Travel prepping + What are some funny quandaries you churn over?

Cycle-touring, Expeditions, Adventures, Major cycle routes NOT LeJoG (see other special board)
WildVirtue
Posts: 8
Joined: 29 Dec 2019, 10:57pm

Travel prepping + What are some funny quandaries you churn over?

Post by WildVirtue »

I'm planning for a cycle tour next summer and working through all those unanswerable quandaries.

For example on whether I should get an add-on e-bike kit. I figure the first big tour I do in a while I'll enjoy the fitness challenge more for me if I don't have the distraction of knowing at times I could just let the e-motor do the work for zero effort, as well as trying to ration for not knowing when I'll reach the next charging station. But it's all a guessing game as I'll never know what other experiences I would have had with the e-bike kit that might have changed my philosophy on the whole trip.

What are your temporary goals and hypothesis? The ones you churn over about how to live a meaningful life? Maybe we can spark something similar in each other’s sub-consciousness.

Here's what I've got so far for my next trip:

Events

• Plan travel route partially by cycle club rides.
• Join hiking, foraging & wild swimming groups.
• Go along to festivals & gatherings.
• Do free food distribution and advocacy.
• Help collect food for and cook at People's Kitchens.
• Do animal rights street advocacy with slaughterhouse footage.
• Bare witness to the animals soon to be killed outside slaughterhouses.
• Join field greaning groups to politicize food waste.
• Do wildlife habitat restoration.
• Sabotage the bloodsport of running down foxes with dogs.
• Go along to philosophy, book & writing discussion groups.
• Go along to open mic nights.
• Join kabaddi groups.
• Finally use free bus routesi in Wales to travel to the tops of mountains and enjoy the ride down.

Locations

• Dumpster Diving & Foraging.
• Real Junk Food Projects, Foodbanks, Freecycling & Pick your own gardens.
• Wild camping beauty spots, Food & board for good work, couchsurfing, mountain huts & traveller sites.
• Animal Sanctuaries.
• Mountain/Cave Rescue Groups.
• Activist Centres.
• Zine libraries, book libraries, museums & art galleries.
• Radio ranges; leftist, pirate & talk shows.
• Wild swimming, caving & urban exploration.
• Ping-pong parlors, chess in the park, volleyball, petanque & basketball.

Goals

• Collect food and tat to distribute through Food not Bombs, Real Junk Food Projects, Foodbanks & Freegle.
• Gather data - Map skipping, foraging & hitchhiking locations. Update information on campaign/communalist event calanders, location maps & tables. Take notes of resources and swap pdf libraries to update personal favorites on my hardrive and both community resource directories.
• Discuss/advocate total liberation philosophy.
• Help restore wildlife habitat and save some foxes
• Distribute, swap & collect movement leaflets & zines.
• Listen to tons of audiobooks and podcasts through boneshaker headphones & read back over sections on an e-book at night.
• Go wild swimming, caving & hiking.
• See live music and swap mp3 libraries.
• Participate in outdoor sports & games e.g. chess in the park, ping-pong parlors, cards with strangers, kabaddi & volleyball.

Hypotheses for creative writing

• #1: It will be easier on the road to get enjoyment from study, so long as I don’t reach a point where I only want to speed read volumes.
• #2: The expense of not being able to spend as much time organizing in one place and to a time schedule will be made up for in the quantity of people I can gather grassroots knowledge from and establish intellectual connections with.
• #3: It would be worth sharing free food with strangers that contain animal products, but it wouldn't be worth hunting/fishing to extend the length of the trip.

Baggage

• Touring bike, helmet, repair kit/materials/tools, lock & lights.
• Pannier racks, one wheel trailer & gadget holders.
• Bikepacking, pannier, trailer & roll-top dry bags.
• Water bladder, filter bottle, iodine & first aid kit.
• Wallet, sleeping bag, head torch, clothing, neck tube & toiletries
• Hammock-tent with spreader bars.
• Lighter, stove, stove repair kit, pan, spork, knife, tupperware & condiments.
• 128GB mp3 player with radio capability, phone, gps bike computer & hard drive
• Dynamo bike charger.
• Bone shaker headphones or helmet/handlebar speakers & e-book.
• Zip locks, passport, journal + pens, sunglasses, spare batteries, sunblock, moisturizer, lip balm, insect repellent, travel towel & earplugs.
• Playing cards, ping pong bats + balls & 3 in 1 travel chess set.
• Hardcopy leaflets, periodicals & books.

-
Last edited by WildVirtue on 28 Jan 2020, 9:15pm, edited 2 times in total.
User avatar
Paulatic
Posts: 7804
Joined: 2 Feb 2014, 1:03pm
Location: 24 Hours from Lands End

Re: Travel prepping + What are some funny quandaries you churn over?

Post by Paulatic »

Just so long as you don’t ask me to go with you then I have no quandaries other than asking "do I need it?"
Sounds a bundle of fun your next trip. As I read it you’re doing it in Winter and visiting all the Industrial estates. ( I’ve reread it and you’re doing it in Summer :D You’ll need to scrap event number 7 ). Meanwhile looking out for ping pong parlours is going to be like looking for the proverbial needle.
Having 128Gb of music worth listening too I think is a great achievement and I’m relieved you’ve got headphones.
Don’t forget waterproofs in your list. :wink:
Whatever I am, wherever I am, this is me. This is my life

https://stcleve.wordpress.com/category/lejog/
E2E info
WildVirtue
Posts: 8
Joined: 29 Dec 2019, 10:57pm

Re: Travel prepping + What are some funny quandaries you churn over?

Post by WildVirtue »

Paulatic wrote:I’ve reread it and you’re doing it in Summer :D You’ll need to scrap event number 7 ).


You are right for the most part, there's just a few groups which start cub hunting in August. There's too much suspicion and paranoia among the different sab groups, so getting to know people and showing willingness to do the whole season by being there from the start is always good. Then I just don't know how long I'll stay on the road, or if I have to start later for unforeseen expenses.

Meanwhile looking out for ping pong parlours is going to be like looking for the proverbial needle.


Posiblemente, I just remember the outdoor ping pong table and people I met in Brighton fondly, then found this website for a charity that has opened up a fair few, so an if I'm in the area thing.

I think the map feature on their website is down temporarily, but it looks like this:

Image

Having 128Gb of music worth listening too I think is a great achievement and I’m relieved you’ve got headphones.


No worries lol, yeah I like to do the whole discography thing and being able to find random songs you remember, plus you can switch out the SD card to use in a camera.

Don’t forget waterproofs in your list. :wink:


Aye, I was thinking under the category of clothing, but it would be a laugh to go out the door all gadget-ed up and be soaked through on the first day.
Oldjohnw
Posts: 7764
Joined: 16 Oct 2018, 4:23am
Location: South Warwickshire

Re: Travel prepping + What are some funny quandaries you churn over?

Post by Oldjohnw »

What I will say is if you let the motor on a loaded bike do the work your battery won't get you far.
John
Nebulous
Posts: 126
Joined: 14 May 2019, 10:01pm

Re: Travel prepping + What are some funny quandaries you churn over?

Post by Nebulous »

In no particular order.

Quandary
How to carry all that 'essential' kit?
Solution
Re-define 'essential'.

Quandary
How far must I ride every day?
Solution
Re-phrase question. Substitute 'must ride' for 'want to ride'.

Quandary
What are my goals and motives for this trip?
Solution
Don't over analyse. In the words of the Greek Goddess, Nike. Just do it!
Ride, Eat, Sleep. Repeat
nsew
Posts: 1006
Joined: 14 Dec 2017, 12:38pm

Re: Travel prepping + What are some funny quandaries you churn over?

Post by nsew »

E-bike kit and ping pong bats? Reasonable probability OP is MI5.
User avatar
speedsixdave
Posts: 868
Joined: 19 Apr 2007, 1:48pm
Location: Ashbourne, UK

Re: Travel prepping + What are some funny quandaries you churn over?

Post by speedsixdave »

Sounds like a lot of hard work! Don't forget to have some fun and enjoy the ride.

Definitely don't forget a corkscrew. Beer bottles can be easily opened with a screwdriver, key, coin or cigarette lighter, but corked bottles are significantly more messy without an appropriate tool.
Big wheels good, small wheels better.
Two saddles best!
User avatar
Paulatic
Posts: 7804
Joined: 2 Feb 2014, 1:03pm
Location: 24 Hours from Lands End

Re: Travel prepping + What are some funny quandaries you churn over?

Post by Paulatic »

speedsixdave wrote:Sounds like a lot of hard work! Don't forget to have some fun and enjoy the ride.

Definitely don't forget a corkscrew. Beer bottles can be easily opened with a screwdriver, key, coin or cigarette lighter, but corked bottles are significantly more messy without an appropriate tool.

Once had to resort to a wood screw and pair of pliers. :lol:
Whatever I am, wherever I am, this is me. This is my life

https://stcleve.wordpress.com/category/lejog/
E2E info
Jamesh
Posts: 2963
Joined: 2 Jan 2017, 5:56pm

Re: Travel prepping + What are some funny quandaries you churn over?

Post by Jamesh »

Carbon Vs Alu Vs steel.

Panniers Vs saddle bag Vs bike packing....

Hotel Vs hostel Vs tent Vs family.

Day trips from base Vs linear tours.

I often go out at 6-10am whilst on holiday and get back and the kids have gone to the pool and I can have a half hour in the caravan with a coffee and croissants. Feels just like touring but without the downsides.

Been to Exmoor for several years now and really need a change!!

Going to keswick at Easter so that will be good!

Cheers James
eileithyia
Posts: 8399
Joined: 31 Jan 2007, 6:46pm
Location: Horwich Which is Lancs :-)

Re: Travel prepping + What are some funny quandaries you churn over?

Post by eileithyia »

Phew sounds exhausting before I even get out of the door. Quandries usually include where to go, where to cycle once there and what to see.
I stand and rejoice everytime I see a woman ride by on a wheel the picture of free, untrammeled womanhood. HG Wells
User avatar
foxyrider
Posts: 6044
Joined: 29 Aug 2011, 10:25am
Location: Sheffield, South Yorkshire

Re: Travel prepping + What are some funny quandaries you churn over?

Post by foxyrider »

My only quandry is where to go. After thats sorted the rest will fall into place, i have all the gear, i've usually got a choice of bikes - which one to use will be determined more by destination and travel arrangements than anything else.

IME you don't get much writing done on a cycle tour - you are too busy seeing stuff, eating, sleeping, setting up camp -i usually manage a page or two when i bed down but thats it despite best intentions. ditto reading and listening to music, as a result i stopped taking the music and reading matter, use my phone to write on and suddenly i've cut down on clutter and 'dead' stuff on the trip.

There are some bits of kit i always take and hope not to use, raincoat, spares, tools and so on but i take sufficient but not a lot of clothing, i source food along the way and i've junked most of the 'bits' i used to take - spare pannier hooks, bar tape and a lot more - i'm not leaving civilisation for more than a couple of hours and i can generally bodge if i need to.

On the trips themselves, i do sometimes start thinking about possible unplanned deviations - sometimes you can fit extra stuff in, provided you have allowed time and are not trying to ride 100 miles a day! :lol:
Convention? what's that then?
Airnimal Chameleon touring, Orbit Pro hack, Orbit Photon audax, Focus Mares AX tour, Peugeot Carbon sportive, Owen Blower vintage race - all running Tulio's finest!
User avatar
speedsixdave
Posts: 868
Joined: 19 Apr 2007, 1:48pm
Location: Ashbourne, UK

Re: Travel prepping + What are some funny quandaries you churn over?

Post by speedsixdave »

Paulatic wrote:
speedsixdave wrote:Definitely don't forget a corkscrew.


Once had to resort to a wood screw and pair of pliers. :lol:


Good improvisation, That's vastly more cultured than my 'smash the neck off and try not to get too much glass in your mouth' option!
Big wheels good, small wheels better.
Two saddles best!
Mike Sales
Posts: 7883
Joined: 7 Mar 2009, 3:31pm

Re: Travel prepping + What are some funny quandaries you churn over?

Post by Mike Sales »

speedsixdave wrote:
Paulatic wrote:
speedsixdave wrote:Definitely don't forget a corkscrew.


Once had to resort to a wood screw and pair of pliers. :lol:


Good improvisation, That's vastly more cultured than my 'smash the neck off and try not to get too much glass in your mouth' option!


Push the cork into the bottle. I've done this more than once.
It's the same the whole world over
It's the poor what gets the blame
It's the rich what gets the pleasure
Isn't it a blooming shame?
Vorpal
Moderator
Posts: 20700
Joined: 19 Jan 2009, 3:34pm
Location: Not there ;)

Re: Travel prepping + What are some funny quandaries you churn over?

Post by Vorpal »

Travel prepping for me usually consists of deciding route and/or stuff I want to see, then getting the bike and things ready. I usually camp, and tend to take a list of campgrounds with, but wild camp when I can.

My main quandries are how much to put on the kindle, and whether to take my Canon DSLR instead of just using the camera on my phone.
“In some ways, it is easier to be a dissident, for then one is without responsibility.”
― Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom
User avatar
TrevA
Posts: 3551
Joined: 1 Jun 2007, 9:12pm
Location: Nottingham

Re: Travel prepping + What are some funny quandaries you churn over?

Post by TrevA »

Goals? Hypotheses? Meaningful Life?

I hardly plan ahead, I’ll just go off on a whim as the fancy takes me and see what develops which is much easier now I have retired. I might make some loose plans about things I’d like to do, but nothing in too much detail and all subject to change.

Things I’d like to do this year?

Hartside, Great Dunn Fell - could be combined into one trip, might do a bit of walking in the Lakes too. I’d like to go to Scotland - NC500 and possibly Outer Hebrides. I’d also like to go to France and tackle the Ventoux.
Sherwood CC and Notts CTC.
A cart horse trapped in the body of a man.
http://www.jogler2009.blogspot.com
Post Reply