Tips, with being a rookie cycle tourist, I don’t feel I have too much experience offering tips to seasoned veterans. If you are a rookie like me and are doing a trip like this perhaps a few will help. 

These are general and can be applied to many trips, however with this 6 week trip some are specific. 

Learn Spanish or language of where you’re travelling, I think I mentioned this enough times. If you can’t learn the language make a friend cycling that can speak language and be an interpreter.  We were sooooo lucky to have a few join our ride. 

Make friends cycling, you will never know who you will meet. What do you think you’ll learn and who could be a good friend. We have met so many people that I’m sure somehow our paths will cross. I‘ll be in Barcelona next month and we have a few dinners planned already. 

Make sure your bike is in tiptop shape. It will not prevent flats, however, it will hopefully help you from any major problems. Bring spare parts, brake pads, cables, nuts, and bolts, and the proper tools  to do to make repairs. Remember, you may be somewhere where there is no bike shop and you are going to be your own bike shop. Also as David proved numerous times you could be helping out a fellow cyclist. 

Plan and budget time to stop and spell the roses. Allocate time to do the hikes go kayaking sightsee. Depending where you go the nature is so beautiful. Appreciate it and enjoy it. The last part of our trip was spectacular, hiking and sightseeing. 

Don’t sweat the small stuff. Cars will fly by you, it may rain, you may get a flat, the road conditions may suck, as the old expression goes, shit happens. It is not the end of the world. It is so easy to deal with adversity with a smile than with a frown.

Learn the culture of the country of where you’re traveling. It will be such a more meaningful trip if you know what you are seeing. 

We were very fortunate to get the ferry from Villa O‘Higgins to the Chilean border, literally the next day. We heard numerous stories where people are stranded for a week due to rough waters. You need a plan a,b,c and d. Hard to make a hostel booking you made, if all of a sudden the ferry is not going anywhere for days. 

For this trip it is impossible to not tent/wildcamp so don’t think you will escape the sleeping bag and tent experience. It was fun, just plan plan plan. 

This way my first cycle tour and David did all the planning, I just showed up and rode, he deserves ALL the credit for how smooth it went. 

We really didn’t need our emergency meals, we had 4 are 2 and out of principle brought 2 back! 

Take extra tape for your bike boxes, David’s bike literally fell out of his box in Satiago and mine had a huge gash in it.  

If a 66 year old can do this trip, you experienced cycle tourist can. If like me and you have never done one, then plan and plan again. This is not impossible, it’s hard and as I’ve said over and over again. It is 80% mental. 

For getting back from Villa O’Higgins as my son said, turn around and ride back. Have to love the humour from your kids.I  preferred going south,  the trek through the mountains was a blast ! 

So we really can’t give any advice it will be up to your goals and dreams. My advice there is to dream big ! We ended out trip with a layover in Santiago, met Pedro for dinner and had a great history lesson on a walking tour of the city! 

If you have any specific questions just leave a comment, I’ll be happy to help in any way ! 

Ohhh don’t use these pedals 

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Catch the back of your leg when walking your bike. David warmed me !