tourbike

I'm just curious how many and whom of the forum members have a desire to tour the world, in one continuous ride. I think this is my primary interest in touring... to one day be able to do this. I have read cycle journals from those that have, to varying degrees, toured around the World in terms of continents crossed/countries traveled/miles-kilometers covered.

I think I have been watching and occasionally commenting in this forum (possibly the best touring forum there is) in hopes of gaining more knowledge that someday might bring me closer and more prepared to meet this goal.

I would like to travel the most landmass contiguous route, very little flying, and an extremely large number of countries traveled in three years, hopefully before I am 40. Possibly solo for most if not all of the time...

Share?

Oh, and congrats to the touring forum for 400+ threads.

keayne

tourbike,
I would love to tour the world, dreams can become reality...glad to hear you enjoy the posts as much as I do. Every read here I learn something, have a laugh and become encouraged to continue riding.

Machka 

Yes, I've got a desire to tour the world, in one continuous ride . . . or in stages. Doesn't matter to me as long as I eventually tour the world!

I've already started by touring some of Europe, Australia, and North America. The plan for the next few years (very tentatively, of course) is this:

2005 - tour NA
2006 - tour more of NA
2007 - tour more of Europe
2008 - not sure, haven't decided yet
2009 - tour more of Europe, then start in on the orient
And I'll see how it goes from there.

Alekhine

If I could afford such a trip, I'd do it over and over. We'll see though. I'm only 35, so I have (presumably) lots of years ahead of me, and my job is nomadic to an extent.

I would also probably want a tour partner for that. I'm fine touring the US and Canada alone (I actually prefer it), but around the world? It would be good to have some company, for a variety of reasons.

Next year, when I'm more settled in, I would like to tour NZ, Australia, or Japan. We'll see where it goes from there.

Schumius

it's my dream to tour the world in one time. i'm saving money and working on ways of saving money on tour. i'm planning to do it in 5 years. i want to do it without flying, except the flight back home, and that's what i don't like about living in an island. however i can take the ferry up to japan and probably from there i can head towards russia or alaska.

Rowan

Very, very few people have either the resources or the commitment to tour the world in one hit. But like eating the elephant, bit-by-bit is a good way to go.

And from that practical point of view, the most significant problem is sustaining oneself. That means money. That means either investments or finding employment along the way. And with the restrictions imposed by many countries on visas, this can be quite difficult.

Blackberry

Well, I never went around the world, but touring for six months in Europe was a heck of a lot easier than coming into an office and going to work every day. When you sleep in a tent or hostel (or as the guest of a gracious host met along the way), when you cook your own grub, it can be amazingly inexpensive. I wonder how many people have done a world tour.

halfbiked

Planning a route to meet this goal could be challenging! If your goal is primarily a circumnavigation, going east/west in the northern hemisphere is pretty sensible. The challenge comes in including Africa, South America and Australia in a landmass-contiguous route. One option would be to follow motorcycle adventure-tourer ted simon's route (detailed at jupitalia.com). Basically he travels from England to Africa then from Johannesburg to Brazil. Loops South America the long way (i.e. southbound on east coast, then north on west coast to the US). Then a tour of Oz, eventually returning to England overland, starting in India.

There are certainly tons of options, depending on what countries are on your 'must see' list.

xilios

Hi, you can check out this guy. I followed his journals for a while but he hasn't updated since Dec.04 hope his OK.
Anyway he has some tales to tell.
https://www.spiderstudios.co.uk/round...ke/default.asp

racpat_rtw

I cycled 25.000 miles around the world in 25 months. It did take a lot of planning to hit the right seasons in the right time, but it can be done. As I understand it, any trip in one continous direction that is longer than the circumfence of the tropics is considered " around the world".

tourbike

Agreed. The problem is touring with someone you are sure to have cohesiveness for the entire duration, or at least most of it. Many relationships have been destroyed due to the stresses and requirements of hard travel. I currently don't know anyone I love that much who wants to tour the world, much less tour. I'd be open to people joining me for segments of it, however...

tourbike

I have the ability to make a damn fine bit of money in a few years without spending much of it. Such is the life of a sailor... I'd try to save over $100,000, invest a portion of it and tuck away the rest. Dividends from the investment should sustain (in theory, it's a gamble) the drain on the savings. If not, the savings would be the buffer. If it ever got too low, I could always head home..

tourbike

Yes, it's challenging, but I'm not very interested in playing like the water is hot lava. Africa would be reached via Gibraltar straits, and left via the Sinai (a sub-Saharan leg), Australia via island-hopping Indonesia, and left via New Zealand to SA (Chile).

I was thinking of starting in Vancouver, CA, then eastward the entire way, flying of course to Europe, and season dodging my way around the world..

Dougmt

I don't think I could do it. I like the relative, perceived safety of the U.S. and Canada. I also am married and have two kids.... If I would have picked up a second language or two in high school or college that would have helped also.
I amire those of you who do it though....
D

Machka 

Besides the money factor, something else to keep in mind is that touring day in and day out for an extended period of time can be very wearing. Some people discover that they are well suited to that lifestyle, but others discover that they like to come back to something traditionally "normal" now and then. I am one of the latter ones.

I toured for 3 months straight, and by the end of it, I longed for at least a few weeks of "normal" life. I've been living a "normal" life now for 3 months, and I'm ready to be back on the road again, but that won't happen for a little while, so meanwhile I am touring the area where I now live.

Knowing that about myself now, makes me realize that I am making the right decision with my life plans for the next 5-10 years. I will be returning to school to get my Bachelor of Education, and I'm planning to especially take courses on teaching internationally. Many different places around the world are in need of teachers, especially English teachers, so ... I might tour a while, then stop somewhere and teach a while (and sightsee while I'm there), then tour some more ... and so on. Well, that's the plan anyway, and if it works, eventually I will see the world, just not all at once.

tourbike

I have definitely thought of that. Am I the maverick "it's just a flesh-wound" type or am I secretly a homebody with a hankering for travel? I have lived away from "home" before, for a number of years, but always with that latent homesickness. I figure nobody embarks on a round-the-world trip without that constantly in the back of their mind, however.

I find I am attracted by the IDEA, but am reasonable enough to understand that it is just that, not reality. Reality would be doing it.

Still, in a world of mundane, attainable goals, I think I can count a round-the-world tour as being my highest goal, not having kids, settling down or having the corporate career. What better way to experience life than cutting loose and seeing the world?

tourbike

Thanks for the link, the only thing I like more than writing travel journals is reading 'em! His stories are great, never a bore...

BostonFixed

Sometimes I dream about just leaving on my bike, whether it be a ride across the state, or even across the country or even world.
Just leaving, with minimal thought and preparations, just like a random thought pops into your head.

Traveler

TourBike; you did it, converted a "lurker" to a "poster". My wife and I are actively planning a 5+ year RTW trip, and I check this forum regularly for ideas, link recommedations, etc. I'm 46 at the moment and we are departing June 2007, leaving the corporate rat race behind forever. We figure expenses at 15K per year - give or take. Where the journey takes us at the end we do not care. I'll miss family and friends, but not the buissness world, 60+ hr workweeks and suburbia..

tourbike

Yay! And welcome. I am excited for you...
15K seems sufficient for two per year? I am not saying this to be contradictory, I am just curious on what calculations you've made to come to this figure. I am a very cheap traveler, so I would probably agree, but just because I am a little freaked out on the idea of going broke on the road, I high-balled my first estimate to double, which makes it an almost absurd amount to travel with. Given your estimate, I could do my three years+ for $45,000, more than half my estimate.
Congratulations on your "escape"!

bokes

I was training for a 2-3 year around the world bike trip when i was hit by a car and critically injured. now 3 years later i can ride a little, but future touring is uncertain.
moral of the story: go for it before it's too late.

Rowan

My new motto: Dream, Dare, Do.

It's the only way to convert dream to reality.

Machka 

EXACTLY!! That's one of the reasons I quit my job and headed off on a 3 month tour.

I had been sitting there regretting not travelling when I was younger, the opportunity came up, I thought about it briefly ... and I was off! I figured I had two options: I could continue to regret and possibly end up never touring for whatever reason, or I could seize the day and go for it before it was too late. I've no regrets about my decision.

Traveler

The 15K is based upon a $30USD ( $11K/year) about 3K/year mediacal insurance and the rest for travel home as needed. We are true blue stealth campers (from our canoeing/hiking days) for those continents where that is possible such as South America and Australia. In other countries like Asia where stealth camping is more difficult, inexpesvive lodging is in the $10 day range and meals are really inexpensive. If we are money wise, I think the $30 day is very reasonable.