Five Questions for Travelling Two
Friedel and Andrew have ridden their bicycles about 55,000 kilometers though 32 countries. Their site, Travelling Two, offers practical advice and loads of inspiration for anyone interested in getting out and travelling by bike.
BICIKLO: You’ve traveled over 50,000 kilometers by bike. How have you been able to find the time and resources to travel so extensively?
If you really want to do something, then you always find a way to make it happen. Sometimes people think that we must have a secret (perhaps a large inheritance) to do so much travelling but it’s not true. We are just normal people, who live simply and save a lot of money to fund our dreams. We’d rather have $1,000 in our travel fund, than the latest gadgets or fashions.
What drives us to do it is a keen sense that life is short and we need to make the most of it (we both saw relatives pass away far too early), as well as a confidence that things will always work out. We don’t worry about quitting our jobs for a year to travel, for example, because we’re sure that with our skills and ingenuity, we’ll somehow land on our feet.
BICIKLO: You have a lot of experience with touring bicycles. What recommendations would you make to someone planning a guided or self- guided tour?
If you don’t have a lot of money to spend, look at used bikes. Although it’s great to have the latest innovations like a Rohloff hub and hydraulic brakes, you can equally get a long way on an older bike. If you get a good deal on a solid used bike, you’ll also worry a lot less about it being stolen! We bought bikes for $100 each at our local thrift shop, and they have taken us about 5,000km so far! Rich & Amanda also bought used bikes for their tour of Southeast Asia. Just get your local bike shop to look it over before you go, to make sure there are no major problems.
For shorter tours, and when you’re flying to your destination, see if it’s possible to hire a bike. Of course, this depends on the location and available services, but packing a bike for air travel is a pain and can be quite expensive.
BICIKLO: You can take only one non-essential item with you on your next trip – what is it?
A short-wave radio. On longer trips, we like to know what’s going on in the world (you never know if a conflict or natural disaster might occur in your next destination, forcing you to change plans), and the BBC World Service plays some thoughtful, well-produced documentaries that were often relevant to the places we were travelling in.
BICIKLO: Do you feel there’s a growing community of people who choose to travel by bike?
Absolutely! It’s still a small group compared to backpacking, of course, but I think more and more people are realizing that travelling by bicycle gives you great freedom to go where you want, when you want; to explore areas off the beaten track and to travel on a budget. It also gets your body into incredible shape very quickly!
BICIKLO: You’ve been around the world by bicycle. What particular destinations you’ve visited really stand out in your mind?
That’s a tough one! We have so many great memories from all around the world. Iran was our favourite country. The people are so incredibly friendly, helpful and eager to show you their country. They also have some amazing architecture and archaeological sites to explore, but because of the political climate at the moment there are almost no tourists, so you end up wandering through these amazing buildings and ancient ruins on your own. It’s truly breathtaking. Australia stands out in our minds as well for the friendly people (they always have a joke to tell!) and incredible diversity of wildlife there. Portugal was our favourite European destination, with great scenery and food at extremely reasonable prices compared to the rest of Europe. My mouth still waters at the thought of all the delicious fish and red wine we indulged in there.
There are still many places we’d like to ride. We didn’t get into China on our round-the-world trip, so that’s high on the list. We’re also hearing excellent things from cyclists who’ve been to Colombia lately – it seems quite safe now, and they have a real cycling culture there. And finally, we’d love to do the Great Divide mountain bike route along the spine of the Rocky Mountains. There’s no shortage of inspiration for the coming years!
You can peruse all the resources on the TravelingTwo website at travellingtwo.com. And be sure to check out their blog at travellingtwo.com/ journals.