The

Bike TouringSurvival Guide

Packed with practical advice and tips for life on the road, from over 50

experienced bike tourists.

Friedel & Andrew Grant

1Were Friedel & Andrew - two Canadians who fell into bike touring while living in London. We were searching for an adventurous way to go around the world. That was in 2006. It was three years and 48,000km later when we returned home with a new passion for discovering the world on two wheels.

Our love of bicycles brought us to the Netherlands, where we live, work and write about bike touring. We still take off on our bikes for a few days or weeks at a time, and were planning more big adventures.

We welcome your bike touring tips for future editions of this book, and your ideas for changes or additions. Share your thoughts by emailing us@travellingtwo.com

A Note About Copyright

Its taken over a year of hard work to produce this book. Selling it helps us to continue publishing free information on our website, and to pay for IT costs such as server maintenance.

Please dont pass it around the internet, put it up on file-sharing sites or make copies in any form - print or electronic - to sell. In other words, this book is 2011 Friedel & Andrew Grant.

If youre writing a review of the book, feel free to quote brief passages and thanks for reviewing it! Creative Commons material can, of course, be reused according to the license for each object. Rights to photos from our contributors stay with the photographer.

About The Authors

2The

Bike TouringSurvival GuideBy Friedel & Andrew Grant

With Contributions, Editing and Inspiration By:

Aaldrik Mulder & Sonya Spry, Adam Thomas & Catherine Mojsiewicz, Aitor Zabala, Alastair Humphreys, Alicia Ackerman, Alvaro Neil the Biciclown, Amaya Williams & Eric Schambion, Ann Wilson, Anthony Atkielski, Chris Leakey & Liz Wilton, Chris Meyer, Chris Roach, David Piper, Doug Nienhuis, Emma Philpott & Justin Hewitt, Fearghal ONuallain & Simon Evans, Frederike Ramm & Guy Moodie, Gayle Dickson, Grace Johnson & Paul Jeurissen, Geoff Stanley, Heather Burge, Ian Hincks, Jim Langley, Jim Wood, Josie Dew, Keith Bassingthwaighte, Kent Peterson, Loretta Henderson, Marten Gerritsen, Matt Picio, McNett, Michael Meiser, Mike Boles, Mirjam Wouters, Oli Broom, Peter Gostelow, Peter Lypkie, Primus, Quantum Cycles, Ray Swartz, Rebecca Hogue & Scott Drennan, Richard Masoner, Rob Moir, Santos Bikes, Sarabeth Matilsky, Sarah Luttio, Scott Stoll, Shane Little, Simone & Trevor, Stephen Lord, Steve Fabes, Steve Langston, Stijn de Klerk, Steve Willey, Tara Alan & Tyler Kellen

3IntroductionYou Can Do It! 7Keep It Simple 9

Part 1: Life On The Road

Getting Ready For The Adventure

Is it safe and fun to bike tour, even on my own? 13Will this cost a lot? Im not rich! 16How much do I need to plan? 19Mapping out a route? 23Bikes on planes, trains, buses or boats? 29What to pack? 37Getting sponsors or riding for charity? 41Advice for women planning to bike tour? 43

Daily LogisticsNavigating my daily route? 50What to eat? 56Where to sleep? 67Getting a shower? 77Doing laundry? 79Finding water? How much to carry? 82Help! Wheres the toilet? 86What if my day starts going wrong? 88

The People You MeetWhy do all these strangers want to meet me? 92Weird questions people will ask me? 96Should I accept offers of hospitality from strangers? 98

Staying ConnectedKeeping in touch with friends and family? 102Which gadgets and electronics to carry? 104Finding electricity to power these gizmos? 107Getting internet access? 110

Contents

4Challenges

Dealing with traffic? 113Will I be robbed or hassled? 116Making sure my bike isnt stolen? 118If dogs chase me? 121Coping with bad weather? 123Staying healthy? 126Wanting to quit before my tour is over? 132

Far Away PlacesDo I need many vaccinations? 135Is it safe to go there? 137What about getting visas? 139Getting and exchanging money? 145Bribes, bargaining and beggars? 149Communicating without speaking the language? 151

Coming HomeIm home. Now what? 154Will I ever get a job again? 156

Part 2: Bike & Camping Gear Maintenance

Repair Kits & General Bike CareWhat goes in my repair kit? 160Keeping my bike running smoothly? 167Whats that funny sound? 170What if my bike frame cracks? 172

Wheels, Rims & ChainsFixing a broken spoke? 175Truing a wobbly wheel? 179Straightening a severely bent wheel? 182Cracked rims? 184Chain problems? 187

Flat TiresUnusual causes of flat tires? 190Out of patches and tubes? 192

5Tents, Sleeping Bags & MatsPitching and packing my tent? 194Cleaning my tent? 197Holes and water leaks in my tent? 198Fixing broken tent poles? 200Caring for and cleaning my sleeping bag? 202Protecting my sleeping mat from dirt and failures? 205

StovesHow to keep my stove working well? 208Making my stove more efficient? 213Where can I find fuel? How much do I need? 216Making an emergency replacement stove? 219Flying with a stove? 221

Water FiltersDo I need a water filter or purifier? 222Caring for my water filter? 224

ClothingCaring for waterproof clothing? 225Keeping shoes from falling apart? 226Fixing failing zippers? 227

Closing Thoughts

Last But Not Least 229

AppendixPacking List 230Insurance 233Recommended Equipment 234Additional Reading 238Acknowledgements 239

6 Since life is short and the world is wide, the sooner you start exploring it, the better.

Simon Raven

7It is difficult to relate the profound pleasure of bicycle touring; its a pleasure that takes root deeply in the soul. To feel the land rising and falling under the power of your own legs, to take immense joy in every bit of food that you consume... Ian Hincks and Geoff Stanley

Get on your bicycle and go explore the world. There are so many wonderful

adventures waiting for you on the road.

This book will help you live your dreams. Think of it as your personal cheerleader, here to guide you on your own bike touring adventure.We wrote it because its exactly what we would have liked to read

when we set out to pedal around the world. Its a book full of tips and practical on-the-road advice, and a book that focuses on the emotional side of the journey, as well as the physical.

Everything on these pages has been learned from the nearly 60,000km of cycling weve done (often after racking our brains for days to come up with a solution), or is wisdom generously shared by dozens of other adventurous bike tourists.

Does that mean youll agree with everything? Of course not. We offer ideas, suggestions and hints but you may well find a better way of doing things. If you do, share it so others can learn from your experience.

The book begins by tackling the concerns that so many people have in the planning stages of a tour. What should I pack? Will this cost a lot of money? Can I go alone?

Next comes life on the road and everything that a long bike tour entails. As you read, youll find out how to deal with challenges like a broken campstove, heavy traffic and bad weather.

Youll learn to expect the unexpected, and youll become excited to discover new cultures, landscapes, foods and sensations.

Perhaps most importantly, youll learn how a bike tour can help you discover not only the world but also a bit about yourself.

We also touch on coming home after a bike tour. Whats it like to

You Can Do It!

8return after an extended period on the road? Can you find a job again? Will a bicycle tour change you? The answer to the last question is yes in more ways than you ever imagined.

All of this is organised not by chapters but by groups of questions. They are the questions that we once asked ourselves, and that hundreds of other bike tourists have asked us over the years. Read the questions in order, or flip through the pages randomly.

No book can cover everything, of course, and what makes this book a little different from other how-to bike touring guides is that we dont go into great detail about exactly which type of bike or equipment to buy.

Thats not to say that weve elimated discussions about gear entirely. Over a third of the book is devoted to maintaining and fixing things we all take on a bike tour - stoves, tents and, yes, your bicycle.

Weve also included a chapter on what to pack and several equipment lists. If thats not enough, throughout the book youll find tips that will help you choose between the many makes and models competing for space in your bike bags.

For specific equipment recommendations, such as brands of bicycles, sleeping mats and tents, check out our totally free Bike Touring Basics book (http://travellingtwo.com/biketouringbasics).

If we were to distill the message of this book into a single sentence it would be this: YOU CAN DO IT! Forget what others say and remember that you already have everything you need for a successful bike tour. You just dont know it yet.

9As you research, plan and dream about your big bike tour, youll soon discover just how easy it is to get bogged down in the details. You can labour for weeks over which route to take, whether to get the big tent or the small one, panniers or a trailer.

Even with more than 1,100 days on the road, we still debate these types of things. It is surely a human condition to always be curious about the other option.

There is one rule, however, that often helps us make a decision, no matter what the dilema: keep it simple.

Take equipment, for example. Its nice to think that when things go wrong, youll always be within spitting distance of a bike shop or camping store.

Unfortunately, Murphys Law says youre more likely to be in the middle of Outer Nowhereistan and the next town, bus stop or bike shop will be very far away.

When that happens, you want to be able to fix the problem on your own, or at least engineer a temporary patch job. You can vastly improve your chances by repeating Keep It Simple to yourself when picking out equipment.

What does this mean? In a nutshell: as much as possible, buy equipment that you understand and can repair in the field. For things like bicycles, tents, water filters and other gear, there are enough expedition products that are designed with field repairs in mind that getting something with hard-to-locate parts is usually avoidable.

These expedition-quality products can be expensive but theres a lot to be said for a good product that stands up to abuse and prevents you from dealing with breakdowns in the first place.

Keeping It Simple doesnt mean that you shun every high-tech gadget you cant fix yourself. Obviously, sending emails from a small netbook that fits neatly in your panniers is preferable to going back to the very simple (but now barely used) post restante, which was the main form of communication for travellers until the internet became popular. Even

Keep It Simple

Life shouldnt be too complicated on a bike tour. Great pleasures are found in simple things and moments.

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when picking out the latest gizmos, however, keep simplicity in mind. Go for brands that are known to be reliable and have a good battery life. Dont buy things that come with expensive contracts or that is so pricey that youll be constantly worrying about it being stolen.

Go Multi-functionalKeeping It Simple also means buying

things with more than one function. A Swiss Army knife can replace several kitchen utensils. Trousers that zip-off and convert to shorts can be used in warm and cool climates, allowing you to carry one piece of clothing instead of two.

Stay Open To ChangeKeep It Simple is a state of mind as well.

Try not to complicate your life by obsessing about daily distances, setting deadlines or deciding to cycle every mile, no matter how difficult those miles turn out to be.

These self-imposed pressures are sometimes invigorating challenges but they also run the risk of being more stressful than fun.

Its better to stay flexible and, when you feel like a change, look for ways to make life easier or more enjoyable. If you feel tired, take a shortcut, stop and read a book or treat yourself to a hotel and a really good nights sleep. When youd rather be somewhere else, dont feel guilty about using public transport to jump ahead to the next region.

The bottom line is that its your tour not anyone elses. Its certainly not a race or a quest to prove yourself to the world. Make sure youre enjoying the ride.

Questions to ask when buying gear:1. Is this product known to be reliable?2. Do I understand how it works?3. Can I fix it in the field?4. If I cant fix it, how easy will it be to find someone who can? 5. Are the components commonly available?6. Are the related batteries or tools standard and easy to find?

One of the great joys of bike touring is stopping

wherever you like. Photo Steve Willey.

11

Getting Ready:packing, planning,

finding a route...

13

History is filled with the stories of bike tourists who set out on exciting and successful solo journeys and one of the most inspiring cycling personalities is Dervla Murphy.In 1963, Dervla

embarked on her first long-distance bike tour from Ireland to India. Roz, the bicycle, was her only constant companion.

For that journey, Dervla carried a gun for protection. She sold it in Afghanistan, concluding that it was safer to travel without a firearm. Dervla later reflected that the world has not become drastically more dangerous in recent years, despite what we tend to think.

To a certain extent, we have become hysterical about our own safety. Perhaps big cities are more dangerous than they used to be, but once you get out into the wide open spaces, I think that you are as safe as you have ever been, she said.

Its a sentiment that we found reassuring when we nervously turned our wheels to the road for the first time, without really knowing anything

about bike touring.Josie Dew (http://www.josiedew.

com), who has cycled tens of thousands of miles on solitary world jaunts, also suggests that there is no great danger in getting out there and exploring despite what your family, friends or the local newspaper might have you believe.

After 20-odd years of cycling in fits and starts around the world, Ive found that most people dont want to kill you, they want to help you, she says, noting

Is it safe and fun to bike tour, especially on my own?

In the middle of nowhere, theres little to worry about. No people. No traffic. Bliss.

Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.Helen Keller

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that any occasional scares have been far outweighed by kindness.The books and biographies of yet more cyclists Anne Mustoe, Heinz

Stcke and Louise Sutherland, to name a few along with the journals of thousands of lower-profile bike tourists confirm that the joys of bike touring far outnumber the scares.

Identify Your FearsIf youre still not

convinced, pin down your fears and address them. Concerns about traffic or being hit by a car can be helped by taking an on-road cycling course, wearing high-visibility clothing and planning a tour on backcountry roads (see p. 113).

Scared of wild animals and things that go bump in the night? Pick a destination where its easy to find alternative accommodation in case you dont feel like free camping.

Very often its not one specific worry that holds people back from bike touring but a general fear of the unknown. The best cure is to start with a day or weekend trip around an area you are familiar with. Branch out slowly, making each trip slightly longer until you start to feel comfortable with the routines and adventures of bike touring.

You can also begin with an organized group tour and get a feeling for life on the road, without being thrown into the deep end all at once. Biciklo (http://www.biciklo.com) is a good searchable directory of organised bike tours.

Whatever your concerns, youll probably find that once youve been on the road for a few days or weeks, the fears you had before your tour fade with your growing confidence and skills.

That may not be the case, however, for your friends and family. As your departure date approaches, you may be pressured to stay home or do something more sensible than bike touring.

Try to alleviate their concerns by promising to check in regularly (see p. 102). At the same time, accept that your mother will always worry a little bit, no matter what you do.

Are we promising nothing will happen? Of course not. Just like life in general, nothing is risk free. You might have a problem when you

There are literally 1000s of organized bike tours to choose from, including extended international tours. We met this group on

their way to Bejing from Europe.

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go bike touring. You might also stay at home, fall down the stairs and break your leg. Usually bad luck is exactly that. It can happen no matter what you do or where you are, so dont let fears push your dreams aside.

The Lonely BluesBeing lonely isnt a big problem on a long trip because even if youre

cycling solo, youre rarely alone. There are people to chat with at every stop. They approach to offer help when youre pondering your map, or out of curiosity when they spot your bike.

The kindness of these strangers is often overwhelming. They seemingly come out of nowhere to offer cold drinks on a hot day, or a meal and a bed at the end of a long ride.

Theres also a lot to do on a bike tour. By the time you ponder over your map, savour the beauty of a downhill stretch, shop for food, eat your food and find a campsite, theres not much time left to be lonely.

Life isnt all roses though and loneliness does occasionally strike. It may arrive when you are pedalling through a desolate landscape, with a bit too much time to think, or around the time of birthdays and holidays. You may ask yourself questions: What am I doing here? Shouldnt I just go home?

When these blues set in, remember that most loneliness is temporary and not necessarily bad. Loneliness can force you to see a place from a new angle and be the catalyst that pushes you to embrace new opportunities.

On a long bike tour, a lonely spirit can often be soothed by stopping in one place for a while. Rent a room. Become part of the community. This will bring a bit of routine back into your life and give you time to think about whats really bothering you. You also get a chance to form deeper friendships, which can be hard on a solo bike tour.

Here are other ways to shake those blues:

E Find a popular route so you can meet other travellers; maybe another cyclist who will join you for a few days.

E Call home. Friends who make you laugh are good! E Do something out of the ordinary. Go to a movie. Learn a

skill. Treat yourself to a meal in a restaurant. E Share your experience. Write about your trip. Talk to schools

and charity groups. E Take a trip home. Its nice to see the people you love and

theres no reason why you shouldnt take a short break from a longer trip.

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A multi-year world tour on a low to medium budget, including daily expenses and one-off costs such as flights and insurance, will cost about $10,000 U.S. a year or $15,000 U.S. for a couple.This is a broad estimate and

will naturally be influenced by the destinations and route you choose, as well as your own personal style.

If this seems like a lot of money, perhaps thats because it is. Several thousand dollars is no small chunk of change for most of us but theres another way to look at this figure.

For the cost of a new car you can quit your job, travel the world for and have an adventure that may well change your life. Bargain!

Daily CostsWe can break the cost of bike

touring down into 3 broad categories. Prices are the top amount that one person might spend on any given day. Multiply by 1.5 for a couple.

Low Budget (Up to $15 U.S.)To bike tour on this slim a budget youll have to cook your own food,

be dedicated to camping in the wild and get your kicks from simple pleasures like the surrounding landscape and people you meet along the way. It will help a lot if you eliminate transport costs by starting and ending your trip from your front door.

If you do go somewhere far away, youll get a lot more for your money in countries where the cost of living is cheap (Southeast Asia, India, the Middle East and South America).

Middle Of The Road (Up to $75 U.S.)This is where we normally fall. We revel in the joys of camping out

in the wilderness and cook most of our own food. On many days $20

Will this cost a lot? Im not rich!

Youll save a lot of money by embracing wild camping.

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U.S. is enough to cover expenses. When the weather is bad or we reach a city, however, we dont hesitate to splurge on a hotel for convenience and comfort. We also indulge in treats like an ice cream, glass of wine or tickets to a local museum.

Luxury Tour (Up to $200 U.S.)With this kind of budget you can

live the high life. You might pay for a guided tour so you dont have to worry about the planning. You can stay in hotels, visit all the tourist attractions and eat out regularly in restaurants. You wont need to carry camping gear, which means your bags will be lighter and youll be able to easily cover longer distances.

Start-up & Emergency CostsNo matter how much you plan to spend, set aside an extra 10-15%

as a rainy day fund for emergencies. On longer trips, this money will also help you cover expenses during the transition period of coming home, before you find work again.

Youll need to count on set-up costs as well. This can be daunting, especially if you start looking at pricey new equipment in camping shops.

The thing to remember is that you dont really need all latest and greatest stuff to go touring. Our friend Greg went from China to Europe in a tent that cost $10 U.S. from the local supermarket. It was far from perfect but he made it, and he had the time of his life along the way.

To cut costs, you can search for used bikes and accessories. With a bit of luck, a few hundred dollars can buy the bicycle plus some basic accessories like racks and panniers. You might even do it for less by borrowing or making your own gear - a project thats both fun and

satisfying. People have made bike bags out of plastic buckets and stoves out of cat food tins (see p. 219).

That said, nice gear is, well, nice to have. Its built to last, which

If youre travelling on a budget, you may want to make your own tarp out of plastic for a fraction of the

price of a new one.

The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it.Henry Thoreau

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means peace of mind and fewer hassles replacing things along the way. Money can also buy lighter, more efficient gear.

To get set up with all the best equipment, you might spend $2,000 U.S. on a touring bike (for about $1,000 U.S. youll can already buy a very good bike) and another $1,000-2,000 U.S. on camping gear, accessories and outdoor clothing. Its a big initial outlay, but one that will pay for itself over time if you plan to do a lot of touring.

This Is How To Save ItWhether youre dreaming of a small trip or something bigger, the

principle remains the same. Set a financial goal and start saving. Work towards an overall goal as well as a monthly target, and put money in a special account so you can clearly see your progress.

Try these cost-cutting ideas:

E Cancel your subscriptions (satellite TV, magazines, cellphone). E Sell your car and bike to work. E De-clutter your home and sell everything you dont need. E Rent out a room in your home. E Downsize to a smaller home or rent a caravan. E When you need something, buy it second-hand. E Cook at home and take leftovers to work for lunch. E Dont buy a fancy bike. Tune up an old one. Youll save money

and learn about bikes at the same time.

If youre having trouble identifying areas to cut back, keep track of your expenses for a month. This can be a real eye-opener!

At the heart of all this scrimping and saving is the idea that money spent is money you cant put towards your dream. That doesnt mean you should never treat yourself but try to be more conscious of your spending. When youre tempted to spend $20 U.S., ask yourself: Would I rather have this, or one day on my bike?

Though it may seem hard to believe when you start, you really can stash a lot of cash away quickly by separating your wants from your needs and cutting out everything that falls into the nice to have but not necessary category. In the last year before leaving on our epic tour, we went from living on two paychecks to one, simply by forgoing what we outlined as unnecessary extras.

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Every time someone asks about planning a trip we think of Lee, the most memorable bike tourist weve met. We met Lee in the middle of a sandstorm on a long and lonely stretch of road in Turkmenistan. We were going east. Lee was going west.

Since we were the only bike tourists either of us had seen in weeks and we somehow had the good fortune to meet each other outside the only cafe for 100km, we naturally stopped to have a drink together.

Over a glass of soda, Lee told us that he was from China and hed been cycling for 14 years. When we asked exactly where he was going, Lee wasnt sure. He held out his hand and waved it roughly towards the west. Iran, perhaps. Or maybe Armenia.

His bike was as haphazard as his route. Everything on it was a wreck. The panniers in particular stand out in our minds to this day. They were faded, crumpled bits of fabric. Every zipper on them was broken; split wide open.

Lees packing style was also interesting. Other cyclists would have used the limited space in his slim panniers for a waterproof jacket or a stove but Lee crammed his bags full of photo albums. To this day, we arent even sure if Lee had a tent. If he did, it must have been tiny because there would have been little place for it in his bags, between all the photos.

In spite of this stunning lack of planning, limited equipment and basic bicycle, Lee had managed to bike through 100 countries. When we met in 2008, he told us he planned to stop in a few months and return home. Over a year later, we turned on the television to see Lee on the news. Still cycling, hed been kicked out of Somalia for illegally trying to bike through the country without a visa.

Clearly Lee was not the kind of man to let something as trivial as a

How much do I need to plan?

Lee: On the road for over a decade with little gear or planning but a

lot of spirit.

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knackered bicycle, bureaucratic hassles or a lack of technical equipment get in the way of a good time. Hes probably still pedalling somewhere

out there, with the same worn panniers.

It was Lee who got us thinking that most bike tourists ourselves included fret too much. We can spend months before a trip sketching out every last inch of a route and buying endless pieces of gear, all guaranteed to save us from disaster. We set out on bike tours and big adventures because we

want to get away from the routine, and yet we try to plan for every unexpected moment and make our adventure as predictable as possible.

Its easy to lose sight of the fact that the most important thing is to get on the bike any bike thats still capable of moving and ride. Nothing more. Nothing less. Just pedal.

A Little Planning Never Hurts That said, a bit of planning can make things simpler. A lot simpler. It

stinks when you turn up at a campground only to find it closed for the season. It stinks even more to be cycling through the desert and discover youre short on water.

If you plan things well, youll find yourself glowing with the liberating feeling that comes from riding your bike down remote roads, knowing that you have all the skills and tools required to solve any challenges that might come up.

So yes, by all means, plan your trip. Depending on the journey you have in mind, you might start a few days or a few years before you leave. Find journals online and books of other cyclists who have travelled the same path. Browse through

Plan enough so you dont run out of supplies in the middle of nowhere but not

so much that you become inflexible. Above all, just enjoy the experience of exploring

the road ahead.

Concerning the roads that we might expect to encounter, we were unable to obtain any information. However, we did not hesitate to set out ... and take things as they came, resolving to find pleasure in every incident which might be in store for us.Allan Eric, Through The Adirondacks Awheel

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guidebooks. Email tourist associations for information and brochures. Buy maps for the places youre going and download GPS tracks from the internet (see more on all of this on p. 23).

Get a highlighter and start marking down attractions to visit and practicalities like places to sleep or get water. Some people even like to plan out a day-by-day itinerary in a spreadsheet.

Planning also means thinking about the challenges you might encounter. Research the likely weather and read about some of the things that can happen on a bike tour. Learn what to do when the hotel you expected doesnt appear (see p. 67), when a crack appears in your bike frame (see p. 172) or when your stove wont work and all you want is a hot cup of tea (see p. 208).

Its not that these things happen very often, but once in a while your day will taken an unexpected twist (and thanks to Murphys Law this always seems to happen in the pouring rain). When the unanticipated occurs, its nice to know what your options are.

Above all, learn to trust in yourself and your own resourcefulness. When everything else runs out, its this confidence that will carry you through. Just like Lee, youll soon learn that its not about how many guidebooks youre carrying around, the gear in your bags or even the bike. Its about your dreams and desires. Take those two things on a bike tour and everything else will follow.

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Planning Timeline For A Big TripIts possible to take off on a whim but most of us spend a few

years dreaming and planning for a big bike tour.

Three Or Four Years Before E Start saving money (have a goal and a budget) E Read inspiring books about the journey you want to take E Set a rough departure date

One Year Before E Set a firm departure date E Tell friends and family about your plans E Research and pick out a bike E Start clearing out your stuff

Six to Nine Months Before E Create a website (if you want one) E Select the rest of your gear E Set aside weekends for test runs of your bike and gear E Research visas you may need en route

Three Months Before E Apply for visas youll need early on in your trip E Visit a doctor and get your vaccinations E Book flights and renew your passport E Tell your boss that youre quitting E Set up internet banking E Scan important documents and store them digitally

One Month Before E Get your bike serviced and pick up any spare parts E Buy any remaining supplies E Sell or store any stuff you have left

Just One Week! E Have a goodbye party E Pack your bike for the flight E Try to get some sleep