That's one of the most typical questions. It is hard to answer that. The number of kilometres you can ride per day depends on many different issues. In flat areas with good wind, good road conditions, good motivation, good weather etc.. you can easily ride 100km per day. In mountainous areas, head wind, rough roads, rain (...) you can get sick of it after 10km. Furthermore you concentrate less on the number of kilometres than much more on what u actually see along the road. In other words, if the route is interesting, if there's much to take photos of, many towns to visit etc. your trip might shorten significantly. The way is the purpose to go! On the average you can expect about 50km a day.

2. Why have you been travelling for such a long time?

If you want to get to know a country or a continent by bicycle, you naturally need a lot of time. Only by taking this time you will have the possibility to experience a country properly. On the other hand the most expensive thing is the cost to get there, after that it usually gets cheaper that at home.

3. Why did you go especially by bicycle?

A wondering question that we have heard a lot of times, especially in countries where petrol and public transport are cheap. The bicycle is for me the best way to move independently, individually and not too fast. Only like this you have the chance to really get to know country and people, also between the bus stops, on places, where no tourists can go, and you can stay in places and towns where you like it best. Going motorized makes you tend to travel only from A to B and to start skipping distances. In many cases you'll find it easier to approach the locals on a bicycle and you can avoid the common prejudices towards rich tourists. Last but not least it is a lot easier to carry a bicycle to Australia than a motorbike. In China it is completely forbidden to foreigners to drive a car or to ride a motorbike. In other words, on a bicycle you can experience country and people, on the bus only the larger townships, hotels and bus terminals.

4. Did you do any training before you started riding all these distances?

No. I have never done any training before a tour like this. Of course you should be in a reasonable shape and know what a bicycle looks like. The necessary fitness you will gain as you go. The best example is probably Debora, who never was thinking in such a trip in her life before and anyway she spontaneously did that step. She just bought a bike and the essential equipment (without knowing what to expect), she got on her bike and we started going. In the end I had problems to keep up.

5. Did you never get tired?

Of course! Especially on such a long trip we came to our limits quite often. In this case you have to start thinking in different dimensions. We not just have a rest for a few days? Just do something else, if you don't enjoy it just skip a few kilometres by train/bus. Furthermore you should have smaller goals. Think about the town or the sight that you will visit in 150 km rather than the final goal after 5,000km. If you lose the imagination in big goals like that, you will also lose your motivation.

6. Did you cycle in any weather?

No. There might be guys who are so keen on cycling. We used to avoid cycling in bad weather when it was possible in the current situation.

7. How many punctures did you have?

Also a very typical statistic question. I gave up counting. Sometimes we didn't have a single hole in the tube for weeks, sometimes several holes a day. This depends on the road conditions and very much on the age of the tyres. If you are not riding on high tech tyres, you should make sure to change them, before the rubber gets too thin.

8. How many tyres did you need altogether? Did you use a special kind of tyre?

After my experiences on my first long trip I gave up using special tyres. I was not convinced by the special endurance, that is supposed to justify a up to 10 times higher price. Instead I decided to be using cheap ones, as in many countries this is all u can get anyway. These cheap tyres last for about 3,000-5,000km. You realize that you have to change them, when you get punctures more frequently.

9. What kind of problems did you have with your bicycle?

All together I was really satisfied with my bike. In China the rear rim was broken after braking a lot in the high mountains. In Australia I had some trouble with a worn out drivetrain as I was using only one and the same chain from the beginning. On my second trip I had started without suspension, as I considered it mainly as ballast. I had do change my XT-brake for a normal Deore brake, I would not recommend the first one. The reason for the ripping tyres along the rim seemed to be my narrow rims. With my new bike it never occurred again.

10. Which equipment did you carry?

Please read here.

11. Did you plan your trips completely beforehand?

No. Plans and expectations change easily. Of course we had a rough idea of a travel route but in many cases we took advices and hints of people we met into account.

12. Did you bring all maps and guide books from home?

Only a few of them. Concerning the weight this is not possible and the trips were never planned to exactly. In some countries in Asia and South America it is not always easy to find a decent map. For China for example it makes sense to bring maps from home, because it is quite difficult to find any within the country. Good maps you will find there only in the provincial capitals and those will be only for the province you are in. In Bolivia it was not possible to find a map of Peru, neither in Argentina one for Bolivia. Even big bookshops are quite helpless sometimes. Guide books and phrase books are easier to find and are sometimes also exchanged in travellers hostels.

13. Did you buy your bicycles locally or did you bring them from home?

Building a travel bike you want to relay on, takes a bit of time. We have built our bikes at home and I would not recommend to anyone a different way. In many countries it is difficult to find specific parts and you will spend a lot of time doing that. The quality of a second hand bicycle is difficult to be estimated and you will hardly find one that suits you exactly. The transport of a bike in a plane is usually not complicated and in many cases for free.

14. How much does it cost to take a bicycle on a plane and how does it work?

This depends on the airline and on the travel route. You should take care with your maximum luggage weight allowance of the airline you prefer and you should always register your bike at the same time you book your ticket. Flights to, from or via the Americas allow normally 2 pieces of 32kg each, which easily includes a bicycle. Flights elsewhere (e.g. Australia) normally only allow 20kg, for what you should enquire with your airline beforehand. In this case ever kilo excess luggage can make u pay a hefty price. With Qantas and Air New Zealand I made good experiences, they always let me take my bike for free. However, it is advisable to be the first to be checked in, as the airline has all capacities in the beginning. Further more you should be careful with connection flights because the connecting airlines are usually responsible for the whole trip and might not be likely to make any exceptions. A safer way are fixed prices for bicycles, usually offered by low-cost-airlines. In those planes you will be asked to pay about 15-30 Euro per flight but it gives you the guarantee to carry your bicycle without questions or problems. In most of the cases you will be asked to pack up your bike into a box (cardboard, available in most bike shops). You will have to take off the wheels, handle bars and pedals (loosen them before!) and to deflate the tyres. Bring your box right to the check in in pick it up after the flight on the luggage claim, sometimes on special oversize counters.

15. Which visas did you need?

Have a look here on more information about visas. Travelling as a German in South America, I didn't need any visas. Normally you will get a stamp in your passport on arrival, valid for 3 months. As this applies for Germans only and regulations can change, make sure to have up to date information from the countries consulates.

16. How could you travel without return tickets?

This is actually quite often a problem. Many countries officially require you to have a return- or onward ticket on arrival. But this requirement is hardly ever enforced, what you certainly will never know before. This puts you sometimes in the situation to argue with your travel agent or the airline, before you can actually begin your trip. The safest way is to inquire with the embassy of the country yourself. A few days before I left, I had to change the airline of my flight to Australia, because the first one I had booked with, was not going to let my fly on a one-way-ticket, although the information from the Australian embassy was clearly positive. Just in case you should always carry proof of sufficient funds, also credit cards are helpful. When I flew from Australia to Chile I could not avoid to book a ticket to leave South America, although I was not going to use it. According to the information given by the Chilean consulate in Sydney, it was essential to enter Chile. Checked was that only by the airline when I checked in. As I was going to stay in South America for longer than one year and airline tickets can only be booked 12 months in advance, I decided to book a flight from Maracaibo/Venezuela to Miami/USA. After some patience, American Airlines kept the promise to refund the amount of the ticket fully after cancelling the flight. I have actually NEVER been asked for a ticket on arrival into any country.

17. Such a trip should cost a fortune. How did you pay for all that?

The most expensive on the such a trip are flights, equipment and maybe visa. The living costs on the bicycle trip are usually quite low. Although this differs from country to country, you will find yourself spending similar amounts everywhere. In expensive countries like Australia and New Zealand I mostly restricted myself to camping and cooking myself. Such countries are usually safe and the supermarkets offer everything you need. In cheaper countries like Thailand and Argentina it is very affordable to eat out and to stay in hotels every now and then. Altogether you can expect to spend about 5 Euro/day on living costs. Additionally you have costs for getting there, visa, insurance, admissions etc. I have always paid for this with my personal savings.

18. Did you have sponsors?

No. I had some discounts with dealers and shops for my equipment, nothing more. Sponsors usually expect frequent reports, test results and support. Also you might be restricted with your decisions, travel routes and you might be asked for certain results. All this doesn't fit to my ideas.

19. Did you have health insurance, if yes which one?

Yes. After my experience with a fractured leg in Australia and all the costs with that (altogether nearly 10,000 Euro for helicopter, hospital, surgery, health care), I decided to go with an insurance again. Debora didn't have one, as the basic treatment in South America is often free, though miserable. I found a reasonable offer with ProTrip. Be aware that most of the insurances offer coverage only for a short time abroad.

20. Did you have problems with diseases, how did you avoid them?

In Australia I had a fractured leg, which I wouldn't call a disease. In Laos I had Malaria. Although I was taking Malaria prophylaxis regularly, I got this unpleasant tropical disease. The only way to protect yourself are these prophylaxis pills (ask in the country/region where you travel) and avoiding mosquitoes bites. It is most important to discover the disease as early as possible. The treatment was thanks to locally available Chinese medicines surprisingly effective. In China I was worried about having SARS, though I never tested it. The probably most frequent and most normal problem are intestinal diseases, with which I had trouble in Asia and we had trouble in South America. It is hard to avoid them as you have to eat something. Especially in Peru the hygienic conditions were sometimes so bad, that we just stumbled from one infection to the next. So sometimes a treatment with antibiotics is hard to avoid. You should inquire thoroughly regarding vaccinations.

21. Where did you sleep when there was no hotel or public camp ground? Where did you wash yourself then?

First I have to clarify, that you have to be able to handle a very low standard of life. In South America because of the security issue we had to stay in hotels or on camping grounds in many places. This needs some planning of course. Apart from that I was camping wild most of the time, which I personally prefer anyway. To wash yourself you have to use the chances you get or you have to do it in a provisional way. When we could not find a shower (on petrol stations etc.) or if there was no place to go for a swim, we helped ourselves with a water bag, that we just filled up somewhere and used as a shower hanging from a tree.

22. When you camp wild, where do you camp safe?

This question is quite a controversy. First you have to estimate, if the area you are travelling in is safe enough to camp wild at all. I had to learn that in South America first. From my today's view I would recommend it to nobody to camp wild in Venezuela's coastal area. Also Peru, Bolivia, Brazil and Argentina have areas, where you better avoid camping. Otherwise wild camping is mostly safe in places, where you can not be spotted. Especially when looking for a place to camp you should try to be inconspicuous. In Asia safety was never so much an issue but you have to be prepared to be the centre of the public curiosity and it might be hard to find some peace with all the visitors. Australia, New Zealand and Europe are generally safe for wild camping, though you should stay away from densely populated areas to avoid any hassle. Public camping grounds only make sense, if they do not only create the impression to be safe. Thieves are usually looking for places, where tourists gather up and even more so, where they feel safe. Of course the disadvantage of wild camping is the lack of water/shower/toilet and the fact, that you should move on early, to stay discreet.

23. Where did you wash your clothes?

In South America we stayed a lot of times in hotels or on camping grounds. It was quite easy to was clothes there quickly by hand. We never used laundries as it didn't really make sense with the few things we had. Anyway it is never hard to find places to wash: On the water tap on the service station, a sink in public toilets, or simply in a bowl with the water from the river. Alternatively you can fill up a water proof plastic bag with water, add some soap and your (small) clothes, seal it and wash it from outside by hand.

24. Where did you go for shopping and where did you leave the bikes then?

That is different in every country. In the western world of course the supermarkets are the cheapest. I used to simply park my packed up bicycle in front of the door or inside the doorway. Big windows come in handy, if they allow you to keep an eye on your belongings from inside. Like this I never had anything stolen. In Asia you will most likely not be able to find a supermarket. Shopping is more common in there in little shops, markets and street stalls along the road and you will not have to leave your bicycle alone. In South America we used to leave our bicycles in the hotel or we had to split up. There you have a big advantage to travel with someone, so one person can usually stay with the bikes. Sometimes it was possible to lock up all our belongings in the supermarket and to go for shopping relaxed. In general it is always safer not to go for shopping right in the urban centres.

25. Did you buy special food to maintain your fitness?

No. We have always been eating normally, groceries we could buy along the way. Of course you will eat more than at home and especially in poorer countries you have to assure a good quality standard and be aware of food poisoning. On long enduring routes in Australia I used to supply myself with different kinds of energy drinks in order to keep my conditions and not to get dehydrated.

26. How did you get water and how much did you carry?

Normally in all spots where people are living, you will be able to find water. The easiest way is getting it on petrol stations, public toilets, restaurants, sometimes outside buildings, churches, cemeteries or simply ask. But by far not in every country you can just drink the water from the tap. To solve that I carried a fresh water filter or I just boiled it. Sometimes we decided to buy water in the shop. How much you carry depends on the distance to the next supply. Very often it is just enough to fill up the bottles on the bike, sometimes you have to carry more (best in PET bottles). In Australia I had to carry up to 20 litres (2 5l containers, 2 4l water bags, 3 bottles on the bike) on some lonely routes.

27. Did you ever get mugged or ripped off?

Fortunately we never had serious problems on the road. Cyclist travellers don't really look like carrying a lot of valuables, though this is different in every country. Especially in South America Europeans are generally considered rich (which is true in a way), while in Asia I only met unbiased people. However, in the western world I either felt mocked or deeply respected. Generally said, you are safer outside large townships, but you should always and especially in South America, proceed carefully. We got assaulted in the centre of Caracas/Venezuela but fortunately we could escape safely. It is quite likely to get ripped off as a naive, western tourist. Especially so in South America. Speaking for a European, you have to learn how to express yourself with emphasis and in some cases how to leave behind your good manners.

28. You have been cycling for thousands of kilometres on the streets of foreign countries. Did you ever have an accident?

Fortunately not. We encountered unscrupulous drivers in all countries and of course we had nerve-racking situations every now and then. Cyclists are often not considered as equal road users and are often insufficiently respected. Therefore we always tried to avoid busy roads, which is not always possible. In Venezuela I reached the point to stick a long flag to the left of my bike to keep distance from the traffic.

29. How did you get along in countries, where you didn't understand the language?

This is the case in most countries and also is the charm and the challenge of a trip like that. Of course it is easier to get along in places, where you speak the language, but it is more exciting, when you need to improvise. I always tried to learn at least the most essential words of a language, such as numbers, thank you, please, how much does it cost, where is, some groceries etc. That proves as very helpful and is also appreciated by the locals. Furthermore I had for instance in China a phrase book in which you can point on the phrases you need. In the end there is always the way to be talking by "hand and feet". Although English is internationally tolerated as world language, you won't get very far with it especially in Asia and South America, as it is rarely utilized there. In South America I was lucky to have Debora on my side, whereby I gained very different insights.

30. Which country did you like best?

I can not easily find an answer to this question. Every country has its own charm and is beautiful in its own way. Any evaluation will always be influenced by personal experiences. Personally I liked Australia and New Zealand for its stunning countryside and also Malaysia and Thailand for the people. Unforgettable was my time in China, a country, which completely enchanted me. I wish I would have see more of Argentina and Brazil. About Peru and Venezuela we have to say, that we are not going to return there soon.

31. Is there a country which you liked so much, that you want to emigrate to there?

Unfortunately emigrating is not just a matter of liking a place. To be travelling in a country and to be living there are two different things. The main issue should be, how to make a living there. Therefore this might be especially difficult in economically weak countries. Our both dream is still waiting in New Zealand.

32. How did you keep in touch with your family/friends?

In the age of the Internet it is nearly not necessary to ask this question. Especially in South America and in Asia most of the Internet cafés are dirt cheap and fast. Besides I recommend the communication by mobile phone (GSM). For that you need a tri-band or better a quad-band-mobile together with a SIM-card that supports "international roaming" (preferably prepaid cause no monthly costs). Whith that you can in most of the towns use the local network to send and receive SMS for reasonable prices.

33. Where did you recharge your mobile/digital camera?

In Internet cafés, pubs/restaurants, hotels/camping grounds, tourist information, museums etc. Where ever you have the chance.