Travel Tips & Tricks

We’ve discussed the basics of planning any adventure, but the details can get nitty-gritty. The top 3 are my favorites, and below are all the articles, which you can sort by category.

A pile of coins from different countries, like England, France, Germany, Canada and more.

Scott’s travel budget calculator

The goal of a travel budget is NOT to spend as little as possible. The goal IS to spend intentionally on what matters most to you. I've distilled decades of travel experience into a practical tool that helps you calculate what your journey will really cost.
Maps and a travel guide spread on a bed, alongside colored pencils, a translator, and a notepad, suggesting travel planning.

Travel resources

Welcome to our travel resource section! These are handpicked online resources that we've found extraordinarily helpful to plan journeys of any kind. Even though this information is constantly changing and can be quite personalized, I recommend you browse the categories to get an idea of what you are missing.
My table display for my Falling Uphill book tour with globe, maps, bookmarks, bike and more.

Scott’s best travel tips & tricks

Here are my best travel tips and tricks... lessons that I learned the hard way. These tips and tricks will make your trip safer, more enjoyable and more fulfilling. Bon voyage.
Night market chiang mai

Choosing your destination

Guest adventurer, Chad Turner, aka Traveling Chad, returns with his tips on how to travel the world on pennies while maximizing your cultural experience. If you like this, you can download his free ebook for more.
Chad sitting atop a mountain overlooking the green farmlands of Tanzania

Responsible Travel

Guest adventurer, Chad Turner, aka Traveling Chad, shares a chapter from his book "Zero to Adventure" about how to be socially responsible while traveling.
Unlocked bicycle waiting to be stolen

How to prevent bicycle theft in 4 steps

More and more people are now opting to ride their bikes. If you are a new rider, you may be wondering how to keep your bicycle safe. Here are four easy ways to prevent bicycle theft.
Venice Canal Historic District, Italy.

A checklist of what to do before your european tour

Before you jump on a plane, it is important to ensure you are prepared with a checklist of your essentials. Here are the basics.
Port of Liverpool Building

Best places to explore in Liverpool

Liverpool is a beautiful city with countless attractions, restaurants and bars to explore.
A packing list from a bicycle tour guide in 1897. See the article to read the complete list.

A bicycle touring packing list from 1897

Times have changed! Both culture and technology. How many of these items from the Victorian era would you include on your cycle touring packing list?
Tim Moss pictured on the left as adventurer summiting an icy mountain, on the left in a suit as an accountant. "Why I quite being an adventurer to become an accountant.

Why I quit being an adventurer to become an accountant

Tim Moss explains how being an accountant is more fulfilling than being a full-time professional adventurer. Don't worry, he explains how you can do both.
Scott's bike with colorful panniers leaning against a yellow fence in a snowy field.

Weather & Climate: The Second Most Important Factor While Traveling

How do you plan for something as unpredictable as the weather when traveling? Weather planning advice, tips and tricks.
The world is your oyster. By Slavman. A woman holding a globe and dreaming of traveling the world.

Staying safe in an ever-changing world

The world is open to all the adventures you could hope for. The other facet of this is that there is a world of safety possibilities that need to be considered. These are developing and changing every year.
Best packing list advice for bicycle tourers

The best packing list advice for bicycle tourers

I don't mean to scare people, but it's important to know that bicycle touring can be life-threatening if you don't have the proper supplies. Scott shares his packing list and advice from years of experience traveling.
Supply list for a world bicycle tour infographic. A collage of words like: passport, sunscreen, flashlight and hundreds more.

Supply list for world bicycle tour

The rule of thumb when preparing for a trip is to leave half of everything at home and you'll still be carrying too much. Here is a supply kit and tips for almost any adventure.
My Best Bikepacking Tips and Experiences

After 59 countries, it’s time to share my best bikepacking tips and experiences

After 4 years on the road, Scott shares his tips and experience on bikepacking, details about his book, and his passion to inspire people.
Before and after Scott's Do-Nothing Diet.

The Do-Nothing Diet grand finale

Calling this my weight loss journey is a cliché — and it is not the type of adventure I long for — but it is chock-full of life lessons. How I lost 45 pounds of fat, gained 5 pounds of muscle, and surprisingly, took a big dent out of my depression.
A vibrant Jamaican sunset

Acceptance — a new rule

Did I miss the most obvious rule on my Do-Nothing Diet? Maybe I don’t even need to diet. Perhaps I need to accept myself the way I am.
Calvin's final resting spot under a tree in the backyard.

Sacrificing physical health for mental health

Time for an update on my progress of losing weight while literally doing nothing. A sad update leads to renewed motivation. I also added a few new rules to try, like: Put down the spoon in between bites. 
A pile of diet and fitness books. Comparing and contrasting them is the beginning of a mindfulness diet.

The Do-Nothing Diet

My first life experiment will be about a topic that seems commonplace: how to lose weight. Here I try a variation of a mindfulness diet. I call it the Do-Nothing Diet. Can I lose weight by literally doing nothing?
Scott's bike with colorful panniers leaning against a yellow fence in a snowy field.

Weather & Climate: The Second Most Important Factor While Traveling

How do you plan for something as unpredictable as the weather when traveling? Weather planning advice, tips and tricks.
The world is your oyster. By Slavman. A woman holding a globe and dreaming of traveling the world.

Staying safe in an ever-changing world

The world is open to all the adventures you could hope for. The other facet of this is that there is a world of safety possibilities that need to be considered. These are developing and changing every year.
Scotts knee surgery. A picture of laparoscopic surgery and the inside of Scott's knee

Health & Safety: The most important factor while Traveling

What happens if you get sick or injured while traveling? Health and safety advice, tips and tricks.
Maps and a travel guide spread on a bed, alongside colored pencils, a translator, and a notepad, suggesting travel planning.

Travel resources

Welcome to our travel resource section! These are handpicked online resources that we've found extraordinarily helpful to plan journeys of any kind. Even though this information is constantly changing and can be quite personalized, I recommend you browse the categories to get an idea of what you are missing.
A pile of coins from different countries, like England, France, Germany, Canada and more.

Scott’s travel budget calculator

The goal of a travel budget is NOT to spend as little as possible. The goal IS to spend intentionally on what matters most to you. I've distilled decades of travel experience into a practical tool that helps you calculate what your journey will really cost.
Vietnamese money, called Dong, piled on a colorful bed spread.

How much does it cost to cycle around the world?

How to budget for an epic journey around the world on a bicycle. This article includes guidelines and the actual budget from a real trip around the world. Would you be surprised it only cost $22 per day?
Maps and a travel guide spread on a bed, alongside colored pencils, a translator, and a notepad, suggesting travel planning.

Travel resources

Welcome to our travel resource section! These are handpicked online resources that we've found extraordinarily helpful to plan journeys of any kind. Even though this information is constantly changing and can be quite personalized, I recommend you browse the categories to get an idea of what you are missing.
The Zambia 100 and 500 Kwacha notes. And the 5, 10 and 20 Kwacha notes from Malawi.

Money: The third most important factor while traveling

Money may be the least romantic aspect of travel, but it's often the determining factor in how long your journey can last. We discuss why and where to spend your money (the philosophy). Plus, we discuss practical tips, security and tips to save money.
A packing list from a bicycle tour guide in 1897. See the article to read the complete list.

A bicycle touring packing list from 1897

Times have changed! Both culture and technology. How many of these items from the Victorian era would you include on your cycle touring packing list?
Best packing list advice for bicycle tourers

The best packing list advice for bicycle tourers

I don't mean to scare people, but it's important to know that bicycle touring can be life-threatening if you don't have the proper supplies. Scott shares his packing list and advice from years of experience traveling.
Supply list for a world bicycle tour infographic. A collage of words like: passport, sunscreen, flashlight and hundreds more.

Supply list for world bicycle tour

The rule of thumb when preparing for a trip is to leave half of everything at home and you'll still be carrying too much. Here is a supply kit and tips for almost any adventure.
Fully-loaded touring bicycle ready to cross the Australian Outback

What kind of bicycle did you ride around the world?

The short answer is: you can ride any bike. I rode a mountain bike. Practically speaking, you'll want a touring bicycle. More about how to choose a touring bike below.
Potable Aqua water purification tablets for travel, backpack, bikepack and more

Bicycle touring supplies I never needed

There have been a few additions to my bicycle touring kit this time round, and a few subtractions.
Cycling up the Worlds Steepest Hill

Did you break a world record?

Many years later, this question is still one of the most common questions about my journey around the world on a bicycle. Did you break a world record? The short answer is yes and no. In this article, I'll explain the rules for circumnavigating the globe according to Guinness World Records, and, more importantly, how we are all setting our own personal records every day.
Supply list for a world bicycle tour infographic. A collage of words like: passport, sunscreen, flashlight and hundreds more.

Supply list for world bicycle tour

The rule of thumb when preparing for a trip is to leave half of everything at home and you'll still be carrying too much. Here is a supply kit and tips for almost any adventure.
Fully-loaded touring bicycle ready to cross the Australian Outback

What kind of bicycle did you ride around the world?

The short answer is: you can ride any bike. I rode a mountain bike. Practically speaking, you'll want a touring bicycle. More about how to choose a touring bike below.
The map of Scott's World Bicycle Tour

How do you define circumnavigating the world on a bicycle?

How does one define bicycling around the world? Well, you wouldn't get very far trying to bicycle around the equator since it is mostly water. However, you could try lugging your bicycle to the North or South Pole, once there you could finish the trip in minutes. Or...
The original famous bicycle quote. "A bicycle ride around the world begins with a single pedal stroke." By Scott Stoll. Featuring Scott's before and after picture from his trip around the world on a bicycle.

Frequently asked questions about the world bicycle tour

FAQ's, tips and tricks to help you plan your bicycle ride around the world.
El Che Guevara and the hammer and sickle tastefully painted on the back of a road sign in Argentina

Where are you from?

I was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA, Planet Earth, Sol System, Milky Way Galaxy, the Known Universe, and have called various places home.
Cute baby in a pannier. Born to be a bicycle tourer.

Doubt you’re doubt

After cycling up the West Coast, and struggling with a worn out bicycle, including a cracked fork and broken front axle, and a worn out body, including creaky knees and a dislocated rib, I decided to recuperate at my family's home in Waukesha, WI. My re-imagination of my book tour is going well.

The top 10 list

Here is my ever-changing, ever-incomplete and subjective and very biased top-10 list of the best and worst the world has to offer from the seat of a bicycle.
Falling Uphill Book Tour Splash Screen

How do you feel about the book tour

My old bicycling partner checks in with a tough question: "How do you feel?"

Kickstart your dream

Relive the adventure

Learning by doing is my preferred method. Second best is learning by example. If you want to learn all my major lessons and start a journey knowing everything I did, plus adding it to everything you know, please read my book. Why make all the same mistakes, when you can make all different mistakes? I truly believe it will enhance the value of your experience and bring your journey to a level above mine.