World Tour
On the final day of March 2019 we set off from Telford, Shropshire to circumnavigate the World on our bicycles. We planned to cycle 24,000 miles and cross more than 30 different countries.
5 Years and 1 global pandemic later we returned to the Arc de Triomphe, Paris on the 26th May 2024 to complete our circumnivation of the world by bicycle.
The stories below document our journey around the world. You can also find our route and stats here.
We cycled into a 7 Eleven for a glass of ice water. Upon arrival I saw two tourist bikes; memorable with their flag pole and the collection of flags from all the wonderful places.
As soon as we turned off the main road and met the coastal path everything changed for us. The view of the sea, the breeze cooling temps and quieter roads made everything infinitely better.
We when crossed the border we had really no expectations but we loved it so much.
Cycling in Cambodia is awe-inspiring. This nation has endured more than its fair share of hardships. The warmth of the nation is a testament to the resilience and beauty of the Khmer people.
Recently we stayed at a guesthouse in Cambodia. It was recommended by our friends. When we turned up we were so hot and ready to relax. The host was lovely. She showed us our room then invited us for a dinner
While in Siem Reap I got a message to our Facebook, “are you in Siem Reap?” It was Carlos Jeldres Venzano and his friend Xiao. Carlos couldn’t remember how he got following but since we were all in Siem Reap it made sense to go for a drink.
If you’re thinking about travelling around the world I really think you should consider a bike. You will see a country for what it really is. You will go to the hotspots where all the money is made and invested and more...
Cambodia was a pleasent country to cycle through, the roads are very smooth, the traffic is light and the route we took was very flat. We had a 50/50 mix of head winds and tail winds with the wind changing on a daily basis.
I mean it’s not safe, but I do envy how people in Eastern Europe and Asia (except China) – to my experience – can just get a job done.
I knew about Cambodia’s genocide before we came – only because Stew told me. I’d read a bit about it on Wikipedia, but nothing compared to visiting the genocide museum and hearing in detail about the awful events that took place between 1975 – 1979.
We were having an afternoon swim at our hotel when Sambath, our TukTuk driver asked us about our plans for the next few days. We said we were visiting Angkor Wat.
Yesterday we visited Siem Riep’s incredible temples including Angkor Wat, and Ta Prohm where Tomb Raider was filmed.
Actually, we did. We had few expectations of Siem Reap, other than Angkor Wat which we will visit in a couple days.
We had a guest house marked at 77 miles, suggested by @quesnelbikers. Originally we thought it was too far for a days ride but too short for two. Turns out, we managed it in a day!
Vietnam is quite an easy country to bike tour through, the roads are excellent (much like China) and the road side facilities such as shops, restaurants and hotels are plentiful.
I completely forgot to share this video the other day. It’s not actually a great example but it’s an example of handling dogs when cycling and probably the only one I’d manage to get on camera.
We’ve been quiet on Instagram and we got kinda stuck in Phan Thiet. We cycled three days here and always planned to stay here for a couple nights because there’s some cool towers here, but poor Stew got so sick!
There’s nothing quite like a tour of the world by bike to experience the world. The thing is, with a bike, you travel at the perfect speed.
To be honest, the last three days were easily cycling, but getting used to moving a 35kg-45kg bike in 30 degrees is not easy feat, especially when you’ve not been the most active for 2-3 years 😬
Getting back on the bike felt *so good* today. We cycled 60 miles in 30 degrees which I think is pretty good considering we lived in cold Scotland for the year leading up to the trip.
Well, we made it to Nha Trang and we are so happy to be here! Nha Trang 2023 is quite different to the Nha Trang we met in 2020. Back then it was basically a ghost town with hotels and hostels closing around us.
This couple were a ray of sunshine today. We sat with them on the train from Ho Chi Minh to Nha Trang. I didn’t need to speak Vietnamese to tell that they were very playful together. Every so often she takes his hand.
We headed to the train station to book our train out of Ho Chi Minh to Nha Trang. We leave tomorrow at 11am. It’s an 8 hour train! Guess what though, we managed to book the exact same AirBnB that we left almost three years ago.
Flying to Vietnam changed our time zone +7 hours and when we’ve travelled before we’ve changed time zones by an hour or 2 max. It was 30+ hours of travelling here including a 9 hour wait in Dubai from midnight until 9am. We didn’t get much sleep at all.