Words & Photos by Tom and Sophie.
A little over three years ago, Sophie and I decided that we would take an extended break
from work and finally put our long-dreamt travel plans to action. We got lucky with a spot in hote
quarantine in New Zealand, Sophie’s home and the only country we could get to with the world still
recovering from the weirdest period in our living memories.
So, we chucked our first touring bikes on the plane and threw ourselves at the idea of a three-month trip cycling the length of the country.
Fast forward to now having recently returned from an 18-month European bikepacking adventure
through 25 countries over the better part of 20,000kms, it’s amusing to reflect on how naïve we
were thinking three months would satisfy the passion we were about to ignite.
There aren’t many ways that match cycling as a means of travel. It’s accessible, rewarding,
cheap, fast moving and fun! You can make it as physically challenging as you like and the
vulnerability you have on a bike solicits incredibly genuine cultural and personal interactions. The
lessons you learn and the character development you gain from extended travel and getting out of
your comfort zone are inimitable.
But it isn’t all easy! To go with the highs are many lows. Periods of sleep deprivation and
chronic exhaustion, challenging weather and climates, confronting animal and cultural interactions,
sickness and sometimes injury; all hit you head on and play an intrinsic part in your experience.
Long-term travel by bike is a balancing act between just about everything you do. The trick
to making it all work is time. Time to explore, time to adapt and time to properly soak in everything
around you.
We learnt a lot from our time on the road and would love to share some of these
experiences with the Off Course community, which has supported us so well.
Come along to our presentation at Inner North Brewing, Wednesday November 13th, 6:30pm, and hopefully we can do just that.
Tickets available below: $10 each which gets you a complimentary drink upon arrival.
https://events.humanitix.com/lessons-from-the-road-a-look-into-tom-and-sophies-travels
We’ll make sure there’s something for everyone, beginners and experienced.
Looking forward to seeing you there!
Cheers,
Tom and Sophie
@somethingaboutbiking