Lessons from the Road: A look into Tom and Sophies Travels

A look into Tom and Sophie's travels.

A little over three years ago, Sophie and Tom decided that they would take an extended break from work and finally put their long-dreamt travel plans to action. They chucked their first touring bikes on the plane and threw themselves at the idea of a three-month trip cycling the length of New Zealand. Fast forward to now having recently returned from an 18-month European bikepacking adventure through 25 countries over the better part of 20,000km they are keen to share their knowedge and stories. There aren’t many ways that match cycling as a means of travel. It’s accessible, rewarding, cheap, fast moving and fun! You can make it as physically challenging as you like and the vulnerability you have on a bike solicits incredibly genuine cultural and personal interactions. The lessons you learn and the character development you gain from extended travel and getting out of your comfort zone are inimitable.

But it isn’t all easy! To go with the highs are many lows. Periods of sleep deprivation and chronic exhaustion, challenging weather and climates, confronting animal and cultural interactions,
sickness and sometimes injury; all hit you head on and play an intrinsic part in your experience. Long-term travel by bike is a balancing act between just about everything you do. The trick to making it all work is time. Time to explore, time to adapt and time to properly soak in everything around you.

Tom and Sophie learnt a lot from their time on the road and would love to share some of these experiences with the Off Course community. 

Come along to our presentation at Inner North Brewing, Wednesday November 13th, 630pm.

Tickets $10 including complimentary drink