In this article, I’m sharing the story of an adventurous couple who decided to take a year off to bike to the other side of the world. Sounds impressive, doesn’t it? I had the chance to interview them and share their journey with you!
Disclaimer: Katrien and Kobe made it to Turkey when the COVID-19 situation began escalating. They decided to fly back to Belgium. Now, 5 years later, they departed on a new bike packing trip towards Japan. This interview regards their first trip.
How did you get the idea of long-term travel by bicycle?
K&K: The idea of long-term travel after graduation had always been on our minds. We just needed to figure out the what, where, and how. One day we attended a travel fair (by Wegwijzer vzw) without any concrete plans. The only thing we knew was that we wanted to head east and avoid flying as much as possible.
Speaking to several travelers confirmed our intention, and one conversation with a man who had traveled by bike truly inspired us. We decided to do a “try-out trip”: ten days from our hometown to France. That experience convinced us to take on a bigger challenge: to cycle as far east as possible overland, all the way to China.
How did you prepare for such a trip — visas, routes, accommodation, etc.?
K&K: Preparation depends on the person. Some people need little planning; others prefer to organize every detail. We started by listing the countries we’d always wanted to visit. We were curious about the “Stan” countries (Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, etc.), and China became our final destination since it was the furthest point east. Our plan was to cycle there and return via Russia, taking the Trans-Siberian Express on the way back.
Other great ways to prepare include reading blogs, watching vlogs, asking questions to other travelers, and doing short try-out trips.
For visas, we highly recommend Caravanistan. A website summarizing visa requirements for Silk Road countries. They also have an active forum where travelers share recent updates about their visa experiences. It’s an invaluable resource for overland travelers such as bikers, hikers, and road trippers.
Did you receive any negative reactions when announcing your plans?
K&K: Not really, most people weren’t too surprised. Of course, family and friends had questions like “Will you find food everywhere?”, “Are the countries you’re visiting safe?”, “What about wild animals when camping?”.
We made a PowerPoint presentation for our parents outlining the pros, cons, and potential risks. This helped them see how well we had prepared.
The big question: How far did you travel per day on average?
K&K: We started our trip rather calmly, especially because we weren’t used to biking long distances yet. The elevation profile of our route influenced that a lot too. On flat terrain, we’d usually bike around 80 km (50 miles) per day, and in hillier areas around 60 km (37 miles). Of course, this varied as every day was different. Sometimes the wind slowed us down, or the short winter days limited our riding time.
But honestly, the number of kilometers per day didn’t really matter to us, it was all about the overall experience. Each day brought something new: setting up camp, meeting locals, finding food, or simply enjoying the journey. It’s not a race!
What did you think of the cycling infrastructure in the countries you visited?
K&K: The further east we went, the less developed the cycling infrastructure became. In Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, and Austria everything was very well organized, and we almost never had to cycle on main roads. Only in Luxembourg did we have some trouble finding grocery stores, as most of them seemed to be located along highways.
From Croatia onward, however, cycling paths were basically non-existent, and building routes became more of a challenge. From time to time we were even forced to ride on highways. In some countries like Albania and Turkey, cyclists aren’t a strange sight, and sharing the road with cars went fine. Croatia, on the other hand, was a bit more stressful as drivers were fast and not always sure how to act around cyclists.
Which country was physically the most challenging?
K&K: Every country had its own challenges, but physically we’d definitely say Montenegro. We were only there for a few days, but we conquered quite a few hills! We followed a route along the Bay of Kotor, crossing over the mountains and down to Lake Skadar. Until today, we still think it was one of the most beautiful parts of our trip.
Is there a community for long-distance cyclists?
K&K: Yes, there’s a lot out there! For example, Facebook groups like Long-Distance Cyclists and Bicycle Touring & Bikepacking are great if you’re looking for general advice. Although, just like any big Facebook group, there are sometimes irrelevant posts or comments.
For us, Instagram gave more of a community feeling. We connected with other cyclists there and used it to communicate and share experiences. Also, Warmshowers is a fantastic platform that connects host families with cyclists. We’re still in touch with some of the people who hosted us along the way! Of course, this community isn’t only online, sometimes we met other travelers on the road, and if we were heading in the same direction, we’d bike together for a while.
Any last thoughts you’d like to share?
K&K: During this trip, we realized how privileged our lives in Belgium are. We also learned that there are genuinely kind-hearted people all over the world, no matter how little money or belongings they have.
Our advice?
- You don’t have to be super sporty to start this kind of journey.
- Don’t hesitate — just try it out!
- It’s not as hard as it sounds.
