By Howard Gethin, Posted Dec 04, 2006
Sections: Around the World by Bicycle Guide What kind of bike? Accessories Spare parts Distance and riding Travel Insurance and paperwork Camping Out Internet Resources
See the world on two wheels and get on your bike.
Sick of hanging around airports? Unable to control your temper at 8 hour train delays? Fed up of being at the mercy of the bus driver’s awful taste in music?
Get on your bike.
In the modern age of good roads and light, high-quality bikes, cycling is one of the greatest ways to travel. It’s cheap, a lot of fun and spruces up your resume as a hardcore traveler. Provided you’ve got functioning knees and a healthy heart, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t see the greater part of the planet on two wheels.
Traveling under your own steam, you get the chance to actually stop and interact with your environment, rather than just watch it go by through the windows of a train. You can take breaks whenever you like, chat to the locals along the way and go at your own pace, free of any kind of schedule. Not only that, but the locals will see you as a breed apart from the average tourist and may well take you to heart accordingly – so when you meet that Pathan arms-dealer or Tibetan horseman on the side of the road offering you lunch, make the most of the respect you’ve earned.
You can also go around places more easily that are not really open to foreigners – Tibet being a good example.
When I first started traveling the only people who carried cell phones were drug dealers and to be seen talking on one was a bit of a giveaway.
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