Cycling Holier / Break-Away Abroad

kerry4sam

Good Afternoon,
A few queries & questions :

~ What Travel & Medical Insurance have you used for both yourself & belongings when on a Cycling Holier Abroad?
I checked the Dept. Foreign Affairs site this morning and the country I've chosen have increased their Terror Alert rating to High Level#4. I will be registering my journey with our Dept. Foreign Affairs though.
I'm well used to Independent Travel and all that entails, but when it comes to Terrorism, only the terrorists involved know the targeted area(s) etc.
~ re: ^^^ The route I'm taking & when I'm going, will be the busiest for the year. Pro & Con to that. Con being bigger target as more people ; Pro being more people, more sense of security but I won't , I'll try not to, fall into the false-sense-of-security either!

~ Personal Protection?
What would you recommend Please?
* I'll have my mobile and Garmin which both can easily be tracked should anything happen, but both can also be taken!
* I've also booked Luggage Transfer so if at the end of a day accommodation have a bag & no person, my route can be tracked back to where I checked out from that morning as opposed to trying to locate on a full route.
* I'll be leaving a photocopy of my route, travel plans, ID incl passport at Home before I travel like I have always done. When my now Late Loving Dad were alive once I returned he would either say "right, now you're back again no more need for these" and just burn them or else just say he never looked at them, when they were clearly moved from where I left them! :pac:

~ Any Other...
I've never taken on a Cycling Trip Abroad before, but better late than never to Experience this.
* I've everything booked & planned now bar the Insurance. Once I've that I'll register my trip with our Dept. Foreign Affairs here.
* What about tips re: travelling light. Handy that I've my luggage transfer daily; will have one pannier on back of bike daily. I'm bringing my water-bag-backpack that also has a side-pocket for storage. Looking at about 27°C daily average also.

~ Luxury Item(s)?
* I've asked whether my own LookKeo pedals would fit the bike I'll be getting and if they do, then I'll bring my pedals & road-shoes.
What luxury item(s) have you brought with you?

I'll write up my Travel Review/Report over in our Travel forum once I return.

Looking forward to this New Personal Goal, but kinda Nervous also!
Thanks So Much In Advance,
kerry4sam

OldBean

Will there be anyone else on the route if there's luggage transport? Always worth checking to see if you can help each other out in winds and punctures.

My standard travel insurance won't cover a cycle trip, as far as I know. Any time I've had to work someplace that has potential to go tits up (Usually small boats or smaller aircraft...), I ring in and get specifically insured on it. Might be worth ringing/emailing in and see what they say.

Photocopy everything that might be important and bring multiple copies with you. Passport, driving licence, Visas, route plans, insurance details, flight details, luggage transport company, any hotel confirmations... Everything. One in bags you'll be transporting, one in your pannier, and if you have room somewhere else, put them in there. Going through security checkpoints (If there are any) you can feel a lot freer handing one of those over than your actual passport, etc. I've saved myself plenty of hassle going through checkpoints with those ("Wait while we photocopy your passport...").

I'd imagine periodically checking in with the Dept/FA or a nearby embassy would be a good idea. TBH, if you've decided on a trip like this, you can't think about the terrorism side of things or you'll never enjoy yourself. Stick an Irish flag on your saddlebag, don't wear American colours or anything that could be seen as pro-USA. Mates of mine recently did Iran, travelling 'round on public buses for over three weeks eating local cuisine and specialities, had a great time.

Accept that something might go down, and be flexible with where you're going if that happens. If something goes down while your there, you mightn't even know about it.


Would you look at mounting a handlebar bag/rack rather than a pannier? It's pretty helpful having a map in front, along with easy access to snacks/camera, extra extra water without getting off the bike?

Edit: NVM, just saw you're getting a rental bike.

Looking forward to hearing how you get on.

magicbastarder

this should assist with cycling holier:

cdaly_

kerry4sam wrote: »

~ Luxury Item(s)?
* I've asked whether my own LookKeo pedals would fit the bike I'll be getting and if they do, then I'll bring my pedals & road-shoes.
What luxury item(s) have you brought with you?

I would consider these to be essentials rather than luxuries. Bring your own pedals, shoes and saddle. Hire place should have no problem mounting those to their bike.

OldBean wrote: »

Would you look at mounting a handlebar bag/rack rather than a pannier? It's pretty helpful having a map in front, along with easy access to snacks/camera, extra extra water without getting off the bike?

Edit: NVM, just saw you're getting a rental bike.

It might be worthwhile doing this even on a rental bike. Either ask in advance or just mount it yourself after you have the bike in your possession. I have an Oxford Handlebar Bag and there are cheaper available. Very handy, particularly as the flap opens forward so you can access the bag while rolling.

Failing that, you could consider a top-tube bag.

Luxuries wise, an e-reader would be good.


Have fun...

H.E. Pennypacker

re personal protection - you could use an app like Glympse to give a periodic update on your location during the day although you'll need to have a data connection which could be expensive.

For more catastrophic incidents there's the likes of Icedot which uses SMS via your phone to send your GPS location to a chosen contact (https://icedot.org/site/) so you don't need a data connnection. There are pros and cons depending on who you use as a contact (there's not much point in triggering it to notify someone back home as it'll just distress them and won't necessarily help you but if you had a local trustworthy contact it might be worth thinking about). It works off an impact sensor so if you're knocked off your bike or end up in a bad situation and can drop your helmet or give it a knock, it might be better than nothing.

Sunblock - don't forget your sunblock

Carawaystick

H.E. Pennypacker wrote: »

Sunblock - don't forget your sunblock

What he said about the sunscreen. probably worth putting some on your shoulders and as much of your back as you can if you're fair skinned, me ad another lad from my club got sunburnt through our jerseys away this summer.

a photo of your documents (passport, licenses, insurance) emailed to yourself is a tip I got years ago, still do it.


If you're going somewhere 3rd world and going rural, a scatter of pencils, pens and post it notes go a long way to amusing the smallies.

It's probably worth ringing the embassy/consulate to get local info. They may either give you some useful advice or just fob you off; you won't know til you ask.