Originally Posted by
Happy Feet
3 months may not be a long time between employment gigs but it is a heck of a long time to ride a bike to 99.9% of the population. Most people will be impressed by the sense of commitment and self discipline required. It's not a job but, if three applicants all have common education and experience in a field, something like that gives one an edge. Lot's of people write stuff in their resumes like "self starter" "able to work independently" "see's tasks through to completion" but this example is a real life demonstration of those attributes
OTOH, depending exactly on the OP's history, it could be seen as a detriment. If he had a steady job for 25 years, and retired or was laid off and decided to take a tour he had long wanted to take before seeking new employment, it probably doesn't look too bad. If he quit his first job out of college after a year to go on this trip, it may be a huge warning flag.
Take an activity you love out of it. If you had an applicant at your workplace that took three months off to, say, paint a picture, would that interest you or be relevant to discussion for a job in which painting was not a requirement? What if they took three months to visit European distilleries and vineyards? Sitting around surfing on a Caribbean beach? Maybe they were just a roadie for a heavy metal band. All of those likely have people that would find it as much of an opportunity of a lifetime as a three month bike tour, but I wouldn't necessarily think of them as either an automatic positive or a negative in interviewing for a job.