new to site

[travis2613]

Hi I'm new to site and recentlly just took up cycling I am riding locally to try to get in shape because I came across the idea of how nice it would be to do touring therefor i asked my neice if she would like to go with me and i'm thinking about doing it in the summer of 2015 when she graduates my question to people if you have toured before have you ever ran into any problems on your journey like getting mugged or robbed and also if you done a trip was it one way then you got transportation back or did you end up biking round trip thanks.

[Westinghouse]

I have not been mugged or robbed on a tour that I can recall right now. I have done shorter round-trip bike tours, but my long ones used the bike out and other transportation back.

[John Nelson]

As for safety, it depends on what country you are touring in. If you mean the U.S., your chances of safety issues are near zero, especially if you avoid the big cities, which almost all touring cyclists do. Only a few countries have safety issues for cyclists, and theft is a more common problem than personal attacks. Don't leave your bike unattended all day in the middle of a big city.

I would guess that one-way and round-trip tours are done with roughly equal frequency. Logistics are always a bit more complicated for one-way trips, especially when it involves transporting your bike. But all these problems have been solved countless times and there are a set of standard options to choose from.

[RussSeaton]

I have done a few loaded tours.  Colorado in 1998 for two weeks.  Western Europe summer of 1992.  Portugal for a week in 2000.  Iowa in 1993.  Never any problems with people or theft or anything.  The Colorado, Iowa, Portugal tours were all in and out from the same airport, car, or home.  Left car with a motel I stayed in at beginning and end of trip.  Airport had to buy a bike box from the airline at the end.  Europe trip started in Rome and ended in Brussels.  Had to buy a bike box from an airline in Brussels.  Minor difficulty in finding a route to and from airports when flying in or out.

[Westinghouse]

England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, France, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Czech, Poland, Ukraine, Moldavia, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece.

USA, Canada, Mexico, China  37,000 miles through 19 countries.

I don't recall any thefts. I don't remember any robberies.

Study safe cycling practices. Crimes happen. Cycling does not make you immune from possible criminal misconduct. It's just that of all cycling posts and journals I have read for several years, there were no reports of crimes. Don't worry about it. Just do it.

[glamis.support]

Adventure Cycling offers host contacts for a short or cross country tour. Many nice friendly folks open their homes for a safe night's stay, local advice on weather and road conditions, great nutritious meals, and general good tidings.
Warmshowers.org also offers housing for traveling cyclists.

Nancy, host on Southern Tier, Glamis Sand Dunes

[geegee]

When I'm touring, I find that I am more likely to be the "victim" of other people's kindness and generosity, than being the target of ill intentions. I've gone through many dodgy areas without incident, including Croatia not too long after the war there, and slummy areas of large cities. On the other hand I cannot count the numerous times I've been offered free food or drink from total strangers, or given something extra in restaurants or stores.

[pickupel]

Hi, I'm new to the site too! But not new to touring — I've ridden the TransAm, most of the Northern Tier, as well as toured across a lot of Europe (accounts on website: www.edwardpickup.com). I've spent 100s of nights on tour and never had problems with being bothered by strangers. In fact, I always seem to come away from a tour with a more positive view of people in general. All my ride journals are on my website — have a read, hopefully it will go some way toward alleviating your fears!