Questions and answers
How did you come up with the idea of travelling the world by bike?
The idea of travelling the world had been between us for a long time. In the end, we decided to do it mainly for financial reasons and because it's a sustainable and slow way of travelling.
What is your motivation for travelling the world by bike?
Our motivation lies in discovering new countries and cultures and the fascination of experiencing new things and developing our own perspective on them. We prefer to travel slowly in order to get to know the respective countries at eye level and to be in harmony with nature while avoiding or minimising consumption.
When are you coming back?
We don't know that yet. We're keeping everything open.
How did you prepare for a trip like this?
Once we had decided on our cycling trip around the world and set a start date, we started researching and gathering information. We roughly planned our route, sold items on platforms such as Ebay and classified ads, informed relatives about our plans and applied for passports and necessary vaccinations. Ordering and checking our equipment and bicycles were important steps, during which we also returned items that did not meet our requirements. Finally, we cancelled our flat and jobs to fully prepare for the adventure.
What route are you planning for your trip?
We plan to start in a westerly direction from Germany: through the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Spain and Portugal along the Atlantic coast. We will then head eastwards via Andorra. Our aim is to leave the EU via Turkey in the winter. Our long-term aim is to cycle around the world. You can find information on the route we have travelled so far here.
How do you finance your cycle world tour?
Initially, we are financing our cycle world tour mainly from our savings. As our cost of living is generally low, we don't need a lot of money for travelling. Our expenses are mainly limited to food, visas, spare parts and internet. In addition, we regularly share our travel experiences on our blog and on social media in the hope that we will eventually receive support through monetisation or suitable sponsors. Annkathrin also has an agreement with her former employer, which allows her to work on assignments 1-2 times a month for a few hours. Nico would also be willing to do simple physical labour or expand his passive income.
What equipment did you take with you on your trip?
We have a detailed list for this. You can find this here.
How do you plan your routes?
Currently with Komoot.
Do we ride e-bikes?
No, our expedition bikes do not have an electric drive.
Where will we sleep during our trip?
Mainly in a tent. However, we will also sometimes take a hotel/hostel room or accept invitations to private accommodation.
What fears do we have?
We don't have any great fears about the cycle world tour. We're just a little worried about how long we'll be able to manage with the budget we've saved and what will happen afterwards.
What are the dangers?
Possible dangers could be the theft of our bikes or equipment as well as the risk of injury. However, we have taken precautions against these possibilities by buying a bike alarm system and taking a small first-aid kit with us.
Where did you live before you travelled the world by bike?
We lived together in a 71m² two-room flat in the beautiful town of Lüneburg near the railway station.
How did you get to know each other?
At the time, Annkathrin was working in an advertising agency in Uelzen. Nico initially started working for the same company as a part-time job and then completed his compulsory internship to train as a digital and print media designer. During his internship, we went to the train station together after work and continued to communicate via the Internet on the train journey home. Although Nico changed companies, we stayed in touch because we had fallen in love. We started meeting up regularly, alternating between Lauenburg/Elbe and Isernhagen and doing lots of outdoor activities, which also took us sightseeing and deepened our relationship.
Enable us to have more adventures
If you want to support our bicycle world tour and be part of our adventures, you can join us with a one-time donation via PayPal, a monthly subscription on Patreon or use our Amazon link. Every donation helps us to constantly improve our content and equipment, continue our journey and buy spare parts and food. On Patreon, you will receive exclusive benefits such as access to our Discord server as a thank you.