Around 7 Continents - A bicycle journey of a lifetime [Traveller Story by De Bruyn Joubert]

Around 7 Continents was born out of sheer appetite for adventure by two aspirants De Bruyn Joubert and Ulrich Walters. Their mission is to travel the world across seven continents through seventy countries in five years on their bicycles. Their journey started on the 1st of September last year. We managed to catch up with them and stole 5 seconds of their time to find out how far in their cycle journey they are.

If you want to see South Africa the way they did. but don’t want to cycle the entire way or if you are physically incapable. You don’t have to miss a single thing. Head over to car hire South Africa to book a car and see the world they do.

De Bruyn’s adventure bicycle Image by De Bruyn Joubert

Please tell us about your journey, Around 7 Continents. Why this trip?
Travelling the world, meet new people and experiencing new cultures has always been one of my dreams. I always had this dream to cycle through Africa, which started when Riaan Manser completed his adventure circumnavigation around Africa.  So exactly one year ago I just made the decision that I need to get to work if I want to make this huge dream a reality!! From there the trip grew in size and I ended up with what is now called Around 7 Continents. 

People want to get to places sooner, you think differently. There are planes, cars, busses et cetera but you chose cycling, why?
I’ve travelled the world by aeroplane, busses, cars, public transport etc. Doing it on a bicycle adds so much more to what I personally want out of an adventure, travel and also challenge myself on a daily basis on new levels. I think it’s very important to challenge yourself on a daily basis to keep growing in whatever you do and personally.

How far in your journey are you & are you keeping track or losing focus?
Until this point, I have cycled just over 8000km and it is quickly getting closer to the first 10 000km. Already cycled through Australia and am halfway through Europe at the moment. Keeping track all the time because of the size of the adventure. You need to keep focused otherwise the expedition can become much longer than planned. Everything is on schedule at the moment and the time frame I worked out has been quite accurate until this point.

De Bruyn Joubert is currently in Bregenz, Austria. Image by De Bruyn Joubert

Any major challenges or setbacks?
No major setbacks that could not be sorted out. Every day has its challenges, but like I told one of my friends back home this week, everyone has their own challenges on a daily basis and I have mine. Nothing in this world is perfect. You just need to face them, sort it out, learn from them and become stronger through them.

Is it still just the two of you on this trip?
Ulrich had to leave the adventure because of some personal reasons. So at this point, I’m on my own and not planning to stop before I accomplishing my dream and that is finishing the adventure!

What does it take to take part in such an adventure? How did you prepare mentally, physically & otherwise?
People can go on about preparing physically but let me tell you, to be mentally prepared is 70% of the whole adventure. Before the adventure, I spent a huge amount of time to prepare myself mentally for this adventure and is still on a daily basis. To be mentally strong is the secret to most things in life. On the other side, I’m getting physically stronger every week with a different environment. Eating the correct amount of calories and nutrition is very important.

De Bruyn and Ulrich camping in London. Image by De Bruyn Joubert

Please tell us some facts about the continents you’ve visited so far.
Australia – Huge country/ continent!  Most people live on the coasts so there is not much when you are between them.  Wildlife is amazing and so is the ever-changing environment.  Was surprised with the nature that I saw and the less populated areas make it soooo peaceful when you travel through.
Europe – One thing about Europe is that there is something to see every kilometre of the way. The history behind it is staggering and also all the architecture. People are less friendly than in Australia, but in some areas very helpful.  You can travel from country to country easily, which is never far and experience different food, cultures environments. Most places I cycled through amazed me whether it was big cities, small town or villages. The variety of things you can get out of Europe are just staggering!

How do you get by? Food, accommodation, hygiene, safety, health, etc…
Food & Health – Prepare 95% of the food on the journey myself. Have everything you need to prepare some amazing meals in the tent. It’s important to eat the correct food to stay healthy and being this physically busy, your body tells you very quickly when it needs something.
Accommodation – 90% of the time it is camping while cycling between big cities. I use Warmshower and Couchsurfing and find places to stay in the places that I want to spend a few days. Warmshowers give you the opportunity to meet many like-minded people on my travels.
Hygiene & Safety – Whenever I get the chance to take a shower or clean up I grab it with both hands. Being on the bicycle the whole week makes this very difficult. Safety is something I have not worried that much about. Just need to stay sharp all the time.

What’s in your backpack? Emergency kit &…
Cycling with about 45kg on the bicycle, so I’ll sum it up. Camping equipment, Canon cameras, clothing, basic medic kit, electronics, spares, food and water.

How would you advise those who are looking into doing this sort of thing in the future?
JUST DO IT 🙂  Stop talking and start to plan what you want to do. It’s much cheaper than people would imagine and the world is not as bad as the news make it. Anything is possible and it does not matter how old, how much money or what kind of disadvantages you have. Believe me… I’ve seen many people on the road with much more challenges than I have. Decide what you want to do, set up a plan and start working towards it.

Would you do it again?
If I can… I’ll do adventures for the rest of my life!

How much longer do you still need to travel? Kilometres, days, hours…
77 000km, 4.5 years and 5.5 continents left. 🙂

One exciting (or not so exciting) thing you would like a 2nd chance to do over during your travel.
I would like to go back to Australia one day and explore more of the Nullarbor. It’s been one of my highlights of all my travels in my life.

De Bruyn watching the sunset. Image by De Bruyn Joubert 

De Bruyn has 85 000 km to travel. Be part of his journey through Facebook, Twitter and Instagram  & watch him as he moves from city to city, country to country- one cycle ride at a time.

If you are looking to go on an adventure in the area, you might want to look into having some wheels to get around. Car hire South Africa would be the best place to start looking. From here you can start exploring the various options of Cities you might want to visit.