Originally Posted by indyfabz

I sometimes wonder whether I would want to/could do what I did back in 1999 or even the following year. Putting aside things like financial issues (I was not destitute during my time off from the working world, which helped a lot.), I am not sure I would want to live like that again for so long. At times, bike touring can be messy, buggy, hot, humid, cold, wet, frustrating, expensive, tiring, injurious and monotonous. Sometimes all in one day. Imagine living for an extended period of time, potentially in all sorts of conditions, without most of the everyday things you are surrounded with now. And I am not simply talking about material possessions. Imagine, for example, wandering around and unfamiliar grocery store nearly everyday hunting for dinner and breakfast items. For some reason, that sticks out in my mind when I am on the road. I suspect that's because I am the sort of person who, during my "everyday life," shops for groceries nearly every day at places I know well.