Hi
Newbie here so I don't even know if this is the right place to be. I'm 22 and have been saving for 2 years working for satan in a call centre to save for a round the world trip. I'm going to be away for about 12 months in total, traveling through Asia and oz etc first. The my plan is to land in LA around June 2011. During the time I am away I will be doing a 3 week cycle tour up Vietnam Siagon to Hanoi and am hoping to keep fit running and maybe cycling where I can. My physical condition I'll come onto in a bit.
The plan basically is to land in LA see the sights and head up the west coast by coach or similar travel and hit san francisco where I'll have a look around and buy my bike and gear. First hurdle will be downsizing all my travelling kit to streamline for the long haul so any advice on shipping back to the UK would be AWESOME...but that's a side note.
I'll then by cycling from San Francisco to the east coast. My route yet is to be decided obviously I planned this due to the TransAM but I've heard various mixed reviews about how it's not the best route etc. Any advice on the route or how to go about planning my route would be greatly appreciated. My thought at the minute was to by the TransAM map (although being in UK I'm probably going to get fleeced on price for this think its about £100 to buy it). I don't know how comprehensive or useful this is so again any advice on this or alternatives would be greatly appreciated.
To cut costs I am planning on camping where I can. Again I don't know how good an idea this is. I have read plenty of journals and stories and people didn't seem to have much problem with it at all and apparently there are maps you can get which show where you can and can't camp. Are these widley avaiable and again which are the best to get? When I'm not camping I'll be staying in as cheap motels as possible, comfort I'm not really that bothered by, but safety and security is my main concern, the last thing I want is to be stranded in middle america with nothing but a cycle vest and an allan key!!
I'm planning to get a Visa extension so I should be looking to work around 6 months which gives me time to explore the West Coast and stop for a few days in places if i wanted to and then explore the East Coast. Sights are way more important than time so if I have to do an extra day to go see something amazing I'm very open to peoples suggestions on where to visit
Finally when I get to the east coast I'm going to have to sell most of my stuff. I've been advised previously about craigslist. Is this going to be my best source for selling my bike and equipment or is there potentially a better alternative?
Finally (if you've managed to read through all that) it's worth noting 1. I have never done anything like this before. I'll be doing a pretty pampered tour around Vietnam for 3 weeks which will be my first "tour" but aside from that I've just done day trips on my own as and when I can (mainly just go out for 3 or 4 hours in summer). I am planning on training intensivley this summer to get some form of fitness (in general and with this and the vietnam trip in mind). However This will be 8 months or so after that training with potentially little in between, and I'm not even sure what shape I'll be in when I leave. My intention, as I can take my time, is to just take the first few days slow if need be. I've read elsewhere fitness will come quickly when on the road so will be built up day by day anyway, so I am not overly worried if I start by doing 30 miles a day and build up over 4 months cycling pretty much everyday I figure I'll be ok. However again any hints and tips as to how to prepare beforehand for this or if you know the San Francisco area (which by all accounts seems to a non US resident to be PRETTY HILLY) and can advise anything which my help me prepare would be awesome!
I've tried to be concise but fit as much info in there as possible, however I've probably missed out a great deal. I'm curretly at work so I'm writing this in bits between calls
Thanks for reading and I look forward to hearing from you
Jon
Newbie here so I don't even know if this is the right place to be. I'm 22 and have been saving for 2 years working for satan in a call centre to save for a round the world trip. I'm going to be away for about 12 months in total, traveling through Asia and oz etc first. The my plan is to land in LA around June 2011. During the time I am away I will be doing a 3 week cycle tour up Vietnam Siagon to Hanoi and am hoping to keep fit running and maybe cycling where I can. My physical condition I'll come onto in a bit.
The plan basically is to land in LA see the sights and head up the west coast by coach or similar travel and hit san francisco where I'll have a look around and buy my bike and gear. First hurdle will be downsizing all my travelling kit to streamline for the long haul so any advice on shipping back to the UK would be AWESOME...but that's a side note.
I'll then by cycling from San Francisco to the east coast. My route yet is to be decided obviously I planned this due to the TransAM but I've heard various mixed reviews about how it's not the best route etc. Any advice on the route or how to go about planning my route would be greatly appreciated. My thought at the minute was to by the TransAM map (although being in UK I'm probably going to get fleeced on price for this think its about £100 to buy it). I don't know how comprehensive or useful this is so again any advice on this or alternatives would be greatly appreciated.
To cut costs I am planning on camping where I can. Again I don't know how good an idea this is. I have read plenty of journals and stories and people didn't seem to have much problem with it at all and apparently there are maps you can get which show where you can and can't camp. Are these widley avaiable and again which are the best to get? When I'm not camping I'll be staying in as cheap motels as possible, comfort I'm not really that bothered by, but safety and security is my main concern, the last thing I want is to be stranded in middle america with nothing but a cycle vest and an allan key!!
I'm planning to get a Visa extension so I should be looking to work around 6 months which gives me time to explore the West Coast and stop for a few days in places if i wanted to and then explore the East Coast. Sights are way more important than time so if I have to do an extra day to go see something amazing I'm very open to peoples suggestions on where to visit
Finally when I get to the east coast I'm going to have to sell most of my stuff. I've been advised previously about craigslist. Is this going to be my best source for selling my bike and equipment or is there potentially a better alternative?
Finally (if you've managed to read through all that
) it's worth noting 1. I have never done anything like this before. I'll be doing a pretty pampered tour around Vietnam for 3 weeks which will be my first "tour" but aside from that I've just done day trips on my own as and when I can (mainly just go out for 3 or 4 hours in summer). I am planning on training intensivley this summer to get some form of fitness (in general and with this and the vietnam trip in mind). However This will be 8 months or so after that training with potentially little in between, and I'm not even sure what shape I'll be in when I leave. My intention, as I can take my time, is to just take the first few days slow if need be. I've read elsewhere fitness will come quickly when on the road so will be built up day by day anyway, so I am not overly worried if I start by doing 30 miles a day and build up over 4 months cycling pretty much everyday I figure I'll be ok. However again any hints and tips as to how to prepare beforehand for this or if you know the San Francisco area (which by all accounts seems to a non US resident to be PRETTY HILLY) and can advise anything which my help me prepare would be awesome!I've tried to be concise but fit as much info in there as possible, however I've probably missed out a great deal. I'm curretly at work so I'm writing this in bits between calls
Thanks for reading and I look forward to hearing from you
Jon
