previ-
ous page, here is the breakdown of fears reported by Bicycle-
TouringPro.com readers:
Overexertion/Illness/Not Being Able To Finish21.43%
Injury/Accident/Traffic/Bad Drivers17.35%
Theft/Robbery/Personal Safety11.22%
Mechanical Problems10.2%
Finding Places To Sleep/Shower/Bathroom7.14%
Wild Animals/Monsters6.12%
Not Being Able To Get Away From Home/Work5.1%
Lack Of Money/Surprise Expenses5.1%
Running Out Of Food/Water4.08%
Getting Lost3.06%
Bad Weather3.06%
Being Alone2.04%
Other4.08%

The True Dangers Of Bicycle Travel
There are a number of different things that people are afraid of
when they first step out on an extended bicycle touring adven-
ture, but the truth is, few of these things are worth worrying
about.
Overexertion and illness can be overcome by taking good care
of yourself, eating well, and training before you get out on the
road.
Most injuries can be avoided by wearing the proper safety
gear, keeping an eye on your surroundings, and understanding
your bicycle.
Theft and robbery is super rare. In over ten years of bike touring
I have met only three people who were ever robbed while out
on the road and only one was injured during the incident.
Mechanical problems are easy to fix in most cases. Understand-
ing how to change a tube, adjust a derailleur, and clean a bike
chain are some of the basic things you need to know. If anything
more serious than that happens while you are out on the road,
you can always hitch a ride from a passing car and get your
bike to a nearby bike shop. Its not as difficult as it might sound.
For me, finding places to sleep each night is my biggest fear

91
even after ten years of traveling this way. But with some of the
tactics I plan to discuss later in this book, even finding a place to
sleep at night becomes kind of easy.
As for monsters, Ive yet to encounter any on my travels. I have
seen a few wild animals, however. Ive seen several snakes,
dozens of raccoons, deer, elk, moose and bear. Ive even seen
a mountain lion! But none of these animals posed any kind of
threat. In most cases, the animals were more afraid of me than I
was of them.
Being able to get away from home/work is a real problem for
manyespecially if you have a family, job, house, and other
such commitments. I talk a lot about this on BicycleTouring-
Pro.com and have some great tips there for how to escape your
current world in order to get out on the road.
I could go on, but I think you get the point. While there are
many things you could be afraid of, the truth is that with a little
preparation and the right information (info that I am giving you
in this book), your time on the road should be nothing to worry
about.
Bicycle travel is supposed to be fun. So stop worrying and
realize that there is little to be afraid of!

There Are No Rules With Bike Travel
One of the reasons I love bicycle touring so much is that not
many people actually do it. Being a bicycle traveler makes me
unique and I like that!
My bicycle travels have taken me to places and provided me
with opportunities few people will ever experience in their life-
time. Traveling by bike is a freeing experience and thats why
it often times ticks me off when people try and tell me it needs to
be done a particular way. As far as Im concerned, there are no
rules with bicycle touring and I hope you understand that
while reading through this book.
When I did my first bicycle tour at the age of 17, a lot of the
older cyclists made fun of me because of the clothes I was wear-
ing, the gear I was using, and the bike I was riding. Even
though we were traveling the same distance on our bikes each
day, I got the impression that they thought they were better than
me because they had more cycling experience, more money in
their pockets, and better touring equipment. In many ways, I felt
like they were saying, Our way of traveling is better than your
way of traveling. And frankly, that just made me mad!
I realize that I am offering up a lot of advice in this book and
that it may not all jive with the way you see yourself traveling in
the future. I realize that! But Im simply throwing out ideas based

92
on my experiences over the past ten years and I dont expect
you to do everything I am suggesting. Not at all!
Actually, what I am trying to do is to simply give you a road
map for your own travels, which you may choose to follow or
throw out completely. While I will often times share the way that
I travel in this book, I am hoping that by sharing these experi-
ences with you that you can then decide whether or not that
means of travel is right for you.
As Chris Guillebeau shares in his article, 13 Ways To Simplify
International Travel, you need to develop your own travel phi-
losophy. Decide whats important to you, and plan your trip
according to that.
As you will see, some people like to camp while others would
never dream of sleeping on the ground. Some people like the
community built around hostels, and others would prefer the
comforts of a bed and breakfast. Some people will ride with a
trailer. Others will use panniers. Some people will have an ex-
pensive custom touring bike with all the add-ons. Others will use
a $79 Walmart bike. Some will cook their own meals. Others
will eat every meal in a restaurant. Some will use an odometer.
Others will ride with a GPS. Some will travel with a laptop. Oth-
ers wont even carry a camera. Some will travel alone. Others
will ride in a large group. Some will ride for months on end.
Others will go for no more than three days at a time. Some will
spend thousands of dollars. Others will spend less than a hun-
dred. Some will stop and smell the roses. Others will ride for
distance.
Get the point?
There is no correct way to travel by bike. How you travel is
ultimately up to you. You shouldnt let the ideas and impressions
of others influence your travel goals. Decide how you want to
travel and dont let anyone stop you from making your bicycle
touring dreams come true!










93
You Can Always Change Course
In a recent interview I conducted with Ted Schredd (author of my
favorite book about long-distance bicycle touring, The Cycling
Adventures Of Coconut Head), the Canadian author suggested
that anyone thinking about traveling by bike should just do it.
He continued by saying that if you get out there on the road and
decide its not what you thought it would be, you can always
turn around and come back home. No big deal!
After ten years of traveling by bike, Ive never looked at my bike
tours in this way. I have always started each trip with 100% cer-
tainty that I would complete it to its end. However, this in no
way means that I was 100% certain I could finish each of my
tours. I certainly had my doubts. All I mean by this is that I fully
intended to complete each of my tours. Ive never started a bicy-
cle tour with quitting in mind.
That being said, Ive always known that if something were to
come up or I were to simply stop enjoying myself while on my
travels, I could always come home at any time.
Despite the fact that Ive never personally considered quitting
ahead of time, its a unique approach to touring and some-
thing you should consider when preparing for your tour.
If you are planning a bicycle tour and you fear that you may
have gotten in over your head (possibly by committing to a ride
that you think is far beyond what you are capable of), just keep
in mind that you can always come home or adjust course along
the way.
In my opinion, bicycle touring is supposed to be fun. As soon as
you stop having fun, there is really no reason to continue any
further. (Of course, you need to be able to differentiate between
not having fun in the short term and not having fun over the long
term, as these are two totally different things. You dont want to
quit over a short term unpleasantly such as having to climb a
large hill or ride into the wind for an hour. If you quit, you need
to quit because of a long term down in mood or general well-
being.)
So, if youre planning a trip by bike and fear that you might not
be able to make it then entire way, thats okay! Just keep in
mind that if you get out there and realize that youve had
enough, you can always come home, adjust course, or simply
stop and take a break for a while!
You do have options once you get out there, so dont be afraid
to make the leap and go for it!
Making that first step is the hardest part. After that, its simply a
matter of choosing what to do next. So make the first step and
figure out the rest as you go along.

94
Preparing Your Bicycle Before You
Leave On Tour
Before you leave on your bike trip, you want to make sure your
bike is in good working order.
If you know enough about basic bike repair and maintenance,
then this is something you can do yourself. But if you have lim-
ited knowledge on how to repair or maintain a bike, now would
be a good time to learn.
Start by taking your bicycle to a local bike shop. Tell them what
you are planning to do, what kind of conditions you plan to en-
counter, and ask them to get your bike in shape.
After youve got your bike in good working condition, do what
you can to learn about maintaining and repairing the bike.






Basic Bicycle Repairs
You dont need to be a certified bicycle mechanic to go on an
extended bicycle adventure. But having an overall understand-
ing of your bike and some of the basic repairs that need to be
made will make your life on the road that much easier.
By the start of your tour you should be able to:
Repair a flat tire (with a patch kit)
Replace a tube
Adjust your front and rear derailleur's
Put on and remove your pedals
Adjust your seat and handlebars
Adjust your brakes
Adjust your pedals/toe clips
Clean your chain
Install and remove your chain
Install your racks and water bottle cages
Hitch up your trailer
Attach your panniers
These are all easy things that you can do for yourself that take
very little time to learn. There are a number of excellent books
on the subject of bicycle repair, so go out and get one and start
learning! Dont be intimidated. Just get out there and do it!

95
How Much Training Should You Do?
Training for a long-distance bicycle tour does not have to be a
difficult, long, drawn-out process. Many bicycle travelers start
out with little or no training and use their first couple days on the
road to whip themselves into shape. Of course, this strategy may
not be for everyone, so here are my thoughts on the general
training process.
If you are out of shape, then by all means, start training right
away! The more training you do, the better off you will be once
you hit the road.
That said, training does not necessarily mean that you have to
be going to the gym every day and lifting weights or doing
other crazy exercise routines. The best way to train for a long-
distance bike tour is to actually get on your bike and ride! Ride
to work. Ride to the supermarket. Ride everywhere you go! And
if possible, ride your bike with as much weight on it as possible.
Riding a standard bicycle and riding a bike loaded down with
gear are two completely different things and you want to prac-
tice riding your bike with weight on it as soon as you possibly
can. Riding a weighted bike does take time to get used to and
waiting to gear up on the first day of your bike tour is no a good
idea.
If you are in shape and ride a bicycle often, you may need to
do little to no training whatsoever.
The truth is, if you take it slow at the beginning of your trip and
dont try to rack up the miles too quickly, you will slowly get
yourself in shape while actually on your tour.
Many people now go on bicycle tours as a means of getting into
shape and losing weight and based on my experiences with
long-distance bicycle travel, this is a great way to do just that
to force yourself to get into shape!
If I were planning for my first bicycle tour and I considered my-
self to be somewhat out of shape, Id try and go on a 20 mile
bike ride at least once per week for several months leading up
to the tour. Then, during the 2-3 weeks directly preceding the
tour, Id increase my bikes and try a couple 30-40 mile rides.
During the last 2 weeks Id be riding my bike everywhere I
went and Id be riding half the time with the bike unloaded
and the other half of the time with all of the gear needed for my
trip loaded on my bike.
To hear how one of my first bicycle touring riding partners
trained for his first ride with me, check out he following video:
http://bicycletouringpro.com/blog/nakashima-video


96
Riding With A Full Load For The Very
First Time
Ive talked about this briefly already, but I feel the need to bring
it up again. If you wait until the first day of your trip to pack up
your bike and pedal off into the sunset, you could be setting
yourself up for disaster.
It is very important that you pack up your bike with everything
you will need for your journey and practice riding your fully-
loaded bike several times before you take off.
Riding a fully-loaded bicycle (whether you are pulling a trailer or
carrying panniers) is totally different than riding a regular, un-
loaded bike. If you are planning to use front panniers, this is
especially important. Front panniers do affect the way your bike
handles and it does take a day or two of practice before you
will be comfortable riding your bike out on crowded streets or in
narrow shoulders.
At least two weeks before you leave on your tour you should
have all of the gear you need for your journey and each time
you step on the bike to train, you should make sure that the bike
is fully packed and weighted down like it will be once you hit
the road.
Getting Your Parents Permission To
Go On A Bike Tour
No matter what your age, telling your parents that you are leav-
ing on a bicycle tour can be a difficult and scary task. Your par-
ents surely care about you and worry about your safety, so
when you fill them in on your plans for traveling long distances
on your bicycle, your overall well-being is going to be one of the
first things that pops into their minds.
I was seventeen years old and a senior in high school when I
first told my parents about my plans for cycling down the Califor-
nia coastline. As you can imagine, they were less than thrilled.
They probably thought I was crazy and I know they were hop-
ing I would forget about the idea in a couple months. But I didnt
forget about the idea! In fact, my dreams of cycling from Ore-
gon to Mexico became that much stronger as the months pro-
gressed.
So how did I go about convincing my parents that I could not
only make my bicycle tour happen, but also convince them that
the ride would be a good idea? And how can you do the same?
The following are five easy things that you can do to help con-
vince your parents that your bicycle tour will be both safe and
rewarding:

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Do Your Research
Before you even mention to your parents that you are planning a
bike tour, do your research. If there is a book about the route
you plan to take, buy the book, read it, and plot out your jour-
ney on a map. Cruise the Internet and find out as much informa-
tion as you can about the places you will be cycling through. As
you are researching, think about any objections your parents
might have and then do your best to combat those objections
with physical facts and testimonials.
One of the biggest concerns for many parents is where you are
going to be sleeping each night. If this is your first bicycle tour,
dont tell your parents that you are going to be rolling off into
the woods and stealth camping. Instead, it is a good idea to
map out your route in complete detail and present your parents
with an itinerary and schedule of campgrounds, hotels, or other
accommodations in which you will be staying during your tour.
This can take a lot of time and effort, but it is often times the one
thing that parents need in order to feel comfortable with the idea
of letting you go out on your own and travel the world by bike.
Find Someone Who Has Ridden A Similar Route
If you can find someone who has traveled the same or similar
route that you plan to ride, this is one of the best things to use to
your advantage.
In my case, I used my Uncle Tom who had just returned from a
bicycle tour in Ireland. I had him come up to my house and talk
to my parents about the practicality of my ride. He was able to
convince my parents that not only was my ride down the Califor-
nia Coastline possible, but that it would likely be a life changing
event for me as a young adult. Boy was he right!
If you cant find a physical person to talk to your parents for
you, try and find someone on the Internet to talk to. Find some-
one who has traveled a route similar to the one you plan to ride
and drill them for information. Even if you cant get a hold of the
person via email or phone, at least look at what theyve written
and present that material to your parents when you do finally
make your case.
Another approach you might take is to use the website, articles,
and interviews at BicycleTouringPro.com as a way of convincing
your parents that a bicycle tour is a good idea. Many young
riders have written to me saying that my website alone was the
biggest help in convincing their parents that their plans for a bi-
cycle tour was a good idea. Get your parents on the website
and let them look at the information Ive made available. As al-
ways, youre welcome to email me and I will do my best to help
in any way that I can.


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Take A Test Ride
If you and/or your parents are unsure as to whether you have
the physical and mental stamina needed for a long-distance bike
tour, a test ride might be in order. Before my first bicycle tour in
2001, I did two short three-day test rides down the California
coastline. These short rides helped me to figure out what kind of
gear I would need, how much research I needed to do before I
left home, and what I should expect while out on the road.
If your parents dont think you can do a long-distance tour, chal-
lenge them to let you do a short test ride and prove your ability.
If you can ride for a week straight, then you can surely ride for a
month or more!
Be Prepared
An important part of presenting your case to your parents is be-
ing prepared. I already talked about doing your research, but
you also need to be prepared physically, mentally, and finan-
cially.
If you are completely out of shape and you tell your parents that
you want to spend two or more months on your bicycle, they
arent going to think you can do it! Before you even make your
case to your parents, get yourself in shape (or at least start work-
ing on it). I dont think it is necessary to join a gym in most
cases. Instead, just get out on your bicycle and ride! Cycling is
the best thing you can do to prepare your body for the demands
of a long-distance bicycle tour.
Secondly, you need to be mentally prepared for the road
ahead. Much of this has to do with your planning and research,
but more importantly, you have to believe that you are capable
of completing the task ahead of you (Ill talk about this more in
just a second).
Finally, you need to be able to convince your parents that you
have the equipment and funds necessary to make your bicycle
tour a reality. If you dont have the gear or money needed to
make your trip happen, you need to come up with a plan before
you approach your parents. You dont need a lot of money for
bicycle touring and you dont need the best gear in the world.
But there is a certain level of equipment and funds that you
should have before presenting your case to the parental units.
Believe In Yourself
Lastly, you need to believe in yourself. Youve likely been dream-
ing of a bicycle tour for some time and you know its something
youd like to do, but do you REALLY BELIEVE that you can do it?
Because you have to believe! YOU HAVE TO BELIEVE IN YOUR-
SELF!

99
For many people, if their friends or family start to criticize their
dreams or tell them that they are unable to do what theyve set
out to do, they become complacent and bend to the wishes of
those around them. When some people are told that they cant
do something, they suddenly start thinking, Maybe theyre
right? Maybe I cant do it? Im telling you now you cant be
one of those people!
If you are planning a bicycle tour and are worried about what
your parents might think or say when you tell them about your
plans, youve got to get over this! You have to wholeheartedly
believe that you are going to make your bicycle tour happen. If
you dont believe in yourself and your own abilities, then your
parents are going to have a hard time believing in you as well.







How To Come Up With A Budget
Bicycle touring can cost a lot and it can cost very little. De-
pending on the type of tour you plan to take, you may spend
thousands of dollars in as little as a week, or you might survive
on hundreds for months and months on end.
Coming up with a budget for your bike tour is really very difficult
and it depends very much on where you are going, what type of
your you are going on, how uncomfortable you are willing to
be, and what type of lifestyle you are used to living.
Because bicycle touring budgets are so difficult to determine
ahead of time, Id like to use a recent trip to Aruba as an exam-
ple and show you how I planned out a budget for this short 10
day adventure.
The long version is just that long. But the short version is this:
I have an envelope at home labeled Play Account and I use
the money in that envelope to do things that I consider to be fun.
My Play money is used for things like going out to the movies,
going bowling with friends, and taking bicycle trips.
The secret to my Play Account envelope is that I can only use
the money in the envelope for things I consider to be fun. When
the money runs out, I cant do any of these fun activities until I

100
get more money in the envelope.
After purchasing my airline ticket to Aruba, a new folding bicy-
cle, and obtaining free accommodations at an inland resort, I
only had $180 USD left in my Play Account envelope, so that
was my budget for the trip to Aruba.
The way I plan my bike trips, I simply take a look at how much
money I have and then try and figure out a way to plan a trip
around that amount.
Instead of saying, This trip is going to cost me $1,000 I simply
look at how much money I have and how long I plan to be out
on the road and then figure out my daily budget allowance
based on that amount.
For this trip to Aruba, I had $180 in my Play Account enve-
lope and my trip was going to be 10 days long, so I had a daily
budget allowance of $18.00. I stuck to the budget while I was
in Aruba and came home with money to spare!
Another example I could share with you is from my first bike trip
down the coast of California. I was seventeen years old and
straight out of high school at the time. I only had a couple hun-
dred dollars in the bank, so that was my budget for the trip. It
wasnt a lot of money, but I figured out a way to make it work.
If I had waited around and said to myself, This trip is going to
cost me $800, but I didnt have $800 in the bank, the trip
would have never happened and I would have missed out on an
incredible opportunity.
So I always work with what I have. I try to get a sense of what I
will need before I leave, but in the end, my budget is usually
determined by what I have and not by what I need.















101
Planning Your Route
The most important thing about planning a bicycle tour is that
you have fun doing it! For me (and for many others) planning
the tour is almost as much fun as the tour itself. So keep this in
mind: The planning process should be something you have fun
doing!
That said, I want to point out that there are numerous ways to go
about planning for a tour, but like many topics discussed in this
book, I am going to show you the way that I go about the plan-
ning process. My hope is that you can take what Ive done here
and twist it for your own use. Sound good? Then lets begin!
To start, you need to have a general idea of where you want to
go. For today, I am going to use my 2005 bicycle tour through
Washington, Oregon, and British Columbia as an example.
For this tour, I knew that I wanted to travel down the Pacific
Coast of the United States and cross off both Washington and
Oregon as states that I had ridden through. I also knew that I
wanted to attend the Adventure Cycling Leadership Training
Camp that took place in Port Townsend, Washington on the
15th and 16th of April. Other than that, my schedule was pretty
open and I was free to travel where I pleased.
The first thing I did was create an Excel document. (If you dont
have Microsoft Excel on your computer, there are a number of
free spreadsheet programs you can use instead.)
Once in Excel (my spreadsheet software program), I created a
spreadsheet with columns titled, Day #, Date, From, To, Accom-
modations, Details, Miles and Kilometers.





Note: You can follow along with me by downloading my free
Tour Planning Spreadsheet here (An Excel document). This
spreadsheet contains my Example itinerary that I used to plan
my 2005 Bicycle Tour. It also contains two other spreadsheets
that are all set up and ready for you to use as you plan your
next big adventure. In the event that you do not want to
download this document, I have copied portions of the spread-
sheet below so that you can follow along.
Then I added the numbers 1-45 in the column titled, Day #. I
knew I only had about a month and a half for this tour, so I
started right away by limiting the number of days I could sched-
ule to be on my bike.

102
Next, I decided that I was going to start the tour in Seattle, as
this would be an easy place to find transportation to and it
was incredibly close to Port Townsend, which was where the
Adventure Cycling Leadership Training Camp would take place.
So I added my hometown (Oxnard) to the first day in the From
column.
I then looked for plane and train tickets to Seattle. I found a train
ticket from Oxnard to Seattle for $208.00 and using a $125
voucher I had received from Amtrak (because of a train I was on
that ended up being 22 hours late), I would only have to pay
$83 for transportation to Seattle. The train would take two days
to get there, so I added this information to the itinerary.
Under the Details column, I added all the information about
my train: including the time it left Oxnard, the time it was sup-
posed to arrive in Seattle, the cost, the train number, etc.
Under the Miles and Kilometers columns, I added 0 as the
miles/kilometers I want to keep track of on this itinerary are only
the miles that I will be riding on my bicycle (not miles/kilometers
traveled by train, plane, or automobile).
I then figured out that I needed just one day to explore Seattle
and another day to ride to Port Townsend, so I scheduled in the
subsequent days.
Youll note that I added the dates to the itinerary as well. My
train left Oxnard on April 11th and arrived in Seattle on April
12th. The following day I would ride only six miles to Bain-
bridge Island (The first day of your tour should always be short
so that you dont over exert yourself in the beginning). The day
after that I would ride to Port Townsend (38 miles a short day
as well) and the following day the Leadership Training Camp
would begin.
The Leadership Training Camp would end on the morning of the
17th and I would leave Port Townsend that day and travel
across the bay to the small town of Oak Harbor, where my
friends parents had just recently moved. It was a free place to

103
stay and it was along the way, so I added it to the itinerary.
Note how I have added the details of the accommodations for
the tour to the itinerary. The first night I would be sleeping on the
train, so I made a note of it and colored the cell for that day
green. Green means that I have secured a place to sleep for the
night. Red means I do not have a place to sleep. As we go
along, you will see how I use this color scheme to plot out which
nights were covered and which ones were not.
On day two I added the Crowne Plaza Hotel to my
Accommodations column. The hotel was nice enough to do-
nate a room in the heart of Seattle for the first night of my tour,
so I added their information to the itinerary. (Click here to learn
how to get free hotel rooms for your bicycle tours.)
Days three and four I could not find a place to sleep at night, so
I marked those nights in red and knew that I was going to have
to find accommodations for those two nights once I was out on
the road. I ended up spending day three in a campground and
day four at the hostel in Port Townsend where the Leadership
Training Camp would take place.
Nights five and six would be spent at the hostel in Port Town-
send and night number seven was to be spent at Wess par-
ents house.
Are you following all this? I hope so because Im not going to
go much further. I think you get the point by now.
I take it day by day, marking down my destination for the night,
the number of miles/kilometers I need to ride in order to get to
that destination, and then try and find accommodations for the
evening.
I usually try and find as many accommodations as I can before I
leave on tour.
For me, finding a place to sleep each night is the most stressful
part of touring. I do most of my tours with little or no money, so
staying in hotels or even hostels is usually not an option. I usu-
ally try and find free or extremely cheap campgrounds, friends
to stay with, or strangers who are kind enough to open up their
homes for a night or two.
If I cant find a place to sleep in advance, I mark it in red on my

104
itinerary and know that I am going to have to find a place to
sleep that night when I am out on the road.
I also do my best to not go for more than three days without a
place to stay. Ive found that if you go for more than three days
without a place stay, you can become very stressed, very de-
pressed, and very dirty!
Which brings up a good point!
I talk a lot about feeling at home out on the road and part of
actually feeling at home on a long distance bicycle tour has to
do with the way you plan your tour before you even leave
home.
For me, when Im planning a tour, I like to plan the tour in such
a way that I do not go for more than two days without having
something on the itinerary that I am looking forward to. Ive
found that if I go for more than two days without something to
look forward to, I can become very depressed (and depression
is something you want to avoid at all costs when riding your
bike for long distances at a time with no one to talk to and hun-
dreds or thousands of miles in front of you).

To prevent myself from ever becoming depressed out on the
road, I use the tour planning process to mark out fun and excit-
ing things to do and see along the way.
Example: In Seattle I wanted to see the market where they
throw the fish around. This gave me something to look forward
to right away! After that I was looking forward to the ferry ride
over to Port Townsend. Then I was looking forward to the Lead-
ership Training Camp. And finally, I was able to look forward to
seeing Wess parents and their new home in Oak Harbor.
Do you see what Im doing here?
Im constantly giving myself something to look forward to, even
if that something is as simple as taking a ferry over to an is-
land. These are the types of things that you want to make note of
when you are planning your tour. If you go for more than a few
days without something to look forward to, you may be like me
and become depressed and overcome with anxiety about all the
miles that lay ahead of you.
Note: I like to use the two day rule when planning my trips. I
can go for two days without something to look forward to, but
three days is pushing it. This is the number that works for me, but
others may be able to go for longer distances without any such
excitement. Figuring out how long you can go without something
to look forward to is something you will figure out as you ride.
Another important part of planning your tour is plotting it all out
on a map.

105
When Im planning a long distance bike tour, I begin with a
regular road map for the area(s) I will be riding through. I get
my maps for free from AAA because I am a member. If they
dont have the map Im looking for, I usually just buy a cheap
map from Amazon.com.
Once I have my map in hand, I use pencil to lightly outline the
roads I will be taking to get to my destination each night.
Which brings up the question, How do you know which roads
you can ride on and which ones you cant?
This is a good question and one that I still struggle with some-
times when planning my own tours.
If you are planning a tour on one of the established bike paths
in the United States (like the Pacific Coast or TransAm route)
then your best bet is to purchase the Adventure Cycling maps.
These maps tell you just about everything you need to know in
regards to which roads you can travel on, where you can stay at
night, and what sort of services you can find along the way.
However, if youre planning a tour for which a detailed map
does not exist, youre going to be on your own and deciding
where you ultimately go is up to you and you alone!
If this is the case, the advice I can give here is that in most cases
around the world you can ride on nearly every local road and
state highway but you cannot ride your bike on the Freeway!
(There are exceptions to this rule of course).
Sometimes even local roads will be closed to bicyclists (i.e. for
special events, parades, street fairs, etc). Many state highways
can be closed as well (i.e. for road resurfacing, landslides, ma-
jor traffic accidents, etc). And at times, riding on the Freeway is
either mandatory or your only option.
There are times when the road you want to ride on will be
closed. There will be times when the road has been dug up or
destroyed and you have to take it. There will be times when you
get to the road on your map, only to find that the road itself no
longer exists. These things happen and they are part of what
makes a bicycle tour such an adventure.
Instead of stressing over which roads you can and cannot take,
use the general rule laid out here, which says that you can travel

106
on just about any major road except for freeways.
I have copied a state map of Utah below and pointed out which
roads you can ride on and which ones you should avoid. The
rules Ive laid out here are pretty much the same throughout the
United States and all over the world, however, they may vary
depending on the country and/or area you find yourself riding
through.
If you need more help planning your tour or finding out which
roads are safe to take and which ones to avoid, you can do
what I do and use Google Earth to view satellite photos of the
roads and determine whether the area you plan to ride through
looks safe.
Lastly, if you are unsure as to which roads you can take or you
need further assistance planning your tour, try and find someone
who has traveled a similar path and ask him or her for assis-
tance. Find a cyclist who has traveled a route similar to the one
you hope to do and ask for his or her advice. Most cyclists are
more than happy to help.
Bonus #1: Ive created some free documents that you can use
to help plan your next bicycle adventure.
Tour Planning Itinerary (PDF You need Adobe Reader
to view and print this document)

Tour Planning Itinerary & Example Tour (Excel document)
You can download Google Earth, Adobe Reader, and a
bunch of other cool free software by clicking here.
Dont forget the planning process should be fun! If you arent
having fun planning your bicycle tour, then you need to take a
break, go outside, ride your bike, and then come back to the
planning process at a later point in time.
Bonus #2: For an in-depth article about bike tour planning,
check out the following article, which contains photos, videos,
trip planning advice and more:
http://bicycletouringpro.com/blog/trip-planning-aruba
Remember: If you have any questions about planning for a
long distance, self-supported bicycle expedition, please dont
hesitate to contact me. Im happy to help in any way that I can!






107
Two Weeks Before You Leave Home
Imagine: Youre two weeks away from the start of your epic
long-distance bicycle adventure and youre both nervous and
excited about the events that are to come. Youre excited about
the possibilities, but nervous about everything that could go
wrong. More than anything, youre concerned about your ability
to feel at home out on the road. You know the riding will be fun,
but what about the nights in your tent, sleeping on the ground,
living out of your bags? What is that going to be like? And how
in the world are you going to prepare yourself for this extreme
change of lifestyle?
Heres how you become more comfortable out on the road be-
fore you even leave your home:
Two weeks before you leave on your tour, pack up your bike
with every single piece of gear you are going to need for your
tour. Put all the gear on your bike and act as though you were
leaving on your trip at his very moment.
Once youve got your bike packed, start living off of your bike.
Cook with the stove. Eat with the pots and utensils you will be
carrying. Practice packing and unpacking the bike every single
day. Act as though you were on tour and living out of your bike
at this very moment.
When night comes around, blow up your sleeping mat, whip out
your sleeping bag, and sleep on the floor. Or better yet, set up
your tent in the yard and sleep outside. Be sure to pack your
panniers and all your other gear inside the tent with you. Lock
up your bike and secure your belongings.
In the morning, pack up your things. Use your toiletry kit and
camp towel when you go to the bathroom or take a shower. Roll
up your tent and sleeping bag and pack your bike again.
Do this every single day for two weeks before you leave on tour
and by the time you actually leave you will be comfortable living
off of your bike.
One of the added benefits of doing this before you leave on tour
is that by living this way you ensure you have everything you
will need for the tour. Its better to find out you forgot something
when you are still at home than to discover your blunder once
you are out on the road and in desperate need of that forgotten
item.
Live off of your bike for two weeks before you leave on tour and
youll learn to be at home out on the road!




108
The Anxiety That Builds Up Before A
Bike Tour
When you first start planning your big bicycle adventure, youre
filled with excitement. Its great to think about the roads ahead
the possibilities the fun. The planning stage is a wonderful
time for any bike tour and you should enjoy every minute of it.
But as your tour grows closer and closer, those feelings of joy
and excitement may rapidly change to feelings of fear and anxi-
ety.
Suddenly, youre thinking about everything that could go wrong.
Youre thinking about your obligations at home. Youre thinking
of the time you will be spending away from your friends and
family. And more than anything else, you begin to doubt your
capabilities and the success of the tour itself.
This feeling of tour anxiety often pops up in the last week before
you leave on your trip. For some, the anxiety may come sooner
or later. For others, tour anxiety may not show up until youre
out on the road and the wind starts to blow and things begin to
get tough.
If youre planning a tour and anxiety has suddenly shown its
ugly head, dont fret! This is normal and the feelings will pass.
The important thing to note about the anxiety you are feeling
now is that it will surely go away. How long it will take to go
away, however, is dependent entirely upon you and the way
that you think.
Instead of worrying about your responsibilities back home, the
animals you may encounter out on the road, and your fear of
the unknown stop whatever you are doing and breathe. Eve-
rything will be okay! What you are likely feeling is a fear of
change.
Its difficult to think that for the next few days, weeks, months, or
years that you will be living on your bike. Its tough to think
about the fact that you wont know where you are going to sleep
at night, when you will be able to shower, or if you will have the
money to get you to your next destination.
You shouldnt worry about these things however, because in the
end, it is these things that make bicycle touring so exciting!
The fear and anxiety that you feel before you leave on tour can
extend into the beginning of your trip, but after a few days out
on the road, youll begin to realize that youre doing okay.
Youll suddenly realize that you feel good, youre putting in the
mileage, youre rested, and youre having fun. Before you know
it, those feelings of fear and anxiety will be totally gone and
what youll be left with is complete and utter joy. Enjoy the ride!

109
First Day Depression
It happens every time. I get off the plane in a panic, rush to put
my bike together, sprint to the hotel, and then have a total melt-
down. Suddenly, the plans and ideas I once had about my bike
trip vanish and all Im left with is fear and doubt.
On the first day of my bike trips I always think to myself, Can I
really do this? Am I ready for this? I cant do this alone. This isnt
as much fun as I thought it was going to be. And why in the
world do I keep doing this to myself?
This isnt some story Im making up either. Its real and it hap-
pens to me on almost all of my long-distance bicycle adventures.
And I know Im not the only person who has had this experience
on day one of a bicycle adventure so I thought it was a topic I
should write about and share with you now.
On the first day of your bike tour youre likely to have a million
thoughts running through your head. Many of them will be
good, but some of those thoughts will be bad. Youll be doubt-
ing yourself, thinking about everything that could go wrong, and
worrying about things back home. This is normal; so dont can-
cel your trip just yet!
Ive talked to more people whove quit on the first day of a bike
trip than you can imagine. It really is incredible how many peo-
ple plan out a bike tour, make all the necessary preparations,
and then on day one, back out of the trip entirely and go home
with their heads hung in disgrace.
The important thing to note about the first day of a bike trip is
that it is only the first day. Its kind of like your first day of work
at a new job. Youre excited, but scared all at the same time.
But unlike a job, bicycle touring is supposed to be fun. So why
the heck do you feel so bad?
There are a number of reasons why you are feeling this way.
You could be tired, hungry, depressed, filled with anxiety, or
simply doubting your own capabilities. The important thing is to
acknowledge the fact that this is only the first day and that things
will get better in the future.
You should know going into your tour that you are likely to feel
this way. If youre lucky it may not happen at all, but its likely
that it will.
One of the best things you can do if you are feeling like this on
the first day of your bike tour is to get some sleep.
When you wake up in the morning you will have made it past
your first day and you will be in an entirely different mood (A
better mood hopefully).
One of the keys to success when touring by bike is that you just

110
keep going. Set your eyes on the horizon and ride! This can be
difficult at first, but after a few days youll wonder what all the
fuss was about and youll truly begin to enjoy yourself.
If you find yourself suddenly depressed on the first day of your
bike trip, I recommend you get some sleep, slow yourself down,
and do what you can to enjoy the ride.








The Three Major Hurdles
On just about every long-distance bicycle tour I have taken in the
past, I have found there to be three (3) major hurdles that you
have to over come. But if you can overcome these specific hur-
dles, then your bicycle tour will continue without a hitch. Know-
ing about these hurdles in advance, however, will not only help
you understand that these feelings are normal, but it will, hope-
fully, allow you to push past these difficult moments when/if they
arise.
Hurdle #1: Making The Decision
The first major hurdle you have to make when on a bike tour is
actually making the decision to do it! For many people this is
actually the most difficult part about bicycle touring. The deci-
sion to hit the road and leave behind all the comforts of home is
incredibly difficult for some people and it is a major hurdle for
many people to overcome.
Even if you have already decided to leave home on a long-
distance bike tour, the fear and anxiety that often times accom-
panies your upcoming tour may have you questioning whether
this is a good idea or not.
Understand that these feeling are normal. Dont back out now!

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Hurdle #2: The First Three Days
Once you do get out on the road, expect for the first three days
to be difficult. During this time you will be learning about your
bike, adjusting your packs, being whipped into shape, and have
a million different thoughts running through your head.
During the first three days of your trip, keep the mileage low and
do your best to find a slow, natural rhythm that you will be com-
fortable with for the remainder of your tour.
It is during the first three days of any long-distance bicycle jour-
ney that most people consider quitting. It is, quite understanda-
bly, difficult for some people to imagine how many miles they
have ahead of them and it is during this time that many peo-
ple consider giving up.
But dont give up! If you can push past the first few days, you
will get into a rhythm and, believe it or not, you will start to feel
at home.
Hurdle #3: Life On The Road
After the first few days of riding, you may find that you are
really beginning to enjoy yourself while out on the bike. At this
point, bicycle touring gets easy. You start to have fun while on
the bike and you are actually liking the process of being in a
new place every night.
But somewhere along the way (usually between the 2-4 week
mark), you may start to experience some bicycle touring leth-
argy.
During this time, you may begin thinking to yourself Im having
fun, but whats the point?
It is at this point that you almost become bored with the idea of
bicycle travel. And its not because bicycle touring is boring, but
it has more to do with your goals and plans for the future.
Again, much like when you start working at a new job, you get
settled in and then begin thinking to yourself, Is this how I am
going to spend the rest of my life? the same thing happens
when you go on along bicycle tour. You begin to think, Is this
what I am going to be doing for the next several weeks, months,
or years?
These thoughts are normal however, and if you can push past
them, you will once again find enjoyment in your ride.
Its all about knowing that these hurdles are normal and if you
can push past them, then you will once again fall in love with
long-distance bicycle travel.



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Lodging Options
While planning your tour, you want to consider where you will
be staying each night. Where you stay will in many ways deter-
mine your route and the budget for your trip.
While traveling by bike, you have any number of options in re-
gards to the locations you may choose to spend the night, but
Id like to highlight five of your major options here.
Hotels & Motels
A hotel/motel is a great place to spend the night while on your
travels because it gives you a place to wash up, get some sleep,
fill up your water bottles, and get a small dash of privacy. An-
other big advantage to staying in hotels while traveling by bike
is that if you plan to stay in hotels and motels for the duration of
your tour, then you can usually leave your camping gear at
home and then will make your bike much, much lighter.
The downside of staying in hotels is that they can be expensive
and because they are private accommodations, you wont be
forced to interact with other people, which could limit you and
the amount of experiences you have while out on the road.

Camping
Camping is a great way to spend your evenings when traveling
by bike. Not only is camping an inexpensive way to rest up
while on your travels, but it is a great way to meet other people
and get a greater appreciation for the outdoors.
The down side to camping is that now everyone likes to do it.
Many people find camping to be scary, uncomfortable, and in-
timidating. Another downside to camping in an established
camping area is that these areas are often full of cars and SUVs,
which do not create the best camping environments.
Stealth/Wild Camping
If you want to camp, but arent a fan of car camping or camp-
ing amongst a group of giant RVs, you might consider stealth
camping (or wild camping). Stealth camping is when y ou sim-
ply roll off into the woods somewhere, set up camp for the night,
and then depart the next morning without letting anyone find
you in your camping spot. Ill talk more about stealth camping in
the next chapter of this book, but for now, just know that stealth
camping is an option and it is a great way to create some really
memorable camping spots while on your travels.
Of course, stealth camping is not for everyone and it is some-
thing that many people will need to work up to.

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Apartment & Home Rentals
For bicycle travelers who plan to be on the road for an extended
period of time, you always have the option of renting an apart-
ment or home. You can often times find apartments to rent on a
daily, weekly, or monthly basis that often times cost less than
what you would pay if you were to simply rent a hotel room for
that same duration. Staying in an apartment or private home for
an extended period of time is a great way to get to know a spe-
cific area and it can really save you a lot of money when com-
pared to paying for a hotel or other such accommodation each
night.
The downside here, once again, is that being in a private apart-
ment or home takes you away from other travelers and forces
you to be alone most of the time. If you choose to stay in such a
place while on your travels, you will have to force yourself to get
out and meet people if you do not want to constantly be alone.
Staying With Strangers, Friends & Family
Finally, you do have the option of staying with your friends,
families or complete strangers. I start each of my bicycle tours by
contacting friends and family to let them know where I am going
and to ask if they or anyone they know would be willing to host
me for a night or two. This is a great way to get free accommo-
dations for your travels.
Finding strangers who are willing to let you come into their
home or camp in their yard is something you can do as well
and it is easier to do than you might think. As much as they me-
dia does to portray the world as a horrible, scary place, there
really are a lot of great people out there and if you meet the
right ones and ask them nicely, they might just invite you into
their home.
So you see, there are a number of different possibilities when it
comes to finding a place to sleep while on your travels. You can
get a hotel or motel room, camp in a private campground, roll
off into the woods, rent a private home or apartment, or be a bit
more daring and ask a stranger for a free place to stay.








114
How To Get Free Hotels & Camp-
grounds For Your Travels
When I began planning my forth long-distance bicycle tour (a
route that would take me from Chicago, Illinois to New Orleans,
Louisiana), I began to think about the idea of staying in hotels.
It was a great idea, but there was only one problem and it
was a big problem! I didnt have any money!
I was 20 years old at the time; a junior in college; working just
a few hours a week at an on-campus job for somewhere around
$6.00 an hour. My bank account had just enough money in it to
buy myself food, but not much more!
It certainly wasnt enough to cover the $99.00 per night fee that
most hotels were charging at the time.
So what did I do?
I sat down and drew out a plana plan that would in just a few
short weeks get me free accommodations for EVERY SINGLE
NIGHT of my upcoming bicycle tour (except for three nights
where I was forced to camp).
After receiving 27 free hotel rooms on that single bike tour, I
used the same tactics the following summer to receive thousands
of dollars of additional free places to stay.
It was around this time that I realized that other people might be
interested in learning about how to get free hotels and camp-
grounds for their own travels.
So, I put together a book called The Ultimate Guide To Free
Lodging, which takes you by the hand and shows you exactly
what I did to get those free hotel rooms and walks you
through the process so that you can go out there and get thou-
sands of dollars worth of free accommodations for yourself.
If you are planning to stay in one or more hotels/motels on your
next bicycle tour, then I highly suggest you check out my free
lodging guide.
You can read more about it here:
http://bicycletouringpro.com/blog/lodging





115
Internet Lodging Resources
If you dont mind meeting strangers and sleeping in other peo-
ples homes, you might consider looking into the following web-
sites, each of which consists of a database of people from
around the world who are willing to open up their homes and
host travelers like you for a night or two.
www.Warmshowers.org
Warm Showers is a special list, because it is a list consisting of
traveling cyclists. The people on this list are usually cyclists them-
selves and many of them have been on bicycle tours at some
point in their own life. This is a very cool thing because when
you show up at these peoples homes, you instantly have some-
thing to talk to them about. They will know what you are doing
and because they ride a bike too, you will instantly be con-
nected to them in some small way.
www.Couchsurfing.org
www.Globalfreeloaders.com
The sites at couchsurfing.com and globalfreeloaders.com are
both very similar. Each of these websites consist of a list of peo-
ple from around the world who host travelers in generalnot
specifically people who travel by bike. Many of the people on
this list are used to hosting backpackers and nomads, so they
may not all have room for you and your bicycle, but its worth a
try nevertheless.
I have personally stayed with countless individuals on all three of
these lists and I had a great time in each and every situation.
Staying with strangers does take some guts, but if you are will-
ing to give it a try, it can save you a huge amount of money and
give you some experiences you may not ever forget.










116







CHAPTER THREE
On The Road



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Getting Your Gear To The Start
Many bicycle adventures start with a trip by plane, train, or
automobile. In order to start your bicycle tour, youve got to get
to the place where your tour will begin. And unless you are start-
ing and ending from your home, getting there and coming back
can be a great challenge.
In the following paragraphs I will attempt to explain to you what
you need to know in order to travel with your bike on a plane,
train, boat, or bus.
Airplanes
Flying on a airplane with a bicycle is becoming more and more
difficult. Many airlines now charge hundreds of dollars per di-
rection for passengers flying with a bicycle and yet, other air-
lines seem to still be catering to traveling cyclists and their bikes.
Over the past ten years I have flown with my bicycle dozens
and dozens of times and here are some of the lessons I have
learned:
First of all, put your bike in a box. There are companies that
make specially made bike boxes and these are great, but often
not ideal for the traveling cyclist who may be starting his or her
tour in one location and ending in another. If you fly with a high-
end bike box, your bike is likely to get to your starting location
in great shape, but the question then ariseswhat do you do
with the bike box now?
When I fly with my bike, I just go to my local bike shop and ask
for a free cardboard bike box. Because most local bike shops
are constantly selling and assembling new bicycles, they usually
have a large supply of cardboard bike boxes that they are
happy to get rid of. So, go to your local shop (the earlier, the
better) and ask if you can have a cardboard bike box. I have
never been charged a single cent for a box, but it might be a
good idea to buy something else from the shop or give them a
small donation. Also, be sure that the box is big enough to hold
your bicycle. Because bicycles come in various sizes, the boxes
they are shipped in also come in a number of different sizes. So
be sure to get the right sized box for your bike.
Once youve got your bike box, it is time to disassemble your
bike and place it inside. In order to do this, remove the seat post
and saddle, take off the front wheel and rack, remove the ped-
als, and twist your handlebars sideways. Then slide the frame of
the bike (with the rear wheel still on) into the bike box. Then,
carefully place the front wheel, pedals, and seat post back in-
side the box.
I usually stuff a few other items (like my tent, sleeping bag and
sleeping mat) inside the box as wellif there is room. This helps

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to eliminate the sheer volume of stuff I need to carry outside of
the bike box itself.
Then, once youve got everything inside the bike box, fold up
the box and tape it shut with a massive amount of mailing tape.
You do not want your bike box to fall apart while in transit, so
make sure you do a good job taping up the box.
Then, with your bike box in hand, check in at the airport. Be
sure to check out your airlines policy for flying with a bicycle
before you purchase a ticket with them and to be sure you
dont get screwed with a surprise fee while checking in at the
gate, be sure to watch this video:
http://bicycletouringpro.com/blog/airline-bicycle-hack
After checking in your bike, you will then fly to your destination
and pick up your bicycle in the luggage retrieval area. In many
airports there is a special area that you need to go to in order to
pick up oversized baggage, so be sure to seek out this area
upon your arrival.
After getting your bike, you have two choices.
The first is to put your bike together right there in the airport. In
order to do this, you need to find a low-traffic area that is out of
the way and in an area where airport security will not mind you
taking up a little space and creating a bit of a mess. I usually
like to try and find a place just outside the airport to but my bike
together, but this is not always possible and it can be incredi-
bly difficult to do if you are alone and attempting to carry your
bike box plus all your additional gear. But either way, find a
place to put all your stuff down, rip open your bike box, and as
quickly as you possibly can put your bike back together.
Then, once you have your bike assembled, throw away the card-
board bike box in a nearby trashcan or dumpster and ride off.
Your second option (the one that I typically prefer) is to have
made previous arrangements for a shuttle or taxi from the airport
to a nearby hotel or other such lodging accommodation.
Using this strategy, you will simply pick up your bike box and all
of your other gear and load it into a waiting vehicle. That vehi-
cle will them drive you to a hotel, motel, or nearby camp-
ground where you then take your time putting your bike to-
gether.
I prefer this second method because, while it does cost a little
extra money, it can be a huge pain in the butt to try and find a
place to quickly assemble your bicycle in the middle of a
crowded airport. And in many cases, airport security will not
allow you to take apart your bike and use a multi-tool (many
knifes) inside the airport grounds. The trick, however, is to some-
how get your bike assembled once you get off the plane.

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Trains
Traveling with your bike on a train can be just as tricky (even
more difficult in some cases) a traveling with a bicycle on a
plane. Each train company and each train line has different
rules for traveling with a bike, so you need to do your research
and plan ahead if you intend on taking your bike on a train.
In my experience, I have found that there are two main ways to
travel on a train with a bicycle.
The first way to get your bike onboard a train is to pack it inside
a cardboard bike box much like we did when packing it for a
trip by plane. In this case, the bike is treated like oversized bag-
gage and placed in a special car, where it is then transported
and removed once you reach your destination.
If you box your bike and have it stored outside of a car where
you plan on sitting, be sure the conductor remembers to remove
your bike once you get off the train. Often times the passenger
will get off, but the bike will keep going so dont get off the
train unless your bike has gotten off with you!
The other way to travel with a bike is to bring your bike onboard
and store it with you in the car in which you are riding. Some
trains are built with bicycle racks for this specific purpose, but
many trains are not.
When bring your bike into your train car, hand it up on the pro-
vided bike rack if possible. If this is not an option, place the bike
in an area where this is little to no foot traffic. Often times, this
means carrying the bike all the way to the back of the train and
placing it in the rear-most car. Ask the conductor where he or
she would like you to place your bike and be prepared to pay
an extra fee if bringing your bike onboard. Not all train systems
charge for traveling with a bike, but many of them do and
some of them even require that you obtain a special permit be-
fore you get onboard. Be sure to do your research in advance!
Finally, I should note that if you are planning to bring your bike
onboard the train with you, traveling with a folding bicycle may
come in handy. Full-sized bicycles are large and oddly shaped,
which make them difficult to store onboard a train. Folding
bikes, however, take up way less room and many train compa-
nies will allow folding bicycles, nut not allow full-size bikes.
Again, it is important to do your research ahead of time and
find out what the bike policy is for the specific train(s) you plan
on riding.
If you want to read a real horror story about a recent train trip I
took with my bicycle through the mountains of Austria, read this:
http://bicycletouringpro.com/blog/austrian-conductor

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Buses
Packing for a trip by bus is very much like packing for a train. In
most cases, your bike will need to be boxed and stored under
the bus with the rest of the baggage. Again, a brown cardboard
bike box from your local bike shop is all your really need.
In some cases, however, it may be okay to not box your bike at
all. Some busses (usually on more local routes) have bike racks
on the front or rear of the bus, so if they have room, your bike
can ride in style on the outside of the bus itself.
Also, if you have a folding bicycle, it is usually enough to simply
fold the bike up and place it under the bus without any sort of
additional packaging. I recently traveled with my bike like this
on a trip from Northern Greece to Athens (in the south).
Again, the trick to traveling with your bicycle on a bus is to look
into the bus companys policies, ask ahead of time, make a res-
ervation if needed, and pack your bike well.
Boats
At some point in your travels you may wish to take your bike on
a boat or ferry in order to get from one place to the next.
Based on my experiences, you usually dont have to do any kind
of unpacking in order to transport your bicycle on a boat. In
most cases, you will simply roll your fully-loaded bike onto the
boat, lean it up against or secure it to a post or beam of some
kind, and then find a seat and enjoy the ride.
Overall, traveling with a bicycle on a boat is usually quite easy,
enjoyable, and inexpensive.
That said, I did recently take a boat from mainland Croatia to a
nearby island and the boat I planned on taking nearly did not
let me on because they had a policy against carrying bicycles of
any kind. The problem wasnt that they didnt have room for my
bicycle, because they most certainly had the room. The problem
was that they simply had a rule that they did not allow people to
put bicycles on their boat.
That said, I was able to get my bike on their boat and I made it
safely to my destination. But it was a close one!
If I had simply done more research in advance I would have
learned that this specific boat did not carry bicycles and I could
have made arrangements to go on a different ferry. In the end it
worked out, but it was once stressful situation that would have
easily been avoided with a little pre-planning.



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Getting Your Bicycle Home
Okay, so now its time for you to get your bike back home. You
are hundreds or maybe even thousands of miles away now and
you need to get your bike and your gear back home safely and
in once piece. In most cases, this is really quite easy to do.
In most cases, it is easy enough to go to a local bike shop lo-
cated in the city where your tour has come to and end and ask
them for a free cardboard bike box. Using the bike box, pack
up your bike just like you did at the beginning of your tour.
Then, with the bike in its packaging, get on your plane, train,
boat or bus and travel back home. This is how I end most of my
long distance bicycle adventures and it is easier to do than you
might think.
If you traveled to your starting location with a high-end bike box,
you may have shipped the bike box to your ending location. If
that is the case, you can use that same bike box to pack up your
bike and ship it back home with you.
Or, your final option is to pay to have your bike shipped with a
specialty athletic shipping company that specialized in mailing/
deliverying bicycles and other such over-sized equipment. De-
pending on where you are planning to travel to, how far apart
your home and your touring destinations are, this can be a great
option for getting your bike home at the end of a long trip.
What An Average Day Of Bicycle
Touring Looks Like
If you are new to bicycle travel, you might be thinking to your-
self, What exactly does an average day of bicycle touring look
like? By this I mean, What kind of schedule must one traveling
by bike keep in order to eat, sleep, travel a certain distance
each day, and still have time to stop and smell the roses along
the way.
This is a difficult question to answer because no two bike trips
are the same and every person has their own preferred means
of travel, but Ill attempt to answer this question by breaking
down my average bicycle touring day and showing you what
most of my days look like.
7:00 AM Wake up, break down my tent, (shower if
possible) and pack up my bike. If staying in a hotel, this
time is devoted to showering and packing.
8:00 AM Stop and have breakfast. (Note that I dont
usually eat as soon as I get up. If Im in a campground I
will usually eat and have a shower before I leave in the
morning, but if Im stealth camping I usually get out of
my hiding spot as soon as possible and then eat some-
where down the road.) If staying in a hotel, I try and
take advantage of their free breakfast (if they have one).

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8:30 AM After breakfast I start the serious riding for
the day. I usually ride in intervals of anywhere from 45
minutes to one hour at a time and then stop for just 3-5
minutes by leaning over my handlebars (not even get-
ting off my bike) and grabbing a good drink of water. I
may also stop to take photos or explore a passing area,
but these stops usually range from just 3-5 minutes. I will
repeat this process until I stop for lunch.
1:00 PM Somewhere along the way I will stop and
eat lunch. I usually try and find a park or some secluded
area where I can sit down and stare off into the distance
as I eat my peanut butter sandwich or whatever I might
happen to be eating.
1:45 PM After lunch I get back out on the road.
Again, Ill ride in 45 minute to 1 hour segments and
then stop for about 3-5 minutes just to catch my breath,
take a picture or grab a drink of water. I dont usually
drink from my water bottles while I am actually riding
my bike. I use my water breaks as an excuse to stop,
take a break, and enjoy my surroundings.
4:00 PM By this time I usually have most of my dis-
tance for the day totally covered. In fact, I might be to-
tally done riding by this time having covered any-
where from 40-100 miles. If Im done for the day, I
break camp or walk around town with my bike. If Im
not done or I plan to stealth camp, I continue riding until
about an hour before it gets dark.
6:00 PM By this time I usually (but not always) have
my tent set up and Ive changed out of my riding
clothes. Ill take a shower (if possible), eat dinner, then
spend some time writing in my journal, calling friends or
family back home, and then finish the night by reading.
8:00 PM After an especially long day of riding, Im
usually asleep (or at least inside my tent and trying to go
to sleep) by 8 PM. I may stay up reading or journaling
by flashlight if I have the energy. But otherwise, I usually
go to sleep as soon as it gets dark as there often times
isnt a whole lot you can do once night falls.
Then, the process starts all over again the next morning!
Note: This schedule is for your typical day of bike riding. If you
find yourself traveling at a much slower pace (as is typical for
the modern bicycle traveler) you will probably be doing a whole
lot less cycling and a lot more exploration. If this is the case,
your schedule is going to be entirely different and may, in many
ways at least, more closely reflect the schedule that you keep
when you are at homeleading your normal life.

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Finding The Right Pace For Your
Travels
Pacing yourself is extremely important when traveling long dis-
tances on your bike. For most of us at least, this isnt a race, and
so our pace is generally quite slowusually somewhere be-
tween 10-15 miles per hour.
There is no single pace that is perfect or ideal. Like many things
in the world of bicycle travel, the secret here is to find a pace
that works for you.
Finding the ideal pace for your travels is fairly straightforward
and simple when it comes to traveling by yourself, but when
traveling with a partner or even a large group, finding the ideal
pace can become somewhat problematic.
When riding with a partner or a group of other cyclists, it can
be almost impossible to find one single pace that will work for
everyone. Some people will want to go fast and others will want
to go slow. Some people will want to charge ahead and others
will want to stop and smell the roses.
The goal in the end is to find a pace that works for you. Just re-
member, bicycle travel (for most of us at least) isnt a race. Slow
down and enjoy yourself!
Riding With A Partner: Drafting Vs.
Splitting Up
If you plan to travel with a partner, there are a number of differ-
ent ways to ride with that individual.
For many people, traveling with a partner gives them the oppor-
tunity to draft off another cyclist (Drafting is when you ride close
behind your riding partner(s) so as to benefit from the reduction
in air pressure created behind the cyclist(s) riding out in front). In
many conditions, drafting off your riding partner is a great way
to increase the pleasure of your riding experience.
In most cases, you want to take turns drafting. One person
should ride in front for a while and then the other person can
ride in back. After a while, however, you should switch posi-
tions. This way the rider in front isnt having to do all the hard
work while the rider in the back gets to simply sit back and en-
joy the ride. Of course, there are times when the stronger cyclists
will have to carry the weaker rider along and in this case it
would do no good to put the weaker cyclist out in front. Instead,
the stronger cyclist simply has to suck it up and do what he can
to pull the weaker cyclist along.
Drafting is a great advantage for cyclists choosing to ride in
pairs and/or small groups.

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If you are planning to ride with a riding partner of some kind,
my only recommendation is that you ride in pairs and groups no
larger than 3. When there are 4 or more traveling cyclists all
grouped together on the road, you can form an obstacle that is
difficult for many passing vehicles to get around. Riding in
groups of 2 will allow you to draft and at the same time will
make it easy for cars to pass.
Also, if you plan to draft off the cyclist in front of you, be sure to
pay close attention to what he or she is doing. If they speed up
or slow down suddenly, you want to be sure than you can follow
suit.
Dont ride too close to the cyclist in front of you. I had a riding
partner on my first bike tour that liked to ride about 1cm away
from my rear tire and he was constantly bumping into me
whenever I would stop or slow down. This, of course, could
every quickly turn into a dangerous situation. So, dont ride too
close! But dont ride too far away either. Drafting takes some
practice, but it is one of the biggest benefits of riding with a
partner.
That said, riding with a partner does not mean that you have to
spend every waking minute of the day with that person. There
may be times when you want to split up, travel at your own
speed, or go off on your own for a while. In my mind, this is a
perfectly normal thing to do and something that I encourage.
If you plan to split up while traveling, here are my recommenda-
tions:
First of all, each cyclist needs to know what the ending location
for the day is going to be. This way, even if you get separated
from one another, each individual traveler can find his or her
way to the destination for the night. This ensures that no one per-
son is reliant on another person to get from one point to the
next. So, each day, make sure everyone in your group knows
where they are going and has some information as to how ex-
actly they are going to get there.
Secondly, dont be afraid to split up. Some cyclists feel that they
cant get more than a few feet apart from one another. This is
not the case! It is normal to ride with several dozen or even hun-
dred feet between you and your riding partner. The partner in
back should not be afraid that he is she is getting ditched if they
suddenly find themselves unable to see their riding partner out in
front. And at the same time, the cyclist in the front should not
have to go back and check on their lagging riding partner each
time he or she falls behind. Both parties need to be able capa-
ble of fending for themselves and riding apart from one another
at times.
Also, if you want to split up with your riding partner, I recom-
mend you do it in the country, rather than inside a big city. Cy-
cling in the city can be difficult and there are likely a number of

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different twists and turns that need to be made. If you want to
lose your riding partner, a big city is the place to do it. So, if
you want to keep your riding partner, keep him or her close
when riding through the city.
On the other hand, splitting up in the countryside is a whole lot
easier and highly recommend. Most country roads are easy to
navigate and usually do not consist of many necessary twists
and turns. When I ride with a partner, I make it a rule never to
make a turn onto a new road without first having my riding part-
ner with me. This way, if I am the rider in front, and I need to
make a right-hand turn onto a new road, I will sit and wait for
my lagging partner to catch up to me without making that par-
ticular turn. This way, I know that my riding partner has made
the correct turn as well and I dont have to worry that he or she
accidently passed the correct street and is now riding off, alone,
in the wrong direction.





Dealing With Extreme Weather
Being prepared for extreme weather is an essential part of mak-
ing your bicycle travels a success.
Much of being prepared for extreme weather conditions is about
having the right clothing with you. Deciding what clothing to
bring and what to leave at home is the tricky part.
To determine what type of clothes you need to bring, you need
to do a little research before you leave home. Find out how hot
it might get during the day and how cool it may get at night.
Once youve uncovered this information, go about getting
clothes that are appropriate for these weather conditions.
Below I have given a couple scenarios you might run into while
out on the road and Ive given you some suggestions on how
you might deal with these extreme weather conditions.
Rain:
Rain is likely going to be the most common extreme weather
condition you experience on your travels. Whether you are plan-
ning a summer or winter tour, youre likely to encounter at least
a little bit of rain.
When a rain shower does find you, be sure that youre carrying

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a good rain jacket and (depending on the conditions and your
personal preferences) a good pair of rain pants. Ive found that
the jacket is much more important than the pants, as I actually
find it refreshing at times to ride in the rain with just my bicycle
shorts. However, when it gets really bad, or I am riding in ex-
tremely cold conditions, my pants go on in a jiffy!
Many traveling cyclists, myself included, keep their rain clothes
buried in the bottom of their packs. This is fine, but you must be
prepared to get grab these essential clothing items quickly if a
storm does come your way.
If a storm approaches you suddenly and you dont want to stick
it out and ride in the downpour, you can use the rain fly from
your tent as a temporary shield against the rain. In this case, get
off your bike, remove the rain fly from your tent bag, throw it
over your bicycle and climb underneath it. Your bicycle will hold
the rain fly in place and you can simply crouch underneath and
keep yourself dry while the storm passes overhead. Its a fast
and easy way to get out a rainstorm that seems to have come
out of nowhere and its a good approach to escaping extreme
weather conditions when you dont want to tough it out and cy-
cle through the ill conditions.
Hail:
In most cases, the hail you encounter on a bicycle tour will be
small enough that it wont pose a threat. But once these tiny ice
balls become large enough that they start to hurt, make cover
quickly. Find a building, tree, or bridge to hide under. If nothing
is around, use the technique I describe above and use the rain
fly from your tent as a temporary shelter from the storm. Hail is
not something to be messed with. Keep your helmet on (if you
have one) and dont get back on your bike until youre sure the
storm has passed.
Snow:
Even riding during the summer months does not totally prevent
you from encountering a freak snowstorm. During a light snow,
your normal raingear will do just fine, but when the storm gets
rough youll need to take extra precautions.
First of all, if you plan to be riding in snowy conditions, bring a
snow jacket and snow pants with you. These items may take up
a large mount of space, but theyll be worth having. You can
ride in these clothes, but be careful not to get your pant leg stuck
in the chain. A lightweight and compact facemask might also be
a vital part of your gear. Wearing your glasses (or a pair of ski
goggles) during a storm is also crucial, as they will help to keep
the snow from getting in your eyes as you ride.
Sometimes, even having the right clothing wont be enough. If
the storm gets real bad and you start to lose feeling in your

127
hands, feet, or face, stop riding your bike and do one of the fol-
lowing two things.
1. Hitch a ride out of the storm. Be careful, but do whatever it
takes to get yourself to a safe and warm environment.
Or 2. Find a place to set up camp, get inside your tent, crawl
inside your sleeping bag, and hunker down. Get warm, make
some hot food and drink, and stay put until the storm passes.
Riding in snow and ice can be extremely dangerous. Take ex-
treme caution when on the bike, as both you and the vehicles
around you may slide across the road. When possible, do not
ride when the snow is falling. Instead, wait until the storm passes
and then continue your ride afterward.
Wind:
Riding in the wind is a bicyclists worst nightmare. Especially
when the wind lasts for days and days on end. There are three
things you must do when riding in extreme wind.
The first thing you must do is eliminating any sort of drag you
are creating with both yourself and your bike. Make sure your
panniers are all tucked in, that you dont have any flaps or
strings hanging off the back of your bike, etc.
Next, make your body as small as possible. Like the Tour de
France racers, do whatever you can to make yourself a smaller
object for the wind to fight against.
Finally, put your head down and start pedaling. The trick for rid-
ing in the wind is to not tire yourself out. Put your head down,
develop a good steady pace, and do your best not to think
about how slowly youre actually going.
Riding in the wind will likely be one of the most mentally taxing
parts of your bike tour. You need to be prepared for it though,
as wind is likely to hit every touring cyclist at one point or an-
other.
If extreme wind seems to be blowing strong during the day and
then dies down at night, you might consider sleeping during the
day and doing your riding in the dark. But be warned: This tech-
nique should only be used in extreme situations. In most cases, it
is not recommended that you do any sort of riding at night. If
you do take this approach, make sure that you have working
lights (both front and back). This strategy for beating the wind is
best utilized by cyclists riding in pairs or groups. Riding alone in
the night is not recommended (especially for those still afraid of
the dark).
Heat:
Riding in extreme heat is another situation you may run into

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while out on the road. Just as dangerous as rain or snow, heat is
something youll need to take precautions against.
First of all, drink lots of water. Theres nothing worse than run-
ning out of water and getting dehydrated while out in the middle
of nowhere.
Secondly, apply sunscreen and lots of it. On my 2004 bicycle
tour down the Mississippi river I was putting sunscreen on 3-4
times a day and I still got totally fried. Depending on the type of
skin you have and the amount of time you are used to spending
in the sun, this step may or may not be all that important.
Finally, take advantage of the shade. When its extremely hot
out, do your best to keep your body temperature down. You
may be temped to use the water in your bottles and pour it over
your head, but youll likely want to keep that water for drinking.
If you are near a stream, lake, or ocean, jump in for a minute or
two and then hop back on the bike. Be constantly on the lookout
for ways to keep yourself cool.
The last thing I want to say about riding in the heat is that you
may run out of water very quickly. If this happens, do what you
can to flag down a passing motorist and ask for water. Or if
possible, find a house or building nearby and ask the occupants
if you can have some of their water. Most people are more than
happy to help and you shouldnt be afraid to ask for water if/
when your situation becomes dire.
Tornados, Hurricanes, Tsunamis and more:
Finally, when the weather turns deadly, you need to get out!
Do whatever it takes to get yourself out of the area and out of
harms way. Call for help, take shelter, hitch a ride, whatever! If
you have to, leave your bike behind. You can always buy a new
bicycle and get new gear, but youve only got one life to live
and its your life thats most important.
If you find yourself in a potentially deadly weather situation,
theres only one thing to do: get yourself to safety!








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Traveling At Night
Riding in the dark is not something many bicycle travelers con-
sider. When night falls, most traveling cyclists are fast asleep,
recuperating from a long day of riding. But there are times when
riding in the dark is not only possible, but also a good idea!
It was on my second long-distance bicycle tour that I was first
introduced to the idea of bicycle touring at night. I was in west-
ern Kansas, traveling on the Transamerica bicycle route, and
never in my life had I experienced so much wind. Each and
every day seemed like a struggle against an impossible
breeze and frankly, I didnt think I could take much more of it.
But then, just a few days from the Kansas/Colorado border, I
met a man pulling a trailer behind his bike. I had just pulled into
a small city park when I saw this young man packing up his
things. I assumed he would be spending the night in the park
with me because nightfall was just an hour or two away, but I
quickly learned that this lone rider had spent the last week or
two riding across Kansas in the middle of the night. He, like me,
had quickly grown tired of the pedaling in the wind, so he com-
mitted himself to riding at night when the winds died down and
the hot Kansas sun disappeared behind the horizon.
I chose not to join this young rider on his nighttime traverse into
Eastern Colorado, but since my meeting with that nocturnal cy-
clist, Ive done my own share of traveling in the dark and
learned that riding at night is not as bad as you might think. In
fact, depending on the conditions and the types of roads you
are traveling, riding at night can be a wonderful experience.
Wind One of the main reasons for traveling at night is to beat
the wind. As Ive already shared, some cyclists will brave the
darkness of night to escape hours of pedaling in the wind.
Winds will often times die down when night falls and riding in
the dark is a great way to escape one of the touring cyclists big-
gest enemies.
Sun / Heat Another reason you might consider riding in the
dark is to stay out of the sun. When I was traveling through Kan-
sas and Colorado in 2002, temperatures were as high as 107
degrees Fahrenheit. I was hot, sweaty and thirsty and riding
at night would have been a great way to beat the heat and
travel in relative comfort.
No Place To Sleep Finally, you might decide to travel at
night if there is simply no place to stop and rest. This happened
to me in 2006 when I was traveling from Evanston, Wyoming to
Bear Lake, Idaho. It was getting dark and I was on a long
stretch of highway with nothing around. Not only were there no
buildings or campsites of any kind, there werent even any
bushes that were high enough to hide behind for a night of
stealth camping. I did eventually pass a couple farmhouses and

130
considered knocking on the door and asking for a place to
sleep, but instead, I simply kept riding. I rode my bike until
about 3 o clock in the morning before I found a collection of
sagebrush that were tall enough to hide behind and set up my
tent. In the dark I had covered more than 60 miles and thor-
oughly enjoyed myself along the way. Best of all, I didnt see a
single car the entire time and I enjoyed feeling as though I had
the entire world to myself!
Riding in the dark certainly has its advantages, but it also has its
drawbacks as well. First of all, your ability to see is going to be
diminished. Even with a good set of lights, seeing can be diffi-
cult. Passing cars will also have a harder time seeing you when
you decide to ride at night. And when traveling in the dark, you
need to be aware of people and/or animals that could be shar-
ing the road with you. Personal safety is key and you need to be
prepared for whatever might come your way.
If you plan to travel at night, you must have a good light for your
bike. In my opinion a front light is not 100% necessary, but a
rear light is a must! If you dont have a rear light for your bike,
dont even consider riding in the dark. Cars wont be able to see
you and youre simply asking to be hit. Dont do it!
Once youve got your light(s), keep in mind that road conditions
are not always great. When traveling at night you are likely
only going to able to see a few feet in front of you. Dont travel
too fast or get caught up in the moment. Keep your eyes on the
road and be prepared for the sudden pothole, road kill, or ran-
dom debris that might enter your path.
Finally, keep safety in mind at all times. If you dont feel safe
traveling in the dark, dont do it! If you are scared, stop riding!
Find a place to camp and settle down for the night. You should
only consider riding in the dark if you are both prepared and
mentally able to travel at night. When you travel at night, keep
in mind that an encounter with an animal is entirely possible. A
run-in with a bear, moose, wolf, or other large or dangerous
animal is quite likely, so you need to be prepared for anything!
Maybe be even more dangerous than the animals you may en-
counter while riding at night are the people you might run into.
Beware of drunk drivers, hooligans, or other such people who
aim to spoil your evening. When you travel at night, you are on
your own and there arent going to be many people around to
help you out. You have to fend for yourself and be prepared for
anything. An encounter with one or more people is a possibility
and you should be prepared to defend yourself and/or make a
stealthy exit.
Bicycle touring at night is not something most traveling cyclists
will ever have to do. For the most part, you should stick to travel-
ing during the day and sleeping at night. But keep in mind that
riding at night is a possibility.

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Stealth Camping
Its called many things: stealth camping, wild camping, guerrilla
camping, rolling off into the woods, etc. In the end, they all
mean the same thing.
Stealth camping is the act of quietly finding a place away from
people where you can camp for the night and then quickly slip
away in the morning without being detected. The key to stealth
camping is to remain hidden at all times and to leave no trace
of your existence during or after your departure from the site.
Stealth camping is not for everyone. It typically takes some time
to work up to, but this is how it usually works:
As night approaches, youll be riding your bike along the side of
the road. As you ride, you come across a large forest. When
there are no cars around, you duck into the trees and quickly
disappear.
Making sure that you are far enough away from the road and in
a safe location, you set up your tent, cover the reflectors on your
bike, and simply fall asleep. In the morning, you quickly pack up
your tent, walk back out to the road, get on your bike, and then
continue riding.
Many people choose to stealth camp as a way of saving money.
Others do it because of the incredible campsites that it can cre-
ate. Whatever the reason, stealth camping is an excellent choice
for the smart and prepared bicycle traveler. It is, however, not
for the scared or timid.
If youre thinking about doing some stealth camping of your
own, here are some things to consider first:
Never camp in an area that is marked with No
Trespassing signs.
Do not camp inside of a gate or fence. You are
likely on someone's private property! Its even possi-
ble that you could be locked inside that gate and
have to remain there until someone comes to rescue
you.
Make sure not to set up your tent inside of a dry
creek or riverbed. Flooding can occur quickly!
Do not make camp in an area where animal tracks
or dung can be found. You dont want to be dis-
turbed by a bear, raccoon, skunk, or mountain lion
in the middle of the night.
When stealth camping, make sure that the reflectors
on your bike are covered up so that passing cars do
not give away your location.

132
Stealth camping works best if you have a brown,
green, or camouflaged colored tent. If possible, use
leaves and branches to help hide your tent and bicy-
cle.
When you leave your location in the morning, be
sure to leave the place in the same condition it was
in when you first arrived. Pack out all your food and
trash.
Warning: If you are traveling alone and you choose
to stealth camp, know that you are your own res-
cuer. If you get into trouble, no one is going to know
where you are. If you get yourself into a dangerous
situation, you are the only person that is going to be
able to get you out of it.

If youre nervous about camping in a place without permission,
ask!
If youre on someone else's land, ask them first if they will let
you spend the night on their property. Many people are more
than happy to help you when it comes to finding a place to stay
for a night or two! You might even get a free meal or shower
just by asking!
If that doesnt work, consult with the police. Find a police officer
or police station and tell them that you are traveling by bike. Be
upfront and explain that you are looking for a place to spend
the night. Many police officers (depending on the person and
the location) will gladly point you to a part of town where you
can spend the evening.
This usually works best in small towns where camping out under
the stars is more acceptable. In such places, police officials may
even be so kind as to escort you to a private campsite in the
woods. Some may even bring you food and invite friends to
come and hang out with you and hear your stories.
Other officers may not directly tell you where to camp, but give
you the indication that if you do roll off into the woods, they
arent going to mess with you. Often times, the officers will want
to know where you are camping, just so they can keep an eye
on you and make sure that you are safe. If this happens, tell
them where you plan to sleep and kindly accept their protection.
Some police officials (especially in big cities) will rudely tell you
to get a hotel room or move on down the road. If thats the case,
the choice is up to you. If you can find a place that looks safe,
feel free to enjoy a night of wild camping. Otherwise, it might
be best to follow the officers advice and find other accommoda-
tions for the evening.
In the end, the choice is up to you. Stealth camping can be
scary and dangerous, but it can also be beautiful and reward-

133
ing. Some of the best camping spots on your tour might just be
in locations where you chose to do a bit of stealth camping!
Here is a list of some ideal stealth camping locations:
Public School Grounds
State/Town Parks/Waysides
Formal (Off-Season) Campgrounds
Forests, Woods & Wild Spaces
Behind Firehouses & Police Stations
Empty Lots
Golf Courses
Cemeteries
Beaches
Backyards & Private Homes









Using Libraries To Your Advantage
Libraries are the sanctuaries of bicycle travelers. Theyre your
shelter from life out on the road. Theyre your oasis in an endless
sea of roads and highways. To put it succinctly, libraries are a
great place to hang out and the services they offer can be of
great assistance to anyone traveling by bike.
Escape From The Elements
One of the main reasons you might want to stop at a library
while on a bicycle tour is the chance to escape the weather.
Whether dodging a rain storm or getting out of the heat and
humidity, spending some time at the library is a great way to kill
time and escape the demands that come with constantly being
outside and on your bike.
Water
Secondly, libraries are a great place to fill up your water bottles.
Water is of great importance to the traveling cyclist, so if you
have an opportunity to fill up your bottles, you should take it!
Most libraries have a drinking fountain or water source of some
kind where you can get a drink and fill up your reserves. If the
library you stop at doesnt have a drinking fountain, just ask the
librarian if he or she can help. Theres usually a sink or faucet of
some kind to get water out of.

134
Internet
My number one reason for stopping at libraries is to use their
Internet. Whether you are carrying your computer with you or if
you simply want to log on to a library computer and check your
email, this is the place to do it! Most libraries have free Internet
access, but I know that some libraries do make you pay for your
time on the computer. Printing is usually extra and you usually
have to give the librarian some form of ID or at least write down
your name before you are given access to a computer. If you
are blogging about your bike tour, updating your Twitter status,
checking in with your Facebook buddies, or simply sending
emails back home to your friends and family, use the librarys
resources to your advantage and enjoy the Internet while you
can!
Directions
Another good reason to stop in at the local library is to ask for
directions. Librarians are usually more than happy to help you
find a specific road, navigate your way to a nearby landmark,
or secure a place to sleep for the evening. If the librarian isnt
able to personally assist you, you should at least be able to find
directions, a phone number, or a book to reference for the infor-
mation you are looking for.

Food & Drink
A surprising number of libraries now offer food and drink ser-
vices. Larger libraries often times have a small caf or coffee
shop located either inside or adjacent to the library. If the ser-
vices are available, these are great places to stop with your
bike, sit down in the shade, and enjoy a nice meal.
Reading Material
Finally, you might want to visit a library while on your bicycle
tour if you need to find something to read. The problem with
reading on a bicycle tour is that because you have the time, you
tend to devour books in a matter of days. And when you finish
that book, you dont want to be carrying it around with you for
the rest of the trip. Luckily, libraries solve this problem for you!
Libraries are a great place not only to find new books (most li-
braries have books that you can buy or take for free), but a sur-
prisingly large number of libraries have some sort of book ex-
change program in which you can bring in a book of any kind
and take another book in exchange. For the bicycle traveler, this
is the ideal solution to finding great reading material for your
tour. It doesnt cost a thing (usually) and you arent wasting
books by throwing them out every time you finish one.
As you can see, libraries are an excellent place to stop and rest

135
on your bicycle tour. The next time youre looking for a great
place to take a break, escape the weather, get some water,
check your email, ask for directions, grab a meal, or find a new
book do what you can to find the local library.













How To Travel On $3.00 Per Day
One of the reasons so many people love to travel by bike is that
traveling in this way can be so incredibly inexpensive.
If you have been in the bicycle touring world for any length of
time, you have likely heard about certain individuals who have
been able to travel extremely long distances on extremely limited
funds. Some of these people, myself included, have been able to
travel for as little as $3.00 USD per day!
For many people, living on just three dollars a day might seem
impossible. But the truth is, living on $3.00 a day is possible
although definitely not easy.
The key to traveling on three dollars a day is to 1) not pay for
your lodging and 2) buy your food in bulk or at reduced fees.
Cutting out the cost of accommodations is the biggest way to
travel on the cheap. With the average hotel room costing some-
where around $90 USD per night, a few nights in your average
hotel room can quickly set you back. But get rid of that expense
and spend your money only on food and drink and youve sud-
denly got yourself a very cheap way to travel.
To avoid paying for hotels and campgrounds you might choose
to stealth camp, stay with strangers and or friends and family, or

136
you can attempt to ask hotel and campground owners for a free
place to stay. None of this is easy to do, but it can be done!
To learn more about how to obtain free lodging for your travels,
please visit the link below and read up on my Ultimate Guide
To Free Lodging.
http://bicycletouringpro.com/blog/lodging
Even with free lodging, you still have to pay for food.
If you are staying in a hotel, breakfasts are often times take care
of if the place you are staying at offers a free continental break-
fast. Using the information inside my Ultimate Guide To Free
Lodging, you may not have to pay breakfasts at all. On my 4th
long distance bicycle tour I was able to obtain 27 free hotel
rooms on a 30 night bike tour. Of those 27 free hotels, most of
them came with free breakfasts and I therefore only had to pay
for a handful of breakfasts on the entire trip. This alone saved
me a huge amount of money.
But even with free breakfasts, keeping your expenses under
$3.00 a day can be difficult. In order to do it, however, you
need to change the way you think.
For example, instead of purchasing a sandwich at a restaurant
and thinking to yourself, This sandwich costs $3.00. Thats not
bad for one meal you need to think to yourself, This loaf of
break will make 8 sandwiches and will cost me only $0.20 per
sandwich.
You see, the trick here is to purchase food that will last you a
long time and can therefore be purchased in bulk and at super
low rates (examples of this might include bread, oatmeal, gra-
nola, energy bars, etc.) combined with items that can be pur-
chased for cheap because they need to be eaten immediately
(examples of such items might include bananas, blueberries, let-
tuce, tomatoes, any kind of fresh food items, etc.).
A typical meal on a $3.00 per day budget might include:
Breakfast
Oatmeal (Purchased in bulk for $2.50)$0.25 per meal
Raisens (Purchased in bulk for $2.00)$0.20 per meal
Banana (Purchased for cheap because it was ripe)
$0.10 per meal

Lunch

Bread (Purchased in a loaf for $2.00)$0.20 per meal
Peanut Butter (Purchased in a jar for $3.00) - $0.25 per
meal
Jelly (Purchased in a jar for $3.00) - $0.25 per meal
Carrots (Purchased in bulk for $1.50) - $0.25 per meal

Dinner


137
Pasta (Purchased in bulk for $2.00) - $0.25 per meal
Pasta Sauce (Purchased in a jar for $2.00) - $0.33 per
meal
Bread (Purchased in a loaf for $2.00)$0.20 per meal

Daily Total: $2.28 USD

Factor in snacks and youre at $3.00/day. It may not be the
most nutritional way to travel, but it certainly can be done.






















More Than Just Riding Your Bike
Earlier in this book I suggested that when planning your trip by
bike that you schedule in certain events every couple days so
that you constantly have something to look forward to when you
are traveling. This is extremely important and something worth
reiterating.
When you are traveling with your bike, I urge you to look for
opportunities to do things that dont involve your bicycle.
For example:
Visit a museum
Go hiking
Or boating
Or swimming
Take a class
Visit an art gallery
Go to a concert
Take in a show
Go on a date!
Organize a backyard barbeque
Go skiing
Or bungee jumping
Or sky diving
Or whatever!

The point is, it doesnt really matter what you do. I simply want
to encourage you to look for activities to do that do not involve

138
riding your bicycle. As much fun as cycling is, I have found my
most memorable bicycle touring moments to be the times when I
stepped off my bike and took in the place(s) I happened to be
visiting.
Give it a try and I think youll be pleasantly surprised. If any-
thing, adding these additional activities to your travels will
break up the monotony that sometimes comes with traveling long
distances on a bicycle and it will certainly add another level to
your overall bicycle touring experience.



















Pack Too Much Stuff? Mail It Home!

You would be surprised at how many bicycle travelers I have
come across who were admittedly carrying too much gear. But
what I found most surprising is that so many of these people
never even thought about mailing their excess gear home. Many
of them just committed to the idea of carrying their extra items
(and all of its weight) with them to the end of their tour.
Now, there isnt anything wrong with carrying a few extra items,
but if you have the option why not mail home the stuff that you
dont need?
If you end up packing too much stuff (something most first-time
bicycle travelers tend to do), you can almost always mail home
the gear you are no longer using. In some cases, you may just
want to throw it all away, but in the case of expensive clothes,
electronics, or other such gear mailing it home is a great op-
tion.
After a week or two on the road you will quickly realize which
items you are using the most and which items you are not using
at all. Even after ten years of traveling with my bike I still occa-
sionally bring with me an item or two that I use very rarely or not
at all.
And as much as I hate spending money on postage to mail

139
home items I already own, it always feels good after Ive sent
the package back and to have all that excess stuff off my back
or out of my packs. Just keep this in mind!


















Beating The Lonely Travel Bug

Traveling by bike and seeing the world can be an incredibly
rewarding experience. But the loneliness that often times accom-
panies the traveling cyclist can be a challenge especially if
youre not prepared to spend days, weeks, or months on end
with no one but yourself.
Personally, Ive never had a big problem being alone on my
travels. Ive always been a bit of a loner anyway, so the jump to
bicycle travel and long days alone on the road have never been
that much of a challenge for me. In fact, I like being alone most
of the time. I like sleeping in a tent at night and I like eating by
myself.
That said, I dont like being alone in dangerous places when no
one knows where I am. I dont like to ALWAYS be alone. And I
dont like going for months on end when the only conversation I
might have on any given day is asking the supermarket clerk
whether she accepts credit cards.
So, while I personally dont mind being alone all that much, I
know its something a lot of bicycle travelers struggle with.
If you are nervous about being alone for long periods of time,
here are some suggestions for beating the lonely travel bug:

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Consider A Group Tour
First of all, if youre an incredibly social person and are easily
prone to loneliness or depression, consider a group tour. These
types of bike tours travel along some of the best biking routes in
the world and allow you to spend your time both on and off the
bike with a mixed array of people.
With a group tour you can choose to ride with yourself or with
people from the group. If youre feeling especially chatty, then
youll always have someone to talk to. But if you feel like getting
a little alone to yourself, you can do that too! Just pull away from
the group for a while and catch up on the conversation at the
end of the day. Group tours are a great way to beat the loneli-
ness that can occur when traveling by bike.
Loneliness Is A Choice
Secondly, you should realize that loneliness is a choice. If you
want to use your travels as a chance to isolate yourself and get
away from the world, then bicycle touring is a great way to do
just that. But if you want to get out there and use your bike trip
as a chance to meet new people, experience new cultures and
see the way other people live, then you can do that too! Its sim-
ply a matter of you deciding what you want and then going af-
ter it.
You get to decide whether or not you want to be alone when
traveling. If youre lonely and need someone to talk to, use your
bike as a conversation starter. When people see your bike
loaded down with your belongings, many of them wont be able
to help but ask about your adventures. Use this as a chance to
strike up conversation, ask about their lives, and beat your lone-
liness to a pulp.
Get Used To Being Alone
If you do decide to go on a solo bike tour, youve got to under-
stand that youre going to be spending a lot of time by yourself.
While you may meet people along the way and strike up con-
versations about your travels, family, or whatnot... most of your
time is going to be spent alone.
Spending some time alone before your bike tour begins is a
good way to prepare yourself for the loneliness youre bound to
experience once you hit the road. To mentally prepare yourself
for this, go on some long bike rides by yourself, hike up into the
mountains alone, or stop calling your friends and family for a
couple days and see what its like to not always have someone
to talk to.
If you take off on the first day of your bike tour and its the first
time youve ever been alone in your entire life, it may be quite a
challenge to instantly overcome. So prepare yourself ahead of

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time by spending some time alone now, so its not that big of an
obstacle once you depart on your bicycle touring adventure.
Embrace Technology
Finally, embrace technology! There are so many gadgets and
gizmos now that allow us to stay connected with our friends,
family and co-workers. Even though we may be across the state
or even on the other side of the world, its easy to stay in touch
with the technological devices that are now available to us.
Travel with a cell phone, bring your laptop computer, or text
message and Twitter your way across the country with your bicy-
cle touring fans. Whatever communication mode you like best,
use it to your advantage.
Loneliness is something every bicycle traveler deals with at one
point or another, but we all handle it in different ways. The ques-
tion now is, What are you going to do to ensure you dont be-
come too lonely on your bicycle touring adventure?




Multi-Task Your Digital Camera
Your digital camera is an incredible tool when traveling by bike.
Not only is having a digital camera a great way to document
your trip by bike, but the camera itself can be used for a number
of different bicycle touring tasks.
Documentation
At the start of each of my trips I lay out my gear and take pic-
tures of everything. I do this 1) because its neat to see just how
little stuff I am bring with me and 2) in the case my stuff gets lost
or stolen I now have a record of the items I had with me. Of
course, you need to store these pictures in a safe place and
leave them in the care of a trusted friend or family member if
possible. If you do lose your bike or other gear items you will be
glad you took the time to document the items you lost.
Catch A Thief
A couple years ago I had a friend who was the victim of a pick-
pocket who stole his wallet and passport. Unfortunately for the
thief, he was captured in a photo my friend had taken just mo-
ments before the incident took place and with the photo in
hand, my friend was able to go to the police, who were then
able to find the boy who stole his wallet and passport, and re-
turn the items to him. Without the digital camera, however, my

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friend would have been unable to describe his thief or get his
items returned to him. Your digital camera can be a great tool
for catching and/or preventing thieves.
Maps
When I travel by bike, one of the main ways that I use my digi-
tal camera is to capture local signs and maps that I might need
for navigating my way further up the road. Many times you will
come across a large city map or other such bicycle route sign.
Because you cant physically take the map with you, it is easy to
take a camera of the map and then refer back to it later as you
are riding. This, in many cases, eliminates the need for you to
carry large, heavy and expensive cycling maps because you
can often times just take a photo of the maps and then refer
back to them later with your digital camera.
Flashlight
Finally, your digital camera makes for a great little flashlight
when trying to find items around camp or inside your tent late at
night. Just turn the camera on and use the light from the LCD
screen to laminate your search area or if necessary, take a
flash photo and light up everything around.
As important as your bike is to your travels, your digital camera
may be one of the bicycle travelers most important items.
Traveling With A Computer
Traveling with a computer isnt always easy. In addition to find-
ing open outlets, converting power sources when traveling over-
seas, and connecting to the Internet theres always the fear
that your computer could get damaged or destroyed all together.
And thats what I want to talk about now! The complete and
utter destruction of your computer when traveling.
If you are anything like me, you know that you are supposed to
back up your computer on a regular basis. But when was the
last time you actually did it?
Ive been an on-again, off-again back up artist for some time
now. But I recently experienced an event that has since turned
me into The King Of Computer Backups.
You see, I was working on my computer in the apartment I
rented in Luzern, Switzerland and decided to run out for a bit to
get some food from the local supermarket before they closed for
the day. I left the computer running and came back just a few
minutes later. But when I returned to my computer, the screen
was black and the machine had completely turned off.
Hmm I though. Thats strange.
I tried to turn the computer back on, but was unsuccessful. I kept

143
getting the dreaded blue screen that would flash for just a sec-
ond, before restarting the computer and sending the machine
into an endless loop of blue screens and restarts.
To make a long story short, my computers hard drive had com-
pletely died!
As you can imagine, I started to panic. I began to think about all
the files I had on my computer and what it would mean if I were
to lose all that data. Years of hard work were on that drive, and
if I were to lose it all, I dont know what Id do!
I called a few hard drive recovery companies and asked about
the cost of recovering the data from my drive. As expected, I
was quoted anywhere from $1,200 $3,400 for the recovery
of my disc. Not a cheap option!
But then I had a thought! I had backed up my data! Not recently
of course, but about two months ago, before I left on my trip.
I immediately ran to my bag and pulled out the 500 GB West-
ern Digital My Passport External Hard Drive I had purchased just
in case this were to happen. I had backed up almost my entire
computer on the drive and even though it had been almost
two months since I had last backed up, I knew that my external
hard drive was going to save me from this disastrous computer
crash. My backup was literally going to save my life!
But this isnt really about me. No! In fact, its all about you
and making sure that you dont lose your valuable computer
data when traveling.
In an attempt to help you keep your data safe when traveling,
Ive put together the following four tips for protecting your data
while out on the road:
1) Back Up Regularly
The key to ensuring you dont lose any data when traveling with
your computer is backing up regularly. Most people Ive spoken
with since my computer crashed recommend backing up at least
once a month. But if the data on your computer is especially im-
portant (or you are a traveling businessman/businesswoman),
you may want to back up your data at the end of each week. (I
am backing up to my external hard drive every two weeks and
Ive schedule my backup days on my calendar far in advance.)
Whatever schedule you decide upon for your backups, the trick
is to do it regularly and never procrastinate. Put your backups
on your calendar and stick with them.
2) Back Up To An External Hard Drive
People working from desktop computers often times back up to
additional drives on their local machine, but most travelers dont
have multiple drives in their laptops, so you need to back up to

144
an external hard drive.
I am currently using a 500 GB Western Digital My Passport
Hard Drive for my backup files because the drive is small, well-
insulted inside its protective case, and designed for travelers like
me and you. It simply connects to your computer via a USB port
and the transfer of files back and forth between your computers
main drive is fast and easy.
When my computers hard drive crashed recently, it was my ex-
ternal hard drive that literally saved my butt. Without it, Id still
be crying!
(If you purchase an external hard drive for your travels, be sure
to get one that does not require an extra power source, but in-
stead, gets its power through the USB connection. If you use a
drive that needs its own power source, that means you have to
bring two power converters with you when you travel overseas
(one for your computer and one for your backup drive.))
3) Back Up Automatically
Backing up to an external hard drive is great, but if you are seri-
ous about protecting your computers data, I recommend paying
for an automated backup service like Carbonite or Mozy.
Automated backup services work over the Internet to back up
your computers files to servers located in far off-places.
This has two advantages. The first is that services such as
these work automatically to back up your data, making it easier
than ever to ensure your data is backed up and secure. The sec-
ond advantage is that in the event of a computer crash, your
files can be recovered with just a few clicks by logging into your
account and going through the Recovery Mode options.
There are a number of different companies that perform these
sorts of back up services. I chose Carbonite simply because it
was highly recommended by some of my computer and business
friends/associates. But Mozy is another excellent choice and
they offer 2GB worth of free backup if you want to test it out and
see how the service works.
4) Keep Your Backups In Different Locations
Finally, when traveling with your computer, you want to make
sure that you keep your data in different locations. If youve read
everything up until now, you will note that we are currently stor-
ing data in three different places. We have one copy of our files
on our laptops hard drive. We are storing another copy of
those same files on an external hard drive. And we have a third
backup disc stored on a server with a company like Carbonite
or Mozy.
The trick now is to keep these hard drives separate. The reason
for this is that if there is a fire or a car accident that destroys

145
your computer or any other disaster in one such location, the
other drives remain intact.
The automated backup service is already in a different location,
so weve already got that covered. But what do you do to sepa-
rate your laptop and your external drive?
Well, for me, I typically just put my laptop and my external hard
drive in separate bags. My laptop goes in one bag and my ex-
ternal hard drive goes in another. When traveling by bike, I put
the laptop in one of my rear panniers and store the external
drive in one of my front panniers. When traveling by foot, I keep
my laptop in my apartment or hotel, but I bring my external hard
drive with me in case my computer gets stolen while Im away.
The secret to traveling with a computer is to treat your computer
with ultimate care, always keep your discs in different locations,
and to backup regularly!





Making International Phone Calls
My cell phone sucks! And it sucks because it only works in the
United States. It doesnt have any fancy functions and besides
the built in alarm clock and calculator, all it can really do is
send and receive national phone calls.
In order to get a phone that works overseas I have to pay about
$100 USD to get a new phone. Then I gotta upgrade my service
and pay $80 more per month for the option of calling from over-
seas. And that doesnt even include the actual cost of the call!
Once I make a call from overseas, an additional fee will be
tacked on to my bill for every minute Im on the line.
I did the math and if I had signed up for such a service, those
would be some very expensive phone calls. No thank you!
This may all change in the very near future, but after discovering
I was in cell phone hell, I quickly decided to travel overseas
without a cell phone of any kind.
Instead, I signed up for a Skype subscription, which allows me
to use my computer to call any landline or cell phone in the
United States and Canada for just $2.49 USD per month. In ad-
dition, I can call European numbers for about 2 cents per min-
ute.

146
In case you are unaware, Skype is a piece of free computer soft-
ware that allows users to make telephone calls over the Internet.
The calls you make using the service to other Skype members
are completely free-of-charge (as are calls to 800 numbers), and
calls to landlines and mobile phones are made for a low per-
minute charge (somewhere around $0.02 USD).
The service includes a number of other features as well, includ-
ing instant messaging, file transfers, screen sharing, and video
conferencing. And for travelers like me who plan to make a lot
of calls, there are a number of low cost subscriptions to choose
from that will potentially lower your monthly phone bill by dra-
matic numbers.
I currently have a Skype subscription plan that allows me to
make an unlimited number of calls to landlines and cell phones
in the United States and Canada (as this is where most of my
business and personal calls end up going).
There was an option for an international calling plan that would
allow me to call pretty much any number in the world for just
$10 USD a month, but I knew that my calls to European num-
bers would be limited and wouldnt justify the seven dollar differ-
ence in the pricing plans, so I stuck with the cheaper and more
limited subscription.
So, how do I make a call with Skype? To make a call with
Skype, I just turn on my computer and open up the Skype soft-
ware. I type in the number I want to call (just like a regular
phone) or I click on the name of the person I want to call (which
I have previously programmed into Skype). Then, Skype dials
the number, the person answers, and our conversation begins.
In order for this to work of course, you 1) have to be able to
hear what the other person is saying and 2) need a microphone
of some kind so you can talk back to the person you are commu-
nicating with.
In my case, I just listen to the caller through my laptops com-
puter speakers (and sometimes through an external pair of head-
phones). Then, I talk back through my laptops built-in micro-
phone. Most calls I make, however, I make with an external mi-
crophone, which I plug in to my laptop in order to increase the
quality of my voice (highly recommended).
Best of all, the call quality with Skype is really quite good. Most
people I talk to have no idea that they are talking to someone
half-way around the world.
While the service is cheap and easy to use, the biggest draw
back is that you need an Internet connection in order to make a
call. Finding Internet is usually not a problem in most big cities,
but when traveling by bike, finding a web connection can be
difficult, if not impossible.

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10 Things I Learned From My First
Bicycle Tour
When I left home in the summer of 2001 to ride my bike from
Eureka, California to the Mexican/American border, I didnt
have a clue as to what I was doing. As far as I was concerned,
this whole bicycle touring thing was an entirely new concept
maybe even an entirely new sport? I didnt know how I was go-
ing to travel over 1,000 miles on my rusty old mountain bike,
but I did know I would figure out a way to make it happen!
After 30 days of cycling down the Pacific Coast of the United
States, I learned a lot both about myself and about what it
takes to pull off a successful bicycle adventure.
The following is a list of ten important lessons I learned while on
my first bike tour. I hope that you can use this information to
your advantage so that you dont make many of the same mis-
takes that I made on my first bicycle trip.
1. Be Comfortable On Your Bike Before You Leave
On the first day of the trip, my riding partner (Jason Weber) and
I stepped off a Greyhound bus and found ourselves instantly
thrust into our fist bicycle adventure. It was pouring rain, the
campground was more than six miles away, we hadnt slept in
over 24 hours, and we still had to put our bikes together.
Once our rides were assembled, we both jumped on the bikes
and rolled out into the street. To our amazement, the bikes were
incredibly hard to control. Packed with gear, the front of our
bikes wobbled from size to size as we struggled to gain control.
This was the first time either one of us had ridden our fully-
loaded bikes. We were carrying a lot of stuff and we had no
idea how to make the bikes go in the direction we wanted them
to.
I can still remember those first few moments of riding. I remem-
ber thinking to myself, We arent going to make it! If this is
what its going to be like, theres no way we are going to make
it all the way to Mexico. I wonder if we can even make it to the
campground? What have I gotten myself into? Im sure Jason
was thinking the exact same thing.
Whether you are using panniers or a trailer, I highly recommend
that you ride your bike before you leave home. Not only should
you ride the bike, but you should be comfortable riding it in its
fully equipped state. Get used to living on your bike before you
leave home. The last thing you want to do is get out on the road,
not be able to control your bike, and either crash or cancel your
trip because you are ill-prepared.
Know how to ride your bike before you leave home!

148
2. The First Three Days Are Going To Be Tough
Once we had gotten used to the feel of steering a fully loaded
touring bike, the next thing we had to get comfortable with was
the pain in our legs.
When I woke up on the second day of the trip I remember think-
ing that my leg had doubled in size. I had never experienced
pains quite like this. It felt as though the muscles in my thighs
were about to burst out of my skin. It was incredible!
I had a hard time getting up that morning. And the next morning
wasnt much easier. But as the days went on, the leg pains went
away and by the time I reached San Francisco, I wasnt in
any pain at all. I was having fun, rolling with the punches, and
enjoying the ride.
One thing Ive consistently experienced on all of my bicycle
tours over the past ten years is that the first three days are usu-
ally the toughest. If you can get past the first three days, youll
probably be able to make it the rest of the way without any ma-
jor incidences.
3. Forget About FoodControl Your Thoughts
One thing that never left me on my tour down the California
coastline was the intense hunger pangs I was experiencing. I
was eating less than $3.00 of food every day and there was
even a stretch of time when I went for three whole days without
eating a single thing (simply because I couldnt afford to buy
food).
Because I was on such a tight budget, and because I had so
much time to just sit and think while I was riding, a lot of my
thoughts centered around the foods I wished I were eating. As I
sat on my bike and struggled up hill after hill, all I found myself
thinking about was food. In particular, pizza and ice cream.
It has taken me some time, but Ive slowly trained my mind to
stop thinking about food on my bike tours. Dont get me wrong, I
still get cravings, but Ive learned to think about other things.
When traveling by bike you are burning a lot of energy and
youre going to be hungry, so you better get used to it. My rec-
ommendation is that you not let the hunger get to you. Train
your mind to think about something else and youll enjoy your
ride a whole lot more.
4. This Isnt A RaceGo At Your Own Pace
My good friend Jason Weber was my first riding partner in
2001. He joined me for the leg of my tour that stretched from
Eureka to San Francisco and while riding with Jason was a
blast, one of the main differences between us was that Jason
liked to go fast, while I liked to go a bit slower.

149
Day after day Jason would push himself to get to the camp-
ground ahead of me or to catch up with the riders in front of
us. Time after time he would charge up a hill, while I slowly
make my way up the mountain passes and rolled into camp as
he finished setting up his tent.
While I dont necessarily think either one of us was right or
wrong in our approach to bicycle travel, I do think that you need
to take things at your own pace. If you dont want to go fast,
dont got fast. If you dont want to go slow, dont go slow.
Travel at a pace that is both comfortable and enjoyable to you.
If you are riding with a partner who wants to travel at a faster or
slower speed, make arrangements for the faster rider to stop
and wait for the slower rider at the next turn. Communication is
key. Have fun and travel at your own pace!
5. Pick Your Riding Partners Carefully
I had four different people come out to ride with me on my first
tour down the California Coastline. Jason Weber joined my on
the first leg; Jason June joined me on the second leg; and Ryan
Nakashima and my Uncle Tom joined me on the final leg down
to the Mexican/American border.
After a month of riding with four different people, I began to see
just how different we all were. We all liked to travel at different
speeds. We got along at times and argued at others. Sometimes
we all just wanted to go home.
In the end, I learned a lot about getting along with other people.
Im not what you would call a people person and getting
along with these different personalities was extremely difficult for
me at times.
That said, if you are planning to travel with another person (or
even a small group of people) make sure you pick your riding
partners carefully, You are going to be spending a lot of time
with these people and you want to make sure you can at least
get along. More than anything, you want to make sure you
wont kill each other once you get out on the road.
Pick the right riding partner(s) and your trip will be incredible.
But pick the wrong partner(s) and your trip could be over before
its even begun.
6. Have Fun!
Having fun is important and its something you should strive for
on your bicycle adventures.
On this first tour of mine, my riding partners and I didnt have
the money to pay for entertainment, so we made up games to
play as we were riding (such as trying to spot limousines or try-
ing to get the other person wet with our water bottles when they

150
werent paying attention).
A lot of our entertainment came from simply exploring our imme-
diate environment. We would walk through the woods, skip
stones in the surf, and peruse the neighboring communities on
foot.
More than anything else, we created our own fun by simply get-
ting out and talking to people. Because we were on bikes, we
were an easy target for people passing by. Theyd want to know
where we were from, where we were going, how much weight
we were carrying, and a whole host of other things about our
adventure. It was a lot of fun to talk to these people and if we
hadnt done it, the trip would have been an entirely different ex-
perience.
7. You Wont Need Half The Stuff You Think
Once I was out on the road I realized that I was carrying a lot of
stuff I simply did not need. This is a mistake many first time bicy-
cle travelers make. They bring everything from home that they
can possibly think of. But once out on the road, they quickly real-
ize they are only using a quarter of the items they originally
brought with them.
On my first bike tour I brought an ice chest, a full size bath
towel, a spare tire, and a whole bunch of other stuff I simply
never used. I carried it all for over a thousand miles and never
used these items a single time.
Learn which items you need to bring with you and which items
you should leave at home. Hopefully this book has helped you in
this regards. But if you find that you really need something you
did not pack once you get out on your bike, you can always buy
that item somewhere along the way. And if you pack too much
stuff, dont be afraid to mail your excess gear back home.
8. Know How To Repair Your Bike
One of the best things I learned from my first bike tour was how
to repair my bike. Prior to leaving home, the only thing I really
knew how to do was change a flat tire. But once the tour was
over I could make just about any repair that needed to be made.
I wasnt necessarily a mechanical expert (and Im still not), but I
could make the repairs needed to get me back on my bike and
rolling down the road.
If you are planning a bicycle tour, you should know how to at
least change a flat tire, fine tune your derailleurs; adjust the han-
dlebars, seat, and brakes; and install your front and rear racks.
Ideally, you should be able to take your bike completely apart
and then put it all back together again. Youll save yourself a lot
of trouble if you know how to make these basic repairs before
you get out on the road.

151
9. Gear Selection Is Important
Because I didnt have a lot of money on my first bike tour, I
bought and used inferior equipment. Because the gear I was
using was cheap and ill equipped for the conditions I was throw-
ing at it, many of my most important items broke, tore, or were
destroyed by the time the tour was over.
For example, I bought my tent for $30 at a local sporting goods
store and quickly found out that the reason it was so cheap was
because the tent had no ventilation whatsoever. Every morning I
woke up to a gallon of precipitation hanging on the top of my
tent, instantly drenching me as soon as I moved a muscle.
In addition, my bike was a 15+ year old mountain bike my dad
had been keeping in the garage for years on end. It was a com-
plete piece of junk, but I used it anyways. If I had had a nicer
bike, my ride would have been so much more enjoyable.
And believe it or not, because my bike was not made to carry a
front rack, I used a thin piece of wire to hold my front rack in
place. After a few days on the road, the wire would break and
my panniers and rack would crash into the pavement in front of
me. I would then attach more wire to the front rack and continue
down the road, only to repeat the process all over again a few
days later. It was a seriously dangerous situation and I was
lucky to have not been injured on numerous occasions.
The point Im trying to make is that its worth it to invest in qual-
ity equipment. If you are planning a bike tour that lasts for only
a couple days, you can get away with cheap panniers, a lousy
bike, and a tiny non-ventilated tent. But on longer trips, youre
going to want to spend the extra money and get quality touring
equipment.
10. You Are Going To Want To Do it Again
More than anything else, my first bike tour taught me that this
whole bicycle touring thing was not going to be a once in a life-
time event.
When I started my tour, I believed that I would do this ride, go
off to college, and look back on my experiences as an incredi-
ble lifetime achievement. But once I got home and began think-
ing back on my cycling experiences, I realized that bicycle tour-
ing wasnt something I was ready to give up on. I wanted more!
A lot more!
Many people plan and execute their first bicycle tour with the
intention of making it just a one time thing. But as time goes on,
Im seeing more and more people who get out there once and
then become addicted.
Its hard to describe, but bicycle touring isnt something thats
easy to quit. If it were, I wouldnt be writing about it today. The

152
experiences stick with you and change you in so many different
ways. Its not something you can do just once and forget about.
It stays with you and youre going to want to do it again and
again. Trust me!
So thats it. Those are the ten big lessons I learned from my first
bicycle adventure. I hope youve learned something and I
hope Ive inspired you in some way to make your own bicycle
touring dreams become a reality.
























153







BONUS MATERIAL
Just A Little Extra...



154
The Lesson I Hope You Learn From
My Bicycle Touring Lifestyle
Well, were nearly at the end now. But before we depart I want
to share with you my own bicycle touring story and let you peek
inside my own motivations for traveling by bike year after year.
Bicycle travel has made a huge impact on me and I know that if
you were to just get out there and try traveling by bike, you too
may reap many of the benefits I have personally experienced for
myself.
* * *
You see, Ive always been incredibly shy. Ive heard stories for
years about how my parents had to use the Jaws of Life to get
me out of the car on my first day of Kindergarten. Ive never
liked being around large groups of people and my biggest fear
growing up was making a presentation in front of my peers. Ive
just never been a social individual and I figured Id always be
that way.
So when I turned 16 and told my parents that after I graduated
from high school I wanted to ride my bicycle down the coast of
California, they were more than a bit concerned. In many ways,
I think they doubted I could do it. I was a sheltered and socially
inept high school student who had never been away from home
for more than a week. Who was I to think that I could go out on
my own and cycle the length of California?
Honestly, I dont know what I was thinking. But it doesnt matter
now, because in 2001 I completed my 30-day journey by bike
and it changed my life forever!
Just a few weeks after graduating from high school I jumped on
a Greyhound bus and began my 1000-mile journey by bike.
When I got home a month later I was a completely different per-
son. I was still a bit reserved, but my view of the world had com-
pletely changed and I was ready to strike out on my own. Two
days later I started my first year of college.
My university education went well and over the next four years I
continued to spend my summers traveling by bike. By the time I
completed college in the winter of 2004 I had cycled through
27 states and seen some of the most amazing places this coun-
try (America) has to offer.
While I was proud of my accomplishments, graduation meant a
sudden confrontation with reality. I wasnt a college student any-
more. I needed to get a job!
Luckily, finding work in the film and television industry wasnt
difficult (I majored in film and television in college and received
an emphasis in editing). I picked up a couple sound recording

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gigs and was soon thereafter logging long hours on the set of
numerous short films and straight-to-DVD commercial videos.
After one particularly long 22-hour shift, I came home and real-
ized I was falling into a trap. It was a trap I had seen happen
with just about everyone around me and it was a trap that the
people I met on my bicycle tours had warned me about.
I had built a life for myself that was not conducive to the lifestyle
I wanted to live. I wasnt passionate about getting the (sound)
levels right. I was passionate about travel, goal setting and life-
style design! I wanted to see the world; I wanted to learn from
the people I met on my journeys; and I wanted to inspire the
people around me to go after their dreams.
On my travels I had met too many people who let work, family,
friends and debt prevent them from going after they things they
really wanted in life. I didnt want to become one of those peo-
ple. I needed to find a way out!
A few months later I took my sisters car and drove for 12 hours
to the state of Utah. Once there, I pulled into a realtors office,
asked that the woman at the desk show me some properties in
town and a few hours later I had purchased my first condo-
minium.
A month later I moved everything I owned to the ski town of Park
City, Utah (home of the Sundance Film Festival) and started an
entirely new life for myself. I didnt have a job, friends or a plan
of any kind. All I knew was that I wanted to build a life for my-
self that would allow me to travel and do the things I liked to do.
I didnt know how I was going to make that happen, but I was
determined to see it through.
But before I get carried away, let me backtrack a bit.
You see, when you travel by bicycle you get asked a lot of the
same questions time and time again. People want to know,
Where are you from? Where are you going? Where did you
start? How many miles do you ride in a day? Where do you
sleep at night? How much does your bike weight? and a
bunch of other basic questions about your trip.
Over the years Ive been asked these questions hundreds (if not
thousands) of times. But the one question no one ever asks is,
What is it that you think about while youre riding?
The truth is, when you travel by bicycle there is a lot of time to sit
and think. You think about food, friends, family and a million
other things. But for me, much of my time was spent thinking
about the future.
As I sat on my bike and pedaled away, I thought to myself:
Where do I want to live?

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What do I want to do?
Who do I want to spend my time with?
What is it that I really want?
Where would I like to go?
What will make me happy?
How do I want to be remembered?

These are the questions I asked myself time and time again as I
slowly made my way across the country on my bicycle and it
was cycling that allowed me the opportunity to think about these
questions.
Now back to Utah.
My first couple years in Utah were a struggle. I didnt have a
job. Making friends was difficult. And worst of all, I didnt know
how to ski (something you must know how to do when you live
in a resort town surrounded by some of the best snow on earth).
But then, in late 2007, I got a call from one of my old college
roommates. For years I had tried to get him to join me on my
bicycle travels, but I could never make it happen. He, like so
many people Ive met over the years, always had an excuse. But
now, years later, he wanted to give bicycle touring a try and
he wanted my advice on how to make it happen.
We talked for a couple hours on the phone and the memories of
my bicycle travels came rushing back to me.
While on the phone that night I thought to myself, If I can help
one person make their dreams come true by sharing my bicycle
touring experiences over the phone, I wonder what I could do if
I took everything I know, wrote it down and shared it with the
world?
So thats exactly what I did!
In October of 2007 I started a website called BicycleTouring-
Pro.com and since that time have been working non-stop to help
people from all corners of the globe make their bicycle touring
dreams become a reality.
From the beginning, my goals with the site was not to reiterate
the same bicycle touring information that has been shared time
and time again. But instead, my aim with the site is to show peo-
ple that the bicycle can be a vehicle that propels you towards
your ideal lifestyle.
You see, bicycling has taught me that you dont have to follow
the rules of the past in order to get what you want. You dont
have to work until youre 60 and then be too old to go after
your dreams. You dont have to let your mortgage or your kids
hold you back from accomplishing what you want in life. And
you dont have to live in a big house and drive a fancy car in
order to be happy.

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The world is changing and the way things were done in the past
is forever being altered.
My bicycle travels have taught me that success is not determined
by how much we own. And those Ive met along the way have
confirmed my suspicions by stating that joy in life is not fulfilled
once we reach a certain number of zeros in our bank accounts.
My travels have made me realize that the successful people of
the future will not necessarily be millionaires or billionaires, but
people who have created lifestyles for themselves that allow
them to pursue the things they want most.
The trick is, in order to live the life you want, you have to
change and change isnt easy.
That being said, my goal with this book and with my website at
www.BicycleTouringPro.com is to open you up to new ideas and
possibilities for change in your own life.
If you get anything out of this book, I hope you realize that what
is most important is that you decide what you want in life and
then go after it with everything youve got!
Whether you want to ride your bike across the country, get rid
of your car or break away from your job and travel the world
thats what this book is REALLY all about!
Bicycle travel is great and it has taught me many things. But the
truth is, bicycle touring forced me to realize that whatever is
wrong in your life right now, you can fix it. Whatever you want
to do, you can do it. Whatever you want to have, you can have
it. Wherever you want to go, you can go there. The only thing
holding you back is you.
Its up to you now!
Decide what you want; determine which steps need to be taken;
and do what it takes to make your dreams come true.
Good luck and please keep me posted on your upcoming ad-
ventures.








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Questions?
Ive said it before and Ill say it again: If you ever have any
questions about bicycle touring, world travel or designing your
ideal life and you think I can help, please dont hesitate from
contacting me:
http://bicycletouringpro.com/blog/contact-information/
I am happy to help in any way that I can and I look forward
to hearing about your future endeavors.









Connect With Me
Official Website
www.bicycletouringpro.com
Bicycle Touring Pro Email Newsletter
www.bicycletouringpro.com/blog/freecourse/
Facebook
www.facebook.com/bicycletouring
Twitter
www.twitter.com/bicycletouring
YouTube
www.youtube.com/bicycletouringpro
Flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/darrenalff/
Ustream
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/bicycle-touring-pro
Email
contact@bicycletouringpro.com
My Personal Website
www.darrenalff.com


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Recommended Books & Movies
Ive read hundreds of bicycle and travel related books and
watched dozens of bicycle/travel related movies. The following
is a list of my absolute favorites.
Books
The Cycling Adventures Of Coconut Head: A North
American Odysseyby Ted Schredd
The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere,
And Join The New Richby Timothy Ferriss
Swim Lessons: Ten Secrets For Making Any Dream
Come Trueby Nick Irons
Movies
A Map For SaturdayDirected by Brook Silva-
Braga
Go FurtherDirected by Ron Mann
The Motorcycle DiariesDirected by Walter Salles
Bicycle DreamsDirected by Stephen Auerbach


Recommended Websites
Bicycle Touring Pro
www.bicycletouringpro.com
The Bicycle Travel Network
www.bicycletravelnetwork.com
Alastair Humphreys
www.alastairhumphreys.com
The Hungry Cyclist
www.thehungrycyclists.com
Kate Harris
www.kateharris.ca
The Path Less Pedaled
www.pathlesspedaled.com
21Bikes
www.21bikes.com
Warm Showers
www.warmshowers.org

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