Planning! Every last detail or not?

[Edwardoka]

It doesn't all get ditched, it gives you something to work with and it makes it easier to check if it's even remotely within the bounds of possibility. If you never plan anything, how do you know whether you're engaged in an inevitably-disappointing futile attempt at the impossible?

Coming up with a rough itinerary is a good way of sense checking a strictly time-bound trip. My backpacking fortnight in Tenerife required a strict schedule because I had a list of things I wanted to do and was reliant on public transport.

Something as open-ended as bike touring for 102 days, though? There's a crazy amount of wiggle room in either direction there.

As soon as you get to the level of I'm going to camp in this campsite and then this campsite and then this campsite and then this campsite, you've lost scope for spontaneity - when your schedule is set then falling behind your schedule feels like a bad thing rather than a natural part of the ebb and flow of touring - difficult to resist the urge of "I must get back on schedule" when falling behind.

I had the same bee in my bonnet when I decided that I must not still be in France a month after starting my tour and then covered 400km in 3 days. The least fun part of my tour. Riding until after 1am and sneaking into campsites*. All because of an arbitrary target I set myself.


* I paid the following morning

 

[mjr]

Coming up with a rough itinerary is a good way of sense checking a strictly time-bound trip.

Cool. Glad we sort-of agree, but that wasn't the impression I got from the earlier post saying "no way" to "some element of pre-planning":

If you're in a big group then you need to have accommodation sorted out a few days beforehand so some element of pre-planning is fair enough but for 3 or fewer people, camping? No way.

 

[HobbesOnTour]

when your schedule is set then falling behind your schedule feels like a bad thing rather than a natural part of the ebb and flow of touring - difficult to resist the urge of "I must get back on schedule" when falling behind.

I started this thread and this ^^ was one of the thoughts in my head when I started it.

A detailed plan can bring its own pressures. No plan brings its own difficulties.

I wonder how many people put off going on a tour because they have to know every little detail? Would our CGOAB friend be able to tour without such a plan? Are there people lurking here who think that they need to have that level of planning before they set off?

I also wonder how many people started off with highly detailed plans, then with time and experience settled for less planning and more spontaneity?

 

[Edwardoka]

Cool. Glad we sort-of agree, but that wasn't the impression I got from the earlier post saying "no way" to "some element of pre-planning":

Ah, I see now where the controversy arose. The "no way" was about the microscopic level of CGOAB dude or the similarly detailed tours that CC Ecosse have done, not "some element of pre-planning".

Even when totally unscripted you need a general direction to be heading, for a start, and even in a small group you need to have consensus.

More than one of the logs on my Europe tour are GPS coordinates because I just found a spot and put down my tent. I also spent an entire day in my tent reading because I didn't feel like moving that day

 

[classic33]

I've done Ireland, mainly West of the Shannon, working with a start(Port of entry usually) and a final destination(for the cycling part). With a few waypoints thrown in, stopping when I felt like doing so. Even going "off-route" if another road looked better.

I worked with my timetable, often finishing cycling in the early hours.

 

[Edwardoka]

Our opinions of his reply differ. It was written in absolutes as if they were facts, whereas, like you say, they're just his opinions. The later post continues like that "you've lost scope for spontaneity", "your schedule feels like a bad thing", "difficult to resist the urge" and so on, which might be true for the poster but clearly aren't universal truths, but at least conceded the earlier ban on pre-planning wasn't absolute.

There is no such thing as a universal truth.

My statements were based upon experience from living on the road and travelling decently long distances with finite deadlines.

On a fundamental level, unless he's built bimbling time into his schedule, "I have planned this entire 102 day trip with military precision and I am sticking to it" and "I am free to go off wandering on a whim" are mutually exclusive.

The truth probably lies somewhere between "Failure to plan is planning to fail" and "no plan survives contact with the enemy".

 

[jay clock]

Mr USA Planning 2019 clearly loves the planning. His Atlantic coast trip has an anal attention to detail and even a spreadsheet with weight loss.

At the opposite extreme are the ones who just wing everything

It does take all sorts! On my first long tour I had someone slagging off my kit list for containing dental floss....

 

[franniepan]

Thanks for your post. I’m about to embark on a world tour with an unlimited time scale - gulp - it’s SOOO EXCITING - but also SOOOO SCARY. I’m sure once I get going, especially once I’m over the channel I’ll be cruising it but reading that it works well for you with mostly no plan is hugely reassuring as that is my plan - no plan. Well, a vague idea of the direction I’m headed and MAPS.ME app, bicycle and tent

 

[Edwardoka]

Thanks for your post. I’m about to embark on a world tour with an unlimited time scale - gulp - it’s SOOO EXCITING - but also SOOOO SCARY. I’m sure once I get going, especially once I’m over the channel I’ll be cruising it but reading that it works well for you with mostly no plan is hugely reassuring as that is my plan - no plan. Well, a vague idea of the direction I’m headed and MAPS.ME app, bicycle and tent

Extremely jealous - it'll be amazing!
You shouldn't need a plan at all while within EU/Schengen (unless Brexit screws everything up), but it would be good to know which non-EU countries you'll be cycling through well before you leave the EU - additionally a rough timetable that gets more detailed the closer you get to the border will help you with the bureaucracy.

When it comes to organising tourist visas, some countries process applications quicker than others, some are more strict than others, some won't give tourist visas at all and you must instead get a transit visa meaning you must dash for the next country without dillydallying.

Some borders are completely impassable.

Al Humphreys' website is an excellent resource for stuff like this because his world tour that started in 2001 took quite the detour:
https://www.alastairhumphreys.com/advice-securing-visas/
This is also very solid advice:
https://www.apidura.com/journal/how-to-manage-visas-for-bike-tours/

Also keep an eye on the FCO website and don't be afraid to keep your route flexible.
https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice

 

[mudsticks]

Thanks for your post. I’m about to embark on a world tour with an unlimited time scale - gulp - it’s SOOO EXCITING - but also SOOOO SCARY. I’m sure once I get going, especially once I’m over the channel I’ll be cruising it but reading that it works well for you with mostly no plan is hugely reassuring as that is my plan - no plan. Well, a vague idea of the direction I’m headed and MAPS.ME app, bicycle and tent

Very jealous - As Edwardoka says -some of the officialdom stuff has to be planned for visas etc.

But yes otherwise why overplan ?? Makes it seem like another job of work - endless targets to be achieved - with resultant over attachment to winning or failing at their attainment .

You couldn't exactly plan your next three months of 'normal life' even if you were stopping at home doing mundane things - so why try to do it when you have all that freedom??

Stuff comes up unexpectedly doesn't it??
And you only have to do it, One day at a time .... Just like normal life


Anyway - best of luck - and as someone in another thread said - you need pretty much the same stuff for three months as for three days - the rest of the world has all the 'things' in it that you need anyhow - often specific to those places..


And contains some truly marvellous places and people ( just ignore the idiots - they are fairly far and few between - or at least we will try to keep some of them busy here ) Enjoy !!

 

[HobbesOnTour]

Thanks for your post. I’m about to embark on a world tour with an unlimited time scale - gulp - it’s SOOO EXCITING - but also SOOOO SCARY. I’m sure once I get going, especially once I’m over the channel I’ll be cruising it but reading that it works well for you with mostly no plan is hugely reassuring as that is my plan - no plan. Well, a vague idea of the direction I’m headed and MAPS.ME app, bicycle and tent

Wow!
That's living the dream!
I'd imagine that it's one of those things that once it moves from a dream "I'd love to bike around the world" to a potential "Hey! I could actually bike around the world" that never leaves your mind.

As @Edwardoka and @mudsticks have said, some planning is essential!
This may also be of use https://caravanistan.com/ as well as all the information available on CrazyGuyOnABike.com in the journals - a very effective search function when you get the hang of it. You should also have a look at @John Peel https://www.stephenpeel.co.uk/blog#! for the perspective of someone who set off with practically no touring experience.

There's a shortage of disaster stories, understandably, I suppose - not many people want to highlight their failures. But I have read of people turning up at border crossings only to learn that bikes/foreigners etc are not allowed to cross there. There's a Netflix documentary where 2 lads set off from Germany and were stopped short at the Russian border because they didn't have visas and needed to be at home to get one. They set off in a different direction, but split as touring partners shortly after. I've read of people flying to Central America and discovering that the rainy season meant mud..... lots of mud. And no cycling. Or simple things like people heading off on long tours on bikes they have never ridden before leading to lots of pain and discomfort.

Another area of planning to consider is vaccinations.

And don't forget that a lot of people underplay the preparation they actually do. It may seem that they're just rolling along without a care in the world, but the research has already been done.

I've always thought that a good "touring head" was the most essential thing. A strong, positive mental attitude can overcome (or at least minimise) whatever the road throws at you.
From what I have read of Round-The-World tourers (as opposed to racers) they had specific places to be at specific times which I imagine were important motivators when times were tough. I know myself if I don't have a destination in mind that I'm good for a week or three, but after that I find it hard. I prefer to have someplace or something to aim for. I may or may not end up there, but the fact of having a target or destination in mind is important.

Anyways..... have a great trip!

 

[mudsticks]

Plus hydration, hydration, hydration.

And stretches