why we do tour?

stephenjubb · Post by **stephenjubb** » 13 Jul 2008, 8:16pm

This guy summed up cycle touring for me perfectly. what does everyone else think?

"For me, touring is quite simply the best way to see and experience a place that you might otherwise never visit. It lets me travel at a pace that allows me to see just about everything, it lets me experience the weather, the people and all the other things that make a place what it is. However, there's more to it than that. It's also an escape from the rat race, a chance to be alone with my thoughts, a chance to make my own decisions, and a chance to really listen to myself. It's freedom, the freedom to think for myself, and to act upon it, knowing that I live with the consequences of my own actions and nobody else's. That's not to say that every minute is wonderful, but at least I have control over my destiny, and can deal with the bad in whatever way I see fit.

Let's face it, most of us spend the majority of our lives doing what other people tell us to do. We have to follow instructions at work for 8-9 hours a day (sometimes more). We come home and slip into the same rhythm, doing largely the same chores, hearing the same messages in Internet/TV/radio/newspaper advertising, telling us all how we "should" live our lives. They try to tell us what to buy, what to believe, and what to think of anyone who dares to be different. I see touring as a means of escaping all of this. It's a rare opportunity to listen to myself. Life changing? Perhaps not in a really obvious way, but it is an opportunity to think about things that we probably wouldn't find the time to think about otherwise."

source

http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/page ... =65745&v=5

jezer · Post by **jezer** » 14 Jul 2008, 9:16am

That's a very good summing up of touring and cycling generally. For me, I find that any negative thoughts are quickly turned into positive ones, even things that have been worrying me. I always find it amazing how many problems can be solved whilst cycling.

eileithyia · Post by **eileithyia** » 14 Jul 2008, 3:47pm

To get away from it all :lol:

Dee Jay · Post by **Dee Jay** » 15 Jul 2008, 11:14am

I have yet to 'tour' - I have the feeling that hanging out here might change all that - but, I have been amazed at the sense of liberation that I experience while cycling. I say amazed, it truly didn't occur to me! I thought I would be so busy working hard at cycling that I wouldn't have time to admire the scenery, take in my surroundings and just feel ..... free!