One piece of advice

if you could give ONE piece of advice to people hell-bent on cycling around the world, across a continent or any lengthy tour, what would it be?

my longest tour is Newfoundland, Canada which was about 10 days.
from that experience i'd offer up

- take it slow in the beginning -

Gear is overrated

My longest tour was 5,000 km. Here.

A few ideas to pass along...

- if you're not using it, get rid of it since you have to carry it up every hill
- regularly look over your bike to make sure nothing is wearing out or falling off

Enjoy.

B Irvine

Be prepared. Be flexible. Don't over plan. Okay that was three.

Don't worry if your trip will work out - just go!

Take a camouflage tarpaulin big enough to hide the bike.

Never leave home without your Buff.

take it as it is :-)
don't belive in gear :-) ;-)bike without gear :-)
it's not a shame to make it much shorter that you've told your friends it will be :-)

Gear isn't as critical as you begin to believe when you're in the planning stages.
And if you're a woman, bring a Whiz Away - it is the best invention ever. It allows you to pee standing up - I love it!

1) Test all that nice new crap on an overnight ride before you fly out somewhere to start the tour.

2) If you hear a new sound from your bike, stop and solve it immediately.

3) Learn to be easy-going. Even a 20% ýmprovement in whatever you are today will help your trip succeed!

Býll

(I,m one week into my third rýde in 23 years, 500 k southeast of Istanbul, at an ýnternet cafe... and thinking of what I,ve learned in the past week...)

If a dog looks uncertain or friendly, slow down, whistle, and chat to it. If it starts to get mean, bike fast and don't be afraid to kick if you have to.

Same thing with people.

Take your time, bring an MP3-player, "gear down", talk to people, read up before you go - then enjoy the wonders of the road.

Nicolai

Go light, go slow and enjoy - it isn't a race.

Run in your comfort zone. Be happy.

1 more thing from me :-)
if you are in hot country (like India etc) keep your bags closed at night - you don't want any insects hiding there :-)

very cool advice!
my favorites are
'kicking dogs if needed'
'buff'
'whiz away'
'gear is not needed'

wicked and thanks for posting everyone :)

Be open and friendly. There's a reason why you're not going in a car: use the open-ness of the bike to be open to new experiences.

PDSev
SPANISH CYCLEPATHS

Learn some of the local language before you go. Stop and try to chat or mime.

Check to make sure you still have no idea what you're running away from...