When I first set out on a bike tour in May of 2019, it was a bit of a whim. I had no idea if I was going to hate it and head home after the first week. Of course, that didn’t end up being the case and I spent a blissful 3.5 months cycling around Europe.
What surprised me more, though, was truly catching the bike touring “bug”. Upon returning home, and throughout the last couple years of pandemic life, I’ve continued to dream about bike touring and how I could incorporate more of it into my life.
Along with these dreams, I also realized that if I wanted to bike tour more regularly, one thing I had to figure out was the financial side of things. Although a more budget-friendly travel option, cycle touring isn’t without its costs.
Time for a big decision
In pursuing my goal, I was recently faced with a difficult decision if I wanted to make bike touring a bigger part of my life.
Find out what I decided in this video:
I am so curious to know your experiences with similar situations. Have you ever had a dream you knew you wanted to make happen but the steps required weren’t always easy to follow through on? I would love to hear from you.
Let me know in the comments below!
More on Bike Touring
How to stay positive on a bike tour
Nutrition tips & Recipes for bike touring (FREE guide)
How to save money on a cycle tour
I think you hit many nails on the head. I SO understand your fears as I overthink, am attached to stuff and fear change, and.. so many other things. Being on the bike that long will certainly uzve a new set of challenges but it will also focus your awareness to the moment – eat, bike, eat, sleep and repeat. If you wish it you will find new places to make your home, find new stuff to replace old stuff, and have choices for future life events. My longest tour was just under four months, but it focused me and to this day, 19 years later, not a day goes by that I don’t re-live a moment from that tour. Not one. So, whether you head off for a long time, 9r not a long time, or decide not to go… it’s all good. Enjoy whichever you decide!
Aww I love your comment so much Brent. Happy to know I’m not alone and that you can relate. And you’re absolutely right that it’s all good, whichever journey it ends up being. Thank you so much!
Where to first? I’m heading to Portugal in April. đźš´đźš´đźš´
Amazing!! I’m looking at Turkey! But Portugal is up there too 🙂 Happy riding!
My thought and suggestion — become a minimalist for only a temporary time. Take that two or three years and pursue your dream. It is my hope you don’t wake up at sixty and say I wish I would of ……………………
Take care and I hope this helps.
“Who says our dream world can’t become our realities? Who says that their version of reality must become ours as well? Who makes those “rules” anyway? And who says that our own dreams must be similar to those of other people in the world, including more things, more money, more prestige and power? Some people dream of simplicity and more free time, and others dream of traveling, though not necessarily on jets with a bunch of suitcases in tow.
What do you dream of? How do those dreams make you feel when you’re focused on them? We can easily turn our dreams into our reality if we but dare to do so – if we but dare tale to take the steps necessary to make them come true. When we’re children we allow ourselves to dream and somehow, we know that any one of those dreams can come true. As we grow older, though, and we buy into what other people consider to be “reality”, our dreams are put on the back burner or into a closet down in a back room in the cellar, to be taken out only now and then to be looked at as impossibilities rather than as possible realities.
Do yourself a favor: look at your dreams as possible. Look at them as the way that things can be, rather than as impossible ideas that can’t come true. Our dreams are just as much a part of us as our thoughts and our hopes, and they deserve just as much of our respect and our effort as anything else that we do – and if we give them that, then they’re more likely to come true. Dreams “coming true” should be the norm in our world, not the exception, and it’s up to each of us to make sure that they do become our norm.”
You helped me a great deal on the fab five of nutrition. Take care and remember to always “Salt Up”
Aww thank you so much Brent. This was so beautifully said and I appreciate your words so much. Thank you!!
Sheelagh!!! Way to go! Don’t worry everything will work out. You are a young woman, you’ve got lots of time to “stay put” …. or not…. I am an active traveller and tour alot. But I am now 62 and still don’t want to stay home…. But the real thing that I want to say is…” we have all lost our sense of excitment and somehow we feel that we have anxiety instead of excitment.” Don’t confuse the two. I think you are actually feeling excitment and don’t recognize it!!!! have a great time figuring this all out. get excited!!!!Trust!!!! Live your life!!!Embrace the fear!!!! keep going. Looking forward to the next installment! take good care and happy planning. Cheers!!!
Oh Tracy, I smiled so hard at your comment — thank you!! You are so right about confusing anxiety and excitement — you are spot on that it’s really mostly excitement. Thank you so much for the encouraging words — I appreciate it so much!!