Almost a year has passed since my last post, in which I announced my plans to fulfill my childhood dream and go cycling around the world. Many aspects of my life have changed since that announcement.
In this post, I would like to share my progress since then, my plans until I go, and why I am going in April 2024.
Reflecting on the announcement
At the moment of publishing the last post, I was anxious, excited, embarrassed, and relieved, all at the same time. After all, it's not easy to let everyone know about the struggles you have been through for a while.
People who have been your friends and coworker you knew for years suddenly discover the other side of you, which they didn't know existed.
Fortunately, just like many other worries that cause us to lose sleep, it turns out to be much easier than expected.
Responses
My family was very supportive of the idea. Instead of telling me that it was impossible or that I should give up on my dream, they supported it and said I should go for it.
Close friends were challenging my plan with ideas like "What if a bear attacks you?", "You will be kidnapped in Mexico, you know?", "Why not do it by motorcycle instead?". Whether my answers convinced them or they thought I would ditch the idea, they told me to go for it too.
Most coworkers either didn't care or were busy with their daily life. Some challenged my plan with multiple questions, some shared stories about their own adventures, and a few shared their experiences with depression in their own life.
Sahar was surprised to learn about my plan and offered to join him in a bushcraft workshop and, later, a survival course, which I gladly did.
Yotam, Erez, Shachar, Dima, and recently Gilad joined me in my training efforts for many bicycle rides. Eventually, we established the Night Chariots group, in which we mostly cycle to exciting places during the night after their children go to sleep.
And what about me? I have made significant changes in my life so far.
The goal which changed my life
Since the announcement, I have been working hard on preparing, planning, and training for my goal.
I started to cycle 3-4 times per week, every week. No matter where I rode or what time, I needed as much saddle time as possible, so I did. During last year I cycled more than 4500km in total.
Eventually, the effort started to pay off, and so far, I have lost 25kg of extra weight and got in much better shape for a very long time.
Attended 2 cycling events, Sovev Tel Aviv and Beshvil HaShanti, and did well in both.
Started "simulation rides", as I call them, by taking a bus or a train to distant places and cycling back home fully packed, sleeping in a tent, testing my gear, and seeing what works well for me and what doesn't.
Cracked the frame of my old bicycle, destroyed 2 wheels, broke many spokes, destroyed 1 rear rack, tore down 2 panniers, and replaced many tubes.
Experienced amazing landscapes while cycling through mud, sand, and rain, climbed mountains, crossed rivers, and carefully cycled through busy roads.
It wasn't easy at all, but with the goal set in my mind, I enjoyed every moment. I have never been more ready than now, so why wait for April 2024, not just hop on the saddle and go now?
Financial stress
After living in debt for many years, buying the latest technologies as they were available, collecting a colossal backlog of video games that I would never be able to finish or even play, and getting a VIP status at my local pizza shop, I was living a very permissive life and spending a lot of money.
Of course, I saved some for important stuff like the newest iPhone model or the new Nintendo game console. But obviously, my lifestyle has been financially wasteful.
After some research, I figured my tour would cost me around 10-15 USD daily. For some people, it may sound like not much, but considering not having almost any savings and no income during the tour, the most horrifying thing that could happen to me is not being able to continue the trip because of a lack of finances.
To save enough money for most of the intended trip, I immediately cut my expenses as much as possible by canceling unnecessary subscriptions, starting to compare prices when going to the supermarket, cooking at home much more frequently, and, in general, bringing my expenses down to the minimum.
Ultimately, I decided to leave in 2024 mainly due to this reason. Why in April? Because it's the driest month in Alaska, and it's still possible to see the northern lights where I will be starting.
A whole year to go
Sometimes I daydream about my trip, and my body shakes from the excitement, but sometimes anxiety starts to build up with thoughts like "Will I be able to do it?", "How will I deal with this thing and that thing that may happen?", "What if I won't like it and quit at the beginning?". But I know how it is. Once I go, everything will start working out and will be alright.
Until then, I will keep cycling a lot. Many new places are left to discover, new gear to test, and many new adventures await me.
I am going to at least 2 long simulations in my country. One is for at least a week, another for around a month, and many shorter ones.
Recently, I started to record and edit YouTube videos, so it will allow me to share more experiences with you in another way besides blogging.
I started posting on a few social network platforms like Facebook to keep you constantly updated and testing Instagram to see if I can post photos of the fantastic views I am experiencing during my travels.
I recently started rewriting this website from scratch to better control the design aspects and content and reduce costs compared to other platforms.
Finally, I plan to keep writing about my upcoming preparations and adventures and share more information about my plans with you.
Thank you for all the support and warm words.
Until next time, Andrey.
