Editor’s Note: If you think riding a bicycle around the world is crazy, try kick-pushing a scooter. The locals think it’s crazy too. Don’t miss this inspirational documentary by Danish anthropologist and adventurer Nicolai Bangsgaard.
Don’t call it a holiday
Location: Carribean
As far as I remember, I never had a kick scooter as a kid. It never bothered me. I had my purple/red 3-speed second-hand bicycle. But a few months ago – at the age of 39 – I bought myself an adult-sized kick scooter, and started planning my next expedition.
The Caribbean region had been on my radar for years, but somehow the logistics (and anticipated hassle) of traveling between the islands with a fully-loaded bicycle kept me from going there.
This is when the kick scooter thing popped up as a brilliant idea, as I’d still be traveling under my own steam, enjoying unsurpassed freedom of movement, camping wild, meeting locals, and all the other joys of independent two-wheel travel. Plus, importantly, I imagined I’d be able to bring the kick scooter on airplanes as hand luggage thanks to the compact size and low weight (4.5 kg) of the kick scooter.
I soon realized there’s surprisingly little info online on long-distance travel by kick scooter, so I had to work out a set-up that’d allow me to travel smoothly. Should I carry a large backpack or would that be crippling to my back? What shoes to wear? How about water supply while on the road? On-the-road-navigation? Most importantly I had to figure out how to fit my tent, camping equipment, and the rest of my luggage (12 kg in total) while being able to comfortably ride the beast itself. It was an interesting learning-by-doing process.
After a few test rides at home, I packed my bags and my tiny wheels, swapped the dull winter of Copenhagen with the colorful tropics of the Caribbean, and took off on a new adventure. Over the next 45 days (in November & December 2015) I traveled 1,000 km on my kick scooter through Trinidad & Tobago, Grenada, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Barbados, St. Lucia, Dominica, Antigua, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Croix (US Virgin Isl.), Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic.
I’ve just made a 7-minute trailer/teaser/whatever video from the expedition. Do watch in HD 1080, sound on. English subs when required. Comments welcome.
You read more about Nicolai’s Caribbean kick scooter adventures here.
