Before I leave on any long bike trip, I always make
myself a list of rules to abide by, a personal constitution if you will. You
might find them interesting, but the main reason I want to post them is so they
are officially published so you guys can call me out if I try to chicken-out
while on the trip. Also, if anyone has things they think should be added to the
list, I’d love to hear them. Alright, here we go…
·
There are two, and only two, reasons that I can
quit the trip:
o
I am allowed to quit the trip due to long-lasting
or life threatening situations such as illness, injury, political conflict, or
severe weather issues. I’m defining “long-lasting” as over two weeks.
o
If I find myself in a situation where I am
behind schedule to the point that I am going to miss the beginning of graduate
school, I reserve the right to decide to shorten the trip if I need to. This
would suck, a lot, and I really hope that this doesn’t happen…
·
Having a bad time, running out of money, losing
my stuff, or any other reason not stated above will not be an acceptable reason
to quit the trip.
·
In the event that my bike and/or gear is/are
stolen or lost (I’d like to think I’m not stupid enough to lose my shit…), I
must get a new bike and replace my gear so that I can continue the trip.
·
If for any reason an emergency situation arises
and I need to get a ride from someone, I must return to the exact spot that I
was picked up before resuming the trip.
·
The trip’s route must be completed exclusively
on my own power.* No motors of any kind may be used. If in select circumstances
I need to walk, swim, or use another no motorized device (like a kayak or
something) that is allowable. On my days off, and when I am not biking,
obviously I can take whatever kind of transit I want, as long as I return to
where I stopped biking before resuming the trip.
o
*In planning my route I tried really hard to
avoid this, but I could possibly get into a situation where there is absolutely
no way to get across a border or river without using motorized public
transportation. In this case, after exhausting every other option, I’ve got to
do what I’ve got to do…
·
I reserve the right to change my route, but I
must start at the west coast of Europe and end at the east coast of Asia.
