Hitching a ride across the Atlantic

[BrendanS]

Re: hitching a trip

It's never stopped a certain round the world rib person, who tcm also froths at the mouth about whenever his name is mentioned. I've heard him talk about his experiences tho, and he simply just got up off his arse and did it, and wonderful stories from around the world made a very interesting story in real life. I'm full of admiration

 

[Guest]

Re: Shake

I agree that it's time to move on to something else. It's too easy to become too involved in a subject that one doesn't realy care that much about!

 

[bobfrost]

Re: Shake

While you/we are thinking of another subject here's something(s) to amuse you:-

web page

(sorry it's not as random as the Bees dressed as Dogs........)

 

[reginaldon]

Re: Shake

Steve Fox seems to have lit the blue touchpaper and retired immediately. At least it has kept some people 'gainlessly' occupied for six days.
You could have been sailing!

 

[BrendanS]

Re: sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind

<<I didn't see those postings unfortunately>>

With amusing timing, I got an email from the girls today (I signed up to email reports from their website when they were posting here about the trip)
74 days into their trip to Australia, they are in Instanbul, and about to head for Iran, Pakistan and India
http://www.cyclingtosydney.com/

 

[Joe_Cole]

Re: sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind

Good on 'em.

They are raising money for charity, our chap was hoping to raise money for........himself!

 

[Ships_Cat]

Re: sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind

And they are much prettier too, no doubt.

There must be many making long cycling journies just as a way to travel too - regularly see them here in NZ and them getting off/on international flights to/from here with their bikes.

Some years ago we lived down in the South Island doing a contract on one of the main tourist routes. In the summer when driving along the main highways would always see them pedaling along, and sometimes pushing cos can be quite hilly here. Just along the road from us were some big apple (well ordinary sized apples but alot of them /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif) orchards with roadside stalls. One of the orchardists did tell me how many would stop in a day during the summer, forgotten the figure but was many - alot of Europeans and Canadians, sometimes alone and often couples.

Unfortunately, a few have been run down though. My son, who is a keen mountain cyclist (and now actually works in the cycle industry) tried road riding while down there as some magnificent road rides but found it too frightening with cars and trucks going by on narrowish roads at 70-80mph.

Well despite opposition /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif we have all kept this thread towards the top of the page for a long time and still no yacht ride for Stevie. Maybe he will have to swim.

John

 

[Rustyknight]

The answer to his prayers!

P'raps if he writes to the makers of this and asks for sponsorship, he won't need a boat ride after all......

 

[SteveFox]

Re:

There seems to be some speculation about my trip. I do plan on doing this trip, regardless of what anyone says. If i have to stop and work for a few months to be able to eat, then I will do so. Thats the great thing about this, is its flexible. Most of this trip is self funded. I am working a full time job on top of school to be able to leave here with as much money as possible so that i can afford most of my own equipment and food for a while. I have been sponsored by 2 companies that wish to help me out. I didnt go to them, they offered thier services to me after they found out about my trip. I have also recently changed some of the wording on my website so as not to impose that i want money. I would like for people to help my cause, but not by giving money to me.

you are right, i could go door to door and ask people to donate, but instead i am travelling around the world to make publicity and to make a scene so that people will see me and my cause and think about it. I do agree that some parts of my trip may seem odd, if not impossiible and some parts are being scrapped. I hopt to go to antarctica, but i probably wont be able to bike to the north pole. What it says on my website is the planning stage of this trip in which i am throwing ideas out and going over them to see if thney will work. If possible, id like to be able to go onto the continent of antarctica with my bike to be able to say that i went to all 7 continents on my trip, but it may or may not happen. I still have 10 months to work everything out, and even then things will probably change during the trip, but thats why it is so flexible. n othing is set in stone.

so in all i dont want money for myself, i have asked for sponsorship from certain companies becuase alot of the things that are necesary for world bike trip are fairly expensive. all the money that i need i will make myself.

thanks for all your very unhlepful comments, and thanks for those comments taht were kind of helpful. you have pointed a few things out that i didnt notice before about my planning and i have changed a fair buit. thats what planning is for. when i start my trip ill make a few posts here to let you all know how im doing. and to show you that i am much more stuborn than you think. I will do this trip, regardless of what you all seem to thnk on this forum, sponsored or not

Steve

 

[CodStewart]

Re:

Sniffle. I'm crying. I think that we were too mean to Steve. If ever I take a wrong turn and end up in the treacherous seas of the southern ocean, I'll drop you a line and give you a lift to a thick bit of ice flow.

 

[Rob_Webb]

Re:

I thought the whole 'cycle to work' myth had been exploded ages ago mainly cos:

1. You take longer to get to work which is wasted productive time which is bad for the economy generally

2. Cycling to/from work requires you to wash more clothes and shower more frequently which uses more energy and nasty soapy-stuff innit.

And if you deny point 2 above then you must be a stink machine in which case sharing any office space with you will be unplesant and have different depressing effects on the world.

So get a nice small low emmissions car. Innit.

 

[Ships_Cat]

Re:

And for some, after getting beaten up by their crew, it is difficult riding to work with one leg and a crutch /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif.

Get well soon!

Regards

John

 

[Rob_Webb]

Re:

Too right!

Sitting at home right now with the prospect of crutches and no boating for 6-8 wks /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

 

[Sammo]

Re:No Punchline

Dear Steve

Well perhaps our comments were unhelpful but please believe me when I say that our intentions were for the best.
You see Steve you’re adventure is attainable but the trouble is you`re 30 years to late. We live in an age now when there is a constant procession of all sorts of people traipsing to the top of Everest or journeying to the South pole, while we sit and watch it from our armchairs.
No one takes it seriously any more, so why should we be any different.
However, you project yourself as a caring sort of person, if this is the case then you shouldn`t waste you’re time cycling round and round the world, rich countries will ignore you and poor countries will just stare at you with hungry eyes.
Perhaps the 7 years you have set aside could be better spent working for a charity serving a third world country, then instead of saving the rainforests you could help to save a starving village, a goal that is not only more realistic but more rewarding. I`m sure there are many here that would point you in the right direction.
Of course in the true tradition of the modern teenager you will probably listen to advice from old farts like me and then go off and do what you wanted to do anyway.
But that would be a shame as if you really want to dedicate your life to helping your fellow man as you say you do, then you are one in a million and should not waste your time on pointless projects.

Anyway good luck Steve in whatever you decide to do.

………..

 

[tcm]

useful sites

I believe that one eastbound race/jaunt across the atlantic is late march, organised by the New York Yacht Club. There is no question that you and bike would fit in at least one of the craft that did this race in 2005, praps contact them at or via http://nyyc.org/index.cfm?menu=270&openitem=270

One useful grouped site of several previous world trips in cars and motorbikes and on bicycles can be seen at http://www.africa-overland.net - i would use theese as references of where to go and not go, safety and survival-wise.

Practically speaking, of course, it will be very difficult/expensive to go to colder/bad weather regions as your budget will start getting eaten up either with expensive gear or by recovering/hiding in warm yet expensive accomodation and going nowhere.

Finally I wd humbly suggest praps you trim out the more excessive/preaching eco-warrior references and especially the flippant (yet very early) cocktail party references before approaching a potential hitch. I know it's just a bit of lighthearted fun.... but then my earlier posts were just a bit of lighthearted fun and yet they came over badly as well, dyathink?

Good luck!