There are trips of a lifetime and then there are the logistical roadblocks that no one can anticipate. Slovakian local Elena Strapkova thought she was setting out on a group bike tour of Central Europe–and on day one she discovered she would be doing the entire 230-mile, 6-day journey on her own.
No one said solo travel was easy, especially when combined with adventure travel. Elena Strapkova tackled four countries, hundreds of miles, endless vineyards, and just a few bruises. Find out how she fared and what she learned along the way.
Four countries, hundreds of miles, endless vineyards, a few bruises and no one else around. That would be the short summary of my bike trip across the old countries of Central Europe.
For 230 miles, I pedaled away along the former Iron Curtain, exploring history, enjoying wine and learning lessons on how to successfully travel solo on a bike in the middle of mostly nowhere.
Although, I was by no means an expert rider, I usually would bike two to three times a week to keep fit during warmer months.
The trip I endured was long and at times difficult, I knew it would be. Regardless, I jumped at the opportunity to ride a bicycle for hundreds of miles solo in foreign lands.
As I rode from destination to destination, bike tour operator Pure Adventures arranged to have my personal items transferred each day from hotel to hotel. This was nice as I didn’t have to worry about the amount of items to bring or the additional weight I’d need to carry during the long rides. The only thing I needed for this trip during each ride was water, money, a GPS that was provided, raincoat, a few extra clothing items and other must haves during the day.
In the end, I was grateful for the experiences I had and made notes of the lessons I learned as a solo bike traveler to hopefully share with other people who would one day consider the same journey.
