Retrospectively I'm surprised I didn't embark on this journey sooner but hindsight is always pin sharp and it's unsettling how much our fears of the unknown usually hold us back from striding forth and choosing the paths that would fulfill us most..
Good 'ol wanderlust was the catalyst for my passion to explore and the humble bicycle is the optimum transportation for a multitude of reasons (aside from the fact that I have loved bikes for 15 years!):
But wanderlust was definitely not the only driving force behind leaving everything behind and heading out on an open ended journey.
For a number of years I have been developing a consciousness and learning about the various major issues we face in the world, and much of that has led me to question the sustainability and fairness of the privileged life we lead in the developed world.
Unlike the fallacy that is the american dream, for the overwhelming majority, life is a lottery and the society and community into which you are born will likely define the bounds of your existence.
Furthermore developed world lifestyles require orders of magnitude more energy and are certainly not sustainable from an environmental perspective, especially as those in the developing world strive towards similar lifestyles.
So in the longer term I want to put myself out there and gain a broader understanding of the lives people live throughout the world, and thus gain a context to choose a lifestyle hereafter that is more in equilibrium with our planet and hopefully find ways to use my privileged upbringing to help others that weren't so fortunate with theirs.
And so the 'grand' plan is to head east from the UK, where I happened to find myself (having originally grown up in Cape Town), and see where the road and the experiences that unfold take me from there.
Good 'ol wanderlust was the catalyst for my passion to explore and the humble bicycle is the optimum transportation for a multitude of reasons (aside from the fact that I have loved bikes for 15 years!):
- They are ubiquitous throughout the entire world and coupled with the slow pace this allows you to engage with local people easier than by any other means (aside from walking!).
- They give you the freedom to travel almost anywhere and to change routes on a whim.
- Even though you power them under your own steam, you can load them up to be fully self sufficient through almost all the remote regions of the world and still pedal them over massive mountains.
- Not one for all, but the personal reward from powering yourself across vast distances is greatly rewarding.
- And finally bike travel is cheap, with many people managing it long term on under $5/day.
But wanderlust was definitely not the only driving force behind leaving everything behind and heading out on an open ended journey.
For a number of years I have been developing a consciousness and learning about the various major issues we face in the world, and much of that has led me to question the sustainability and fairness of the privileged life we lead in the developed world.
Unlike the fallacy that is the american dream, for the overwhelming majority, life is a lottery and the society and community into which you are born will likely define the bounds of your existence.
Furthermore developed world lifestyles require orders of magnitude more energy and are certainly not sustainable from an environmental perspective, especially as those in the developing world strive towards similar lifestyles.
So in the longer term I want to put myself out there and gain a broader understanding of the lives people live throughout the world, and thus gain a context to choose a lifestyle hereafter that is more in equilibrium with our planet and hopefully find ways to use my privileged upbringing to help others that weren't so fortunate with theirs.
And so the 'grand' plan is to head east from the UK, where I happened to find myself (having originally grown up in Cape Town), and see where the road and the experiences that unfold take me from there.