We’ve got some thrilling news to share. As we’ve said before, we want to show that travel and adventures don’t have to break the bank or cost the earth.
Some of the central ideas of this exhilarating tricycle expedition involve innovation, affordability and sustainability. One notable aspect of our adventure is our endeavour to complete the entire journey for less than the cost of two flights from London to Slovenia, highlighting the affordability and eco-friendliness of alternative travel options. Demonstrating that nobody has to spend thousands to get out there on adventure trips.
Hundreds of people cycle across Europe every year. A lot of them are on new specialist bikes with the latest technology, features and storage solutions. These bikes make covering vast distances across the continent, carrying all your stuff easy-peasy but, they also cost a load of money. Not everyone can afford to or wants to spend that much. We wanted to do something a bit different, hence the tricycle idea.
The whole project of self-building a two-person tricycle and attempting to get it across countries and mountains is a lot more appealing to us. There’ll certainly be a lot more problems than just taking normal bikes that are designed for this kind of trip. But, even in just solving these problems there will be a lot more fun and sense of accomplishment. We get far greater satisfaction in life from getting out of our comfort zones, as you can read about in this post and book review. Maybe at points it won’t feel like fun at all. If the old Raleigh wheel buckles and we can’t find a replacement to fit the 1980’s frame in rural France, that might suck a bit. But, it’ll at least make for some great stories afterwards.
The budget-friendly adventure idea and challenging self-built project is why the trike is made up from free or cheap second hand parts that we find online. Yep, some of the parts we’ve got have been shoddy and others unusable, but we’ve got enough solid pieces to be made into the lean mean tricycling machine.
The second hand parts aspect isn’t just about costs either. It started as I flippantly said to Louis and Doug that we could pick up bikes online for free or next to nothing. (The original idea was Turkey for a ton (£100 in English slang)). It still blows my mind everytime that I look, what you can get second-hand online. Facebook Marketplace currently seems to be the best place. As evidenced by us picking up 3 bicycles for £20! And it wasn’t like we spent weeks and weeks scouring the site for these deals, we got those 3 within the first week. Looking now you can pick up bikes or tents or anything, in great condition at great value. I recently picked up a relatively new Raleigh city bike, with luggage rack, cup holder and no rust for £20 for rides and shopping around town. All I needed to do was pump the tyres up. I’m not saying you should go out there and just take anything and everything because it’s online and cheap. But, if you need something, it’s definitely worth checking out something like FB marketplace first to see what there is. It also helps stop even more items being chucked into landfill. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. I feel this has never been more true with the ease of sites like facebook marketplace. As always, when using them, send well written and respectful messages to buyers and sellers. Have a look now and maybe near you, you’ll find some items that mean you can go on a mini-adventure for next to nothing!
Countless different airlines have made flying anywhere on short or long-haul holidays a breeze. We are always wanting to see somewhere new or different or wherever is trending on instagram. However, with the ease and reduction in costs of flights, we sometimes forget about the impact that flying huge fuel-guzzling machines around the globe has on the environment. It also means that we miss travelling off the beaten path, connecting with local communities and exploring places closer to home. When people think of adventure they often picture a remote jungle or rainforest, maybe a desert island. But, there’s adventure to be had right outside your front door. It’s probably why camping is still so popular after all these years and why van life and rentals are thriving. You can put up a tent in your back garden and your kids will still experience it as a thrilling adventure. We shouldn’t lose that as adults.
Yeah, we’ve driven from the UK through Europe as far as Serbia before but, not via tricycle. We may end up in tiny villages not understanding the local shouting at us for putting up our tent. Or being amazed at the food in Luxembourg or the fact that a country of only 600,000 people has its own language that we can’t read. Adventure is near us all, you just need to have a little imagination and willpower and reject the ease of hopping on a flight. It’ll also cost way less than you think. All of this combined is why we’re beyond excited about a trike trip starting from home. Seeing how far we can get by pedal power alone and a tent.
By not flying, and instead using that money to create the trike and spend weeks out on our expedition, we’re also causing a lot less harm to the environment. Central to this, is using a ferry to get from England to Europe.
That’s where our big announcement comes in. For Two Guys One Trike, we have partnered with DFDS, the world’s leading Ferry operator. DFDS seamlessly facilitates sustainable and environmentally conscious travel options. Whether you’re on foot, on your bikes, in your car or Motorhome, or in our case, your tricycle!
The ease, comfort and affordability of hopping on a ferry to get across the channel is unrivalled. There’s no crazy airport security queues or turning up hours before. No being crammed in like sardines with some fat guy taking your armrest. You get the freedom to enjoy the ferry. Plus you can take your bike without paying extortionate fees or packing it down into a box! Same goes for surfboards, golf clubs, skis and all kinds of equipment for your adventure.
For the 2 of us on the ferry, there will be an estimated 11 kg of CO2 emitted. If we were to fly, the emissions are calculated to be around 600 kg! Figures obtained from using this online emissions calculator.
That’s right, over 54 times less emissions! Kind of mind blowing that. And seeing as we can book a flight on our phone pretty cheap these days and are bombarded with advertising for these cheap flights and package deals, it is so easy to forget how damaging short haul flying is. I’m not saying that we shouldn’t fly at all. Working as a yacht captain over the last years I have flown a hell of a lot. I think it’s just good to sometimes consider the environmental impact of it when you’re deciding or booking.
Next Monday 16th September, all being well, we’ll have cycled to Dover and will be hopping on a DFDS ferry over to Calais.
