Man quits his job and sells his house to cycle around the world - Metro.co.uk

Ian Finlay, 52 who is cycling 28,000 miles around the world — After 20 years of working as an engineer, Ian decided to quit his job and travel the world on a bike (Picture: SWNS)

It’s never too late to make a change.

But while most of us just dream of packing up our things and going on an adventure, Ian Finlay, 52, decided to actually make it happen.

Bored of doing the same old job after 20 years, engineer Ian Finlay quit work and sold his house so he could cycle around the world.

Ian says he left his ‘comfortable life’ behind because he felt like there must be ‘more to life’.

He spent each night carefully planning every last detail and penned a five-year plan to ensure his trip was financially viable – deciding to dabble in freelance work three months a year to fund his travels.

He outlined a 36-country bucket list with over 400 cities, towns, and tourist attractions.

The dad from Cumbria sold his house, bought a £4,000 bike, and then, in the early morning of 12 August 2018, Ian set off, making his way from his home in Keswick all the way to Kyrgyzstan.

He initially planned to just do a three-month trip around Europe, but couldn’t stop. So he cycled through 29 countries across three continents – and is still journeying around the world nearly two years later.

He’s already cycled more than 16,000 miles and has 12,000 more planned to tick off everything on his list.

Ian, who says he’s fitter than he’s ever been, said: ‘The stars were aligned for me to take this trip. I was at the end of a relationship and I was unhappy in my job.

‘I wanted to cycle away after reading books about people’s travels and it felt like leaving everything behind could be liberating.

‘It was a reasonably daft decision.

Ian Finlay, 52 who is cycling 28,000 miles around the world. See SWNS copy SWLEcycle: A middle-aged man bored after doing the same job for 20 years jacked it in and sold his house to pursue his dream of cycling 28,000 miles around the world. Engineer Ian Finlay, 52, made the ?reasonably daft? decision to pack his things and pedal around the world on his bike after being inspired by reading travel books. The ?stars aligned? for the process engineer who was unhappy at his job and in the process of splitting with his partner around the time of his 50th birthday. — What started as a three-month trip to Europe has become a round-the-world adventure for nearly two years (Picture: SWNS)

‘I sold my house, planned for six months each night after work and thought ‘to hell with it’ I’m going.’

Ian has described the many experiences across almost 30 countries as ‘incredible’.

He said: ‘I’m learning more about the world but about myself as well.
“I cycled through freezing minus 15 degree weather in Tajikistan at the end of the Himalayas, which is mad to think about.

‘I struggled through scorching hot black tarmac in Uzbekistan where I had to endure 50 degree temperatures in the desert.

‘One night I got bit to death by mosquitoes and needed to cycle 140 miles just to get away.’

Some tourist hotspots he has visited so far on his lengthy journey include Paris, Kuala Lumpur and the Australian Gold Coast.

But he also found himself in more remote and obscure spots, including the border of Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Ian said: ‘There is so much to learn about the world when you force yourself to push your boundaries, physically, mentally and culturally.

‘Travelling the world becomes infectious, you go to one and you want to keep going to more and more places.

‘I always knew the world was vast and diverse, but I never could have imagined just how much it was.

‘Living in beautiful Keswick, I had a reasonable, comfortable life.

‘But the environment I was in was just wholly focused on money and I didn’t want to continue living that way.

‘There was a period when I made the mistake of joining facebook groups where people spoke about their worldwide travels.

‘They all said the same thing: the world is accessible.’

Ian spent £800 on various vaccinations and nearly £12,000 on equipment, tents, and supplies – and his sons have been generally supportive of his ‘mad’ plans.

He hadn’t cycled at all in the six months leading up to his departure and said he was “just a road cyclist” but felt confident he would successfully complete his challenge.

The highest point he cycled to was a staggering 4655m in Tajikistan, while he rode 116m below sea level in Uzbekistan – all while saddled with a 54kg backpack that was ‘like carrying his mum around’.

Ian has been cycling for 18 months with 18 more planned.

‘My friends and family saw me off when I left,’ says Ian. ‘They thought it was mad but everyone was happy for me.

‘Ironically I was planning for so long that I didn’t cycle at all in the six months before heading off.

‘I was petrified in central Asia. When I got to the Uzbekistan desert I was bricking it.

‘Would I get shot? Die of dehydration? It’s only when I actually cycled through there I realised people were lovely.

‘I was cycling on the border of Afghanistan and all I saw was children playing by the river, people just being people. We want to believe it’s a mean and horrible place, but it isn’t.

‘I honestly believe that if more people saw what I see it would prevent wars.’

MORE: Couple quit their jobs and give up renting to travel Europe in a renovated van

MORE: If you want children to stop having climate change nightmares start taking us seriously

MORE: Hotel offers luxury day out for homeless shelter dogs and it is too cute

Let's block ads! (Why?)

"cycle" - Google News
March 11, 2020 at 04:22PM
https://ift.tt/2TIc384

Man quits his job and sells his house to cycle around the world - Metro.co.uk
"cycle" - Google News
https://ift.tt/32MWqxP
Shoes Man Tutorial
Pos News Update
Meme Update
Korean Entertainment News
Japan News Update

Bagikan Berita Ini

Search

Man quits his job and sells his house to cycle around the world - Metro.co.uk

0 Response to "Man quits his job and sells his house to cycle around the world - Metro.co.uk"

Post a Comment