Originally Posted by
spinnaker
Well it looks like if I want to tour this year it is going to have to be alone. My one tour partner has other plans for this year and I have not heard from my other tour partner in months.
How many people have done it?
Cons I see are no one to talk to, no one to share the experience with, no one to bounce plans off of or to help make decisions. No one to back you up in case of illness or injury. No one to watch your bicycle and gear while you run into a store or some other off bike errand. No one to share costs.
Pros are. You make your own plans and do the distance you want to do in the pace you want to do it. No need to compromise with someone else. One of my big problems with my one touring partner is he is a heads down just get there kind of guy. I more of the heads up, smell the flowers and enjoy the journey kind of guy. If I only do 30-40 miles in a day that is fine with me.
I have done a few weekend tours on my own but nothing long term. Never really had any major issues. As far as my injury / illness concerns it is not like I will be in the middle of nowhere. But being alone every day sort of sucks.
So who has toured alone longer than say a few days? What did you think? Would you do it again?
Most of my tours have been solo. I get tons of vacation and my wife doesn't...like 6 weeks per year which is one of the perks of staying on the same job for decades. I can only carry 7 weeks of vacation at the end of each year so I have to use it or lose it. She also get itchy about taking more than 2 weeks at a time...go figure. So I go alone for up to 5 weeks every other year.
I'm not a terribly sociable person so being alone doesn't bother me much. I can keep myself pretty good company. That said, the loneliness does get to me sometimes. Usually about the end of the 3rd week. The first week of a tour, I find myself worrying about doubts and pondering turning around and going back home. By the second week, I'm starting to feel better and the initial excitement is still there but the doubts have worn off. The last week of a month long tour is all about getting to the finish and getting it done. But the third week is where it's too far to go, the excitement has worn off and it's too far to turn around and go back. The grind is just getting to be too much by that point.
I do have a cell phone so that I can call home. I didn't carry one until 2011 and relied on pay phones and phone cards then. It was a lot worse because I couldn't just call someone to chat. One of my coping mechanisms that I developed over the years is to write letters...with pen and paper...home about my day. It keeps me thinking about what I see and I use the letters for notes when I write up my trips. I can also revisit the notes to jog my memories plus share my experiences. I usually mail the letter...yes, by snail mail and with a stamp...a couple of times per week.
I will disagree with FB (big surprise
) about the optimal number of people to tour with. The only thing worse than touring solo is touring with someone and the only thing worse than touring with someone is touring solo. When I go by myself, I push too hard and miss too much. When I go with someone, I get frustrated at them for not going my speed or their wanting to see too much.
I absolutely, positively disagree that 3 people is the optimum number! Too many moving parts! Someone is slower than the others. Someone of the group wants to take frequent breaks or someone...usually me...wants fewer breaks. Everyone gets grumpy. I'll go solo or go with another person but I won't try a loaded tour again with 3 people.