Frequently Asked Questions
(Intended for my friends that have never been on a bike tour)
July 2017
How and when did you get into bike touring?
I made plans to work at a resort in Switzerland for the summer of ‘71. It was my dad’s suggestion that I tour Europe instead. He told me “why don’t you travel around by train or bus or perhaps bike.” When he made that statement he had no idea how it would change my life. And so I flew to London with a friend; we bought ten speed Raleigh bikes for around a hundred dollars. We strapped packs to our backs, purchased a few paper maps, a few tools and headed towards Wales. The five hundred dollars that I saved for a used car went toward round trip airfare, purchase of a bike and expenses for over two months in Europe. There were no “how to bike tour” books or internet back then. We learned from our mistakes and from the advice of others we met along the way. I was hooked.
You must be in top shape. How do you train for your trips?
I don’t consider myself to be in top shape though I try to keep active all year. When I am not on the bike I enjoy hiking, jogging, skiing and snowboarding. Though it would make a lot of sense to be on a training schedule I tell people I get into shape during the beginning part of any journey. I don’t enjoy indoor gyms.
How do you plan your tours?
During my tours in the seventies I would usually contact Tourist Offices in NYC for info. I would request free maps, campground and youth hostel booklets and info on the countries that I hoped to visit. Word of mouth of other travelers has always been the best source of info. I visit tourist offices while on tour for additional information. On my current tours I do a minimal amount of internet research prior to the trip. I often do screen shots of bike campgrounds, hostels, etc. Before my Taiwan tour I contacted their tourist office in New York. Within a few days I received a wonderful free T shirt and a stack of maps, pins and bike info. A few days later they called me back to see if I had any additional questions. I don’t have a smart phone and only get wifi when I am in a hot spot. I have never owned an odometer. I don’t like knowing too much in advance; I consider the unknown to be part of the adventure. Flexibility is, in my opinion, one of the most important elements of a happy tour. Sometimes there are road closures; sometimes you may feel a particular place is unsafe at a particular time. Additionally, you may get the opportunity to stay at a place you had not intended to stop at. These days I like to know where I will be the first couple of days of my tour. After the first days I am ready to “go with the flow.”
Travel is expensive. How can you afford to do it?
Depends on how you travel and where you travel to. In places like China and Nepal I can live on less than $10 a day. In more expensive countries I try to focus on campgrounds (often offering a cheaper rate for a hiker/biker), youth hostels and Warm Showers (free accommodations for cyclists). While is Asia , Central America, etc. I mostly eat at food stalls or restaurants that locals would frequent. Europe, USA, etc. I tend to shop for food and cook it on a camp stove. Throughout the seventies and eighties I led numerous bike tours for American Youth Hostels based in New York City. Being a tour leader was a big responsibility but allowed me to travel for free (and also paid a salary of $4.00 a day). When I am not on tour I try to live a frugal life. If I am working more than a full time time I set up a separate account for the second paycheck. I try my best not to touch that account for anything but my adventures. I live without TV or Internet and use a pay as you go flip phone. In addition to full time work I have had a sewing business, developed and produced a bicycle board game and bought outdoor clothing and gear at thrift stores and sold the stuff on line. There always seems to be a way to make money, especially when I am focused on gathering cash for an adventure. Oh yes, and there are my ebooks for sale; I haven’t made much on that endeavor yet.
With so many great places how do you decide where to go?
When I was a child I used to spin the globe and imagine traveling to the place where my finger landed. I still play that game just for fun. These days I tend to listen to the stories of interesting folks I meet; I look at websites from world travelers and also I subscribe to Adventure Cycling. Their magazine is filled with bike tour articles worldwide. crazyguyonabike.com is a wonderful source for bicycle journals. Lately I have become interested in areas known for having a good network of bike paths/trails.
Where have you been in your travels?
While leading bike tours for AYH I travelled to most of the Western European countries. During the seventies I also did a few solo tours in Europe. My favorites included the coast of what was Yugoslavia, riding the Rhine and Moselle rivers as well as exploring the bike paths of Holland. I was also hired to lead a self contained bike trip from NYC to Seattle, Washington in 1975. That was one year before the Bikecentennial. Early eighties I led two bicycle tours to China followed by a solo bike tour of Hokkaido, Japan. A recent tour of Taiwan was a wonderful experience with cycle touring being popular and cyclists treated very well. There have been a few trips to Central America, utilizing public transportation. Additionally I spent a winter living slope side in the Austrian Alps. (My rent was $50 a month; I took odd jobs like baby sittIng, house cleaning and running the town sauna). In the late seventies I trekked to Everest Base Camp and Annapurna Base camp. After I retired I cycled and hiked in Nepal and Tibet. Around age 60 I spent nearly a month doing a solo ski and snowboard trip to China resulting in my ebook “Snowboarding China.” In the spring of 2017 I biked from Seattle to the Mexican boarder.
What do you take and how do you carry it all?
On my first bike tour I travelled with a backpack and quickly learned that panniers (saddle bags) are the way to go. A pair of multi pocketed Kirkland panniers served me for over thirty years. When I was in Nepal (last year) I had some hardware replaced and rivets repaired for just a few bucks. On my second bike tour in Nepal I rode a duel suspension bike and carried a small daypack. That worked well since the ride was more technical and there were Tea Houses along the way. “Back In The Day” I toured with whatever street clothes I had. Cut off jeans, cotton T shirts and a rain suit called a slack jack. My wool socks doubled as mitts as I crossed the Alps in the snow. My first panniers were made of heavy canvas. We lined our panniers and stuff sacks with trash bags since nothing was waterproof. A plastic tube tent served as my sleeping quarters on my first tour. Years later (with several winter camping trips under my belt) I would use the phrase “cotton kills”. I started to collect lightweight and easy dry clothing that I would search for at thrift stores. One of the things I love about bike touring is that fact that you realize you need very little to get by. A pair of long pants, a pair of shorts, a few T shirts, a couple of pairs of socks, underwear and quality rain gear. Depending on the time of year and where I am traveling to will determine if I bring winter clothing. It will also dictate which sleeping bag I’ll pack. My big upgrade for my last tour was waterproof socks instead of putting plastic bags between my socks and shoes. They were much appreciated while biking the Pacific northwest.
What kind of bike do you ride?
My first couple of tours was on a $100 Raleigh that I purchased in London. When I lead the coast to coast bike tour for American Youth Hostels they provided with a $100 Altala ten speed. Some years later I purchased a Holdsworth frame and had all the bike components put on by a friend. For a number of years I had a sewing business in addition to my full time job. Often, I traded Polar fleece ski hats for other items. That’s how I got my Cannonade Killer V bike that served me well for a number of years. I took a Kona Splice front suspension bike to Nepal and also rode it in Tibet. Before returning home I sold it and the proceeds went to my wonderful Nepalese bike guide. As of 7/17 I am riding a Bike Friday Pocket Llama folding bike. Currently thinking about and saving for a Thorn Raven Bike.
Where do you sleep each night?
Camping is usually my preference. Years ago I would stealth (random free camp). Lately I prefer to stay in state campgrounds (preferably those that have a discounted hiker/biker rate or a senior rate.) While in Asia I mostly stayed at inexpensive inns, or tea houses for a few bucks a night. Recently I stayed at my first Warm Showers (free overnight for cyclists and hikers). It was a wonderful experience. There have also been numerous times that strangers invite me to stay with them. (I go with my gut feeling). Every now and then (particularly if I have been riding and camping for days in the rain) I might check into a budget motel.
Aren’t you afraid to travel?
Sometimes I feel a bit afraid of the unknown. However, I feel more afraid not to travel and just watch the days slipping by. I have found that most people are basically good and they respond well to an older woman traveling alone. Over the years I have had numerous strangers come to my rescue when I needed their help. I often feel like I have guardian angels all around me.
Who inspires you?
Dervla Murphy is my all time favorite. She cycled alone, in the sixties, from Ireland to India. Her book “Full Tilt” is on the top of my list. Alastair Humphreys is also someone who I would love to meet up with and has given me much inspiration. He is just a regular guy, who set out on his bike one day to bicycle around the world.
How do you get motivated to ride your bike or hike day after day, especially in bad weather?
I remind myself that a bad day on the bike is better than a good day at the office.
When I have a series of difficult or bad weather days I will sometimes motivate myself with the thought of breakfast at a diner instead of cooking in the rain. I might also tell myself that if I ride another day in the rain I’ll treat myself to a motel. There have been difficult times when I feel like quitting; I remind myself to keep going and see how I feel about it tomorrow. It is the “Yin Yang” days of cycling. Those difficult days eventually follow with incredible uplifting experiences.
Have you gotten sick on the road?
Yes. Getting sick is never nice and is particularly bad when you are on tour; it’s even worse when you are alone. I was quite ill in Nepal in the seventies and had difficulty getting enough energy together to make the week long walk out of the mountains. At the end of my Taiwan tour I had serious back pain and had great difficulty getting myself and my luggage to the airport. I was scared and wished I had a companion.
Unfortunately, I needed a wheelchair escort on to the plane. Fall of 2016 I travelled in Nepal and Tibet often encountering intestinal problems which typically occur in such parts of the world. You deal with it and hope that it will eventually pass. I also tell my physician where I am about to travel to and see if she advises shots or any particular meds.
How do you communicate in places where English isn’t spoken?
I have always been able to communicate most of my needs even in places where no one spoke English. Sometimes there have been comical miscommunications though I have always been able to find food and a place to sleep. I try to learn a few words in each language mostly out of respect for the folks I come in contact with. When I was in Taipei, Taiwan I misunderstood which door I should enter for the hotel. I walked upstairs. They told me to fill out a form. I was surprised at the questions that were on the form (which was in English). They took me to another room and finally I realized I entered the wrong door which led me to a dentist office instead of the hotel.
Did you ever get robbed, or harassed (particularly as a solo female)?
Early seventies I solo biked from Holland, across the Alps and down what was the spectacular Yugoslavian coast. Since Albania was closed to tourists (at that time) I started to travel inland in Yugoslavia. After several days riding in the rain I was starting to feel ill. I realized I was more than a half day’s ride to food and shelter. A truck approached. I stuck out my thumb for a ride. It was a frightening two hour journey with the driver’s hands all upon me. Through sign language he expressed intent for what he wanted to do to me when we arrived at our destination. I was lucky to escape once we came to the town. I spotted a policeman, rolled down the window and screamed. (I love roll down windows), Despite there being some other “uncomfortable situations” the travel is worth the risk and I have been mostly showered by the generosity of strangers.
What’s your day like on the road?
Whenever possible I prefer camping. I go to bed not too long after dark and wake when it’s light. I particularly enjoy some morning time of just listening to the sounds of nature around me. I give thanks for the day and am quick to rise on a sunny day. Waking to the sounds of rain slows my process. At times it’s hard to psych myself to get up and out of the tent and on the bike. Depending on the weather and my intended distance of travel I will usually make some coffee and oatmeal. While on the road my pace is slow; I don’t hesitate to stop whenever I feel like it and walk if necessary. I usually carry enough food for a day or two including bread, cheese and fruit to snack on during the ride. Lately I have enjoyed sprouting with a hemp bag. I don’t pay much attention to the time of day, eating when I feel like it. In my younger days I didn’t worry much about where I would sleep at night, knowing I could even just stealth camp almost anywhere. In my later years I have become more dependent on campsites, hostels, hotels and warm showers. I travel with paper maps instead of a GPS. I will take into consideration how far a town is to judge where I might be able to get supplies and where I might stay. At times I have arrived at what appeared on a map to be a town, only to find out it was just a crossroad. I prefer to be at my end destination by 3 or 4. I only ride in the dark if necessary. These days I like to ride 35 – 50 miles a day. In my youth I usually rode 60 plus miles (and one time 250 miles). Soup packets and veggie snacks come in handy for dinner. Sometimes I’ll purchase a beer or two before nearing my campsite. Setting up camp is fun and different depending on where I am and what the ground surface is like. My favorite part of the day is relaxing after the camp is set up and dinner is eaten. I think about the day’s experiences, the wonderful people I met along the day and give thanks for “living the life”.
Do you have any favorite places you have been to or trips you have made?
I have good memories of almost everywhere I have been to and each experience has been different. My first bike tours were difficult since I was just “learning the ropes”. I was making a lot of foolish mistakes, but the newness of it all was memorable. I loved the west coast of Ireland, cycling the coast of Yugoslavia and exploring the Alps. Cycling the coast of Hokkaido, Japan was spectacular and I had some of my most memorable youth hostel experiences there. The USA coast to coast bike tour was hard but not in the physical sense. It was hard to keep a group of teens safe and motivated. I was in my early twenties at that time. The experience of leading tours to China in the early eighties provided me a wonderful insight into a country that has changed so dramatically over just a few decades. Returning there to snowboard thirty years later was amazing. And yes, Taiwan, I loved Taiwan. The bike culture was everywhere, the people most helpful and the ride spectacular. My recent ride from Seattle to Mexico was a challenge because of the constant rain and cold in the first couple of weeks. Road closures, camp closures and constant wet riding made it tough. The folks I met, however, were some of the kindest and most generous I have ever encountered.
I’ve heard about “trail angels”. What’s that all about?
I usually ride solo. Sometimes things “go wrong” ; mostly things “go right” . Seems like just about every time I might be down in the dumps or having a “bad day” some angel appears out of nowhere. They take me into their homes, treat me to dinner, give me gifts, repair something on my bike, fill my water bottles and offer a smile and kind words.
How do you know where you are going? Do you have a GPS?
I like to think that I am an “old school cyclist”. I have never owned an odometer. I am a lover of paper maps. I can spend days just dreaming with one paper map. I sometimes count approximate mileage by looking at the red dots and mileage numbers on maps. I have no interest to always know how far I have gone, how far I have to go and what my mph is. At times I have made screen shots of some google maps (on a iPad mini). Occasionally I will connect to wifi if I am in a free wifi zone. On my Pacific Coast bike tour I used the Adventure Cycle map pack, in addition to state paper maps. I referred to it often, but not every day. I would imagine that I might some day purchase a GPS, maybe.
How do you keep in contact with family and friends?
Big difference between early seventies and current communication. When I led the cross USA bike tour in ’74 I urged the trip participants to call their parents once a week. In the late seventies I obtained a visa for Afghanistan. I opted to fly to India instead. My folks thought I was in Afghanistan until a letter arrived months later telling them I was heading to India and Nepal instead. I caused my folks much worry back then. These days I carry a prepay flip phone in the USA. While I am abroad I will send an occasional email to family or friends. While I was in China and Tibet I had no contact with folks back home.
How often do you get a flat tire?
I am asked this more than any other question. When I cycled across the US I got no flats at all. I don’t mind spending extra on quality tires and I try to ride careful and avoid pot holes, piles of glass, etc. Maybe I have just plain been lucky. I have had less than a dozen flats in my entire riding career.
Do you travel alone or with a group?
Done both. My first two tours were with another female. I realized that I preferred to travel alone than to listen to folks complain. I also realized, especially while staying at hostels in Europe, that I could meet up with other cyclists and never really feel alone.
Leading bike tours provided me with a free way to travel but there were some downsides to being responsible for the safety and welfare of others. Solo touring has mostly been my preference. As I get older I am starting to think it would be nice to find a few travel companions.
How much food and water do you carry with you?
Depends on the proximity of services. I will usually carry at least two days worth of food. As for water, at least three bike bottles worth. If I am going to stealth camp (or am in a particularly hot area) I fill a few collapsable liter bottles. When I was heading into the Redwoods I had almost a week’s worth of food. It came in handy since there was a landslide and a road closure for several days. Recently I started to carry a Life Straw with me in case water needs to be purified. Thanks to my son for such a thoughtful gift.
What differences do you notice in your travels between the 70’s and today?
Different world completely. Both have their benefits. I felt somewhat like a pioneer as I learned the ropes back in the seventies. I did, however make a lot of mistakes. There was little info available on touring back then. So much was by word of mouth and meeting folks along the way. Of course there were no websites, or touring magazines. There weren’t so many choices as far as equipment back then. I rode a hundred dollar Atala ten speed across the USA; had cut off jeans and cotton T shirts. We didn’t know any better and it was all “good enough”. If I needed to get a message to a kid on my cross country tour it was tough. I would flag down a car and give the driver a hand written note to deliver forward. Equipment choices these days are endless.
When I trekked to Annapurna Base Camp (Nepal) in ’79 I travelled with a tent and stove. When I returned in 2016 I had a sheet sack and a bit more than a change of clothes. There were numerous simple Tea Houses, usually running water and often WIFI now. I also saw big differences traveling China in 84 and then a few decades later.
Sometimes I feel like I am traveling in a time machine.
Is your travel style different now that you are in your sixties?
These days I splurge more. If I want a beer at the end of the day I buy it. If there is a concert I want to go to I go. I try to be frugal most of the time but don’t mind an occasional splurge on a motel or a diner. These days I am more concerned about where I am going to sleep at night. I like to end my bike day earlier, do less mileage and travel more slowly. It’s more about the people than the places these days. I love it all just as much.
How do you tour places far away when the world seems like a bad place?
I don’t own a TV. I try not to be brainwashed with negative thoughts. I tell myself that the world is a good place and most people are basically good. Before I returned to Nepal in 2016 a number of folks told me that Nepal is unsafe. One guy told me “there’s bad karma there now.” I went and never felt a threat of any kind. I hope to go back there soon.
Has travel changed you in any way?
I was not a very athletic child. I didn’t do sports as a teen. It wasn’t until I started to bike ride that I felt good at something. I was sheltered a bit as a child and bike touring gave me a large amount of confidence. I found myself more positive about the world and more open to different types of people. I began to realize that there would be good and bad days and that in the end things always seemed to work out. Travel also made me realize how very “rich” I am. I have my health, two great sons, eat two or three meals a day and an indoor place to sleep. I have much more than many kind folks I have met along the road. I love the feeling of traveling light and having everything I need on my bike.
What are your future travel plans and dreams?
A lot of my future plans will depend on my health and my ability to find like minded folks to share adventures with. Since I am now in my sixties I would welcome the company of other cyclists with similar touring style. Most of my European tours were in the seventies. I look forward to return trips there and riding long distance bike trails. I have a great interest to return to China, live in a small village for a few months and continue to work on Mandarin. The Himalayas will always intrigue me and I expect I will make a few more bike/hike trips there. If my legs hold out I want to head to New Zealand, Australia, South America, Southeast Asia, Mongolia, etc. Besides so many great places far and wide, there is so much to see in the USA. I would love to do an adventure trip with my sons one day. The list goes on and on. The dreams will always continue.
What did I miss?
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