Great reads authored by the Warmshowers Community!
Pedalling the Planet, Linda Beilig
Over the course of two years, Linda Beilig and Tim Walton cycled over 40,000 kilometers around the world, passing through more than thirty countries on their way. By choosing bicycles as their means of transport, their pace of travel was slow, which not only allowed them to witness the gradual change of landscapes and faces with every passing kilometer but also to interact with the local cultures and lands on a more intimate level. Through the stories in this book, you are invited to join them on their journey and meet some of the incredible people they met along the way. Get your English copy HERE and your German copy HERE.
Until The Road Ends, Jacob Ashton
Follow the adventures of Jacob Ashton as he sets off to travel the world by bicycle even though he’d never really cycle toured or even traveled much beforehand. As if just cycling around the world wasn’t enough, he kicks off his journey by riding the Pan-American Highway southbound from his parent’s house in Idaho, USA, in the dead of winter! Not only tackling severe weather, Jacob has to battle through language barriers, the loss of a finger, and his own general ignorance along the way. How far will he make it? Will he quit in the first few days? Well, he wrote a book, so he must have done okay. Get your copy HERE.
The World Spins By, Jerry Kopack
In three months, Jerry thought he lost everything-his meaningful career, the woman he was supposed to grow old with, and a close friend to a terminal illness-but he soon realized that he was given a gift. Jerry had worked in corporate America for 10 soulless years, following a laminated road map to happiness handed to him at graduation from business school. Then he founded a hospice with his mother. Serving patients at the end of life, Jerry learned his greatest lesson, one not found in any textbook or cubicle-the value of time. The World Spins By is an intimate journey of loss, curiosity, and love-recounted one pedal stroke at a time along Jerry’s two-year bicycle journey back to himself. Over mountains in Tibet, across deserts in Israel, and even a clinic to treat worms in India, Jerry discovered that although you may have a map, real life is unscripted. It goes beyond the borders and occurs at the intersection of fear and control. Throughout the book he shares tales of comical and harrowing adventures on the road and lessons learned from his hospice career, while continually pondering the question, am I using my time well? Get your copy HERE.
Great Rides Across America, Ken Francis
Welcome to the world of cross-country bicycle touring in the 1980’s. The Los Angeles Olympics made the news, Lycra gained popularity, and some of the best music, ever, played on the airwaves. An organization named Bikecentennial mapped the first official bicycle route across the United States. Many bicyclists didn’t wear helmets but used them to protect bread from getting smashed. Paper maps and word-of-mouth guided the journey. More than a story of miles, this journey’s narrative unfolds how the seemingly endless road, and an invisible guiding light, transformed a young man. He searched for a hero until he became the person he had been seeking. Ken Francis, MS, is a California licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, speaker, and social media influencer. He has been working with individuals, families, and groups since 1988, specializing in substance abuse, codependency, and trauma reprocessing. He has also helped develop an international bicyclist hospitality community. This is his story. Get your copy HERE.
Conversations Across America, Kari Loya
Conversations Across America is about a father-son journey of a lifetime: a 73-day, 4,600-mile cross-country bike trip Kari took in 2015 with his 75-year-old dad, Merv, who had early-stage Alzheimer’s. Their adventure reminds us of the power of perseverance and adaptability in the face of uncertainty. It’s also a heartwarming example of listening and discovery, including 300 short conversations with people who approached them along the way, providing a rich snapshot of America, especially rural America. Conversations is a mix of Blue Highways, Tuesdays with Morrie, and Humans of New York… on a bike. As you read, you can’t help but reflect on your relationship with your own father and children, while gaining perspective on Alzheimer’s—which now afflicts more than six million Americans—and getting a sense of the TransAmerica Bike Trail and America itself. Above all, you will be inspired to seize-the-day with someone you love—whatever that means to you. Get your copy HERE.
Coast to Coast on a Tandem, Tracy and Peter Flucke
In many respects, Tracy and Peter Flucke are like many other active couples. They work a business together, they enjoy long-distance bicycling for exercise and fun, and their shared interests play a key role in building a strong and loving family. What sets them apart is the length to which they will go in the name of scratching their adventuresome itch – 4,362 miles to be exact. Climb aboard and join the Fluckes on their tandem bicycle for their 2014 unsupported trip across the Northern Tier of the United States. Somehow, these determined personalities were able to endure the better part of seventy-two days within six inches of each other, surviving physical, logistical, and interpersonal challenges that made this an adventure of a lifetime. Get your copy HERE.
Wheels of Fortune, Chris Fieldsend
Wheels of Fortune is the hilariously frank account of a couple’s year-long adventure cycling around all ten Canadian provinces, and twenty-six US states. Chris Fieldsend and Ties Benguedda rode over 14,000 miles (23,000km) through every landscape imaginable; from the snow-capped Rocky Mountains, through the tumbleweed deserts of the Southern states, to the wild coasts of the Atlantic provinces. This book is packed full of stories about the remarkable hospitality and random acts of kindness the couple experienced, from the hundreds of wonderful people they met. It does not pull any punches, vividly portraying how the novice cycle-touring couple overcame numerous extreme weather events, tedious US visa bureaucracy, fervent dog chases and the populist politics of Brexit and Donald Trump. All profits donated to World Bicycle Relief. Get your copy HERE.
How to Cycle Canada the Wrong Way, Lorraine Lambert
What do you do as a nearly-forty-something woman when, sat in a traffic jam one morning on the way to work, you realise that this is it. You’re stuck on the slippery slope of middle age and heading downhill fast with no way out. The obvious answer of course to leave your job, home and family, buy a rusty second hand bike and a tent, fly to Canada and start cycling. The wrong way. You’ve never cycle-toured before and you hate camping but you’ve decided to do just that, to ride across a country, on your own, in a skirt. What could possibly go wrong?So this is a story about a bit of a long cycle ride across Canada. About the land and the people in it, as well as the highs and lows of one woman determined to travel on her own and have an adventure. It’s about feeling lost and uncertain whatever age you are but learning to embrace the unknown. From skinny dipping at sunrise in the great lakes to nearly freezing to death in the Rocky mountains; from in-tent tussles to wrestling with mechanical failures, from experiencing utter despair to the wonderful kindness of strangers and the love and support of family. The people, the places, the wind and many, many miles, this is an adventure laid bare. Fundamentally however this is a story about relationships. Diary entries and emails give a candid insight into both the author’s personal journey and the people she meets along the way. It also encapsulates the close, poignant and often hilarious relationship with her younger sister who is thousands of miles away and raising her first baby. The messages between the sisters beautifully highlight the ups and downs of taking on new challenges be it cycling solo for thousands of miles or bringing a new life in to the world. Underpinning everything are the incredible bonds of family and friendship which help us to achieve the things that matter most. Get your copy HERE.
50 Ways to Cycle the World, Tristan Bogaard and Belen Castello
50 Ways provides you with all the answers to your doubts and questions about traveling by bike. In it, you’ll find 50 unique ways to do so, with stories told by 75 cyclists from 23 countries from around the world. Get your copy HERE.
Bicycling with Butterflies, Sara Dykman
An extraordinary story in which Dykman seamlessly weaves together science, a real love of nature and the adventure and hazards of biking with butterflies from Mexico to Canada and back. They share an epic journey and encounter hardships, but they do not give up. The book is a lament for our thoughtless destruction of nature and at the same time a celebration of the beauty that remains. The migration of the monarch butterflies is one of the wonders of the world—we must save it for future generations.” —Dr. Jane Goodall, DBE, Founder of the Jane Goodall Institute & U.N. Messenger of Peace. Get your copy HERE.
Cycles of a Traveler, Joe Diomede
This book is about a young man’s inspiring journey from a dedicated motorcyclist to becoming a world traveler on a bicycle for over 9 years. It is an autobiographical account of those 14 years and has lots of nice reviews. Get your copy HERE.