Cyclist's Profile

Name: Johannes Dietrich Braun

Destination: Tibet and South-East Asia

Average speed: 80 - 100 km a day, depending on the road conditions. Tibet just around 50 km a day.

My experience: Germany - East Europe - Central Asia - Tibet - India

12 tips for anyone who want to cycle:



1: go alone or with somebody is a very important question. I would suggest to start with a friend because it makes things easier in the beginning and a bit saver maybe. You can still seperate after a while if it don't works out.

2: get all infos in the internet this days. there are so many cycling webpages with useful information.

3: choose your equipment carefully. It will be with you for a bit and with cheap shit u will not have much fun.

4: choose your bike carefully ( the size and the sattle are very important for no pain later on ). Better a bit heavier (but longer lasting) than fancy alu bling bling. Also as dirtier it looks, as longer it will stay with you.



5: good maps are important. GPS is just extra weight you don't need, except u plan a sahara dessert trip. Take good music with you.

6: always stay cleen ( especialy after having a shit ). Otherwise you will feel what i'm talking about. Cycling pants are bretty useful.

7: always drink enough water and protect yourself from the sun. it's quite easy to forget that.



8: take a proper lock with you and if possible always take your bike in your room.

9: it's much better to have more time than more money.

10: go with the flow and forget the traffic rules from your homecountry. Handlebar mirror is gold worth.



11: You should learn at least a few words in every country you come through. It shows some respect, makes life easier and you will get smiles from the locals.

12: last but not least never forget: most borders are creations in your own mind. You are able to do way more things in life then people usually expect. Take it easy and you will have the best time in ur life !

Author

Johannes Dietrich Braun:


"i want to be a free man, able to do what i want to do, everytime and everywhere. And i wish that one day everybody around the world could be so free as i am. I trust in God and in all good things. I believe we humans are small and little between much bigger things around us, but everyone of us is absolutely individual and neets love and respect. Thats my lifeline. My motto is: `carpe diem et noctem` because life is short and we have to do good things, help the weak ones and to enjoy this life..."

author's webpage
author's blog

Hiker's Profile

Name: Skip Potts

Destination: USA

Average speed: 50 km a day

My experience: over 6000 km across America

12 tips for anyone who want to walk:



1) Buy good socks - I always scoffed at $12 socks until I started going through an average of a sock a day while walking 30+ miles. When I switched, bot only did they last but I stopped getting blisters.


2) Find your shoes - Don't buy into some extravagant hiking shoe unless that's what you are comfortable in. I wore running shoes my entire walk because that's what I liked and they worked marvelously. Also remember that when you run or walk a lot your feet spread so you might need bigger and even wider shoes than you are used too.


3) Moleskin - Moleskin is an adhesive strip that is fuzzy on one side and that you can put over blisters or 'hot spots,' if you used it before you get a blister then you won't get a blister. If you are even thinking you might be getting a blister, use it, it'll make life a lot easier.


4) Make sure you really want to walk. Probably you will go a ways and then catch a ride hitchhiking, that's just fine. If you want to do a distance walk, make sure before you ever think about it that it is for you, not fame or a charity or anything else because most of the time it will only be you.


5) Call ahead. You can camp plenty, but nothing feels as good as a warm meal and shower after time hiking on the road. If you can find a place up the road to bed down, do it, don't always wing it.


6) One place to find lodging is Couchsurfing.com, I would recommend using the website a few times and building up some references before ever hitting the road.


7) Have milestones. Overall, walking is not a physically tough way to travel after you get used to it, but mentally it can be very difficult. Have borders, milestones and general things to look forward to, even in a mostly spontaneous trip.


8) Mostly, you are alone with your thoughts, spend some time like this before you leave to see if you can do it. Many people get overwhelmingly lonely or have other problems.



9) Pack light, you will be carrying (or pushing if you have a jogging stroller) all of your things, it will wear on your body.


10) Enjoy yourself, live in the moment and enjoy the scenery and people around you on your journey when you run into them. Walking isn't fast, if you are just looking to get somewhere, you never will, it is all about the walk.


11) Have a back up. If you use a phone or map or nav system, whatever the case, have a back up, you don't want to get lost in the middle of nowhere. Carry back up tools and second or even third batteries for important electronics.


12) Don't limit yourself by walking. I walked the entire USA, every step, but when I took time off I allowed myself to get in a car. The purpose of a trip is to see things, don't miss out on something because of the very stubbornness that will allow you to succeed.

Author



Skip Potts: Let's see, I've been a lingerie salesman, a mathematician, a high rise window washer, a fry cook, a waiter, a university teacher (twice), a maid of honor, a joker, a smoker a midnight . . . no, wait, that's Steve Miller, but you get the point. I've done a lot things. I spent September 1st 2008 to June 6th 2009 walking across America for the charity PFEE.org. It was a time I learned about a true life and myself, and now I am searching for a way to hold onto that life in a permanent and meaningful way, to inspire others to live more and discover the world and all it has to offer.

What's holding you back?

Web Page:
People For Educational Equality

Blogs:
Walking Distance
Adventure Nerd

Hitchhiker's Profile

Name: Alexander Pototskiy

Destination: South-East Asia

Average speed: 300-800 km a day, depending on the road conditions

My experience: 22 months trip, from Russian Far East to New Guinea and back

12 tips for anyone who want to hitchhike:



1. If nobody pick you up it is only your fault, because you are doing something wrong.

2. Sometimes car may pick you up after 5 minutes, sometimes after 5 hours. Be patient! There is no place in South-East Asia where hitchhiking doesn't works.

3. Keep your clothe clean. Nobody wants to pick up a dirty stranger from the streets.

4. Be honest, friendly and polite with the driver. He will do the same to you.



5. Religion, politic and sex - 3 topics that best avoid with the driver.

6. When you trying to stop a car, look straight on the driver and smile. Show him that you know what you are doing.



7. Big trucks going slow, but they going for long distances. Small sedan cars driving in faster speed but there are going for short distances. Sometimes you have to choose what you prefer.

8. If driver in the end ask for money from you it is only your mistake. You should have explained this before you get inside his/her car.

9. On the road with little traffic will stops more cars than on a road with heavy traffic.

10. Try to choose a good and safe spot to stay on the road. It is very important. Driver should have enough time to see you and decide he want to pick you up or not.



11. Good rest at night is better than another few hundreds kilometers without a sleep. Don't hitchhike at night if you don't have a serious reason for it. If you really need to hitchhike at night, then you should go to a petrol station and talk directly to a driver. Remember that never sleep in a car because it will not be polite and you put the driver in danger as well. If you are in a car at night, try to talk to the driver all the time. It will help the driver not to fall asleep.

12. Better start to hitchhike early in the morning if you are planning for a long distance. Also don't eat too much before you start because some drivers will treat you with a food.

Coming soon – A Cyclist's Profile