HOW TO...IN SAN DIEGO
HOW TO Cycle around the world:
By Reece Robbins
Living the Dream
My name is Reece Robbins, and I am currently riding a bicycle around the world. Not a motorcycle, but a bicycle, the kind you pedal. It has been a dream of mine for years to see the world and to do something big with my life. By cycling around the world I am accomplishing both. I will be riding through every continent on the planet apart from Antarctica. I will be crossing mountain ranges, deserts, jungles and swamps. I will be going places where the local people may only see an outsider once in a generation, if even that often. I will be able to see and experience more things than 99.9% of the people that have ever lived on Earth would have believed possible. It is an adventure that will be with me for the rest of my life, and a story I will be able to tell my grandkids. For the next three years I will not have to worry about work, or paying bills. My days will consist of seeing things I have never seen before, and meeting people from all corners of the globe and learning about them and their cultures.
Many people pay lip service to living their dreams, but few bring their desires into reality. I am frequently asked how I am able to do what I am doing. The short answer is that it was not easy getting here. This will be a brief outline of what it took for me to get out on the road and to break free of the rat race, and what someone should expect in preparation for a similar trip.
I worked long hours and made many sacrifices for four years to fund this trip. Instead of buying a new outfit or TV, or whatever new toy grabbed my eye, I put the money into a bank account. Instead of going out to eat two or three times a week, I would go out once, if that. I would cook dinner for a date, and watch a movie at home. I went on only two vacations in that 4 year period of time. Every day instead of buying something I wanted right at that moment, I thought of how many extra days on the road that money could get me. It was not easy; it required a great deal of self discipline, but the end result has proven to be more than worth the cost. All of those little insignificant things I could have had on a whim are worth far less than the the incredible experience this trip will be.
Once the money was in the bank, it started flowing right back out as the pre-trip preparations went into full wing. First off was buying the bike. Considering that I would be on the road basically living off of my bike for three years, going through some of the harshest climates on Earth, I wanted quality. I had a custom bike built to handle the rough conditions I would be riding in. Quality is not cheap, but if you are in the middle of the Sahara desert the last thing you want is your bike breaking down on you. Expect to pay anywhere from $2,500 to $5,000 or more for a quality touring bike with either panniers or a trailer to carry your gear.
I also needed to be inoculated form all of the many diseases I would encounter, especially in the swamps and jungles of Africa, Central and South America and Southeast Asia. I bought every immunization available as I did not want to contract a life threatening disease out in the middle of nowhere. Depending on you insurance situation and the level of coverage you feel you will need, expect to pay anywhere from $1,000 to $2,000 or more for your immunizations and preventative medicines. There are some big variables here like anti malaria pills which can become very expensive if you spend a lot of time in high risk malaria areas. These can run as much as $4.50 per pill, and you need at least one for ever day you are there. If you are spending several months in high risk areas (which comprise large chunks of the world) then it adds up quickly.
I camp out most nights, sleeping in a tent or my hammock. This helps to save money and it allows me a greater level of flexibility in where I can go. By having everything I need to survive on my bike, I can go nearly anywhere. It depends on your comfort level but for the adventurous, if you take a simple stove, ample food rations and water purification devices, you can go hundreds of miles into the unexplored areas of the planet for a truly wild adventure. This is my preferred method of travel, and again, when it came to my comfort at night and for durability of my equipment, I chose quality. For the minimal of equipment and second hand gear, you can get by on a few hundred bucks. For extreme environment survival gear and high quality, long lasting equipment, expect to pay $2,000 or more.
For daily expenses, it really depends on the individual. I am running on a $20 dollar a day budget. This seems fairly meager, but if you camp most nights, drink water and eat out of the market cooking your own food, it is not difficult to do. In developing countries, it is not difficult to get by on $10 a day. However, for some individuals this is outside of their comfort zone, and they would enjoy themselves more on a $40 a budget, eating out for their meals and sleeping in hotels more frequently than I do. Just bear in mind that on a long trip, an increase of just a few dollars a day in your budget can add up to a lot of money. Obviously, to compute how much money you will need for daily expenses, you multiply the number of days you will be gone by your daily budget. Add to this figure at least a few hundred dollars for incidental expenses, but a thousand or more would be far better. Also, throw in some getting back on your feet money, as on a long tour, you have most likely quit your job and moved out of your living space. Having some money to get yourself going again will be important.
The final thing you need is knowledge. However, there is a fine line between planning for a trip, and over researching to the point where you never actually leave. There comes a point when you simply have to take the plunge and go. Make sure you have good maps and a knowledge of the situation you are riding into, but accept the fact that you will never be able to plan for everything and that the road will hold many surprises for you. But that is the point of this type of adventure, to break away from the routine and welcome the unknown.
Despite the challenges inherent in saving and planning for a trip of this magnitude, and the difficulties encountered during it, I sincerely hope others are inspired to try. All you need to see the journey through the end is a positive attitude and the will to overcome the many obstacles that will spring up on the road. This has been the most rewarding experience of my life and I am only 4 months into my trip. Your time here is short, and the window of opportunity in which you have to live your dreams grows smaller every day you let slip by. Step forward and make them a reality and you will live with no regrets.
For more information on my adventure, check out my website. It is updated several times a week with pictures and stories form the road.