Category: Advice Articles

  • Tips for cycling into Istanbul

    To be perfectly honest, we were dreading our arrival in Istanbul. We had heard other cyclists go on and on about what an awful city it is to cycle in and out of, with the main roads into the city effectively being four lane motorways.  Traffic from the whole of southern Europe is funnelled into a…

  • A million miles of cycling in numbers

    A couple of weeks ago we launched Long Distance Cycle Journeys (LDCJ), an online resource of bicycle journeys over 6,000 miles (10,000km). We’ve had a huge response already (see below) and are pleased to be able to launch the accompanying Summary Stats page: everything from how far cycle tourists travel in an average month, to what type of…

  • How much does it cost to cycle across Europe?

    We are often asked on this trip how much it costs to cycle around the world. Are we really rich? Is a company paying for us? How can we afford to leave our jobs and set off on what is essentially a glorified holiday for a whole year or more? We are only a few…

  • Primus ‘Eta’ Cooking Pots Review

    I recently acquired a set of the new Primus Eta cooking pots – anodized aluminium, outdoor camping pans with heat exchangers on the base designed to improve fuel efficiency. I have used them on an induction period of two cycle tours and will be taking them away in my panniers for 12 months as I cycle…

  • Top 10 Recommended Reads

    I was recently asked to provide a list of 10 ‘recommended reads’ as the featured author in the September 2012 issue of Geographical Magazine. I thought I’d share the list here and encourage you to add some of your own favourite books. The list contains far more adventure-related books than it might otherwise have since it…

  • Rab Survival Zone LITE – Bivi Bag Review

    The Survival Zone LITE is a new, ultra light bivi bag, made with Pertex Endurance fabric and manufactured by Rab. I’ve been using one over the last month and will shortly be taking it on a 12-month cycle around the world. This review gives my first impressions. No doubt in a year’s time I will…

  • 10 Tips for Trekking the Inca Trail

    A guest post with advice for walking the Inca Trail courtesy of Helene from Dragoman. [divide] Ten tips for trekking the Inca Trail The Inca Trail is one of the world’s most amazing treks, taking you across the unspoilt Peruvian Andes, through some of the globe’s most beautiful mountainous terrain, stopping on the way to…

  • 10 Reasons Not to Get Your Expedition Sponsored

    Your expedition is not contingent upon someone else to get it off the ground. You save all that time creating sponsorship documents, researching contact details and making all those phone calls. You don’t have to repeatedly pitch to uninterested people on the other end of the phone or grovel to someone you don’t like. You’ll…

  • Reading List for Cycle Tourists

    Following the popularity of the recent Best Books for Wild Swimmers article, I thought I’d start a discussion around the best books about cycling. Being an adventure website and as I’m about to set off for a 12-month cycle to Australia, the focus is on cycle touring books, but all recommendations are welcome. Here are…

  • The Best Books for Wild Swimmers

    If you’re not swimming outdoors and you’re not talking about swimming outdoors then the third best pastime is probably reading about swimming outdoors. But what are the best books? If you asked me, I’d probably just tell you to read Waterlog then buy Wild Swimming. But my wife, Laura, is somewhat better read than me so offers a reading…

  • 6 Reasons Bamboo’s Better than Merino

    Like most people with an interest in sport and the outdoors, I have a wardrobe filled with a variety of different base layers in various states of disrepair. From my faithful Helly Hansen, 15 years old and still as good as the day I bought it; through an indulgent selection of merino wool garments; and…

  • How To: Get to the South Pole

    THIS ARTICLE:  Details how you can complete an expedition to the South Pole. It gives a brief history of Antarctic exploration, explains the four different South Poles and how you find the ‘coast’ of Antarctic. It explores different options for getting there from the South Pole Race and Ice Marathon to Last Degree, skiing and…