Charlie Walker, a death-defying explorer
Charlie Walker, a death-defying explorer
TRAVEL INFO
5 Years
50000 Km
60 Countries
He visited 60 countries, suffered a fatal fall and got lost in the Tibetan desert!
The explorer and adventurer “Charlie Walker” rode his bike for 4 years for more than 50,000 thousand km, penetrated into the desert and got lost for a whole week, and it was summer! Across Africa and its bushes and was attacked by a leopard! His terrifying journey in Alaska, where he took it by walking while dragging his bicycle in a snowmobile! He surreptitiously entered the restricted areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan! After all this, the adventurer returned to find an honor worthy of the risks he presented, as he was granted a property grant to explore.
INTERVIEW
We asked Charlie Walker : Introduce yourself, your age, your country, your hobby …
He said : My name is Charlie Walker. I’m a 35 year old travel writer from Britain and in total I have spent about 5 years on bicycle tours through over 60 countries.
Question : What are your most important experiences in traveling on a bicycle?
He said : When I was 22 years old I started a tour through Europe, Asia and Africa that lasted over 4 years. I think setting off on this tour was not only the most important experience of travelling on a bicycle, but also the most important experience of my life. It is always difficult to start a long journey, but once you have completed the first few days, then the cycling and camping very quickly becomes a normalised way of life.
Question: Your visit to Africa . How was your impression about it ?
He said: I spent almost two years cycling around Africa and it was a much more mentally demanding experience than travelling around Asia. I had a small handful of unpleasant experiences with aggressive people, and it was often harder to find hidden peaceful places to wild camp because crowds would gather and hang around for a long time if I was found. However, the vast majority of people I met were extremely friendly and were just curious about me, who I was, and what I was doing.
Question: How did you finance your trip, was money a barrier ?
He said: My 4-year journey was from 2010-2014 and I left with £8,500 of savings and another £3,500 that I was lucky to have been given in corporate sponsorship. I lived very cheaply and rarely paid for accommodation. The main expense was visas and a couple of flights that I was forced to take. Of the original £12,000, I had only £30 remaining when I came home. I didn’t struggle with money but I was very careful with it. When I met other cycle tourists, I almost always noticed that they had a bigger daily budget than me.
Question: What are your tips for those who want to travel on a bicycle ?
He said: I really recommend it. You can travel far, for a long time, and for very little money. You meet many, many, many more people than you do with most other methods of travel. You are outdoors constantly and really get a nice feel of natural rhythms and seasons. I must have seen well over 1,000 sunrises and sunsets from my tent. You feel fitter and healthier (and dirtier!) than any other time in your life. The main tip is just to start and not get too waylaid with planning. Set a target, set a start date, and just get going! Once you begin, the rest of the journey will start to take care of itself.
I learned that the world has different cultures because the good treatment of strangers I met eliminated all differences, and I am happy to form true friendships with many people around the world.
Question: What are the most important difficulties you experienced during your adventure ?
He said: Language barriers were often a challenge. Winter in Tibet was the hardest few weeks of my life up to that point. It was sometimes as cold as -40ºC and I did not have the correct clothing or equipment. Summer in the Sahara desert was quite hard too!
Question: You are a professional adventurer, what are your future plans?
He said: More I am still considering my options for my next adventure. I recently returned from a three month winter hiking journey in Siberia which turned into a bit of an ordeal. A few days after I arrived the invasion of Ukraine began. I was in the Arctic in the Far East about 6,000 km from Moscow or Kyiv but it became increasingly unsafe for me to be there. After two months I was arrested and kept locked behind bars for a month before they deported me. It was a difficult experience, but I am sure I will be off on another adventure sometime soon.
Question: What is your message to our followers ?
He said: Long live the bicycle! The ultimate way to meet people, personally grow, and see the world!
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