| Professional profile | https://tomallen.info/ |
| Link-in-bio landing page | https://tomallen.info/link-in-bio |
| Blogging about cycle touring since 2006 | https://tomsbiketrip.com/ |
| The Transcaucasian Trail homepage | https://transcaucasiantrail.org/ |
The final part of my Caucasus By Train series is all about how to do it yourself – that is, how to replicate or adapt my 7-day train journey from London to Tbilisi/Yerevan for your own purposes. Complete day-by-day instructions included!
https://tomallen.info/caucasus-by-train-uk-to-georgia-armenia-in-under-a-week-part-three/
This is Part Three of my account of travelling by train from the UK across Europe and Turkey to the Caucasus. If you just got here, start with Part One, which details the 72-hour journey from London to Istanbul. The final part of this series is all about how to do it yourself – that […]
A reader writes: ‘Have you got any tips for maintaining motivation on a longer tour? I'm just past halfway through a Spain to Ireland tour, and I've just been feeling a bit burnt out. Been on the road since April with a bit of time off in July.’
https://tomsbiketrip.com/tips-for-staying-motivated-on-a-longer-tour/
Part 2/3 of Caucasus By Train is now online, detailing my onward journey from Istanbul to the South Caucasian capital cities of Tbilisi and Yerevan. This series details how to travel overground between the UK/Europe and Georgia/Armenia in under a week.
https://tomallen.info/caucasus-by-train-uk-to-georgia-armenia-in-under-a-week-part-two/
This is Part Two of my account of travelling by train from the UK across Europe and Turkey to the Caucasus. If you just got here, start with Part One, which details the 72-hour journey from London to Istanbul. Otherwise, continue reading to find out how I got from Istanbul to the Georgian capital of […]
A reader writes: ‘Am retiring next summer & setting off for a ride to Bali. My question is about malaria. What’s needed in terms of protection? I’ve read you’ve had malaria – not nice. What do I need to do in terms of pre-trip purchase & on the road?’
A reader writes: I’ve been following you for about five years now. Am retiring next summer and setting off in May 26 for a ride to Bali. I currently live in Bolton so it was Bolton to Bali but I’m moving when I retire to Lincoln where my son is based in the RAF. So […]
A reader writes: ‘How do you keep the brain intellectually stimulated whilst on a long bicycle touring trip ? Reading, writing... any other tips?’
https://tomsbiketrip.com/how-do-you-stay-intellectually-stimulated-on-the-road/
A reader writes: How do you keep the brain intellectually stimulated whilst on a long bicycle touring trip ? Reading, writing… any other tips? Thanks for the question! Seriously, thank you. Now we’re into the good stuff! I really wish more people would ask questions like this, instead of about the relative merits of 9- and 10-speed […]
I recently got the opportunity to do something more terrifying than any of the journeys, expeditions or adventure projects I've ever undertaken. That's right: after nearly two decades as a self-unemployed creative explorer, someone offered me a REAL JOB.
https://tomallen.info/breaking-self-unemployed-explorer-finally-gets-real-job/
I recently got the opportunity to do something more risky and terrifying than any of the journeys, expeditions or adventure projects I’ve ever undertaken. That’s right: aged 41, and after nearly two decades as a “self-unemployed creative explorer”, I was offered my first ever real job. And – gasp – I took it! Because in […]
I almost never make asks like this. When I do, it’s because I truly believe in the cause. I hope you’ll join me in support. #BlazeTheTCT
I’m writing this post from a rural guesthouse near the city of Sisian in southern Armenia, where I’ve just finished a lovely breakfast of freshly-picked raspberries, cheese curds, sour cream, new season honey, and gata (a type of regional sweet pastry). Yum. This guesthouse, run by Mher Azoyan and his family on the site of […]
Planning a trip to the Caucasus – perhaps to hike the Transcaucasian Trail – but concerned about the carbon footprint of flying there? Travel by train instead! It’s easy, fun, affordable, and quicker than you might think. Here’s Part One of how I did it.
https://tomallen.info/caucasus-by-train-uk-to-georgia-armenia-in-under-a-week-part-one/
Planning a trip to the Caucasus – perhaps to hike some of the Transcaucasian Trail – and concerned about the carbon footprint of flying there and back? I’m with you. Hiking has a small environmental footprint (depending on your shoe size). Air travel, however, currently doesn’t. But the good news is that, if you’re a […]
Today I want to share the details of the Defender 110 camper conversion I've been working on. The design was inspired by Georgina, the bespoke 2016 Land Rover Bursary vehicle I was lucky enough to borrow – but with more than a few improvements!
https://tomallen.info/yet-another-defender-camper-conversion-a-diy-overland-110-you-can-sleep-in/
Several years ago I was the bewildered yet lucky recipient of the Land Rover Bursary, an expedition grant then administered by the Royal Geographical Society. As well as a generous pile of cash, I also got to dream up and have built a specially modified expedition-ready Land Rover Defender 110. Pretty neat, right? Land Rover […]