Contributor: Livio of Realworld Adventures
Let me start by saying that I’ve been running a trekking-centric hobby blog for more than 20 years, and only occasionally brought a bicycle into my adventures. Sure, I’ve cycled across Tibet, southern France, and a few other places over the years, but those rides were just impulse trips I kludged together on the spot.
I didn’t even know I was officially bikepacking until last spring, when I spent a month riding a used push bike I bought on Gumtree for $80 around Tasmania. It was remote, and since I tended to stay far off the beaten path, my accommodation options were either wild camping or the occasional room in a small-town pub. And then I discovered Warmshowers. I signed up immediately, and over the remaining month of mostly sleeping outside, I managed to stay with two hosts. I thoroughly enjoyed the facilities—but even more, the connection with the people who welcomed me in. The experience planted a seed.
A few months later, I found myself spending the summer in Croatia, where I decided to become a host myself at my island house. I also prepared two small pieces of land I’d inherited along EuroVelo Route 8 as basic campsites—one by the sea and one near Lake Vransko Jezero. Once they were listed, the requests started pouring in. Being only a few kilometers off the EuroVelo 8 trail meant the demand was intense.
Between my house and the campsites, the spots were almost always occupied throughout the summer and early fall. A total of 83 bikepackers stayed, with an average of two nights each. Although I couldn’t meet everyone, the cyclists I did spend time with were a refreshing break from the usual tourist crowds. These weren’t vacationers; they were travelers. The kind of people I look for when I trek in remote parts of the world—and the kind I hope to ride with on future bikepacking trips.
During shared meals, conversation often drifted toward the same challenges we all face: finding exciting routes and, most importantly, finding compatible adventure buddies. Those dinners turned into brainstorming sessions. We started thinking, talking, and scheming.
How I Used to Find Travel Buddies
Before bikepacking, I spent years perfecting the art of sticky notes in Kathmandu cafés: “Canadian guy looking for trekking buddies.” Eventually, I moved that system online by building a mobile buddy-finding app called Trekking Buddy Nepal—a small project designed to help people find treks and trekking partners.
Fast-forward back to Croatia. At those dinner tables, every bikepacker I spoke with said they’d love a similar solution for cycling adventures. Many were riding alone (36 of the 83), and even couples were excited about the idea of expanding my trekking buddy app to include bikepacking.
It was a win-win: find bikepacking routes and find people to ride them with. I had my new marching orders. So I got to work.
Adventure Travel Buddies Is Born
With the last Warmshowers guest gone from my seaside property, I rebuilt and rebranded the app as Adventure Travel Buddies, expanding it to include bikepacking routes from around the world. It now offers downloadable data packs, including EuroVelo routes, as well as popular routes in New Zealand, Australia, and more.
The app also features global Community Forums where bikepackers can ask questions, share route tips, and post availability. Advanced features like private chat and secure email for verified users make it easy to connect safely.
More Features Requested by Former Guests
But the build didn’t end there. Over the past few weeks, many of my Warmshowers guests have reached out via WhatsApp (yes, I swapped numbers with all 83, and yes, we still chat). They shared their YouTube channels, social media accounts, and stories—and suggested a way to share this content in the app.
So I went back in for one more round of updates. Voilà! The app now includes “User Stories” forums organized by region, where bikepackers can share their content with the community.
Adventure Travel Buddies App Released
So now it’s official. The Adventure Travel Buddies app is available for download from your favorite app stores.
What’s Next
Just like in my trekking days, my goal is first to get people off the couch and out the door on an adventure. And second, for me to find adventure travel buddies, so naturally, let me know if anyone is available to join me for a month of bikepacking in NSW, Australia in January 2026 (New England High Country Loop or the Australian Alps Trail). Just install the app and visit the Australia Community Forum to connect with me.
Catch up with Realworld Adventures on their website.
