To be clear, I am not planning to give a professional advice on bike touring, bikes or gear.
However, I did learn some common truth that often comes back to me in form of the most frequently asked questions which I share here:
- The most important thing when planning your journey is to choose a departure date and count everything backwards – when to quit your job, house, sell or store your stuff and say goodbyes. This is the best advice I have read and applied for my journey.
I chose March 8 and created a countdown timer to keep it straight – x days left until I take off.
- Just start. You can’t get everything 100% perfectly planned. But then again, unless you go somewhere super remote for a long period of time, you will never be too far from the civilization and thus shops, so you can stock up when necessary.
- The bike doesn’t matter. Unless you are going to do something super special, you are fine with any bike that can carry you and some luggage. Very important is that you feel good on that bike. Even a tiny inconvenience will become a major pain when you cycle all day every day. Ergonomics matter.
- Keep it simple. Both the bike and the gear. The simpler everything is, the easier it will be to repair or to find a replacement.