Need advice on planning a bike tour? OK:

Pick a date. Start saving. Get a bike, tent & sleeping bag. Choose a direction and start pedalling.

That’s all there is to it. (Length, location and budget make no difference.)

I really mean this. Have another look at the picture above. Maria (left) departed Budapest on a bike she bought for 10 euros from a local scrapyard. After strapping a backpack to it, she spent two months cycling through Eastern Europe to Istanbul. Her life-changing bicycle adventure required less than 24 hours of planning and involved no specialist equipment whatsoever.

Need more reassurance? Think your trip’s going to be different? Right. Let’s see…

Prefer if I help you out in handy ebook format?