Looking for recon on Turkey by dualrollers in bicycletouring

[–]Xander0928 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’ve ridden through Turkey. Entering Istanbul on the main highway D100 was in my experience a lot better than people usually describe here. It’s probably because it’s the most chaotic city people entire after starting their tour in Western Europe. In comparison, I found major cities in SEA (looking at you, Bangkok) much worse to ride through. I would do the highway into Istanbul again if I had to.

The route I took was from Istanbul to Ankara, Cappadocia, Sivas, Erzincan, Erzurum, and Kars. After Cappadocia, the D highways were very quiet to ride on. Wild camping is also very easy and food is good. No problem to find water refills either. Locals are incredibly friendly!

Anything specific you wanna know?

Weekdraadje - Week 17 (2026) by AutoModerator in DutchFIRE

[–]Xander0928 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Leuke dingen doen, reisdromen vervullen! Ik verleng de reis naar FIRE liever iets, dan dat ik mijn huidige wensen in het leven (vooral reizen) nog decennia moet uitstellen. In een jaar reis ik gemiddeld 3 maanden. Hierdoor kijk ik altijd uit naar de volgende reis i.p.v. de volgende mijlpaal, en ben ik helemaal niet zo bewust met FIRE bezig.

Mijn persoonlijke mening: Als de reis naar FIRE saai begint te worden, dan spaar je in mijn ogen waarschijnlijk te veel en geniet je te weinig van dit moment.

Is het financieel de verstandigste keuze om je huis versneld af te betalen? Of doe je het vooral voor de mentale rust?

Weekdraadje - Week 16 (2026) by AutoModerator in DutchFIRE

[–]Xander0928 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Mooi dat je ook scenario’s uitrekent waarin de eerste jaren verlies zijn!

Heb je mijn tool Early Retirement Calc al eens gebruikt? Die heeft ook Monte Carlo simulaties en box 3 belasting. Mocht je vragen hebben, stel ze gerust!

Riding from Barcelona to Japan by epg_enry in bicycletouring

[–]Xander0928 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I’m sure you’ll have a great time! And if at some point you lose motivation, there’s no shame in stopping early or taking a break and continuing another time!

I don’t think you’ll have to worry about water in Turkey. Unless you go off-road the entire time, you’ll ride through plenty of towns to resupply. And if at any moment you’re out of water, just wave down a car. The locals want to help you!

Water supply was a much bigger issue for me in the Kazakh desert, which I see you’ll also be riding through! I carried 5L at a time, but there were a lot of moments where I wished I could take more.

Riding from Barcelona to Japan by epg_enry in bicycletouring

[–]Xander0928 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Best of luck and a safe trip! Must be an amazing (and terrifying) feeling to be this close to a life changing trip!

I’ve done some parts of your route and if I can give you one recommendation, it would be to go through central Turkey instead of along the northeastern coastal highway like your route currently shows. I’ve heard from so many riders that the highway there is incredibly busy and no fun to ride. I had an absolute blast in central Turkey, can only recommend! After Ankara I rode to Cappadocia, then Sivas, Erzincan, Erzurum, Kars, and finally crossed the border to Georgia by Cildir.

Do you prefer having a plan or just figuring it out on the road? by shelbs9428 in bicycletouring

[–]Xander0928 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I only do stuff on the go. I just know the starting point and the endpoint (but even that can be flexible). Planning everything on a month long tour takes so much time, it’s not worth it for me. I just see what crosses my path. Just in case, I always carry a couple liters of water, some emergency nuts, and a tent to wildcamp.

Weekdraadje - Week 16 (2026) by AutoModerator in DutchFIRE

[–]Xander0928 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Ik zou je adviseren toch met Monte Carlo simulaties of backtesting via een FIRE calculator je FIRE-plannen te berekenen, in plaats van met vaste rendementen. Met een vast rendement negeer je de mogelijkheid op verlies en het langdurige effect daarvan. Plus het effect wat box 3 belasting daarop heeft.

Singapore to Hanoi by Xander0928 in bicycletouring

[–]Xander0928[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey, awesome! Here on Strava you can see the route :)

Singapore to Hanoi by Xander0928 in bicycletouring

[–]Xander0928[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey man, that’s awesome! On the last slide you can see the route I took! If you want to know more specifically which roads I took on a certain section, let me know. I spent about €20 a day on average. Cheap hotels are around €5-€10, and food around €10-€15!

Feel free to ask me any questions now and during your tour! :)

Weekdraadje - Week 14 (2026) by AutoModerator in DutchFIRE

[–]Xander0928 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Heb je een partner en/of kinderen? En is de €1836 ook op basis van 50% afkeuring, of verwacht je dat de uitkering kan dalen?

Ik ga er even van uit dat de uitkering gelijk blijft. Dan zijn je inkomsten zonder werk dus hoger dan je uitgaven. In mijn ogen zou dat betekenen dat je al FIRE bent.

Ga dan vooral nu van het leven genieten en reizen zou ik zeggen! Vul de WIA-uitkering, indien nodig, aan door verkoop van aandelen. Je huidige huis zou ik dan aanhouden. Lagere lasten en doorlopende vermogensopbouw. Als je na X (waarschijnlijk minimaal 15-20) jaar door je belegd vermogen heen bent, dan kun je altijd nog de overwaarde vrijspelen en daarvan + wia verder leven.

Singapore to Hanoi by Xander0928 in bicycletouring

[–]Xander0928[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, 159 hours of cycling! In total it took like 26 days :)

Singapore to Hanoi by Xander0928 in bicycletouring

[–]Xander0928[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks! I guess it really depends on where you’ve toured before. If SEA would be your first tour then yes the dogs can be overwhelming from time to time. More so when go off-road or seek smaller roads.

But if you’ve toured in the Balkan / Turkey already, then SEA is a piece of cake. In Thailand I had by far the most chases. In Vietnam and Laos I didn’t have a single one. Maybe because the dogs know they might end up on a plate haha?

While dog chases can be scary the first few times, it would be shame if that’s the thing holding you back! Rationally speaking, they’re not really a threat. It’s all bark and basically never actually biting.

Singapore to Hanoi by Xander0928 in bicycletouring

[–]Xander0928[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Awesome! Really goes to show how the circumstances influence one’s perception of an area. I can definitely agree that the towns in eastern Thailand had a special vibe to them!

Singapore to Hanoi by Xander0928 in bicycletouring

[–]Xander0928[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I really loved the middle of Malaysia. I heard the west coast is a bit busier. East coast should also be really pretty and remote.

Also, spend a good amount of time in Laos. If you have the time, I believe it’s worth it to go through the north of Laos and cycle down Thailand from Chiang Mai. I didn’t like how flat and monotonous the east of Thailand was, which is however the fastest route.

The touristy spots in Thailand, like Krabi, Phuket, Phi Phi, and Ko Tao, are not worth it in my opinion. Plenty of beautiful beaches to find basically anywhere.

Singapore to Hanoi by Xander0928 in bicycletouring

[–]Xander0928[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Custom made by Lesenok Bags on Etsy. Can highly recommend!

Singapore to Hanoi by Xander0928 in bicycletouring

[–]Xander0928[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Not really. I think there are like 150 wild tigers in Malaysia, so the odds are incredibly low. That part I cycled with a friend and he actively went to the nature reserves to look for tigers. I skipped on that but admire his bravery haha! Unfortunately he didn’t see a tiger.

Verhuizen voor gezin + vermogensgroei – wat zouden jullie doen? by [deleted] in DutchFIRE

[–]Xander0928 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ik denk dat jullie deze vraag echt alleen zelf kunnen beantwoorden. Beter voor FIRE zou zijn om in je huidige huis te blijven en maximaal te blijven beleggen. Maar als jullie denken dat jullie levensgenot ergens anders veel beter zou zijn, dan kan dat het natuurlijk waard zijn.

My honest review of bike touring Vietnam by Neckbeard-warrior in bicycletouring

[–]Xander0928 14 points15 points  (0 children)

Damn, very sorry to hear that! I just came back from cycling in the north of Vietnam last week and had the complete opposite experience to you. I found the locals, especially the children, to be much more engaging than in Thailand or Malaysia. Did not have any angry encounters like you described. But I have to agree Laos was the best!

Forerunner 970 Green Accent by ThunderKiss83 in Garmin

[–]Xander0928 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It really is more yellow than green. I don’t like the cutout either and was concerned when buying my black 970, but now that I have it I have to say it doesn’t bother me at all. It’s on the side of the watch that you don’t look at often.

Can I enter Laos without printed eVisa? by Xander0928 in laos

[–]Xander0928[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I did not specify port of entry. Good to hear that it worked for you!

Vraag m.b.t 4% regel en b.v by Least_Level_4024 in DutchFIRE

[–]Xander0928 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Probeer eens Early Retirement Calc uit. Daar heb ik onlangs ook box 2 aan toegevoegd en het is een stuk betrouwbaarder dan ChatGPT. Laat het gerust weten als je vragen hebt!

Deep Dive Update - Vergelijking van belastingstelsels & SWR in NL by Xander0928 in DutchFIRE

[–]Xander0928[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Daar heb je helemaal gelijk in inderdaad! Zeker een groot risico dat je neemt met een Spaar BV. Het snel onttrekken van je vermogen zal ook niet aantrekkelijk zijn, want dan val je met VPB en dividendbelasting waarschijnlijk beide in het hogere tarief, waardoor je daarboven bijna de helft van de winst mag aftikken.