ABOUT YOU
What’s your name? Thomas Andersen
How old are you? 33
Which place do you consider home? Copenhagen, Denmark
What type of traveler are you? Bicycle tourer
What is the first travel that you remember? Going on a camp trip to Venice, Italy when I was still in school
QUICKLY QUESTIONS
What’s your favourite transport? My bicycle - this magic machine has taken me 58000 km through 58 countries around the world
What’s your favourite country? India, because their culture is so strong. The food, the movies, their clothes - nothing like the rest of the world.
What’s your favourite city? Sidney, Australia. With a perfect location next to the Pacific, the enternal summer, the energy, and healthy life style.
What’s your favourite beach? Palomen, Goa. I visisted on one of my first travels and I have some very special memories from this palm tree-lined beach in Goa.
What’s your favourite food? The Thai street kitchen and the asado barbecue from Argentina. Yums!
What’s your favourite language? My mother tongue is Danish, but English and Spanish is slightly more useful for travelling.
What’s your favourite travel book? Moods of Future Joys by Alastair Humphreys
WHERE WE CAN FOLLOW YOU?
What’s your Website url? cyclingtheglobe.com
What’s your Twitter? twitter.com/CyclingTheGlobe
What’s your Facebook? facebook.com/CyclingTheGlobe
What’s your Instagram? instagram.com/cyclingtheglobe
What’s your Youtube? youtube.com/thomasandersen
FUNNY QUESTIONS
In how many languages would you know to order a beer? I cycled through 58 countries and managed to order a beer in each.
Hamburger or Pizza? Hamburger
Do you have a favourite team? No, but my favourite cycling race is Tour de France
A musical group you’d like see live? U2
Favourite movie? Forrest Gump
And the worst one? Star Wars - never got it
The most embarrassing song of your iPod? Let It Be - sung by myself
QUESTIONS
What is your favourite place? I love cycling into remote mountains. One of my favourite places was in the Andes mountains between Argentina and Chile. I was cycling with a Swedish friend, and we had to bring food for 20 days. In those three weeks we would only meet one mine and a single village with 5 houses but no shop. The ride was a real challenges and the views absolutely amazing.
Could you imagine your life without travelling? The short and true answer is: No
And what do you do when you, for a reason or another, are not on a trip? I'm writing about my trips. I finished my 6 year long bike tour around the world in 2016 and now I'm writing a book about the experiences. I think this will be a good way for me to finish the adventure mentally, and I also hope to inspire people to go out there and follow their own dreams in life.
Where and when did you start to share your experience? I wrote a diary of my trip on cyclingtheglobe.com. Writing a daily post every day for 6 years turned out to be a lot of work, but now I'm glad I did it. The memories will stay there forever. The people I met on my travels have often been following along on my blog, both through the good and the bad times. The support I have received have just been amazing, and I'm actually not sure I could have completed the trip without. Thus, my blog plays a big part in the success of my adventure.
Now, could you tell us why did you start? Born in Denmark, I was put on a bicycle almost before I could walk. I have loved to cycle ever since. I think it has something to do with the freedom of movement, being out in the open air, and having the opportunity to let the thoughts run free. I started with shorter trips like a two week summer tour in central Europe, and later I spent two months crossing India from south to north. After reading blogs and books about other people cycling around the world I decide to go for the big ride myself.
What would you suggest to all the aspiring travelers? The most difficult part of any big trip is to get started. I found it very hard to quit my job and say goodbye to my family and friends. Once the wheels get rolling though, you very quickly build momentum, and then the hardest part seems to be stopping again. I would advise to start small, going for a weekend trip to a beautiful spot close to your home, camping overnight, and riding back the next day. Who knows, starting with smaller trips may inspire you to plan a longer trip for your next holiday. Finally, don’t worry too much about gear. In my opinion this is not the essence of bike touring at all, even though some people spend thousands of dollars on this. Just use the bicycle you already have at first, and see where it will take you.
What did the travel teach you? And what is the most important lesson that you can share? As a traveller you see the world with fresh eyes, and the locals see you as a breath of fresh air in their own everyday life. This can create some very interesting dynamics. If you were to believe the media, the world would be a very dangerous place. It is natural that wars, conflicts, and tragedies get headlines on the TV and internet, but what you realize when you travel is that the world is mostly a peaceful place with people who are doing what people do; go to school, go to work, get married, and have children. I believe it is better so see the world through your owns eyes than through the media.
What was the cheapest journey that you’ve made? And the most expensive one? My budget is around $20 a day. I find that it is entirely possible to comfortably cycle through any country in the world on this budget. In expensive countries in Europe and in Australia I would camp out every night or stay with friends, friends of friends, people from the Couchsurfing or Warmshower online communities, or with people who simply offered me a place for the night when we met on the road. As I never had to pay for accommodation and only bought food from the supermarket, Australia was interestingly enough one of the cheaper countries I have visited. Though here in South America $20 will get you an hostel and 3 restaurant meals a day.
photo courtesy of Thomas Andersen
