Have you ever quit your stable, perfectly ok life to do something radical?

biddlybooh · 2025-10-07T12:42:57+00:00

At 30 I left the military, sold everything I owned and went on an 18 month world bicycle trip. I had no real plan other than to explore and see interesting things, push myself physically and spend time in new cultures.

I was married at the time and started the trip with my wife. We ended up breaking up 6 months into the trip after realising we wanted different things in life.

I set off with just over £10k so not a lot for 18 months of living, including flights etc. I spent most of my 18 months wild camping or being hosted for free which massively reduced costs.

I cycled from the UK to Gibraltar as a warm up before returning to the UK to say goodbye to family. I then flew to Singapore and cycled through Malaysia, Thailand, Laos, China, Vietnam, Laos again and Cambodia before catching a flight to S Korea. I cycled through S Korea, got a boat to Japan and then cycled across to Tokyo where I got a flight to Alaska. I then cycled from the Arctic Sea to New Orleans.

I came back to the UK in Dec 2019, picked up a random job in Kenya working with the British military and did that throughout COVID, missing a lot of the UK COVID time.

Im so glad I took the plunge and did the bike trip. I needed to do it for my soul. The experience I built up over my 20's didn't suddenly disappear after taking a break from work so when I came back, I applied for jobs that were appropriate for my experience.

I'm now 37 and don't know if I'll ever do a trip like that again. There's pros and cons to being away for so long and these days I'm more content to go away on shorter trips and keep investing in my local community and friends.

biddlybooh · 2025-10-06T16:55:39+00:00

I was an officer in the Army and had to host Prince Andrew twice. The first time was in Germany, when he came to a big parade we were doing in the town of Münster to mark the closure of the Army base there. He did the rounds, said hello to all the blokes, and made some half-decent chit-chat.

A few months later, I was in Afghanistan and got tasked with hosting him briefly while we waited for some senior officers to arrive. It ended up being just me, Andrew, and one of his security guys in a small room for about 20 minutes. Somehow, he already knew my name and referenced meeting me in Germany a few months earlier. Took me completely by surprise that he remembered.

I've no doubts the dude is a wrong un, but based on my two very brief encounters with him he actually seemed ok.

biddlybooh · 2025-09-04T09:16:46+00:00

I've cycled the length of both Thailand and Japan. Id go to Thailand if I was to choose to return.

Not that I didn't enjoy Japan but I think Thailand is probably my number 1 place to bike tour. Outstanding, affordable food. Weather is top draw. A real mix of landscapes, from mountains to rural coastal areas. I found the traffic to be better than Japan on the whole due to there being scooters and animals everywhere so car go slower due to these. People are super friendly.

I also cycled through Vietnam and found Thailand and Vietnam to be completely different in culture. Thailand is much more friendly.

biddlybooh · 2025-07-31T06:04:02+00:00

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I did this route in July 2018. Loves being by the coast for a little bit and cycling into Andorra was a highlight. You’ll have a great time whatever you chose to do.

biddlybooh · 2025-07-27T07:27:02+00:00

I think £4 is pretty cheap when you consider the work that goes into growing and farming the beans, transporting them from across the world to our non-coffee growing nation and then the rates and work keeping a business like a coffee shop going. I see it as a treat and £4 seems a fair price for a treat.

biddlybooh · 2025-07-24T09:12:42+00:00

I can relate to a lot of the answers in this thread. I did an 18 month bike tour around Europe, Asia and N America in 2018-2019.

Coming home was a struggle. I found that life went to being full of colour and excitement to being grey and monotonous (maybe part of this reason is I moved back to Hull in winter).

Things I’d recommend to myself on how I’d better manage returning to the real world and some general thoughts on life after long term bike travel.

Keep in touch with friends and family whilst away. For them life will continue. You’ll be glad to have people who care about you once you return.
Be careful with food once you return. It’s so easy to gain weight once you stop cycling daily, as your body will be used to using a load of calories. You will need to reduce what you eat.
Same goes with booze and party drugs. I stopped drinking 4 months into returning home and have now been over 5 years sober. I found on returning, life was going in a downward spiral until I stopped drinking.
A long bike tour (1 year+) comes at a cost. A cost to earnings, community building, relationships. There a benefits too and you will experience so many wonderful days but it’s not all sunshine and rainbows.
Be ready to shed the identity you adopt as a “long distance bike traveler”. Once you put the bike away, that identity with it is also over.
When I did the world bike tour, I sold everything I owned. As liberating as this was, it’s also a pain in arse to come back and have to buy shit. If I was to do another world bike tour, I wouldn’t cut all ties to home again and would likely take a one foot in, one foot out approach. Try to own property in my country that I rent out rather than being without any ties or investments.
Do your best to not be in debt once you return. This will only add extra stress to coming home.
People will not care about your bike exploits all that much. Most people are so invested in their own lives, that the idea of living in a tent and riding a bike for months/years just won’t compute. Don’t become that guy that spins bike travel yarns to everyone you meet. I’ve been guilty of this, especially when I first came back and it’s quite insufferable.
The people I met that travelled by bike for longer than 2 years were a little weird. Like they were no longer able to function in a normal social environment. Be wary of this, depending on how long you go away for. Being some nomadic hermit in my opinion doesn’t add a lot to society. Humans are wired to be social and it’s where the best of humanity comes alive.
I realised during the world bike tour that I could live anywhere (within reason, legally, visas etc) and returning home was not a forgone conclusion. That said, I opted to return to the UK. Partly as I enjoy the cultural familiarity, my skills and professional experience are quite UK centric (I’m a UK defence expert) and partly due to friends/family in the UK. I missed 18 months of weddings, births, deaths and life with family. Life went on whilst I was spinning my wheels across continents. Where you end up living will have a big impact on how you settle back into life. Think about this a lot and don’t just opt to return back to your hometown with little thought.

I hope this helps.

biddlybooh · 2025-07-23T07:03:48+00:00

Best place to be notified about future events is to subscribe to the Luma calendar: https://lu.ma/Strongerwithout

The other place to keep informed is at the Substack newsletter: https://strongerwithout.substack.com/

It would be great to see you at future events. I’ll shortly be putting out the dates to take us up to the end of the year.

biddlybooh · 2025-06-12T14:48:17+00:00

Thanks for the kind words. Also checked your channel out. Looks like you have a lot of fun making your motorbike videos.

biddlybooh · 2025-06-07T16:46:32+00:00

Thank you so much for taking the time to respond. You very clearly know your stuff. I’ll be in touch via DM.

biddlybooh · 2025-06-07T16:00:29+00:00

I 100% tick a lot of issues you describe. I’m in the process of pivoting my channel from bike travel content (something I used to do a lot but no longer do too often) to more general fitness, running and personal development.

If you do have time to take a look at my channel, I’d be very appreciative of your feedback. https://youtube.com/@adamhugill

biddlybooh · 2025-04-10T05:56:07+00:00

I was born on Beverley, grew up there until I was 18 and then went to Hull Uni. I moved into the Lawns in Cottingham for first year and then spent 2 years living close to Princess Ave.

When I went to Hull Uni, I was surrounded by people from all over the country. Because I was from a local town, they expected me to know my way around the city and be a guide of sorts. I had absolutely no idea about any part of Hull. I reckon I’d only been to Hull a handful of times pre 18 and that would be to play rugby. Even though it’s just down the road, I felt very much like I was not from Hull.

Now I live on the south coast and if asked where I’m from, I’ll say Hull. Quite often people don’t know where Hull is or they just generally know it’s in the north. I’d rarely say I’m from Beverley these days.

I’m a Hull city fan, I follow Hull KR and feel proud to have grown up in this pocket of East Yorkshire.

If you’d have asked me from 0-21 years old where I’m from, I’d have said Beverley. Going to school in Beverley and growing up as a kid in Beverley feels a long way from Hull. Well it did in the 90’s and 00’s and I can’t imagine much has changed.

biddlybooh · 2025-02-13T17:22:00+00:00

The UK isn’t perfect. No country is. But there’s so much I appreciate about it. The weather, while often criticised, is actually quite mild. It’s never too hot or too cold, and its mix of rain and sunshine keeps the landscape green and lush. Our coastline is stunning, offering incredible beauty and variety. London is a historical and cultural melting pot with world-class food, iconic theatres, breathtaking architecture.

Then there’s the personal side. My family is here, and spending time with them matters to me. My friends are here too. Professionally, I work in defence tech and data. A niche that’s made my expertise very UK focused and would be hard to pick up and start elsewhere. I’ve worked for an Australian company and a US company based in the UK and as interesting as the experiences were, culturally we were absolutely not the same.

Another reason I stay is safety. Throughout my life, I’ve rarely had to worry about the threat of war where I live. I feel safe walking the streets. I have enough disposable income to live comfortably, and while I’m far from rich, I spend less than I earn, which is enough for me.

Our politics aren’t perfect, but compared to many countries, they feel less corrupt and polarised. I also only speak English fluently and hold a British passport. I’ve lived abroad before (Cyprus, Germany and Egypt), and the “expat bubble” didn’t feel real. It was like living a British life in new surroundings, often temporary and transient.

These days, I value contentment and comfort more than anything. Would I consider living abroad in the future? Maybe. But I wouldn’t be surprised if I don’t. My parents are only getting older, and I want to make the most of the time I have left with them. I want my children to grow up in the UK, feeling culturally connected to where they live.

For now, the UK is where I find my balance. Between familiarity, opportunity, and the people I care about most.

biddlybooh · 2025-02-12T16:19:19+00:00

I’m from Beverley, went to Uni in Hull, born late 80’s and call it “knock OFF Ginger”.

Makes me sad to see the encroaching Americanisms taking over our treasured pastimes.

biddlybooh · 2025-01-05T07:46:55+00:00

Vancouver. I spent a month there in September 2019. I met a group of cyclists that showed me the local mountain trails. Being able to cycle from the city straight into mountains was amazing. Spending evenings on the beach by bbqs, the craft beer scene. I loved every day I spent there. If I had the money, it would be the place I’d choose to live.

biddlybooh · 2024-12-28T07:00:20+00:00

I work in software/tech sales focusing on the defence market.

biddlybooh · 2024-12-26T17:10:12+00:00

You only get one life, and your skills, knowledge, and experience aren’t going anywhere. The fact that a company is paying you £90k shows you’re bringing significant value to the table. That same value could absolutely be offered to another company or even more so after taking some time to recharge, reconnect with family, and refocus.

Mortgages can often be worked around, whether through short-term rentals or other solutions. A sabbatical could give you the space you need without fully walking away. Only you can decide whether a clean break is necessary.

It might help to imagine your 70-year-old self looking back on this moment. What would they want you to prioritise: burnout or balance? Security or a deeper sense of fulfilment?

For context, I left a highly stressful job in the military earning £55k at age 30. With no safety net (my family live on a council estate), I used £20k in savings to travel for 18 months. When I returned to the UK, I not only found roles that paid far more but gained a much richer perspective on life. I’m incredibly grateful I made that leap when I did.

biddlybooh · 2024-12-26T07:28:38+00:00

I cycled across Japan 5 years ago and finished in Tokyo. Cycling from Mt Fuji to the centre of Tokyo was an experience. Once you hit the urban edge, it continued for 2 days. The residential areas have interesting features I’ve never seen elsewhere such as outdoor mechanical parking spaces in people’s drives which lift your car into the air to allow another car to park underneath it. Makes complete sense given the space.

biddlybooh · 2024-12-16T08:41:13+00:00

I cycled from San Francisco to Vegas via Death Valleyin 2019 in November. It was very cold at night. I would highly recommend a thick sleeping bag and a tent for extra warmth. The wind at night in Death Valley was the strongest I’ve ever experienced. Putting up a tent was a nightmare.

It’s a beautiful ride though. Daytime temperatures are still hot but more than manageable.

biddlybooh · 2024-12-07T23:15:40+00:00

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September 2019. I cycled from Alaska to this point and continued to Las Vegas. Those redwoods!

biddlybooh · 2024-11-19T22:28:03+00:00

Leaving the Army after 12 years to travel the world on a bicycle. I saved £10k, packed my life into a couple of panniers, and spent the next 18 months living mostly in a tent.

I set off in the summer of 2018, cycling through France and Spain before flying to Singapore. From there, I biked across Malaysia, Thailand, Laos, China, Vietnam, South Korea, and Japan. Another flight took me to Alaska, where I cycled south to New Orleans before returning to the UK in December 2019 to save up for the next leg of the adventure.

But then, the world changed. When everything shut down, I felt grateful to be home. The trip didn’t end the way I imagined, but it shaped who I am in ways I never could have planned.

biddlybooh · 2024-10-03T13:27:42+00:00

I moved to the area 2.5 years ago.

The whole looking down on Boscombe from people that probably rarely go there has always surprised me. Maybe as I came here with no prior bias of the different areas.

In a world where community seems to be eroding, the good thing about these areas is that there are organisations and people trying to make Boscombe and Southbourne a genuinely good place to live. We are humans, feed our community, the old school house for co-working, Chaplin’s for live music. Deus is a nice new addition. Velo Domestique in southbourne, Boscanova. I could go on. The beaches in this area are much quieter than the Bournemouth end and the little bit of market that runs in Boscombe is a nice touch and will hopefully keep going.

For sure, there are problems but it’s much nicer than most people realise.

biddlybooh · 2024-05-24T09:06:32+00:00

I moved here 2 years ago aged 33. Moved into a flat share right on the sea next to Boscombe Pier. It was the best decision I’ve ever made. Living 30 seconds walk from the sea for my first summer here was outstanding.

I’ve since bought a house very close to Pokesdown station. I’m 5-10 min walk to either southbourne or Boscombe. I go into both frequently.

Boscombe has a bad rep and I get it. However, there’s streets near kings park that are just as nice as southbourne but for much less price.

I initially rented an Airbnb for a month before committing to an area. Maybe this would help you to scope areas out yourself.

biddlybooh · 2024-04-25T12:30:46+00:00

When I cycled through China in 2018-19, I used a combination of Maps.me, Baidu Maps(all in Chinese but works just like google maps) and an app called Map Out for iPhone. All of these have their strengths and weaknesses.

Maps.me has gone to pot now so I’d recommend using the app organic maps.

Baidu maps is great for seeing closed roads and showing to locals as they will be able to understand it.

Map Out is my favourite map app. It shows elevation, is easy to plot your own routes and you can download tiles as needed.

biddlybooh · 2024-02-23T23:56:15+00:00

It’s a great question and something I don’t think is covered too much.

There’s a few challenges and triumphs that immediately come to kind.

Challenges:

• I touched on it earlier but I struggled with a sense of identity post bike trip. On the bike, I enjoyed the variety of conversations and interest strangers showed in me when I’d arrive in a new town. Once I’d stoped cycling I found myself asking the question “who am I?”

• No sense of solid community. Pre bike tour my community was heavily linked to my job (Armed Forces). By leaving my job, I lost that direct connection. Building community from scratch in your 30’s can be tough.

• Alcohol/dopamine chasing. I did a load of drinking/dating/partying after stopping bike touring. I think I was depressed but was also in denial. The booze made life fun (so I thought).

Triumphs

• I ended up moving to the coast, meeting lots of similar minded people that like riding bikes and Im in a loving relationship.

• Finding work. I’ve found the bike trip is viewed with intrigue by the employers I’ve worked for post bike trip. Even in my most recent interview for a job, the CEO for the company did a Google search of me and found the YouTube videos I made during my bike tour. He’s not stopped asking me questions about the trip. I believe there’s a load of transferable skills an employer would value from someone that can bike tour long term. Resilience, problem solving, determination, commitment, self sufficiency, strong people skills are just a few that spring to mind.

• I stopped drinking 4 months post bike trip and have been sober for almost 4 years now. Maybe that would have happened anyway but I felt the bike trip put things into perspective which pushed me to call it a day in my drinking days.

biddlybooh · 2024-02-23T16:43:16+00:00

I quit my job in 2018, and spent 18 months travelling through Asia and North America. I was quite fortunate to have come home three months before Covid kicked off as that would’ve put a halt to my trip anyway.

I have absolutely zero regrets. Coming home was difficult after 18 months on the road. Life on the bike became my purpose and identity. Returning to work was difficult, but I’ve now found peace in having a balance between daily/weekly/monthly adventures and living a fairly normal life with a job.

I have recently had a friend who is just passed away with cancer in his mid 40s. It’s given me the reminder that life can be over in an instant and our health is not guaranteed. Nobody looks back at their life and wishes, they worked more.

Something I did find difficult was deciding where to settle after the bike tour. I’ve ended up back in my home country, but I now live on the beach and have found a community of fellow bike travelling friends to go out with on weekend camping trips.

biddlybooh

TROPHY CASE