Jackalope and Brad, your “dream tour” of cycling around the world is not as difficult as you might think. If you’ve done some self-supported touring in the past, can handle up to 18 months away from home, and have enough money to buy your next mid-priced automobile, then you can bicycle around the world. I cycled around the world in 2001-2002 and lived to tell the tale. A trip of that magnitude requires a lot of preparation, but it is “do-able” for most bicycle tourists, in my opinion.
Plan on spending the first 6 months in the northern hemisphere, the next 6 in the southern hemisphere, and the final 6 back in the north. I started my trip in Europe and the Middle East, dipped down to Australia and New Zealand, and finished in the USA. It took me 15.5 months. I probably spent between $30,000 and $35,000 (including food, lodging, airfare, health insurance, phone bills, furniture storage, and miscellaneous). Because I preferred staying indoors to camping most nights, and because my route took me through many expensive tourist areas, that number is high. In hindsight, there are many ways in which I could have saved money (including a round-the-world plane ticket), but I was having too much fun at the time.
So, start planning. Even if you never actually attempt your “dream tour”, it’s still lots of fun preparing to see the world on your terms.
This message was edited by rtwbikerider on 6-2-04 @ 5:11 PM
