Can You Ride a Bicycle Around the World?

Yes — and many have. But what exactly does that mean?

If you asked to see my “bucket list,” I wouldn’t have one to show you. Nothing formal, anyway. Nothing written down or itemized, even in my most private journals. Whatever passes for my bucket list is abstract and ever-changing, like a game of telephone I happen to be playing alone.

But one thing tops the list. It’s the most important — and most unlikely — entry, the one I daydream about with the fervor of Walter Mitty. This is the quest I never really expect to undertake, yet I’ll be devastated if I never do.

I want to bicycle around the world.

The notion isn’t as crazy as it seems. Many, many cyclists have circled the globe, ever since Thomas Stevens pedaled his pennyfarthing 13,500 miles in the 1880s. A sturdy bicycle, well maintained, can take you just about anywhere, even places without roads. All you really need is time and money. And if you’re clever, you don’t even need much cash: Jin, a blogger from South Korea, only spent $5,000 per year during her round-the-world circuit — which is like one-quarter of my annual mortgage payment.