How to plan a bicycle tour in less time than the tour itself…
It can be pretty daunting, I know, I’ve been there too and i feel your pain.
Here is a bit of help, remember learning the 5 W’s and H at school. Who, What, When, Where, Why, and…. HOW!
Before i start, the following text contains many links to blogs, “How-to” tutorials, official information and occasionally my own material. This is all the info i gathered when planning my tour (this took me a year). And if you find better material, please let me know, and i will acknowledge your support here and we can continue to develop this. Now lets get planning.
Lets start
Most likely your good self plus a friend, perhaps.
Remember with friends comes compromises, it is no longer just “your” tour.
- A fully unsupported bicycle or bikepacking tour (whats the difference?)
- A luxury bicycle tour with hotels and restaurant food
- A combination of the above two.
You will know in your stomach how much you want to “rough it” – Choose whatever is comfortable to you. Or take a leap of faith and embark on an unsupported journey!
This is the first really big step. Deciding your time frame is where it all starts, you can’t cycle the world on a weekend.
- Get a calendar and start circling available dates
- Talk to people, let them know you are wanting to travel the world. Don’t hide it inside, the earlier you talk about the earlier you will receive more help and support. You will be amazed how positive and inspiring the words, “good on you, what an adventure”, can be!
This is your next big decision. This will be dependent on your time frame and a host of other factors.
Need some inspiration, check out our top 6 Bicycle touring destinations
Here is a general list of factors you will want to consider
- Desired climate
- Are you ready for a third world country?
- Travel insurance and vaccinations, an added “surprise” cost
- The level of safety you want to feel
- Density of hotels if not planning on camping
- Access to drinking water, desert crossing
- Sights you want to see
- Cycling traffic conditions (Bicycle paths or highways?)
- Travel/Flight time to the country/destination
- Visas
You don’t need a reason, but here is some inspiration to find a “why” answer!
So now we have our 5 W’s sorted out, the last one “How” is a little trickier.
How to reference guides are all over the internet.
Here is a timeline of “How to” references.
I planned for a full year and am continuing to research. whenever i found great info, i saved it. Here they are for you!
- Our list of Bicycle touring Equipment – Click Here
- Create your own checklist – free
- Google Keep is a great way to build and share lists
Your kitchen is completely dependant on your tour. You don’t need one, you can live from tinned food if you want!
If you are looking to purchase a stove, this is a piece of kit that i recommend researching thoroughly. Make sure you test your stove at home and know how to maintain it.
Certainly still possible to tour the world with this! It’s a balance of weight, and your own preferences.
- Fresh mango and Avacado Salsa
- Bread, tomato and onion balsamic salad
- Overnight oats/bircher muesli (Our favourite!)
- Banana peanut butter hotdogs (Banana in bread with peanut butter)!!!
If you are designing your tour to follow the warmer seasons, then think carefully about ventilation, and what you are planning on encountering. I would prefer to have one or tow colder nights than 100 steaming hot nights in the tent. A mistake we made when purchasing our tent.
- Google “4 season tent” or “expedition tent” (This is not my cup of tea)
- Our full list of camping/sleeping equipment
- A great article detailing all the tent options out there.
Your tent is your home for your next few months or maybe year. Make a decent investment as a good nights sleep is a bicycle touring recipe for success.
Our clothing is set to handle tempretures below 0 and uncomfortably -5 deg. But no less
How i dress when its hot
- Cover up – Long sleeve shirts and a hat
- Merino is the best – Breathable and fast drying
- Go an extra size up – I wear my shirts a little larger to allow increased air flow
Carry a BUFF Headscarf or Bandanna to keep the sweat out of your eyes.
If touring South East Asia, do not invest in expensive Rainwear. You will either get wet from the outside or wet from sweat inside your jacket.
When we were touring in Europe, our Gore-Tex rain gear was amazing. Especailly the GORE shoe covers that i did not buy and Jasi did. after a day of rain, I had wet shoes most mornings.
Your toolkit is dependent on location, your skill level and simply your own preferences/what your happy to risk.
If your looking to learn more on Youtube, then Parktool’s chanell has every tutorial you could think of
A thorough toolkit is very important when remote, but the toolkit is just that if you know how to use it. Get your local bicycle mechanic, friend or watch Youtube videos to learn. Take apart your bicycle before it breaks and see how it all works!
The essential piece of gear, but one I personally think people spend too much on when getting started. Our raw bicycle cost us 1150 USD with a brooks saddle, and we are still riding strong! Maintenance is key. Here are some options to wet your appetite.
Before you go on, here’s what i think.
Our Own bicycle design brief – What you should consider when selecting a bicycle.
For a world Bicycle tour, you should at a well built bicycle with components that can be found all over the world. Having said that, there is no need to blow the bank.
Unlike the world touring bicycles, i really believe you go on a bicycle tour with any bike at all. You can make panniers from plastic buckets, hold together pieces together. Do not think you need a touring bicycle for a weekend getaway, especially if this is your first trail.
Having said that, a carbon fiber road bicycle is very limiting. I am talking about that old rusty bicycle in your garage grab that, add some DIY luggage carrying and hit the road!
Hers is some inspiration for you. A bicycle tour started for less than 25 british pounds (32 $ USD)
Check out our stories and countries for a little bit on inspiration
- A specifically built device that is designed to locate, guide and in some cases act as an Emergency messenger satellite
- We use a Garmin In-Reach Explorer+, as a safety precaution, not as a guide.
- We question if we should have bought a Spot GPS instead.
See below for list of Apps: Go To > Throughout your Tour > Navigating your way
With the ever-growing list of apps that are both very user friendly, reliable, and accurate, the smartphone is a very popular choice with bicycle tourers.
- Offline, there is no need to connect yourself to the outside world. Properly preloaded with Maps the smartphone can guide you in even the most remote locations.
- Online, google and all other landmarks are at your disposal. If the data is cheap, then this makes this option highly advantageous.
- Old school mapping will give you a great understanding of the surrounding landscape and a better overview of the countries topography. Maps can be a great way to visually plan two weeks ahead as it lets you stand back and see the logistical scale. Ie Here are the mountains, there is the flatlands, here is the town we want to visit.
- Not for everyone, but simply heading away from a destination having trust that the locals and wind will guide you, what an adventure!
- This is something everyone will learn as they tour. It’s so easy to get over excited when your planning your route. We keep our estimates on the lower side, to take into account unexpected turns in the road
- If your on your weekend getaway, go for it!
Bicycle touring exposes you to a lot of dangers. Our good friends just had a recent episode where they had to fly to the nearest city hospital and be treated for Hep E poisoning. Without travel insurance their tour would be over as they would be facing huge fees! it’s not that expensive and you wont have that thought looming over your head, “i’m not covered”.
It’s foolish to travel the world without it!
There are always catches to your insurance. here are a few common mistakes i have heard fellow bicycle tourers make.
- If you fly home just to visit your family for a week or two, your travel insurance will most likely be cancelled. I’m not sure why this is, but it is very common for travel insurance plans
- Altitude, most plans will have a regulation to how high you can cycle or trek. We increased our insurable altitude range to 5000m. This will just cover you for the Pamir and the Karakarom highway in Pakistan.
The most important part of a trauma kit, is knowing exactly where it is packed, labelled on your pannier. Then you can get specific.
- I reccomend having a decent supply of bandages and disinfectant sprays/gels. Skin abrasions will be your most common injury.
- Our medical kit was specifically put together for bicycle touring
Writing a sponsorship letter takes serious time. If you’re not going to put a lot of effort into it then save your time and energy.
- Do your research, find out which companies have potential and fit your image
- Quality not quantity, better to write to one company highly specific than send 5 generic, non specific emails
- What is your unique selling point (USP), why are you worth sponsoring and not all the other bicycle tourers out there?
- Show them what you have already done. If you have experience, created cool travel videos, wrote travel blogs, volunteered in groups with these interests. Show them, don’t be modest, you must impress.
- Be personal and be willing to share. You will most likely be promoting over social media, show them your skills, send them a vlog (video of you talking) to the company, showing your energetic face and just how great you are in front of a camera.
- Meet them in person. If you have the ability to, go and meet the company and the people you are working for. This is not a holiday getaway for them, it is a business. They will enjoy seeing you and the effort going to see them, it shows your commitment.
The effort you can put in to getting sponsorship can be far better used by taking a side job and earning that extra money to buy your equipment. Consider your time as a factor here. There are a million ways to make money nowadays. Perhaps you wont to forget about a travel blog and build a website offering online assistance in your area of expertise.
I met a french mathematics teacher who is cycling the world, building online lessons and teaching material from his tent.
If you feel you do not have the skills or are in a country where services are cheap for your budget, then take your bicycle to a bicycle shop and get them to package it. They will have boxes and packaging material form their latest shipping.
It is my strongest advice to book flights with Airlines that are bicycle friendly. The incredible costs that can be given to you at check in can be a sad start or finish to your tour. These airlines are great and not so…
Be warned, budget airlines are just that. Expecting to pay less than 100dollars for a ticket and transport your bicycle for free, this would be wizardry! Look into what you can and cant take. You will often find very vague guidelines and Fee calculators. See here for an example
Call them and find out what you can and can’t do with your bicycle.
Three tips to avoid those “unexpected fees”
- Know what luggage allowances your entitled to.
- Many airlines will not specifically specify the cost of a bicycle and will simply supply dimensions for all checked luggage to fit within.
- I.e your luggage will need to fit within X by X weighing no more than XX.
- Arrive at the counter with your bicycle boxed and within weight and size dimensions. Kindly smile and state the dimensions of your box and that it is equal or under to the allowable checked in baggage size. Then say that the website makes no direct claims to an extra charge for bicycles ( This worked for us in Kathmandu!)
- Call the airline customer service line 1 or 2 days before hand. We have been surprised time and time again, just how helpful customer service has been. We have received largely discounted prices and given hints on how to reduce the cost of our luggage.
- Dont just pack your bicycle into the box. You are given a maximum weight per piece for checked luggage, normally 30kg. We pack all our clothing and equipment between the cracks of the bicycle. Not only do you save on having to purchase another bag of checked luggage, but your sleeping bag can really protect your bicycle during transit.
- And SMILE at the check in counter.
An expensive extra large Taxi can be a horrible wat to start your bicycle tour. Here’s what we do
- Organise a couchsurfer or Warmshowers to drop you off or collect you. You will find a lot of hosts very willing to help. You just have to ask. Bring a present for this great person.
- Factor in the cost of transportation away from the airport when buying your ticket. Those cheap midnight flights that arrive at 3am can suddenly seem expensive. Check if they have 24hr buses to the city when booking your flight.
There are a few important items that you can not take on carry on with you
- Stove, ensure your stove and fuel bottle is very clean.
- Remember to remove that Swiss army knife you had in your front pannier
- Food, can be very difficult to bring into certain countries, like Australia.
- Insect repellent and other liquids, you must comply with their liquid regs.
As always, check with your airline if you feel uncertain about something beforehand
If you are planning on putting together your bicycle at the airport, you need to deal with the packaging. You will not wanting to be riding out the door with a big cardboard box, research your airport, see what they have.
You might even have to crush it up and take it with you. Carry some straps to secure this onto your bike until you find a bin or preferably somewhere to recycle it.
Take your time to settle in to this new country. Plan only a few km’s on your first day or none at all. You never know what unexpected surprises will arise. You don’t want to be behind schedule before you have even started
American dollar is often King. It is great to carry a few dollars of a foreign currency that will be easily exchanged if needed be. You never know when you will need it.
We carried 200 USD dollars, stuffed deep into our panniers. It saved us on many occasions. Visa fees, border crossings etc.
Having a local simcard can be a real help in some countries and a waste of money in others.
IF you do decide to purchase a sim card, you will find the process for buying a sim-card far easier INSIDE the airport than on the street (they know the process for arriving customers without a address). It is often slightly more expensive. (Very valid to India)
Reasons to buy a Simcard
- Keeping in touch with the locals. A local might give you their number and ask you to call them when you get to their village. Without a Simcard in Iran, we would have never reconnected to half the hosts that invited us roadside.
- Helping you out when your offline mapping system fails. Google maps will be waiting
- Points of interest. It can add a great deal of value to your tour if you are passing landmarks or are curious on the history.
- Messaging family and friends. We have found the data to be exceptionally good quality and cheap in some countries, so good that we can Skype from our phones without the need for Wifi.
Reasons to not buy a Simcard
- Cost, in certain countries, particulary European countries. The cost of a Simcard is far too expensive.
- Offline maps are so well marked and the country is very bicycle friendly.
- You want to disconnect for a while, a great excuse to really soak it all up!
- The process is just too difficult. Some countries require a local address, a contact no, etc etc. Dont waste your time with more paperwork.
- Ask people for directions instead. The engagement often leads to new friendships and invitations.
Everyone has a personal preference to this question.
For beginners, i recommend using your smartphone and downloading an offline app to navigate your way.
Every tourer you have met will have their own favourite App and method. Depending on your budget, access to internet and simple personal preference, all tours will differ!
Offline
Offline operable apps are so practical. You do not need to be connected to the net. You can download all you need via some free WIFI and you have all you need to navigate. They are incredibly accurate, and maps are packed with so many features you will not miss or need the net again.
Online
Online maps are the premier option regarding information access. However, you will find these apps use your battery life much faster.
Online, has the ability to be able to change you mind mid-tour and replan your trip. This is also possible offline, but the added information required to make a ‘great’ change of plan are often available with offline
A combination of the two
Apps that offer both an online interface and then an offline ability reign supreme. Most Apps have or are moving towards this functionality. An example of this is googles ability to download maps of your choice. The maps will be held on your phone for 30 days.
Now for our App reccomendations
Offline
- MAPS.ME
- Incredible User Interface UI
- Simple management of downloaded maps
- POI, hotels, water points.
Online
- Google maps
- Although a little bit taxing on the battery its UI is what we all know
- RidewithGPS
- Free for online version only. So many features and is loved by many
- Offline version is $6-$10/month
Combination of the the two
- Komoot
- An incredible app, not just made for cycling, but trekking and daily commuting
- great elevation profiles and provides you with such great options to avoid traffic
- It will take you the most remote way, so be careful of where komoot takes you! ideal for bikepacking
- It had a one-off cost to purchase all the worlds maps! approximately $25USD when we purchased
Here is a great blog reviewing all Apps, this helped me when planning
People love writing/complaining about head winds, it’s all part of the adventure!
What do i mean, “where to find food?”. There are many options to getting your daily intake of food. This blog post inspired me to get creative and always be on the look out.
We once collected peppers (capsicums) that had fallen off the back of a truck in Iran!
Whats wild camping? It is camping without an official permit or finding a piece of land that is untamed and sleeping the night there! pure adventure!
Do your research if you can or not. When you find out that its OK then the country is yours, be respectful of locals of course!
if it is illegal and you still want to camp or you just have no option, you will want to
- Set up your tent late, just as the sun is setting
- Pack up your tent early in the morning
- leave no trace!
If you are embarking on a world tour or a remote tour, we reccomend consulting a travel doctor, or just your local GP. They will advise you on medications and if the area requires vaccinations. Don’t overlook this point as “it won’t happen to me”. Some countries wont allow you to enter without necessary vaccinations. Don’t beleive me…. click here for WHO report
- Staying well fed and Hydrated (a simple guide)
- Stretching well after a long day in the saddle
- General health
You are exposed to the elements, and whilst you will adapt and develop immunity the first few weeks or months of a tour can be ruthless on your health. Hers 3 golden tips…
- Listen to your body. Forget you daily Km average and tell people when you are not feeling well. No Heros please
- Sleep, you are really testing your body physically. We have sometimes slept for 12 hours, just from exhaustion
- Hydration, we can all ride on a nagging hungry stomach, but riding to the point where your tongue feels like a piece of wood is stupid. Stay hydrated and carry filters and tablets if finding clean water is difficult.
Once you’re on the road, you will have very little costs. Your costs will be naturally; food, accommodation, and equipment
There are a few tips you can do to avoid expensive meals
- Cook your own, so simple. Try and avoid over complicating things. The can of olives on top and garnish can almost double the cost of a meal
- Never eat in the main tourist areas. Durrrr
- Research if temples have free food on particular days. Depending on what country you’re in, you might find a free bhuddist lunch (repesctfully of course)
- Hospitality, particularly in middle eastern countries, you will be often invited for lunch, donner and then to stay the week.
- Volunteer at a hostel
A few tips to avoid expensive hotels
- Learn the phrase “Can I put our tent in your garden” in the local language. Often difficult but oh so rewarding. The concept of sleeping in a strangers garden is foreign to most. They will love your attempt at their language. Guaranteed smiles
- Wild-camping, Not for everyone and still gives me shivers when you hear rustles and a spotlight light up your tent in the middle of the night. If your brave enough, read a great guide to wild camping here
- Don’t be afraid to ask locals. They can always say no. “Could I put our tent in your garden?” “Do you have a place for us to sleep?” Don’t complicate things in a non English speaking country by starting with “Would you mind if that, ah only if we don’t interrupt…” Get to the point and smile.
- Temples, Mosques, fire station, police stations, refuge centers. Keep an eye out for any of these, be brave and ask, you’ll be amazed at what these organisations can do for you!
- Volunteer at a hostel
How do you save money on necessary equipment
- Borrow from a friend. Camping gear and specialized bicycles are something that are used by most families 3-4 times a year at best. Offer to rent these from a friend, or just ask him or her about their travels, listen to their stories and they might just offer it to you for free.
- DIY is always an option. There are so many DIY options, here is a set of panniers built from a plastic bucket. My friend Beka (warmshowers host in Tblisi, Georgia) built these, beautiful.
- Sponsorship or renting equipment.
A big fear of ours is losing all our photos and videos we have taken.
There are a few safe keeping methods we do to ensure we don’t lose our data
- Backups, we always have a second copy carried on a harddrive
- Family of friends back home to download the data you upload to the cloud.
- You can purchase 100GB of data on google Drive for 1.50 per month. If you exceed this, then simply share your folder with a trusted family or friend and get them to download all your files onto a hardrive at home. This will free up space in your Google Drive again.
- There are many other systems and free options for sending only, not storing.
- Purchase a quality hardrive.
- Meeting friends for a pause on your tour, tell them to bring a hardrive for you to copy all your files onto and then send it all home with them.
being in a foreign country and finding a bicycle box can be difficult, and then transporting back to your bicycle.
You have two options
- Ride your bicycle to the nearest bicycle shop OR
- Get a bicycle box from a bicycle shop, bring it back to your hotel and start packing it together!
Remember to call them before hand and ask if they have a bicycle box available. They will normally be free.
If you have the budget, paying someone to put your bicycle in a box can be a great way to enjoy the last day or two of your bicycle tour exploring the city.
An expensive extra large Taxi can be a horrible wat to finish your bicycle tour. Here’s what we do
- Organise a couchsurfer or Warmshowers to drop you . You will find a lot of hosts very willing to help. You just have to ask. Buy a small present or card for this great person.
- Factor in the cost of transportation away from the airport when buying your ticket. Those cheap midnight flights that arrive at 3am can suddenly seem expensive. Check if they have 24hr buses to the city when booking your flight.
There are a few important items that you can not take on carry on with you
- Stove, ensure your stove and fuel bottle is very clean.
- Remember to remove that Swiss army knife you had in your front pannier
- Food, can be very difficult to bring into certain countries, like Australia.
- Insect repellent and other liquids, you must comply with their liquid regs.
As always, check with your airline if you feel uncertain about something beforehand
Follow travel Bloggers, get reading, research next countries,
This is as difficult as it gets. You find yourself wishing to be back on you bicycle and would trade a good day in the office for a bad day on the bicycle.
- Follow travel bloggers, instagrammers and find a little inspiration to get out on the weekend.
- Take your bicycle for a ride. Just 30 mins, this will inspire uou
- Take a deep breath, you will bicycle tour again!
We are now sitting on a mountain of videos and photos. We have refined what we capture now by becoming more and more selective in what we capture in the first place.
On a bicycle tour, you will quickly learn, that if you take a picture every time you round a beautiful corner you will be out of memory on your hardrive on day three.
Our Rule: If it doesn’t make our jaw fall open, then its better enjoyed through your own eyes. This has significantly cut the count and increased the quality of our photos and videos.
Capture less, but capture better. Take more time and effort into the fewer moments you do decide to capture.
Planning your next tour, you will feel like an expert. Once you’ve done one, you’ll be hooked, and it will get easier every time.
I recommend writing down all you can think of on the following topics as soon as you are home from your last bicycle tour
- Skills you learnt
- Things that worked well
- Equipment that performed well
- Mistakes
- What you did and didn’t enjoy
- How you could have improved the tour you just did.
Put this list in your panniers and refer to it when you are planning that next tour.
When your ready to plan again, begin with this piece of paper, then this blog 😉 and put the wheels in motion.
It’s all common sense stuff, but if you want a few tricks or inspiration, here is a start
Hope this helps, if you’re a bicycle touring blogger creating great “How-to” content for bicycle touring, bikepacking or a weekend luxury bicycle tour, then let me know and if we think its great content will happily link you.
OR if your back from a tour and want to do a write up (a quality write up, entertaining to read), send me a word doc with your pictures and i will post it with full acknowledgement and reference to yourself.
