If you read my last post describing my trip through France, you may have picked up on my lack of preparedness paired with hilariously poor luck. 

Nonetheless, a few things could have helped my friend Chris and I. Hopefully, I can impart some wisdom that will make your first big trip abroad a little easier.

1. Bring a GPS and don’t whine about the price.
Only God himself will know how many more miles we could have spent in the saddle if we didn’t stop at every trail intersection to consult our guidebook. 

Bringing a guidebook and map is imperative as a backup, but a reliable GPS with a downloaded map will take the guesswork out and lead you down the path. Bikepacking is a new sport, so routes are typically pieced together between multiple trails and roads. Until the world catches up, piece them together with a little help. 

2. Make sure everything has a bag within your bags.
I learned this lesson with backpacking, but the task is especially important on a bike. On my trip, I had a seat pack, a homemade frame bag, gas tank, and a dry sack strapped to the front of my handlebars. Between these four bags, I spent a great deal of time shuffling things around and forgetting where I put little things like spare parts, cooking utensils, etc.

Before you go, fully pack your bag and categorize all small items into ziplocks, mesh bags, or whatever you need to make sure everything has a place within its place. It will save you a lot of grief when you’re trying to find a tire lever in foul weather.

3. Always give yourself more time than what a guide says. 
I bike fairly often, and I prepared for the daily mileage that I wanted to complete. If I had known then what I know now, maybe I could have done it. 

Nevertheless, lots of the folks who put up routes are very serious riders and crave long days in the saddle. If you’re just getting started, giver yourself an extra day or even two to cope with fatigue, getting lost, or just spending more time at a place that you like. 

4. Go to schrader valves. 
Even for a country like France, I had a hard time finding bikes shops along our route. While I did have a pump, I would have had a hard time finding someone with a presta valve to top off my tires had I broke it. 

With a standard valve, lots of friendly folks around the world will have a pump that can help you out.

5. Bring an extra pair of shoes. 
In favor of weight, I brought one pair of shoes that I could ride with and wear around town. This worked fine until the driving rain soaked my pitiful old running shoes. If you have a pair of lightweight flip flops or sandals to walk around camp and relax in, strap them to your seat pack and forget about them.

6. Accept someone’s hospitality.

This isn’t really necessary, but I will always make it a priority on my next foreign trips to use Warm Showers or AirBnB to stay with friendly local folks. We were lucky enough to be found and taken in, but the experience compels me to encourage others to find like-minded locals to stay with and learn from. 

If you have any tips from your first trip, drop a comment below and save us all a little frustration.