Selling up, getting a bike, no real plans, how crazy?
 

I keep having stupid (?) thoughts about just selling up, picking up a decent bike, tent, etc and just setting off, with no real plans, apart from a general idea of a route I might ride till the money runs out, the real appeal is the cost of this, wild camping and all my real need will be for food, if I need need to take a plane, I could just take my luggage and get rid of the bike, like russia > USA?

I realize transport long haul, such as planes and boats would be the most expensive problem and having enough food on me to last me weeks at a time, i'd possibly have to find someway to make money on the road, as my funds aren't huge, but respectable

How crazy is this?

My route goes something like,
Starting in UK, ride to hull, get the boat across to somewhere in skandi, then riding down to the Baltic's, heading towards Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia, towards Magadan, then getting a plane across to Canada, riding down towards the USA, doing the USA, visiting most states, down one coast, across, up the other coast then do the middle... Then possibly head towards the middle east, Indonesia, china, Aus, Asia, even china...

How crazy would just be setting out without any real plans, just a bike, passports, food and some money?

Would it be as stupid as other people tell me it is?
:confused1:

Sounds perfectly sensible to me..

A little forward thinking considering VISAs and entry requirments maybe a good idea though, apart from that.... Go for it :)

I'm with Ted - sounds good to me; expensive though - even on $50 per day it's gonna cost you about $20,000 per year.

Would suggest some forward planning though....

And then what?

Sherlock

With a little more forward planning, I guess I would have to get a route of country's I would like to travel through?

So world map > Research which will need visa's etc?

Wondering, $50 a day you say?

How come you think so much?

Wild camping, then food is my only real essential?
Rice, pasta, porridge can be bought in big loads and cheaply, pre-forward it to destinations to pick up, as I go along, would mean I'd have a bulk of food to go on.

Ofcourse, i'm been totally optimisitc and it could all go wrong, but that's the fun, right?

I think I read about that guy that circumnavigated the world by only human power traveled for 16 years and cost him £150,000 I believe. Or something like that.

$50 per day is pretty low, I think - think;

food
fuel
insurance - bike, self, medical evacuation
running costs for bike
beer
maintenance - oil, tyres, chains, sprockets, the unexpected

and that's just for starters....and you gotta buy the bike and/or prep it in the first place.....

I think we are talking about a push bike:oops2:

:rofl:ha ha ha ha ha

Stupid me!!!

I thought this was a motorcycle forum!!!!

Sherlock

If that is what you'd like to do and you have the opportunity, the only stupid thing would be NOT to do it...

The only crazy thing in that idea is that it goes against the way "normal" people would behave: what better reason do you have to actually think for yourself and do what you want, rather than what conformity preaches? :thumbup1:

As mentioned Visas are probably further planning ahead for or you may find you have some long waits when you could have been on the road to the next new secion of horizon.

Other than that a vague route is the best way to go: almost anyone on here will tell you that to have successful trips flexibility is paramount and that even the best laid plans usuallly go out of the window within a week of setting off.

In other words planning is more something to spend time on before the trip happens rather than being particularly useful once on the trip.

Go for it and don't worry: something always turns up, when you're in a pickle!!

The OP just needs to realize from the start that in the absence of any sense of how such things work (which is what his/her two posts indicate), it's not going to turn out the way he/she dreams it will.

Personally, it doesn't sound like a pushbike sort've a tour to me; this would take many years, perhaps decades. And no one who's not tried it can really predict whether they'll be able to sustain carrying, for example, food to last "weeks at a time," while "wild camping" even in Europe or North America, much less elsewhere on a pushbike. And no matter whether pushbike, motorbike, backpack or whatever--probably it's better to ease in gradually rather than burn all bridges in pursuit of a totally unsustainable pipe dream.

But maybe that's just me and my old, tired, worn-to-a-frazzle middle-aged sensibilities speaking.

Good luck!

Mark

Have a look at Lonely Planets bike section and get some inspiration.

Also crazy guy on a bike site.

For a cheap trip look for south east asia. You don't even need a tent there.

Wild camping sounds cheap and romantic but isn't possible everywhere

Sounds like great fun to me!

You wouldn’t need food to last weeks at a time – maybe a couple days at most in less populated areas. Always some granola bars or similar as an emergency reserve. Clean water will be an issue in some areas, meaning you pack a filtration system or buy bottles.

You’d probably want to research visa duration and possible extensions … if some country provides two-week visas and it’s gonna take you a month to cross it, you’d need to figure that out.

Why not? If you’ve got the time and funds and the will to do it, do it. You’ll find out soon enough if you love it or hate it. It does require a particular personality (i.e. slightly whacked!) to make it over the long haul especially if you are going solo.

Really the transport shouldn’t be that costly. Airfares are down these days, and all airlines last I knew will transport a bicycle in a box for … hmmmm not sure. It was $75 USD when I was doing my long-distance bicycle touring in the late ‘80s.

Upfront costs might be a hit if you select the best -- i.e. lightest & most durable -- gear. And some hotel costs, or costs for a proper campground with shower … you can’t really wild camp every single night, can you? I couldn’t! :rolleyes2:

Good luck, sounds like a blast. :thumbup1:

Just ride until you run out of money...

You will learn far more on the road than from a forum !!

Going by push iron means you wont have any legal complications with your vehicle.

Hah! No wonder we had conflicting views, this is in the bicycle section isn't it? :)

On the food note - that was on the basis of the book such as ''Into the wild'' and that guy that tried to be self sustainable in Canada for 90 days for a TV programme.
You could look at it that way, but when you currently have no real bridges to burn, with my somewhat warped sense of relationships and so, I don't have any real problems, I do realize the length that I am talking, I know it could take years, that's the whole point, if I wanted a 6month blast I could use my motorbike, if it goes tit's up, I can always go home and say I tried.

That's a good idea, thanks, will defiantly check out Lonely Planets section.

I guess it isn't always possible, but will hopefully be my main form of sleeping arrangements.


Thanks for the more positive words, I assume selling my motorbike will fund most of what I need to buy, good tent, sleeping bag, £3000 or so should get me a damn good bike and equipment...

I guess the length of the ride is the big thing, visa's would be a consideration.

That's what I really want to do! But I guess it's not that possible...

Things I seem to need to worry about is:
1. Visa's, including a general route of country's that I want to go through
2. Some type of routine, ie 1 night every 10 in a hotel or real campsite, as you say, complete wild would make some hygiene problems and what not.
3. How much weight I could carry on a bike,
4. Keeping in contact and mapping, I assume it would be hard keeping people updated with my movement, it would limit the possibility of GPS and such, unless I can get an alternator powered by peddling. :eek3:
5. Do I have the balls!

You dont give any indication as to your skills.
I would suggest you camp some where locally for a week, and just move on a bit each day. That will allow you to rethink the equipment you need.
It can be done, but I would like to have a phone number that could put funds in my hand in an emergency. Maybe a friend or relative. This is in case you lose your possessions. Carry only emergency rations (especially canned meat/fish) and buy food locally as you travel. Buy what is on obvious offer as being local it is likely to be cheap and in season.
You need to carry a day or twos water supply.
Note there is an often misquoted reference to needing two litres a day.
This is actually wrong as they are only quoting half of the quote. The original is " a man needs about two litres of water per day MOST OF WHICH WILL BE OBTAINED FROM FOOD". Naturally some foods contain more water than others. Unlevened bread can be made easily and very cheaply. It can also usually be bought locally for not much more in countries that use it.
I generally use a posh campsite once every 4/5 days if possible. Sometimes BnB or cheap hotel. Sometimes you need to recharge your own batteries.
Truck stops often are a source of cheap good food. ( only pick a well used one. if it is empty probably for a reason). I generally make my own breakfast, buy ingredients for a salad/snack type lunch, and make own evening meal. If a promising opportunity to buy value for money meal comes along, I may well take advantage sometimes as a 'treat'. In France this usually takes the form of a 'routier' at lunchtime. Some also often have showers (as do many of the laybyes in France). It is sometimes possible to stop for a shower and maybe eat, then ask where you can pitch a tent for the night. Many places ( including some resturants ) provide overnight camping for camping cars etc when in the smaller towns and villages.
When wild camping be either completely out of sight or in full view (especially of the lorry drivers) DO NOT be the only person in view on a small unmanned lay by visible to the passing road traffic..

While motorcycling across siberia in early June this year I overtook two cyclists, each about 4 days apart, betwen Tomsk and Novosibirisk. Seeing bikes with panniers I recognised them as fellow aventurers (mode of transport is immaterial to me - if it has 2 wheels I talk!) and stopped for a chat. The first was a German guy who I later met my pure chance on Ohlon Island in Lake Baikal and the other was Sam Gambier, a young man from Cornwall.

I overtook Sam a few weeks a 1,000 miles further down his road approaching Irkutsk. I had deviated to the Republics of Altai, Tuva and stopped for days in other places.

Sam is still on the road and you will probably learn much from his inspirational blog at Cycling Round The World

As to costs, we on Sibirsky Extreme tried to work on a daily budget of GBP25 for food, accommodation and fuel. Accommodation was what we sometimes exceeded on - but we did not camp if there was a bed to be bought! Actually we only camped about 7 or 8 nights in 4 months.

Once in Russia, if camping 'wild' (which is perfectly accepted) your only real expense is food and that should be well under GBP2 for a really flling, simple meal at the many main road cafes. Cities cost, though.

Good luck. Enjoy it!