Guide – Solo Female Cycling Around The World

Solenn Guillou

“Thanks a lot for your website! It was great to find this community of female cyclists and see their achievements. My cousin Marine told me that it gave her courage to know that other women like her travel on their own in the world. I’m trying to prepare for my next bicycle tour, but my problem is loneliness. I’m not really motivated, because the loneliness was the hardest part during my last tour. Especially at the end of the trip, when I didn’t meet anyone, just barking dogs. The south of France has a lot of guard dogs. Did you get used to the loneliness during your trips? Or is it something that never bothered you?” Solenn Guillon (french and german blog, nice photos)

Follow the facebook and instagram discussions about loneliness while on tour! What a great question, do you ever get lonely?

HAVE YOU READ THE BIG WOW BOOK?

12 Great Bicycle Touring Bikes For Women

WOW WALL Pop Quiz!!!

What Bike Do You Ride?

‘Its called Minerva Link, its not a trekking bike per se, but it’s doing a great job’.-Gabrielle Fenton from Belgium

‘TREK 520!’ Coty Hogue from America

‘I bought my bike in Belgium and took it with me to the States. It’s a Granville Terra 3, woman trekking-bike. Granville is a Belgium cycle brand. As I said, no problems whatsoever. It has around 16.000 miles on it now and I still love him to pieces’ Fien Hill from Beligium

’80s model Specialized Stump jumper’ Lori Bell from America

‘Pelago Stavanger’ Sissy from Finland

‘Koga Miyata Traveler’ Martien Deijsselberg From The Netherlands

‘Trek 7.3 Hybrid bike and now I use a Thorn Raven Sport Tour plus rohloff’ Alison Davies from England

‘Surley long haul trucker, it has been such a champ. I bought it off a bike shop for a great deal, it was an older model that had been sitting around. Before my tour I had a fixie that was light as a feather. Sometimes I can’t believe how much me and this bike have been through together..ha!’-Leah Manning

‘I ride a first generation Salsa Fargo. She’s a tank. In fact, Tank is her name after the film “Tank Girl”. It’s a heavy steel frame’-Robin Brodsky

‘Surly Long Haul Trucker; Mr. Hank the green turtle’ Shirine Taylor from Canada

“I ride a first generation Salsa Fargo. She’s a tank. In fact, Tank is her name after the film “Tank Girl”. It’s a heavy steel frame” Robin Brodsky

“2013 Kona Sutra” Angela Zheng

Thanks all for supporting solo female cyclist. Thanks for remembering to use the resource page in planning your bicycle tour. It’s how we keep our community rolling!

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Travel Book Club: Helen’s Take On Africa

Namibia Travel Tips

Country Name: Namibia

WHERE DO I SLEEP?

Schools throughout the Caprivi strip welcome bicycle tourists. I always remembered to share my maps, stories, photos with the kids. There are several rural homes on the road south into Windhoek, the capital, who waved me down and invited me to stay in their front yard.

TIPS TO KEEP TRAVEL SAFE, CHEAP AND FUN!

Tip 1:

Sleep With A Full Bladder! There are many large poisonous species of snakes in Namibia. Be careful where you put your tent. During a flash thunderstorm I had an enormous handful size snake under my tent. In the dark, I couldn’t find my headlamp. Peeing outside was not on options until morning!

Tip 2:

Fatten Up! If touring in surrounding countries prior to arriving in Namibia, the imported food options from South America will certainly put a smile on the hungry cyclists face!

Tips 3:

Hippos Rock! There are several large meteorites on display in Windhoek, the capital. Yes, rocks the size of hippos did and still fall from the sky in Namibia! Or perhaps it’s just aliens having some fun with foul balls at their baseball games!

Botswana Travel Tips

Country name: Bostwana

Where Did I Sleep?

There are an abundant range of options for wild camping but watch out for the elephants. That is a joke by the way, elephants rarely step on tents.

Tips To Keep It Safe, Fun, Cheap

Tip 1:

In the northern region of the country the elephants are too plentiful to be contained inside the park boundaries. When you see elephants, wait for the local cars to stop. Several times, motorists offered to drive on either side of me while I cycled through the many herds of elephants.

Tip 2:

Consider using empty 2 liter soda pop bottles in your water bottle cages. I can easily cycle with 6 liters of water. There are long stretches or desert road throughout Bostwana. I often also filled up my Ortlieb water bag as well.

Tip 3:

Most national parks in Bostwana will not let you cycle through them. I met elephants outside of park boundaries. They must have been walking to the park to meet their glamourous, employed to work with tourist elephant friends!

Peru Travel Tips

Country Name: Peru

Where Do I sleep?

I found it pretty easy between communities to find a place for my tent. I often stopped on the top of the hills where I could find less inhabited spots. In tourist town such as Cusco I stayed in guest houses for about $10 usd for a private room. The prices and room quality vary greatly so cycle around and see what you can find.

Tips For Keeping It Safe, Cheap and Fun!

Tip 1:

Fall in love with going up and down the hills. Peru is one of the only countries I have seen that has a tendency to make you drop way way down to the river and then make you climb back up. I enjoyed cooling off in road side waterfalls. The temperature varies greatly throughout the day, have both your winter parka and your bathing suit on hand!

Tip 2:

When I was there I cycled into some folks near the Bolivia border who were not big fans of me. They through rocks, so my tip is, learn to duck, cover and swerve your handle bars while giggling and trying not to fall off.

Tip 3:

Camp with families on the mountain tops! Take the time to appreciate the beauty in the highlands. The smiley glowing traditionally dressed kind matriarchs are a rare beauty that this world needs more off.

Costa Rica Travel Tips

Country Name: Costa Rica

Where Do I sleep?

Free camping at local campgrounds cost me between $7 usd and $10 usd. I also camped in the national parks in the north for free.

What Does It Cost?

Shockingly pricey if you have just come from the cheaper surrounding countries. Groceries will cost between $10-$20 daily.

Tips To Keep It Cheap, Safe, Fun

Tip 1:

Avoid cities where free camping is not possible! I cycled and pushed my bike around Liberia though a national park on a trail for 2 days, after a river crossing, I emerged back on the main Pan-Americana highway heading towards Nicaragua.

Tip 2:

Warm Showers, the hospitality network is becoming more available. There are hosts in Tamarinda and some of the larger communities.

Tip 3:

Eat ice cream cones, it is cheap ($1 USD) filling and oh so much fun.

Nicaragua Travel Tips

Country Name: Nicaragua

Cost of Bicycle Touring: $10 a day if you mainly camp

Where Do I sleep?

Free camping on beaches, rain forests and in farmers’ fields. Other options include; $5-$20 dorm beds and hotels

Tips To Keep It Cheap, Safe, Fun:

Tip 1
The country is largely fenced, there are fence openings the locals use. I was told by locals they use the fences to contain cattle and are not at all concerned with the western view of trespassing, therefore I sometimes I moved/opened the string of barbed wire and camped on the other side.

Tip 2
Drink local water. In many restaurants the locals are drinking filtered water. I asked for “local” or “aqua normal” and filled up my water bottles for free.

How Would You End A Bicycle Tour?

I am tired now, I think I will go home Forest Gump’s brilliant words come to mind as I push the pedals on first gear up the Cordillera Blancha road in N. Peru’s national park. My legs towing the weight of my bicycle bags, they are strapped behind me on the rack. The pedals spin round as they have for 5 continuous years of touring, a 40 country, 5 continent effort that will soon complete my first bicycle tour.

It’s about the journey not the destination I remind myself while percolating with gratitude at all the places I have seenin the past years. Peru’s high altitude glaciated gorgeous mountains vistas north of Huaraz strain my eyes, my cold hands clasps the handlebars. I lean forward and continue up the mountain to 15,000ft.

The goal of cycling a line around the world was accomplished, 2 weeks ago, when I reached the coast at the Pacific Ocean south of Lima. I am cooked, done, chewed, crispy, burnt, finished; it is time to move on to the next life chapter. The lessons learned from bicycle touring I will always cherish. The basic kindness of humanity all over the world will stay with me, the beauty of living simply I will take with me to my next home.

However, the exit plan has gotten as logistically complicated as the cycling around the world goal.

Solo Female Cyclist Dream Road

A paper work problem on moving to a farm, 6 miles from the ocean on the east coast of the USA, (I am Canadian) prevented me from flying out of Lima and then an expired bank card furthered the delay. Allowing me to gratefully be able to pedal N. Peru and speak to the Huaraz, Peru newspaper about women’s bicycle touring.

Once you rush through something you have already decided it isn’t important…I cheer myself up from another delay and remind myself of what I love best of about slow bicycle travel and this weeks facebook and twitter post:

Photo bomb a mountain? Took a wrong turn at 15,000+ feet, went down a trail into a valley N. Peru, (a jokester of a woman in the village insisted I was going the right way). Then I proceeded to push my bike + 55pds of gear back up the steep loose rocky path for 6hrs. Eventually, I decided it was time to start having some fun. What a perfect opportunity for my new “photo bomb’ hobby. Moral of the story, when lost and getting your ass kicked by altitude and confusion a photo bomb can greatly improve the situation.

The only thing that remains now is how to end this world tour. Forest Gump it? I am tired now, I think I will go home…just stop. Interestingly, carrying on is not an option, not unless I rename Pandemic The Magic Bicycle ‘Wilson’ from Cast Away. Socially speaking, I am long over due for a stable social life.

I read somewhere that to go around the world, one must cycle in a continuous direction a minimal of 18,000 miles (29,000 km) and cross the equator at least 3 times. I have never been interested in mathematics, my actual mileage is unknown but since I cycle everywhere except when removed from my bicycle because of security that I have doubled or more likely tripled that distance. Ending on the equator, on the Pacific skinny dipping with a beer in my hand, that sounds good? How would you complete a bicycle tour?

Will I ever meet THE ONE?

Nearly every social interaction I have had for the last 3 weeks begins with one simple question. “Solita?(alone?)” followed by porque (why?). I can be entirely oblivious to my single, one woman status and all of a sudden I am all boo hoo hoo very much alone. The lonesome ache of travelling about alone by bicycle creeps back into my stomach like a long forgotten cramp. I’ve daydreamed about Mr Right, Mr. Wrong and just about every other kind of Mister in order to fill the familiar ache of lonesomeness. I am tempted to give rewards to people for NOT asking if I am alone, gifts of sweets? hugs? It happens so infrequently that I could even afford to give folks a crisp 20USD bill. On the 20USD bill it would say “thank you for recognizing that a woman travelling alone is not a safety hazard, she can take care of herself”

Yesterday, while pedaling, as I was pondering the tattles and tales of twenty dollar bills, some government road workers stopped their white pick-up truck to say hello, a pleasant change from the white trucks that slow down and drive next to me just looking. This friendly driver’s reflexive orange vests draped over his belly. His elbow protruded from the open window.

“hola” I said hoarsely, my throat was dry from not talking to anyone for a few days and from the altitude 15700-14100 feet (4800-4300 meters). Grateful to have someone to say hello to I smiled.

“Solita?” The man said, a shiny wedding band was secured around his finger, his hand firmly gripping the steering wheel. His black leather boot was pressed firmly on the brake pedal holding the truck back on the steep mountain road between Cusco and Nazca, Peru.

“Yes, solita” I said, trying not to roll my eyes or bust out in hysterical laughter at the mundane boredom.

Just saved 20usd, that guy doesn’t look very huggable anyway and his teeth don’t look very good, sweets would not improve his oral health situation…and I don’t think the color bright orange should be in his or anybody’s wardrobe, it does nothing for his eyes I think to myself

“Yes, solita…” I said

Like an x-mas tune in December, the incessant drawl of a repetitive conversation begins again.

——————————————

A never ending valentine show of twosomes unveils before my eyes as I pedal along, funny faced alpacas, llamas and rare Peruvian vacuna line the emerald green valley, all of whom are paired up, some mating for the moment, others for life. A Quechua elderly woman, the shadows hidden within her wrinkles reflect the frigid morning sun of the high altitude Peruvian Andes. Her head tilts in greeting, her smile grows as she sees me approach.

“Esta Frio? (Are you cold)” The elderly woman questions, her weathered well used fingers hold a piece of firewood that she has collected from the road side. Her three layered skirts dangle over her blue wooly leggings. Her ankles are covered in knitted alpaca fur leg warmers. She places the firewood on the ground and covers her shy grin with her strong coarse fingers.

“Hola, ques estes yamos?( Hello, What is your name?)” She asks. Her piercing kind eyes sparkle with years of wilderness wisdom. They are clearer then the nearby cascading stream.

What a great morning, it is 6:30am and I have a new friend, a Quechan and Spanish speaking beautiful indigenous woman. I genuinely enjoy meeting old people, full of history and culture, my favorite museums. Perhaps in this life time, I have already met THE ONE, the love of my life… the love of TRAVEL! I love the unknown, not knowing who I might meet, what will happen with the day, where I will sleep, what I will eat, where I might bathe. And just when I get so lonesome that I think the ache might do my head in some magical moment unfolds before my grateful eyes, reminding me how much I truly love to travel. My new friend did not even ask me if I am alone and she definitely looks huggable. Often, I find the indigenous population in any country to not be as concerned about such things, just one reason why I love travel amongst the indigenous peoples. I smile to myself as I push the breaks and say

“Buenes Dias (Good Morning), it is so good to meet you, My name is Loretta, I love to travel and like most loves there are some trade-offs. Thanks for being you!”