Frequently Asked Questions

When will you stop cycling?

Our aim is to cycle every country on the planet. This could take DECADES!

We plan to complete our first loop around the world in 2016 when we return to our initial starting point in France. At that point, we will have traversed all major landmasses and ridden through approximately 120 countries.

That will leave around 75 more countries to cycle though.

Some of these countries pose security risks (eg: Somalia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Yemen) and some are just plain hard to get to ( eg: Palau, Grenada, Cape Verde, Kiribati).

How to do you finance your bike tour around the world?

Most importantly, we live frugally. Our budget is around $500 per month for the two of us. We have a small income from rental property in Europe, so we try not to dip into savings.

What’s your favorite country?

It’s hard to pick just one so here are 5 favorites: Namibia, New Zealand, South Africa, Argentina, and Morocco.

Do you work along the way?

No. We are too old to get working holiday visas and have not found any casual work that is well paying.

Have you ever been seriously ill?

Yes. We’ve both had malaria twice and Eric has had dengue fever and typhoid fever. Eric also broke his collar bone in Cameroon.

Have you been to any dangerous countries?

Dangerous means different things to different people so this is a tough question to answer.

We almost always feel safe on the road.

In Senegal, Cameroon, Congo, northern Kenya and southern Thailand we passed through pockets of political instability.

In Latin America countries with high rates of crime and murder (Mexico, Venezuela, Honduras, Guatemala) we were more vigilant than in other parts of the world.

How many kilometers to you ride per day?

We ride about 100 kilometers per day on average. On a few occasions we’ve ridden more than 200 kilometers in a day thanks to favorable winds and a flat road.

Where will you settle down after your tour is finished?

We’re not sure yet. We were living in Germany before we left and if a good job opportunity came up we might return there. Otherwise we will probably retire somewhere in Asia where our savings will stretch further.

Do you have health insurance?

Yes! We think it’s important to be covered in case of a serious illness or accident. We use AVI insurance.

Do you go back home to visit?

We have been back to France twice and to the USA twice. We incorporate family visits into the cycle tour.

Are you still riding the same bikes?

Eric had to replace his bike after it was stolen in Bolivia. I am riding my original Koga—it’s now got over 125,000 kilometers on it.

Where do you sleep?

We do a lot of couchsurfing and use the Warm Showers hospitality network.
In expensive countries (Western Europe, North America, Australia, NZ) we NEVER go to hotels, youth hostals or guesthouses.
We very rarely go to private campgrounds, RV parks or caravan parks.
We often do wild camping or ask at a farm if we can pitch the tent.
In developing countries we sometimes go to inexpensive hotels. We also ask to camp at schools, churches, temples and other public places.

What do you eat?

We don’t eat anything special—just whatever is cheap and plentiful. Rice and beans in Africa, and pasta in the rest of the world and porridge almost every single day.

What to YOU want to know?

Got another question?  Email us at worldbiking@gmail.com or ask it in the comments section below.

 

Source: http://www.worldbiking.info/wordpress/2013/04/frequently-asked-questions/

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