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Travels with Willie: Adventure Cyclist
Watch enough cable news and your view of the world will be clouded by fear. Hop on a bike and that view will brighten drastically. Travels with Willie is about finding adventure and facing fear, embarrassing blunders and language barriers, ice cream and kindness, Cuba and Colombia, Turkey and Thailand, the world's steepest street and the world's cheapest engagement ring, catching a thief and losing a zebra, a father's touch and a farmer's embrace, buying time and spending another night. Fellow bicycle travelers will smile with recognition, and arm-chair travelers might find themselves wandering into a bike shop, looking for a passport to adventure.
250 pages, Paperback
First published May 18, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
May 19, 2020
I saw Willie Weir give a speech at my oldest's grade school around 10 years ago. I was so moved by his experiences and stories. I am glad to finally have gotten a chance to sit down and read his book. A bit of a weird time to read it (during Coronavirus lockdown) but it still gave me hope in humanity and how borders are really just in our minds.
January 13, 2023
Nicely written reports and impressions of bicycle travel. Although the story of solo (& duo) bicycle travels, Willie brings a well-grounded AWARENESS of other people in the world and their vantage points. I especially like the short piece on the mostly-unacknowledged privilege those of us with certain passports enjoy.
April 14, 2022
Light, fun, meandering, wonderful.
August 31, 2012
This is a compilation of columns Willie Weir wrote for Adventure Cyclist magazine. Weir's role in that magazine, it seems, is to provide an article each issue that serves to motivate its readers to further exploits in the activity known as "adventure cycling." Given that the readers of the magazine are all members of the Adventure Cycling Association, there is a certain "preaching to the choir" element to this, and Weir chooses to focus on a narrow part of the activity, the opportunity to meet, talk and even bond with people through travel by bicycle.
Weir's view is that world travel by bicycle is exceptional because one's bicycle serves as a way to present yourself to others that opens up conversations in ways that other travel does not. Almost all of the 42 chapters in this book serve as examples of how that has worked for him - from Turkey to Thailand to different parts of North America. So most of the detailed anecdotes are about the different people he met - how they met, how they spent time together, and so on.
Of course most "bicycle-travel" literature focuses heavily on the "human relations" aspect of the trip, but here there is rather little of anything else. One realizes eventually that he sometimes rides with his wife on a tandem and sometimes they take separate bikes, but there is perhaps one sentence about the implications of undertaking such trips with one's spouse - how they make it work. There is one anecdote about getting bicycles onto flights as checked baggage without paying a "bicycle fee" but there could be many such stories about having a bicycle during international travel that seem like missed opportunities (one guesses . . . ).
Presumably this monochromatic aspect is the result of a book that is compiled from short articles that each had roughly the same goal and weren't intended to serve as part of a long narrative. I'm not saying I didn't find it enjoyable to read - mostly I did - but it became clear after about 50 pages that this wasn't really going anywhere it hadn't been already except to swap in different locations.
Weir's style also became a little fatiguing over the length of a book. His average paragraph has (I'm estimating) two sentences, but there are quite a few paragraphs of one sentence. If you pause to consider what you know about writing it seems like he could have consolidated a lot of these little paragraphs into longer ones that flow better. What may work fine as an article doesn't necessarily work for extended reading.
The book has some black and white photographs - these serve to show the scenery occasionally mentioned as another benefit of adventure cycling. Some of the photos are quite good.
Weir's view is that world travel by bicycle is exceptional because one's bicycle serves as a way to present yourself to others that opens up conversations in ways that other travel does not. Almost all of the 42 chapters in this book serve as examples of how that has worked for him - from Turkey to Thailand to different parts of North America. So most of the detailed anecdotes are about the different people he met - how they met, how they spent time together, and so on.
Of course most "bicycle-travel" literature focuses heavily on the "human relations" aspect of the trip, but here there is rather little of anything else. One realizes eventually that he sometimes rides with his wife on a tandem and sometimes they take separate bikes, but there is perhaps one sentence about the implications of undertaking such trips with one's spouse - how they make it work. There is one anecdote about getting bicycles onto flights as checked baggage without paying a "bicycle fee" but there could be many such stories about having a bicycle during international travel that seem like missed opportunities (one guesses . . . ).
Presumably this monochromatic aspect is the result of a book that is compiled from short articles that each had roughly the same goal and weren't intended to serve as part of a long narrative. I'm not saying I didn't find it enjoyable to read - mostly I did - but it became clear after about 50 pages that this wasn't really going anywhere it hadn't been already except to swap in different locations.
Weir's style also became a little fatiguing over the length of a book. His average paragraph has (I'm estimating) two sentences, but there are quite a few paragraphs of one sentence. If you pause to consider what you know about writing it seems like he could have consolidated a lot of these little paragraphs into longer ones that flow better. What may work fine as an article doesn't necessarily work for extended reading.
The book has some black and white photographs - these serve to show the scenery occasionally mentioned as another benefit of adventure cycling. Some of the photos are quite good.
September 16, 2012
Consistent with my new review style, I'm going to shut my yap and let the author speak for himself. Please imagine this like a movie trailer, with exciting music playing to get you all pumped about reading this book.
Favorite quotes:
"That's why I chose to travel by bicycle. It forces me to be the traveler that I long to be, one that moves beyond the familiar to the uncomfortable. The bicycle leads me into places and situations where familiarity is not an option: to roadside restaurants that haven't seen a foreigner in years, to local festivals not listed and recommended in the Lonely Planet, to the shade of a tree shared with local school kids, to a police station or a monastery and a safe place to sleep."
misc fact:
"Cubans had not always been so interested in bicycles. But when the Soviet Union collapsed and oil became scarce overnight on the island, desperate measures were needed. Over the next couple of years, Fidel Castro imported 1.5 million single-speed Chinese bicycles, and Cubans got a crash course on being a cycling culture. In today's Cuba, if you sit on a balcony in the town square of any major town or city, bicycles will outnumber cars thirty to one."
"After six to eight magical days it was back to 'reality,' as many of them called their jobs. Every one of them had enough money to travel the world several times over, but most were bankrupt of free time."
"He was travelling with three large pineapples strapped to his rack and an even larger machete strapped to the front rack."
"Most people want adventure without the risks, hazards, and discomforts. In other words, most people want adventure-- without the adventure."
"We too often romanticize our travels while trivializing our daily lives. Once we began to live our daily lives through the eyes of a traveler, the hassles transitioned to adventures."
"You would think that the best way to be a world traveler would be to have no home, no base, no ties of any kind. However, I believe home grounds us as travelers. I've met too many people who severed all ties with home, only to become aimless wanderers. Traveling without a purpose or goal can become just as mind numbing as the world's worst desk job. A man in a small village i South Africa nonce told me, "Travel is worth nothing unless you return home a better person for it."
Favorite quotes:
"That's why I chose to travel by bicycle. It forces me to be the traveler that I long to be, one that moves beyond the familiar to the uncomfortable. The bicycle leads me into places and situations where familiarity is not an option: to roadside restaurants that haven't seen a foreigner in years, to local festivals not listed and recommended in the Lonely Planet, to the shade of a tree shared with local school kids, to a police station or a monastery and a safe place to sleep."
misc fact:
"Cubans had not always been so interested in bicycles. But when the Soviet Union collapsed and oil became scarce overnight on the island, desperate measures were needed. Over the next couple of years, Fidel Castro imported 1.5 million single-speed Chinese bicycles, and Cubans got a crash course on being a cycling culture. In today's Cuba, if you sit on a balcony in the town square of any major town or city, bicycles will outnumber cars thirty to one."
"After six to eight magical days it was back to 'reality,' as many of them called their jobs. Every one of them had enough money to travel the world several times over, but most were bankrupt of free time."
"He was travelling with three large pineapples strapped to his rack and an even larger machete strapped to the front rack."
"Most people want adventure without the risks, hazards, and discomforts. In other words, most people want adventure-- without the adventure."
"We too often romanticize our travels while trivializing our daily lives. Once we began to live our daily lives through the eyes of a traveler, the hassles transitioned to adventures."
"You would think that the best way to be a world traveler would be to have no home, no base, no ties of any kind. However, I believe home grounds us as travelers. I've met too many people who severed all ties with home, only to become aimless wanderers. Traveling without a purpose or goal can become just as mind numbing as the world's worst desk job. A man in a small village i South Africa nonce told me, "Travel is worth nothing unless you return home a better person for it."
December 8, 2013
A collection of entertaining and inspiring stories from open roads across the world bicycled by Willie Weir and his wife Kat. The chapters are largely independent of each other, most originating as columns for Adventure Cyclist magazine. When some of the chapters ended abruptly, I was disappointed to not find out what happened next in that particular story, but Willie has traveled so broadly that a comprehensive and chronological format might not have been feasible. The prose isn't going to blow you away, and there's quite a few obvious typos, but usually his writing does the job, and he's got a solid sense of humor.
Due to the format, he also hammers readers over the head repeatedly with his main points, but hey, they're GOOD points. He speaks of the power of the bicycle as a magnet for hospitality, of the importance of keeping your planning flexible and taking the road less traveled (in his case often really less traveled), and of the ways he's pushed away fear to embrace true adventure. His response to people (who haven't been to the country in question) trying to warn cyclists away from visiting a "dangerous to Americans" destination:
"The world needs ambassadors of peace and goodwill now more than ever. I can't think of a better vehicle for the job than a loaded down bicycle. So plan a journey, listen to those who have gone before you, be cautious, and have the adventure of a lifetime." Well said.
So is this a master work of travel literature? Not so much. But Willie is a master traveler and bicycle advocate whose amazing stories are well worth hearing.
Due to the format, he also hammers readers over the head repeatedly with his main points, but hey, they're GOOD points. He speaks of the power of the bicycle as a magnet for hospitality, of the importance of keeping your planning flexible and taking the road less traveled (in his case often really less traveled), and of the ways he's pushed away fear to embrace true adventure. His response to people (who haven't been to the country in question) trying to warn cyclists away from visiting a "dangerous to Americans" destination:
"The world needs ambassadors of peace and goodwill now more than ever. I can't think of a better vehicle for the job than a loaded down bicycle. So plan a journey, listen to those who have gone before you, be cautious, and have the adventure of a lifetime." Well said.
So is this a master work of travel literature? Not so much. But Willie is a master traveler and bicycle advocate whose amazing stories are well worth hearing.
May 6, 2015
A short and to the point account of how it is to travel the world by bicycle for long stretches of time and on a low budget. Willie has cycled thousands of miles across many continents, always either camping with his tent, or trying his luck at the hospitality of the locals. More often than not that approach was very successful, and in this way he's met locals from walks of life that most probably under any under circumstances he wouldn't have a chance to interact with. He tells us his stories and encounters in this book.
I personally don't think I would go as far as to never knowing where'll you be sleeping, and sometimes ending up in a tent on a muddy field with a downpour of rain and mosquitos and all other sorts of bugs around you, but Willie is telling us that is all part of 'adventure'. Adventure isn't pre-booking yourself a stay at 20 different hotels and 40 campgrounds (that's a vacation), but figuring it out as you go along.
If you are interested in such forms of long term travel, have an inkling to do some bicycle touring one day, or just want to see how someone can travel happily in India for 5 months with just one thousand dollars, you should give this book a try.
I personally don't think I would go as far as to never knowing where'll you be sleeping, and sometimes ending up in a tent on a muddy field with a downpour of rain and mosquitos and all other sorts of bugs around you, but Willie is telling us that is all part of 'adventure'. Adventure isn't pre-booking yourself a stay at 20 different hotels and 40 campgrounds (that's a vacation), but figuring it out as you go along.
If you are interested in such forms of long term travel, have an inkling to do some bicycle touring one day, or just want to see how someone can travel happily in India for 5 months with just one thousand dollars, you should give this book a try.
September 12, 2011
What would otherwise be an inspiring and pleasant read filled with anecdotes from the road less traveled is instead ruined by a plague of spelling and grammar errors. I'm sure Willie Weir's presentations about his world travels are entertaining and inspiring (though I've never seen one) but reading his book is like embarking on an amazing journey while riding on a bicycle with a flat tire. As an author, the least you can do in service of the readers who buy your books is proofread or pay an editor or proofreader who will...Ugh...
November 17, 2009
i could almost give this book 4 stars. willie loves to travel, and it shows. he's an excellent storyteller, and really knows how to get off the beaten path and engage with the locals. he is a true adventurer, not a tourist. the writing could be better, though it's far from awful. people who enjoy travel stories should definitely pick this one up.
May 15, 2011
Good writing whether you like to ride a bike or not. Weir is a master of the short essay, each based on a travel incident or observation. Many good lessons on life. This is something I'll come back to often.
April 11, 2011
This was an amazing read!! My husband & u read it out loud to each other & loved every minute of it!
November 24, 2011
If you long to explore by bike but can't, this is the book for you. It was a joy to read about Willie's globe trotting adventures. Two thumbs way up!
May 18, 2012
An entertaining bunch of short vignettes about bicycle touring. I really wish the book had been edited better though; there are misspellings and oddities throughout.
February 7, 2013
Awesome. If only more of us could go on adventures like Willie. It would be a happier and safer world if we all approached our lives like Willie.
March 5, 2014
Love, love. Not as much as Spokesongs, but still am absorbed by each story, encounter, and bit of wisdom.
March 18, 2015
Great book about travel and especially about travel on a bicycle.
I have always wanted to get out on a bike and see where it could take me for months at a time.
I have always wanted to get out on a bike and see where it could take me for months at a time.
September 27, 2015
Good read
December 14, 2016
"Most people want adventure without the risks, hazards and discomforts. In other words, most people want adventure - without the adventure." p100
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews