Q&A | Most Asked Question

I’ve cycled the world for nearly 10 years. I’ve made the list of the most asked question and I will answer them.

Personal Info

What’s your name?
Jin

Where are you from?
South Korea

Where were you born?
Seoul,
The capital of South Korea

Where were you grown?
Anyang.
It’s 40 minutes to Seoul by subway and I usually hanged out and worked in Seoul most of the time.

How old are you now?
30’s

How old were you when you start the cycling trip?
20’s

Life in South Korea Before Travel

What did you study?
Computer Science
But I dropped after two years that I don’t remember even what I had learned.

What was your job?
Office worker
I’ve worked at the office, which anyone could do.

Were you very adventurous?
Yes (When I was little), No (After Middle school)
I grew up in Songtan near a rural area when I was 6 years old and I liked running around the hills and the creek at that time. My family moved to Anyang, the city when I was 9 years old. I got a yellow folding bicycle and I used it a lot with a friend sitting behind always. But someone stole it and also I started a calm life once I entered middle school. I had only two days trip a few times with friends usually that I’ve never been out of my country before.

Did you have a cycling trip before?
Yes
I had a cycling trip in my country two times for nine days just one year before I left my country. I didn’t have a bicycle at that time that I just rented it. Probably I started a bit adventurous again at this point.
(I found very funny post about why I wanted to cycle at that time on my old Korean blog. Reason was this; I was inspired by Korean cycling traveler blog, and I wanted to go to the gallery of the photographer who died in Jeju Island after living 30 years there. The biggest reason was I didn’t have a driver license to rent a motor bike. If I had a driver license, I might be never adventurous?)

Motivation and Start of Trip

When did you start the cycling trip?
September. 1. 2011

Where did you start cycling from?
San Francisco, the US

When did you get the idea of a world tour?
November. 2010
In 2010, I went to Canada on Working Holiday Visa. I’ve never been out of my country before. But I hitchhiked from the west to the east for four months. When I was in Toronto, I met some guy who cycled from Europe to Russia for a year. I was so impressed, and I was just thinking I want to travel the world one day.

When did you decide to cycle the world?
January. 1. 2011
After hitchhiking, I went to Yellowknife, up north Canada to see Aurora and work there. When I was looking at northern lights on the frozen lake, I tried to hitchhike to the space by raising my thumb up to the sky. But I got scared because there would be no oxygen and no other humans. So, I wanted to see my earth first. At New Year Parties, I told everyone I’ve met that I will cycle the world. I thought it’s important to tell everyone my dream so that I will get some responsibilities.

Why bicycle?
The Best Speed
A car is too fast, and walking is too slow. A bicycle has good speed. And it sounds more adventurous and fun.

How long did you prepare for the trip?
Four months for money. One week for buying a bicycle and everything.
I started thinking of a cycling trip seriously in April 2011 as I had only $3,000 at that time. Then I started working hard like 9 am to 11 pm from Monday to Sunday. And I made a total of $10,000 in August 2011. Then I flew to San Francisco on 24^th, August. I bought everything like a bicycle, panniers, and camping gears in one week to start on 1^st September.

What was the goal of this trip?
Explore, New Experience, People, Culture
I wanted to explore the world and have new experiences. Also, I wanted to learn about different cultures and meet people around the world. I wanted to grow from what I’ve learned on my trip. And moreover, I wanted to learn about my earth first before going to travel to another planet.

Did you enjoy your cycling trip from the day first?
No
It was too tough as I didn’t have any overseas cycling trip experience. I cried at my tent on my second day. But I’ve already spent $2,500 for everything that I couldn’t just give up. v to try one more week, and then I got more relaxed, and I could enjoy as time went by.

Did you plan this long-distance trip from the beginning?
No
I didn’t know I could do it in the beginning. But it just happened as I get used to traveling.

Personal Traveling Record

How many continents have you cycled?
Six continents

How many countries have you traveled?
74 countries

Which countries have you been so far?
– North America and Latin America (16 countries – 2011~2012)
US, Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Bolivia, Paraguay, Argentina, Brazil

– Africa (10 countries – 2013)
South Africa, Botswana, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, Sudan, Egypt

– Europe (27 countries – 2014~2015)
Spain, France, Monaco, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, Montenegro, Albania, North Macedonia, Serbia, Andorra, Portugal, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Latvia, Estonia, Russia, Finland, Sweden, Poland, Ukraine, Rumania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Vatican City,

-The Middle East and Central Asia (11 countries – 2015~2016)
Turkey, Georgia, Armenia, Iran, UAE, Oman, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan

-East Asia and Southeast Asia (8 countries – 2017~2018)
China, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, Myanmar, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore,

-Oceania (2countries – 2019~now)
New Zealand, Australia

How many kilometers have you cycled so far?
84,000km (52,000mi)

How many kilometers do you cycle per day?
70-80km (37-50mi)
It’s just the average distance I can cycle normally
100-120km(62-74mi) when it’s flat and the sunlight is longer
40-60km(24-37mi) when there are too steep uphill and strong headwinds or when I just want to stop in the middle of the day

What’s your average speed?
13km(8mi)
When I check my bicycle computer at the end of the day, usually 13km is the average speed.
15km(9mi) When it’s flat
5km(3mi) on a steep uphill.

How many hours do you cycle per day?
8-12 hours (Staying outside). 4-7 hours (Pedaling time)
I start after sunrise, and I stop before the sunset. Pedaling time is always less because I stop often to eat, rest, picture, and so on.

How much do you cycle per year usually?
10,000km (6,200mi)

How much do you have a day off from bicycle?|
Two or three times more than my cycling day.
If I have 2 days cycling, I want to have 4~5 days off to update social media, hang out with local people, and have tour. But it’s very irregular. Sometimes I cycle for one week and then have only two days off due to the problem of accommodation.

The longest distance you’ve cycled in one day?
216km (134mi)
Xingxingxia to Dunhuang in China
I started at 9 am and finished at 2:30 am. I was on the road for 17.5 hours and pedaling time was 14.5hours. The average speed was 14.8km(9mi). I just wanted to get that city in one day. But due to the cold winter and the wind, it was so difficult. I was so exhausted that I couldn’t do anything the next day.

What’s the fastest speed?
80km (50mi)
In Armenia, the pavement of the downhill was so smooth and there was a tailwind. So I didn’t feel any danger at that time.

Personal Preference

What is your favorite continent?
Latin America

What is your favorite country?
Mexico for everything.
Peru, Bolivia, Turkey, Iran for the culture.
But in general, I just like where I am now mostly.
(I do love Canada and Canadian so much!! But I didn’t cycle there so I can’t put them on this list)

What is the best country for food?
South Korea for sure. After it, Mexico, Ethiopia, Spain, Turkey, Malaysia, China

The best tourist attraction?
Machu picchu in Peru, Moai in Rapa Nui(Easter Island), Salar De Uyuni in Bolivia, Ruins in Egypt

The best moment of the travel?
Having Frozen Mango and Cold Beer
After getting permission to pitch my tent at local people’s house for a night in Mexico, I had been offered frozen mango on a hammock after taking shower and it was so relaxing.
When I was invited by local people for one night in Brazil, I got offered cold beer on a wire chair after taking the shower and it was so good to cool down all the heat I got during the day.

What was the best place to cycle?
Desert, Snow, and High Mountain
I loved cycling on the US Desert, Bolivia Uyuni Salt Desert, Peru Desert, Sudan desert, Oman desert, China desert, Australian Outback,
Also, I liked cycling on high mountains like Andes Mountain in Latin America and Pamir Highway in Central Asia.  Armenia and Eastern Europe didn’t have high mountain but still I loved their mountain scenery.
I really enjoyed cycling in Finland which was covered by very thick snow. It’s so beautiful like a movie scene.

Which countries are the kindest people to let you camp easily at their property?
Colombia, Paraguay, South Africa, Sudan, Finland

Which country has the kindest people welcoming you?
France, Myanmar
People are very nice to me all around the world. But I just remember those two countries always welcoming me with smiles when I had eye contact with them.

The safest country to cycle?
Netherlands
It’s the only country in the world that they have a cycling path everywhere.

The safest country to travel?
Western European Countries
(Grocery shopping is not expensive than you imagine. You can survive with only $400 for a month)

Which country do you recommend to cycle for a solo girl?
Western European Countries

Which place do you recommend to cycle for a beginner?
Western European Countries

Which place do you recommend to cycle for the adventurous people?
Pamir Highway and Around Salar de Uyuni

Finance

Do you get money from family?
No

How do you finance?
Working online
I’ve saved $10,000 before starting in Canada and I worked many different things online after I started the trip. Most of the successful money was by creating contents and getting donation. I’ve made a few videos about it you can check.

How much do you spend per month?
$400 per month. $5,000-$6,000 per year for the first five years (2011-2015)
$700 per month. $10,000 per year after sixth years

How do you take the money out from the bank?
ATM machine
Make the card from your bank which allows withdrawing overseas. You can use ATM all over the world except a few countries like Sudan, Iran, Turkmenistan which have the problem with the US.
If VISA or Mastercard is written on the card and ATM machine, it means you can withdraw. You can’t get USD, but only local currency in general. If you want to USD, you can use an exchange shop.

How much do you take money out every time?
$200-$300

How do you carry money?
Wallet on my front bag

How to keep the money?
Put in different places
I only keep $20-$30 in my wallet. Then I hide $100 on the bottom of the front bag. And I hide the left money on the deep inside of the big pannier.

How to prepare money for emergencies?
Keep USD Cash
I always put two different bank cards into separate bags. So, if one of them is stolen, I can still use the other one. I also keep at least U$100 in cash in a hidden place on the pannier. I never use it unless it’s an emergency like there is no ATM nearby. USD is universal that you can exchange it in any country. (Even you can exchange it in the country where you can’t use ATM)

What if you can’t take money out and there is no cash left?
Transfer or Ask Embassy
Ask someone to exchange money by transferring via a bank or Paypal. Ask your embassy. Your family or friend sends money to your embassy and your embassy will give you cash. It may differ in other countries. Anyway, your country embassy is there to help you. So call your embassy when you are in an emergency.

Security

How do you secure your bags and bicycle when you go to a toilet?
Park in front of the entrance or Ask
Surprisingly saying no one has touched my bags in my world tour. I usually park my bicycle in front of the entrance door and there is a security camera generally. Sometimes I asked workers to watch it when I went to a toilet at the gas station. The most important part is that I always carry my front bag with me which has the passport, camera, and wallet. When I go to a restaurant, I always sit near where I can check my bicycle.
(Frankly speaking, I didn’t lock my bicycle when I went to the toilet cause I was hurrying. Then I learned people didn’t touch my bicycle, so I just got the habit of not locking it when it’s fully loaded except dodge place.)

How do you secure when you camping alone?
Use Cable
I don’t lock my bicycle usually if it is wild camping and no one is around. If I set up my tent where people passing, I use the cable between bicycle and tent. Also, I use bungee code between wheels to make thieves embarrassed.

Do you carry Self-defense products?
Yes in the past and Not now
One American gave me pepper spray as a gift. I always put it in my front bag and left it over my head when I camped. But I lost it in 2015. After it, I don’t have anything. I just put a cooking knife and Swiss knife over my head when I slept in the tent.

How to stay safe as a solo female traveler?
Use common sense and listen to local people’s advice
If you don’t go to a strange place late at night, you would be fine. I try to not be friendly much with strange males sometimes to avoid any confusion.

What is the dangerous thing while traveling?
Car Accident
I was hit by cars over four times while cycling with all my bags and one time by a motorcycle. It was not big accident that I didn’t have any broken bones or bleeding. But I always though a car is the most dangerous thing.

Have you met any thieves?
No
I heard the story of thieves from backpackers, holiday travelers, and cyclists. Surprisingly, I am traveling mostly alone but nothing happens. It means the world is safer than you imagine if you look poor. My real problem is that I forget and lose so many things. So I am a real thief to steal my things from myself.

Any bad things happened on the travel?
Not really
Usually, everything was okay except car accidents and sexual harassment on the street

What was the most dangerous thing happened?
Running away on a cold night
When I asked permission to pitch my tent at people’s garage in Finland’s cold winter, local people always let me sleep inside. But one old drunk guy was very weird after letting me stay inside and I felt I must leave now. I just ran to the highway and then stop passing car. He called the police for me and police officers came and collected my luggage from his house for me and I slept in jail cause it was free to sleep overnight. There was no report going on cause nothing happened. I still appreciate that police official helped me without scolding like “Why did you knock at a strange man’s house and try to sleep there?”

Health

Did you have insurance?
No
I had only the insurance for one month to apply for an Iranian visa. That’s all on the road. Recently I joined insurance to keep my current Australian visa.

Did you get vaccines before traveling?
No
I got the Yellow Fever Vaccine when I was cycling in Latin America because I must have it to fly to South Africa. Now it’s not effective anymore. Recently I got Covid19 vaccine.

What is in your First Aids kit?
Pills for cold, stomachache, pain killer, Bands, Cream for itching and skin burn

What are you sick from usually?
Stomachache and Cold

What do you do when you are sick?
Keep Cycling or Hitchhike
I just keep cycling to reach the next town to have the rest. If I am too sick, I vomit and sit or lie down on the road for a while. If I am seriously sick, I hitchhike to the next town. Usually, if I take the rest for a couple of days, I always get better that I never needed to go to a hospital.

Do you stretching before cycling?
No
I cycle slowly so it will stretch slowly.

Are your bones and joints okay after long cycling?
Yes
If I cycle after a long break like for a month, then I have a little bit of pain for a couple of days. After it, everything is fine. I’ve seen people having the problem. I guess they do have the wrong set up of the bicycle or they do cycle too much like 4,000 km a month without enough rest.

Do you keep cycling during menstruation?
Unfortunately, Yes
I try to not cycle for a couple of days at least cause it’s too uncomfortable. But I can’t avoid it usually because it’s not easy to get the right accommodation at the right time.

Bicycle

How many bicycles have you use for cycling around the world?
Only one bike

What’s your bike brand?
Surly Long Haul Trucker

Did you make the name for it?
Lucky
Because I need extra luck to survive as a solo traveler

How much was it?
$750
I found it on Craigslist, an American website for secondhand. Someone built it with a new frame, but he mixed it with new parts and old parts. If you want to buy a new one from the store, it costs around $1,200

What’s your wheel size?
26”

Do you like your bicycle?
Yes
Because the frame is strong that it survives all kinds of accidents.

How heavy is your bicycle?
18kg (40lbs) with the lock and others.

How many flat tires did you have?
Once every month probably.
I use Schwalbe marathon plus which is for touring. So, it helps to prevent flat tires often. Schwalbe is the joint venture between the German and the Korean company and it’s the most popular company to cyclist travelers.

What do you do when your bicycle is broken?
Fix or Hitchhike
I try to fix it by myself. If I can’t, I hitchhike to the next bicycle shop.

What can you fix by yourself?
Flat tire, Tuning Derailleur, Changing Cables, Truing Spokes, and other little things.

What was broken often on a bicycle?
Spokes
Probably it depends on the wheel. Mine was $30-$40 and spokes were broken often. Probably I had more broken spoke than flat tire at some period?

Did you know how to fix a bicycle before?
Yes (Just learnt before starting)
I went to a small bicycle shop in Canada and asked to volunteer and learn basic things. Usually, the owner of a small bicycle shop will be happy to help you. I did it one more time in Ecuador.

What do you do when the dog chase while cycling?
Stop and Wait or Cycle fast
They are triggered by the wheel moving. When I stop, they calm. And then I can start after a few minutes without the problem. If it’s a flat road, I just ignore it and cycle fast as much as I can.

Luggage

How much weight is your luggage?
35-45kg
If it’s winter or if I camp often, I carry more.

Why do you carry many things?
Why not?
When I started traveling in 2011, it was trending that people carried four panniers. I still like to carry everything I want as it’s not a holiday, but my life on the road.
These days minimalism is trending that people travel by less luggage and especially bike packing is so popular. But bike packing is such a fancy thing because if you want to carry smaller gears with less weight, you must spend lots of money on expensive gear.

Isn’t it too difficult on the uphill with all luggage?
Not really
I have 27 gears that I can cycle slowly. But some roads are very steep like in New Zealand, Australia, Laos, Thailand, Colombia. Then I don’t have a choice that I have to push.

Camping and Accommodation

1. Which tent do you use?
Slumberjack trail for $70 from 2011 to 2014
Meru Yukon Pu from 2014 to now – My friend was about to throw it away after buying a new tent. I asked to give me. Waterproof is getting worse and zip is broken but I still use it because I like to keep old stuff.

Which stove do you use?
Can Beer Stove from 2011-2013 – My Canadian friend gave me as a gift. I didn’t cook often.
Gas Cooker from 2014-2015 – My Spanish friend gave me it as a gift. I started cooking often.
MSR WhisperLite from 2015-now – I can get fuel easily at any gas station.

How do you find a place to stay?
-Using Booking.com or Agoda for cheap accommodation
-Checking local host through Warmshowers.org or Couchsurfing.com (CS is not good anymore)
-Some friend introducing me to their local friend
-Asking police station, fire station, gas station
-Asking local people to pitch tent at their property.
-Doing wild camping

When do you find a place to stay?
One or two hours before Sunset
It’s unpredictable most of the time though. A big city like the capital is different that I usually look for a place to stay a few days before arriving.

How do you find a wild camping spot?
Check small roads
I try to hide from the people. You can check street view and satellite on Google map to see what the terrain looks like.

Is it safe to do wild camping?
Yes and no
Unlike our scary imagination, it’s okay. But you never know. To be honest, time to time I can’t sleep deeply due to fear when I do wild camping. I would call it a human instinct to survive.

How do you keep the food from the animal?
I just keep food inside of pannier and close it before sleeping.

How much water do you carry for camping?
3L
If I wash and cook, then 3L. If I don’t do anything, then 1L.

What to do if it rains during camping?
Stay Calm and Watch
Just stay calm and check if the water coming inside. If water comes inside, I put things on the top of the pannier. And I cover my bicycle saddle with a plastic bag.

How to dry wet clothes and camping gears on a rainy day?
Dry when not rain.
The rain never comes 24/7days endlessly that there must be the time to dry them. I just hang wet tent on the top of bag usually and then dry later. When it rains too much, I try to get cheap accommodation, wash, and dry clothes under the fan.

General Question about Travel

How do you prepare for the visa?
Research in advance
You must research the visa requirement of every country where you want to go based on your passport. You can get the information on the internet or your country’s embassy. You must prepare in the advance. For example, when I was in North America, I check the visa requirement of all Latin countries. When I was in Latin America, I check all African countries and I decided to cycle in Eastern Africa cause Western Africa looked too complicated to get the visa. Never buy a flight ticket without knowing visa requirements.

How do you plan for the route?
By looking at the map
I decide which country I will go to by looking at Google Map. Once I decide the country, then I make a plan which way to cycle like north to south or west to east. Once the direction is made, then I just make the plan day by day by looking at the map.  I don’t care about the route much that I am just happy to be on the road.

What do you use for navigation?
Paper Map, Asking Local People from 2011-2013
Maps.Me, Google Map from 2014-now
Maps.Me is offline map. Once you download the map of the country on your phone, you can use it by phone’s GPS without the internet. (Every Smartphone must have GPS and it works perfectly even without the internet.)
I had only iPod3 when I was in the Americas and Africa for three years. I got the paper map from the tourist information center for free and I always asked local people for the direction. I can’t believe how I survived without GPS for the first three years.

Do you plan for the weather?
I can’t.
It’s a long-distance cycling trip that I can’t control much. I often cycle in too hot or cold weather.

Do you have a filter for water?
No
I used it one time when I cycled in Central Asia. I just borrowed it from another cyclist who cycled together at that time.

Where do you get water?
Buy it or ask local people.
I have a weak stomach that I try to buy water often from 2013

Where do you find the food?
Stores
There is a store every 20-40km seriously in this world that you won’t die with starving unless you go to the remoted track. I try to buy many things at a big supermarket to save money when I am in a big city. When I go to a remoted place, I just buy lot before.

How much water do you carry?
1-3L
When I traveled desert in Australia and Africa, I carried 10L-15L

Electric Gears & Tools

Do you buy a sim card in every country?
Not in the past, but now Yes.
I didn’t have a phone from 2011-2013
I didn’t buy the sim card often in Europe to save money. I start to buy it in every country from 2015. It’s usually $10-$30 for buying or charging.

How do you charge the phone?
Power Bank
Usually, I can charge my phone for a few days with a power bank. Also, I can charge when I stopped at the café or restaurant or when I stay inside for a night.

How do you take the picture and video when you are alone?
Tripod, Time Lapse, Ask
Sometimes I ask just random people. When I cycle with someone, I ask them.

Which Camera do you use?
Canon 50D (2011 to 2014)
Canon 70D (2014 to 2020)
Canon g5x mark ii (2020 to now)
GoPro4 (2015 to 2019)
GoPro8 (2019 to now)

How big is your laptop?
11” laptop in the beginning. 15” laptop Now

Is it okay to carry a big camera (DSLR) and laptop on a bike?
Yes
I’ve never had the problem although I’ve cycled on many bumpy roads. I carried my camera on the front handlebar bag and I carried laptop at rear pannier bag with clothes.

What is useful things to carry?
A few clothespins, string for clothesline, plastic bags, multipurpose knife,
I didn’t use a laundry machine that I always washed clothes by my hand when I stayed at cheap accommodation. A few clothespins and string for clothesline are so useful. I just use string

What is must thing to carry?
Passport, Phone, Credit Card, Debit Card, the US dollar in cash for emergency, emergency numbers for the embassy and bank

What is not necessary thing to carry?
Umbrella
I had carried it over two years, but I never used it. So, I threw it away in the end. If there was heavy rain when I stayed in the city, I just didn’t go out. If it was light rain, I just wore a rain jacket.

Is there something you wish to prepare before the travel?
Driver License
It’s not easy to get it overseas and even if I get it, it’s not easy to turn to an international license. If I have a driver license, I can rent a car with others for a short trip or I could use it during a working holiday visa.

Language

How to speak with local people who can’t speak English?
Body language and Google Translator
Usually, people ask the same thing always, so you can guess easily.

Where did you learn English?
School
But when I studied English again for a transfer university, finally I could understand all the grammar and it helps me a lot. Then I improved conversation skill while cycling the world.

Can you speak another language?
Korean and a little bit of Spanish
한국에서 태어나고 자라서 한국말을 당연히 잘합니다.
Yo quiero hablar espanol much y quiero mucho latin hentes!

About Emotion

Your family okay with your long trip?
Yes.
My mom said one time she envies my life, for I enjoy my life. I feel lucky about it as it’s not common worldwide that the family support even when you don’t follow society like having job, house, married, and babies. I’ve gotten this question from all around the world whether European, American, or Asia. In their deep mind, they think I am something wrong or weird. Think like this, people never ask this question “Is your family okay that you work in the office from Monday to Friday?”
However, my family is okay and I feel lucky about it that there is no one saying “You shouldn’t do it. It’s wrong”

Do you miss home?
Not really.
I am away home too long already and I am just easy going anywhere usually. But when I go to a Korean grocery store or Korean restaurant, suddenly I miss home.

What do you miss when you cycle?
Last comfy zone
I miss the last accommodation where I could be relaxed.

Aren’t you scared?
Yes
I am very scared. Probably I had more fear than most people. I don’t get much braver although I cycle all the world. I’ve learned that it’s okay to live with the fear to get things I like. What is not okay is to give up without trying due to fear.

How to cope with loneliness?
Accept it
It’s human nature to feel lonely whether you travel or not. I don’t think there is real solution for it but just accept it. I don’t feel lonely when I cycle on the road. I only feel lonely when I am staying in the city sometimes. Also, I feel lonely for a while when I leave someone I really like or love. Since Covid19, I feel lonely a bit often than in the past. But this is how it is. I just let it go until I feel better.

What’s the hard thing on the world trip?
Discrimination, Finding Camping Spot, Farewell
I had been harassed verbally a lot on the street in many developing countries outside of Asia. You can’t imagine how much I had to face cat calling and racist calling endlessly in the past. I cried with frustration even one time. When I was with the male, especially Caucasian, it nearly stopped. I love as who I am and I am grateful for my life. But it’s just sad that treating can be different on your skin color and gender.
The second thing is to find a place to stay. I always get nervous around sunset to look for a place to stay. When I travel with other cyclists, I feel way more relaxed though.
The last thing is to say goodbye. It’s so sad that I have to leave people I like always. This is one of reasons I want to finish my trip and settle down these days so that I can stay with the people I like without worrying about farewell as soon as the meeting.

Why cycling alone?
I couldn’t find a cycling partner that I just cycle mostly alone. When I meet other cyclists by chance, I cycle together until our roads separate.

What’s the good thing about traveling alone?
I can stop cycling whenever I want on the road. I can mix with anyone easily. I can concentrate on the present more. I can have a deeper relationship with local people.

What’s the good thing about traveling with others?
I feel safer. There is someone to listen to my joke finally. I save energy when I stay at local people’s houses by talking less cause my travel mate will talk as well.

What do you like most on your trip?
To eat, to meet people, to take shower after cycling all day, to see the sunrise after scaring camping night alone

What you don’t like most on the trip?
To say goodbye to people I like

Extra Last Question

What makes you keep traveling?
Curiosity
I am always curious about everything. I think this is the biggest motivation to have an adventurous life

Did you enjoy traveling even after so many years?
Yes
Because of my curiosity, I could keep going. But after I’ve done six continents, I want to go home now.

Have you been home since you start the trip in 2011, Sept?
No

Why never been home?
Because of another dream
I wanted to go back home through North Korea by land if I succeed to cycle six continents to tell the world we are all connected.
(I’ve met my family overseas though)

Do you regret your too long trip?
I thought if I have finished my trip in 2018, probably I could come back home through North Korea. Who know.. However, regretting is just a waste of time. I never wished for a time machine to go back at any point. I just don’t like to repeat things that won’t change anything much. I just like now more than the past always.

Did you regret your trip at some point?
No
I never doubt it even on steep uphill because I knew why I was on the road. (Answer is on 7. What was the goal of this trip?)

Which lesson did you get on your trip?
There is more than one story
The medias always show us one side. When they talk about US, it’s all about gun. But in my memory, US was so peaceful with sunshine. I’ve found many different stories on my travel which I could never hear from the media if I didn’t travel.

Where are you now?
This video is made in September 2021, and I am in Gold Coast, Australia.
Please always check the bottom of my website to see my location if you are wondering where I am now. If it’s not changed, I am still there.

When are you going back home?
I don’t know.
When I am allowed to go back home through North Korea or finally when I can give up my 10 years dream of spreading peace message, I will be back home.

What’s your plan after the trip?
I don’t know.
Probably I try to work on my YouTube channel to make money for now.

Will you travel by bicycle in the future again after finishing the trip?
Yes (But not like now)
I love to have only a short trip with friends, not alone long trip anymore. One time is enough.

Where do you want to travel in the future?
New country where I’ve been not and the country where my friends live

Have you been changed after the long trip?
Not really
I am just Jin as before. The only thing that changed was I got so many beautiful memories.

Any advice to the people dreaming of traveling the world?
Just try it.
I didn’t have overseas cycling experience, I was so scared of everything, and I didn’t have enough money. But I just tried it and I had amazing adventure life. If someone really wants something crazily badly, they will make it with plenty of the effort.