Whenever I see somebody riding on a bike on the street, it just stimulates my biking sense to start a big trip again. Switching from a cycling traveler back to a backpacker, what I can feel is a lot of limitation…
Here I sum up the comparison between backpacking and cycling:
Backpacking or cycling?
| Backpacking | Cycling | |
| Luggage | So HEAVY to carry all day and walk around, it is like putting all the weight onto our shoulder, NOT SO MOBILE. | Inside your pannier bags, gotta have strong quadriceps to pedal them forward, a lot easier than carrying on shoulder |
| What to carry? | As much as you can carry | Limited so you have to choose carefully what to bring |
| Transportation | Gotta worry about taking bus or train, or just walking because the public transport in first world countries could be incredibly expensive. | Already a means of transport, but much slower, but you can stop whenever you want. |
| Check-in luggage | Travel with luggage less than 10kg, you can skip the extra luggage charge for low cost airline | Expensive to carry on plane |
| Hitchhiking | Easy | Too bulky to be carried on most cars, but if you are really have emergency on the road, people stops to help! |
| Workout | Walking, both uphill, downhill and flat road | Pedaling, harsh during uphill, constant on flat road, totally relax when going downhill |
| Lodging | Stay in hostel, Couchsurfing, Camping | Stay in hostel, Couchsurfing, Camping, Warmshower (esp for cyclists) |
| Reputation | Backpacking doesn’t look that COOL, as there are too many backpackers on the street | Cycling traveler is much less, thus is more respected as they work out a lot each day. |
Well, no matter which side do you prefer, I congratulate you that you have already take a step to explore this wonderful world, and turn to a new chapter in your life! I suggest we don’t put a limit of time to finish the trip, great travelers go with their guts and let the journey takes its flow. On the way, you would settle somewhere to work and earn some money, or you meet your partner that you want to live with him/her, or you are drawn to a paradise you love to live, no matter what reasons, STAY! But don’t lose the crave to continue wandering around in other places, there are always lovely people who are waiting for you to meet! And of course, yummy food and weird cultures…
You will never get bored of traveling, won’t you? And don’t just do it like a tourist, that click all the spots you HAVE TO visit, go to roads that only local people go, engage with their lifestyle. Try to leave some impacts to the places you have visited, take photos and video, make it into a short film or small exhibition to share with other people, or even just write a blog (like what you are reading). Make connections with people, and you will find this world a more lovable place to live!
Enjoy every moment of your journey!
Travel ByWind 