The route is divided in 7 parts. Below you can find some info in regard to every leg of this itinerary. At the end of the page an interactive map (where I will be uploading my location) and some clues on why I chose this course. Enjoy!
1 | EUROPE : 22nd of October – 17th of December [8 weeks]
Starting Point : Athens, Greece
EndPoint : Paris, France
Distance : ap. 3000km
Medium : e-bike
Countries : Greece / Albania / Montenegro / Bosnia and Herzegovina / Croatia / Slovenia / Italy / Switzerland / France (8)
2 | U.S.A : 17th of December 2015 – 11 of February 2016 [8 weeks]
Starting Point : Boston, MA
EndPoint : Miami, FL
Distance : ap. 3000km
Medium : e-bike
States : Massachusetts / Connecticut / New York / Pennsylvania / Washington D.C. / Virginia / North Carolina / South Carolina / Georgia / Florida
3 | SOUTH AMERICA : 11th of February 2016 – 5th of May 2016 [12 weeks]
Starting Point : Bogota, Colombia
EndPoint : Buenos Aires, Argentina
Distance : ap. 9000km
Medium : e-bike, truck/bus, train
Countries : Columbia / Ecuador / Peru / Bolivia / Argentina (5)
4 | Africa : 5th of May 2016 – 4th of August [13 weeks]
Starting Point : Cape Town, South Africa
EndPoint : Djibouti, Djibouti
Distance : ap. 9000km
Medium : e-bike, train, truck/bus
Countries : South Africa / Swaziland / Mozambique / Zimbabwe / Zambia / Tanzania / Kenya / Ethiopia / Djibouti (9)
5 | China+ : 4th of August – 22nd of September [7 weeks]
Starting Point : Hong Kong, China
EndPoint : Donghae, South Korea
Distance : ap. 3000km
Medium : e-bike, ferry boat
Major cities / Countries : China (Hong Kong / Shanghai / Pekin), South Korea (Seoul) (2)
6 | Russia : 22nd of September -3rd of November [6 weeks]
Starting Point : Vladivostok, Russia
EndPoint : Minsk, Belarus
Distance : ap. 11.000km
Medium : Train, e-bike
Major cities : Russia (Vladivostok, Irkutsk, Moscow, St. Petersburg), Belarus (Minsk) (2)
7 | Europe (Vol. 2) : 3rd of Novemver – 15th of December 2016 [6 weeks]
Starting Point : Minsk, Belarus
EndPoint : Athens, Greece
Distance : ap. 3000km
Medium : e-bike
Countries : Belarus / Poland / Slovakia / Hungary / Serbia / FYROM / Greece (5)
And why this route?
The criterion for plotting a route on the map was primarily the feasibility of the whole project in terms of distance covered in time. I couldn’t let neither my imagination zig zag around (oh, I wanna see this, I wanna see that) nor my actual route. That said, I am a bit skeptical about the South American part since there are few train routes and the bike, from what I read, cannot be loaded on buses – we ‘ll see. The same holds true for Africa: the distance is really great taking into consideration that I do not plan to ride every day! BUT the route is plotted in parallel with the route of the train… So, if I feel that I am back on schedule… I take the train. Another important factor was the progressive increase of difficulty. The first part being Europe and the second the USA was considered as the most wise start in order to get acquainted with the lifestyle necessary for such a trip (cycling, couchsurfing, equipment etc.). Other criteria were the weather in each region, finding old friends around the world, following the “footsteps” of cyclists that already had done similar routes and, finally, safety issues (some countries were purposefully avoided).
Needless to say here that all of the above are, in a way, indicative. There is some flexibility in regard to the route/ the places, but not so much in regard to the time. This is because I ‘ll book my tickets in advance, saving some money in this way.
A.W.E.S.O.M.E 