A lot of people enjoy outdoor activities, and I am definitely one of them. Some people have a natural drive to always break new records and continually broaden their horizons. I had the pleasure of talking to one of those people, who consider life to be a big adventure in itself - former Swedish advertising executive Daniel Herstedt.

Herstedt's story well reflects the frustrations of so many of us caught up in the rat race of everyday life. Despite having a high power job and a comfortable life, Herstedt still felt like something was missing. At that point, the thought came to him to step back and really think about what's important in life.

“Anyone who's been very focused on their studies and trying to build a career, and finally got the feeling that they just wanted to get away from it all, knows exactly how I felt. I was in a position where I was extremely stressed about the work situation, but also a bit bored with my everyday life - getting up at the same time every morning, getting groceries from the same local grocery store... And I just wanted to stop everything. So, I looked for something exciting and different to do, and travel has always been something that I've cared a lot about,” Herstedt says.

Wishing he could do something to break out of the mold, he decided to turn a over whole new leaf and start from scratch. The overture to this new and liberated life came in the form of nothing less than a 100-day bicycle journey across China and Vietnam.

“I was just looking to do some different kind of traveling through some very exotic land that I'd never been to, so that was the reason why I went there. I just wanted to break the routine and get away from what was stressful to me at home.”

Strongly feeling that traveling the world was the answer, he decided to pair two of his main passions - a love foreign cultures and outdoor sports - to create the perfect stepping stone to a life less stressful. Still, taking the actual plunge does tend to send the butterflies fluttering in one's stomach:

“I think it's always frightening to do something when you don't know what's going to happen next, but at the time, it felt very natural to me to just get away from something that made me feel bad. So, it was a natural choice for me.”

Breaking away

A slower means of transport allows more time for taking in the views. (Image: Courtesy of Daniel Herstedt.)Resigning from work was probably the easiest step on Herstedt's path towards a whole new life, and as far as the future was concerned, it would sort itself out, he thought.

“I actually felt really great when I quit my job. I was really happy and I didn't really care about what would come next. I was very excited about the travels that I had planned and was very keen to see what would happen next. My plans didn't extend beyond the trip, but I decided not to worry about it.”

In order to embark on the type of trip that Herstedt did, you obviously need to be in fairly good physical condition. However, it is not out of the question for those of us either who are less adept physically.

“It depends on the kind of biking trip you want to do. For the type that I did, I think you have to be in good shape, but not like a top athlete. You can start slow like I started in Vietnam, biking a bit shorter stretches, and easier terrain, slowly building up the strength to tackle the harder environments, bigger mountains and longer stretches and so forth. You have to think that it's fun that's the most important thing – you really have to enjoy it. ”

This type of traveling is something anybody could do if they wanted to. The most important is to know your own limits and start at a pace that is suitable for you. However, be warned that biking in China and Vietnam means hundreds of miles of bumpy and shaky riding and mountain roads, although there are of course alternative routes to choose from. The most important thing that will get you through almost anything that might come your way is a positive attitude.

News to the family

The tough terrain can be a challenge for the legs. (Image: Courtesy of Daniel Herstedt.)Totally flipping one's life is not only revolutionary for the person doing it, it also affects everyone somehow associated with them. This was also true in Herstedt's case, and some tough negotiation was needed at home in order to reach a consensus on the issue.

“At first when I told them about my plans, they thought I was insane to go traveling by myself in countries I'd never been to - and by bike at that! But I think I finally managed to convince them that it was something I really wanted to do. They you of course have my mother, who was extremely worried about me, so she was not too happy about it. But I managed to calm her down after a little while. I also had a girlfriend - who I'm still together with - and it was a bit tough to leave her for 100 days. But yeah, I managed to convince her that this was something that I needed to do for myself.”

While everyone would undoubtedly welcome a small hiatus from the daily grind every now and then, biking for hundreds of miles might not constitute their idea of a perfect getaway...

“I think you don't have to choose the toughest mountains in Himalaya, instead, you can start slow and choose other trips around your neighborhood or something. But it's a great way to travel, absolutely! You get very close to the locals where you travel and see the culture much closer up. You get to experience the real food of the country you're in and I think it is all in all a really great way to travel. You experience much more than you would traveling normally.”

Although a muscle-powered means of transport may be tough on the legs, it comes with certain other benefits.

“You cannot really compare it to going on a road trip with the car or something, because first of all, when you're biking, people tend to feel sorry for you. They are a lot more sympathetic to someone taking the scenic route, so to say, and they invite you into their homes and you get really close to the people of the country. I think that's what traveling is all about: seeing the country, but also getting close to the people.”

The joy and pain of wayfare

But as one might expect, not everything came up roses on Herstedt's trip to explore territories previously unknown and heal a broken spirit.

Evidence of putting mind over body. (Image: Courtesy of Daniel Herstedt.)“Of course when you set out to bike in a foreign land, you don't know what to expect. You don't know what the road conditions are going to be like, you don't know what you're going to expect, basically. So, there's difficulties everyday biking. In countries like Vietnam and China especially - where it's not like you're biking on perfect asphalt everyday - you're biking on dirt roads and cobblestones and in pretty poor conditions, so just getting ahead is always a challenge. And then you have barking dogs and strange people that you run into, so it's not always easy, but that is a part of the experience: to overcome these challenges and that's what feels really great.”

Most bikers, regardless of what distance they bike, worry about puncturing their tires. Herstedt rode on average about 100km per day but did not encounter such problems.

“Amazingly, I didn't have one single puncture. Not one single puncture, and I biked over 3,500 km! I met some people along the way who weren't as lucky and who had actually several punctures everyday. For example, I met this one Swiss guy in the mountains of southwestern China who had six punctures in one day and he wasn't happy about biking on the cobblestone and dirt roads with very sharp stones. So, I was very lucky to choose the right type of tires. There's of course an enormous number of tires you can choose from, but mine were these anti-puncture tires, so you could basically stick a nail in them and they wouldn't puncture."

Herstedt says the trip was not only a liberating experience spiritually and physically, but it also helped him to define his vision of China and Vietnam as countries more clearly. In China, the one thing that stood out above anything else was the local people's warm and hospitable attitude towards the wayfaring stranger, Herstedt says.

100 days of painful pleasure are behind... (Image: Courtesy of Daniel Herstedt.)“In China, I think diversity is the key word. The difference between the east and the west and the north and the south of the country and all the minorities -- it's really huge! China is like many countries in one, so to speak, so diversity is what it's all about. It's a very fascinating country: the nature and the mountains in southwest China are so beautiful - I've never seen anything like it in my life. I think the second thing that comes to mind is the immense hospitality. I met so many people who were so friendly and opened up their homes to me when I was there. This was a great contrast to Vietnam, where I also met a lot of people, but was never invited to people's homes and never really treated to home cooked food. But in China it happened almost everyday! Every time I met someone, some family or someone invited me to their home and helped me by showing me the way and even driving with their motorbikes for 10 km to show me a better, faster route." 

Author: Jenny Savolainen

Edited by Stina Björkell