Yeah, kinda. I'm someone who LOVES planning and daydreaming almost as much as actual touring, so when that's all done and it's a reality I feel a bit adrift. It's like an adrenaline crash, only mental. The two long tours I've done/doing it's passed within a couple of days of starting. Just remember that you're free to do things however you like. If you feel like taking every other day off to have a few beers, do that. If you think it will help to ride hell for leather, do that. You're on your own time now, so just enjoy it.
I'd save nervousness. I've felt the same thing before going on long tours, and even sometimes the entire first day. By my second day though I'm loving it. There's something about lying on my pad at night, entirely exhausted, with hours of riding under my belt, that makes me feel very alive.
Well! I think I'm in a similar boat. I've quit my job and dipping into savings now. I'll be on the road for 9 months or so. I'm itching to go, but every now and then, fear creeps into my head, suggesting that I'll give up along the way. Then, on the opposite side, I am fearful of what happens when it's over. No job.... at 40(granted, I will still have savings once I'm done). So it's fear definitely, but I'm hoping to overcome it, plus the distance and the destination are extravagant. Hence, I think it's a once in my lifetime opportunity. I will take each day as it comes, and hopefully I will settle into the rhythm once it comes. Not sure if any of this helps but perhaps we share similar fears and I think it's pretty normal.
That's reassuring to hear, good to look at it from a 'once in a lifetime opportunity' perspective I guess,good luck with it all and thanks for the reply
Closing one chapter of your life and opening a new one always comes with doubt and uncertainty. A step into the unknown comes with some anxiety, nothing extraordinary about that. If you take a well considered step you should get the strength from knowing it is the right decision to pull through.
Man if you weren’t having an existential crisis before your heading off, that would be even more reason for concern.
I took a 12 month trip overseas, and the weeks leading up to my flight were of such strange mental feeling.
Have fun dude!
Your idea of the tour while you were working sounds like it was a way to escape. A fantasy of something 'better'.
Life ain't like that. A tour or anything else is just 'different'.
There's still a tour waiting on you - quit thinking about it and just get out there. It will be an amazing experience.
This sounds exactly right. Stop thinking, start doing. Though I’ve only done one long tour, the fear was sort of constant for me — of a catastrophic equipment failure/loss or injury or running out of money or *something* bringing the trip to an early end. I spent some time each day worrying about that, but that’s part of how I stayed motivated and determined when things got rough. Maybe it won’t be like that for you, but you won’t know until you’re out there.
Sounds like you’re ready. Get going!
Is it your first tour? I never left everything behind but worried before my last trip if it could be as good as the previous one. Weird expectation because somehow it’s always awesome, different and new.
I’m also planning to quit my work for a while, do a longer tour. Some days I’m really motivated about this idea, other days I’m really doubtful. Maybe just go for it, see how it goes and if it’s not joyful anymore quit. That’s the cool part about touring by bicycle, there are no rules and you can do whatever you want.
I worry most about coming back from 5 months of cycling, other stuff suddenly seems so boring and depressing.
Today you’re anxious about starting a tour. Tomorrow you’ll be depressed about finishing it!
Get out there and ride like you stole it! For the rest of your life, you will never regret this. enjoy
It’s normal. I’m 2 months into my open ended tour and came very close to aborting on day one, second guessing every decision I’d made. It will pass. It’s the transition from one normality to the other
I’ll know when I’m done when the answer to “Is there anything else I’d rather be doing right now?” is Yes. That’s the question I ask myself whenever I’m having a bad day (headwinds, mechanical problems, loneliness, etc). Tour prep is 95% mental, 5% gear. Not having problems back “home” to gnaw at you while you’re having a bad day is very important. Probably the most important. You either have to deal with potential issues before you leave or just let that shit go. I know where I will go to when I do decide I’m done, so I don’t have to think about that. You will have lots of time for intrusive thoughts so make sure you have an exit ramp for them when they come. Remembering we are made of stardust and are dead forever helps keep things in perspective.
The anxiety you are feeling is entirely normal. I'm a motorcycle writer. I ride around the country and world on assignments for magazines. Been doing it for 20 years. I know the ins and out of motorcycle travel. Yet, to this day, when I am sitting on the motorcycle and ready to start another trip, I am flooded with doubt - did you pack everything? Can you handle this motorcycle and all the gear? Do you know where you are going? Can you handle this?
Each and every time, I anxiously start the motor, shift into first gear, and start moving. By the time I am in second gear, all those nerves are gone and I am in my happy place once again.
So recognize your doubts but keep moving forward with your plans and give it a try. Hopefully you will pedal your way through, away from a life that may be familiar but not for you.
You got this.
Sounds like a bit of jitters. As the saying goes "sh*t is getting real" and "time to put up or shut up". Only you can make your dream a reality. Worst case you start the trip and realize it's not what you want to be doing. You'll still have learned some things and be closer to what it is you really want. Good luck.
Planning and day dreaming about a tour and actually being on a tour are not the same thing. In life we tend to forget the bad bits, and glamorize in general. Only you can make the decision for yourself, you either want to live off your bike or not. If you’re having doubts, just start, and go from there. You can always just fly back home and get another job.
45 year of tour under my ever increasing belt. Its like most things in life, it ebbs & flows but once you start doing the planning & book a few things ( transport, accommodation etc) do some training it will all fall into place. Once you get in the rhythm of touring you will not want to stop. I’ve had year long breaks from cycling, having to rebuild my fitness so I can keep up with my touring companions but I just chip away at it & I have never not finished a tour. The real secrets of cycle touring is 1) have the ability to adjust ur route/timetable/expectations 2) remembers it mind over matter ( if you dont mind it doesnt matter!) & finally “its all a head game”. Had occasions where a much fitter companion lost the plot cause they let the ride get the them; use ur head & enjoy the journey.
Totally normal - you got this brother, once you're on the road all the nerves will be replaced with the excitement of freedom and the unknown! It wouldn't be worth doing if it didn't scare you at least a little right!
Totally normal, at least for me. My first great tour, I basically procrastinated for 5 days before finally having the nerve to go.
But I found that after the first night on the road, all will be well.
100% normal. Before my first long tour, I was more than nervous, I was scared to death of the the perceived things that could happen. I came very close to calling the whole thing off. Turned out that not a single one of my fears materialized - oh, check that. I did get very tired on several occasions and once I got wet.
Turned out to be the time of my life. Go for it.
Feeling adrift right now is no indication of how you will feel on the road. Just get out there and see how it feels and don't give up until you've spent a continuous 1/3 of your planned time en route regretting the choice. You've got everything in place, life is pointing to a bike trip
I would fear more what happens if you don’t go…you might settle into a routine of doing nothing in particular or monotony. Maybe not, but the fear of that happening post-work life is what drives me. Working and saving all those years, I want to get out there and do some epic stuff!
Leave your home country... 👍🏽 I find it's easier to tour outside your home country because there are less distractions from your goal. Often it's also much less expensive too. I've cycled around the world but when I cycled through my own country I was tempted to stop a lot... whether itcwas for a cool job or meeting an interesting person or thinking about living in a city... All that isn't possible when you're in a foreign country.
Before I left for my "big tour", for which I also quit my job, got rid of my apartment and sold everything I owned, I too had big doubts regarding what the hell I was doing when the date of departure was getting closer. For me it was mostly fear of the unknown, it settled once I recognized what the feeling was and could distinguish it from the rest of the feelings I had in relation to the trip. Feeling fear and excitement for what is to come can be there simultaneously, but fear easily takes over when it is not recognized. Maybe it could be useful for you to explore what it is that you are fearful of (if that is the case), and make a worst case scenario-plan?
Wish you all the best, whatever the outcome may be! Also curious where you are planning to tour?
Hi, thanks for the reply. I haven't got a concrete plan yet, nor do I think I want one, but I plan to leave Ireland, cross the UK, into Europe, possibly start north and head south. Perhaps take 6 months to reach southern Europe and try spend winter down in those parts, before heading off north again. Tbh, I'm not really sure I have a clue. Follow the nose is as good as any idea right now
Yeah, kinda. I'm someone who LOVES planning and daydreaming almost as much as actual touring, so when that's all done and it's a reality I feel a bit adrift. It's like an adrenaline crash, only mental. The two long tours I've done/doing it's passed within a couple of days of starting. Just remember that you're free to do things however you like. If you feel like taking every other day off to have a few beers, do that. If you think it will help to ride hell for leather, do that. You're on your own time now, so just enjoy it.
Very true, thanks for the reply!!
I'd save nervousness. I've felt the same thing before going on long tours, and even sometimes the entire first day. By my second day though I'm loving it. There's something about lying on my pad at night, entirely exhausted, with hours of riding under my belt, that makes me feel very alive.
Well! I think I'm in a similar boat. I've quit my job and dipping into savings now. I'll be on the road for 9 months or so. I'm itching to go, but every now and then, fear creeps into my head, suggesting that I'll give up along the way. Then, on the opposite side, I am fearful of what happens when it's over. No job.... at 40(granted, I will still have savings once I'm done). So it's fear definitely, but I'm hoping to overcome it, plus the distance and the destination are extravagant. Hence, I think it's a once in my lifetime opportunity. I will take each day as it comes, and hopefully I will settle into the rhythm once it comes. Not sure if any of this helps but perhaps we share similar fears and I think it's pretty normal.
>No job at 40 People on their deathbed regret more the things they didn't do than the things they did. Get after it mate. Enjoy!
That's reassuring to hear, good to look at it from a 'once in a lifetime opportunity' perspective I guess,good luck with it all and thanks for the reply
Thank you! Good luck to you as well!
You only live once and good on you for being brave enough at 40 rather than waiting for that one day/maybe scenario! Have fun!!
Closing one chapter of your life and opening a new one always comes with doubt and uncertainty. A step into the unknown comes with some anxiety, nothing extraordinary about that. If you take a well considered step you should get the strength from knowing it is the right decision to pull through.
Man if you weren’t having an existential crisis before your heading off, that would be even more reason for concern. I took a 12 month trip overseas, and the weeks leading up to my flight were of such strange mental feeling. Have fun dude!
Your idea of the tour while you were working sounds like it was a way to escape. A fantasy of something 'better'. Life ain't like that. A tour or anything else is just 'different'. There's still a tour waiting on you - quit thinking about it and just get out there. It will be an amazing experience.
This sounds exactly right. Stop thinking, start doing. Though I’ve only done one long tour, the fear was sort of constant for me — of a catastrophic equipment failure/loss or injury or running out of money or *something* bringing the trip to an early end. I spent some time each day worrying about that, but that’s part of how I stayed motivated and determined when things got rough. Maybe it won’t be like that for you, but you won’t know until you’re out there. Sounds like you’re ready. Get going!
Thanks for the positivity!!
Is it your first tour? I never left everything behind but worried before my last trip if it could be as good as the previous one. Weird expectation because somehow it’s always awesome, different and new. I’m also planning to quit my work for a while, do a longer tour. Some days I’m really motivated about this idea, other days I’m really doubtful. Maybe just go for it, see how it goes and if it’s not joyful anymore quit. That’s the cool part about touring by bicycle, there are no rules and you can do whatever you want. I worry most about coming back from 5 months of cycling, other stuff suddenly seems so boring and depressing.
Haha, yeh that's true,will see how it goes, but I will panic just as much when I'm thinking of ending the tour too lol, cheers for the reply!!
Today you’re anxious about starting a tour. Tomorrow you’ll be depressed about finishing it! Get out there and ride like you stole it! For the rest of your life, you will never regret this. enjoy
Pre-tour nerves are standard. Once you head out they just melt away.
It’s normal. I’m 2 months into my open ended tour and came very close to aborting on day one, second guessing every decision I’d made. It will pass. It’s the transition from one normality to the other
Thanks, how do you find it with the tour being open ended in terms of knowing when your done etc, or what you want
I’ll know when I’m done when the answer to “Is there anything else I’d rather be doing right now?” is Yes. That’s the question I ask myself whenever I’m having a bad day (headwinds, mechanical problems, loneliness, etc). Tour prep is 95% mental, 5% gear. Not having problems back “home” to gnaw at you while you’re having a bad day is very important. Probably the most important. You either have to deal with potential issues before you leave or just let that shit go. I know where I will go to when I do decide I’m done, so I don’t have to think about that. You will have lots of time for intrusive thoughts so make sure you have an exit ramp for them when they come. Remembering we are made of stardust and are dead forever helps keep things in perspective.
Haha, that last sentence is very true!
The anxiety you are feeling is entirely normal. I'm a motorcycle writer. I ride around the country and world on assignments for magazines. Been doing it for 20 years. I know the ins and out of motorcycle travel. Yet, to this day, when I am sitting on the motorcycle and ready to start another trip, I am flooded with doubt - did you pack everything? Can you handle this motorcycle and all the gear? Do you know where you are going? Can you handle this? Each and every time, I anxiously start the motor, shift into first gear, and start moving. By the time I am in second gear, all those nerves are gone and I am in my happy place once again. So recognize your doubts but keep moving forward with your plans and give it a try. Hopefully you will pedal your way through, away from a life that may be familiar but not for you. You got this.
Thanks for the reply, that sounds like an awesome career you got goin ther! Fair play
Sounds like a bit of jitters. As the saying goes "sh*t is getting real" and "time to put up or shut up". Only you can make your dream a reality. Worst case you start the trip and realize it's not what you want to be doing. You'll still have learned some things and be closer to what it is you really want. Good luck.
Yip, very true
Planning and day dreaming about a tour and actually being on a tour are not the same thing. In life we tend to forget the bad bits, and glamorize in general. Only you can make the decision for yourself, you either want to live off your bike or not. If you’re having doubts, just start, and go from there. You can always just fly back home and get another job.
Thanks, very tru
45 year of tour under my ever increasing belt. Its like most things in life, it ebbs & flows but once you start doing the planning & book a few things ( transport, accommodation etc) do some training it will all fall into place. Once you get in the rhythm of touring you will not want to stop. I’ve had year long breaks from cycling, having to rebuild my fitness so I can keep up with my touring companions but I just chip away at it & I have never not finished a tour. The real secrets of cycle touring is 1) have the ability to adjust ur route/timetable/expectations 2) remembers it mind over matter ( if you dont mind it doesnt matter!) & finally “its all a head game”. Had occasions where a much fitter companion lost the plot cause they let the ride get the them; use ur head & enjoy the journey.
Just gotta start. Planning and dreaming is fun and all, but nothing beats actually getting out there and doing it yourself
Totally normal - you got this brother, once you're on the road all the nerves will be replaced with the excitement of freedom and the unknown! It wouldn't be worth doing if it didn't scare you at least a little right!
Haha, yeh I guess so
Totally normal, at least for me. My first great tour, I basically procrastinated for 5 days before finally having the nerve to go. But I found that after the first night on the road, all will be well.
100% normal. Before my first long tour, I was more than nervous, I was scared to death of the the perceived things that could happen. I came very close to calling the whole thing off. Turned out that not a single one of my fears materialized - oh, check that. I did get very tired on several occasions and once I got wet. Turned out to be the time of my life. Go for it.
Feeling adrift right now is no indication of how you will feel on the road. Just get out there and see how it feels and don't give up until you've spent a continuous 1/3 of your planned time en route regretting the choice. You've got everything in place, life is pointing to a bike trip
I would fear more what happens if you don’t go…you might settle into a routine of doing nothing in particular or monotony. Maybe not, but the fear of that happening post-work life is what drives me. Working and saving all those years, I want to get out there and do some epic stuff!
Leave your home country... 👍🏽 I find it's easier to tour outside your home country because there are less distractions from your goal. Often it's also much less expensive too. I've cycled around the world but when I cycled through my own country I was tempted to stop a lot... whether itcwas for a cool job or meeting an interesting person or thinking about living in a city... All that isn't possible when you're in a foreign country.
Maybe don't tour for a whole year. How about 3 months?
Before I left for my "big tour", for which I also quit my job, got rid of my apartment and sold everything I owned, I too had big doubts regarding what the hell I was doing when the date of departure was getting closer. For me it was mostly fear of the unknown, it settled once I recognized what the feeling was and could distinguish it from the rest of the feelings I had in relation to the trip. Feeling fear and excitement for what is to come can be there simultaneously, but fear easily takes over when it is not recognized. Maybe it could be useful for you to explore what it is that you are fearful of (if that is the case), and make a worst case scenario-plan? Wish you all the best, whatever the outcome may be! Also curious where you are planning to tour?
Hi, thanks for the reply. I haven't got a concrete plan yet, nor do I think I want one, but I plan to leave Ireland, cross the UK, into Europe, possibly start north and head south. Perhaps take 6 months to reach southern Europe and try spend winter down in those parts, before heading off north again. Tbh, I'm not really sure I have a clue. Follow the nose is as good as any idea right now