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Around the World by Bike
At the age of 24, Alastair Humphreys set off to try to cycle round the world. By the time he arrived back home, four years later, he had ridden 46,000 miles across five continents on a budget of just £7,000.
Audiobook
Published August 15, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
March 14, 2025
Loved this! Does exactly what it says on the tin. A true wanderlust book and an ode to following your dreams and doing something wild. Entertaining and honest - this was great on audiobook, narrated by Al himself.
May 23, 2021
Just what you need from armchair travel. A mammoth adventure that I would never in a million years do myself. Only at 24 would you be crazy enough to set off on a bike planning to travel round the world. He had to completely change his plans as 9/11 happened just before he was due to head towards into middle east so he went all the way through Africa instead. Done on a shoestring and definitely my kind of travel (but definitely more strenuous than I am up to these days).
December 6, 2021
Didn't expect it to be this good tbh
September 21, 2023
Around the World by Bike is the amazing true adventure of Alastair Humphreys as he cycled… around the world. I found his story to be really interesting as he described not only the sights but also the natural of humanity during the upheaval of 9/11. His adventures made me want to jump back on to my bike but the hardship he experienced also helps me to not to go right this second.
This book is definitely for someone who loves to travel and who doesn’t mind wearing duck tape for part of it.
This book is definitely for someone who loves to travel and who doesn’t mind wearing duck tape for part of it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 27, 2023
Hearing about Alastair's absolutely amazing ride is jaw dropping and inspiring. Should I one day snap, sit on my bike and just start riding you can blame this man :-)
March 12, 2022
This was a fantastic book about an amazing journey. The writing was honest and straight forward. I say I read this book, but I actually listened to it on audible, I do not believe Mr Humphreys would oppose though seeing as how he narrated the book.
Every morning as I stepped onto the treadmill of my local gym I would press play on the book and use it to take me away for an hour. Listening to the narration and imagining the places he described and remembering the places I have been was wildly better than staring at the backside of a TacoBell and McDonald’s in the pre dawn hours. The book made me long for adventure again, and to start counting the days before I am able to pack my own backs and get after it again. I recommend this book to anyone who has ever wondered what the far side of the world is like.
Every morning as I stepped onto the treadmill of my local gym I would press play on the book and use it to take me away for an hour. Listening to the narration and imagining the places he described and remembering the places I have been was wildly better than staring at the backside of a TacoBell and McDonald’s in the pre dawn hours. The book made me long for adventure again, and to start counting the days before I am able to pack my own backs and get after it again. I recommend this book to anyone who has ever wondered what the far side of the world is like.
June 11, 2021
Alastair's voice was nice to listen to and I liked the rhythm of the story, which gave just the right amount of detail and story without feeling like a diary and listing every breakfast. In addition to the technical performance of getting around the world I liked how I seemed to be able to pick out how he developed as a character during the years it took to complete the ride. Also I think it was awesome that it wasn't a record breaking attempt and he took his time and changed his plans during the trip. I really enjoyed the ride and was left feeling a bit empty when it ended.
August 2, 2022
Listened to the audiobook read by the author. A great listen over an extended period. AH provides his own very frank reflections on what went through his mind throughout his epic ride over 4 years. Excellent.
June 6, 2025
4.5* rounded up. I really enjoyed Alastair's tales of his adventures around the world by bike, which take 4 years to complete. This book is rather long (it's effectively 3 books in 1), but if anything it could have been longer as I feel like he skips through big chunks that he travelled through for a month or more without giving much detail, such as some of the trip through USA.
Half a star I'm taking away for his obliviousness to his gender privilege and his old-fashioned sexism. To start with, he leaves his girlfriend of 4 years to go on this trip with very little thought about how she might feel and it seems like a very selfish male ego trip. She doesn't want to join him (and there's a chance he didn't even think to invite her), but he doesn't give her reasons why or even hint that it may actually be dangerous for her in a way that it isn't for him. He also continually mentions how much he misses her (particularly in book 1) and expects her to be waiting for him despite not contacting her for months at a time, and he seems surprised when her number is no longer in service when he attempts to call her over a year later. She is mentioned as part of the UK homecoming welcoming party though so perhaps she did have extreme levels of patience after all!
There's also several comments throughout the book that mention women very objectively or sexualise women outright which feel tacky and immature, but I think the lack of awareness that he was only able to complete this ride relatively unscathed (from memory, I think there's 1 low level mugging and 1-2 fairly minor assaults on the whole trip) because he was a man was just really blinkered. A woman simply would not have been safe doing this trip, even in a group, and would almost certainly have been sexually assaulted or worse multiple times.
I also found his take on poverty and charity to be quite interesting. In some countries he's harassed for money as he's viewed as a rich white man and in others he doesn't feel anything is expected of him. However it is extremely rare that he ever gives anyone something to help them out (the Russian couple who lost their bakery and home in a fire the night he was staying there is the only real example I can think of where he actually does). He doesn't even seem to actively choose to support specific tradespeople based on their evident need. Even when he saw a young child trying to sell a single egg on a busy street in Africa, he didn't feel the need to stop and buy it to help even though he could have so easily done so. He finally seems to become aware of this in his last leg between Kazakhstan and Europe when he sees a crippled boy in pain walking miles to get home. He doesn't stop to help, but he does finally acknowledge that he could have.
Overall though, a really interesting story with lots of information about many areas of the world and the challenges with immigration bureaucracy, cultural differences, and the struggles of travelling by bike. Definitely should have been longer and properly split into 3 books.
Half a star I'm taking away for his obliviousness to his gender privilege and his old-fashioned sexism. To start with, he leaves his girlfriend of 4 years to go on this trip with very little thought about how she might feel and it seems like a very selfish male ego trip. She doesn't want to join him (and there's a chance he didn't even think to invite her), but he doesn't give her reasons why or even hint that it may actually be dangerous for her in a way that it isn't for him. He also continually mentions how much he misses her (particularly in book 1) and expects her to be waiting for him despite not contacting her for months at a time, and he seems surprised when her number is no longer in service when he attempts to call her over a year later. She is mentioned as part of the UK homecoming welcoming party though so perhaps she did have extreme levels of patience after all!
There's also several comments throughout the book that mention women very objectively or sexualise women outright which feel tacky and immature, but I think the lack of awareness that he was only able to complete this ride relatively unscathed (from memory, I think there's 1 low level mugging and 1-2 fairly minor assaults on the whole trip) because he was a man was just really blinkered. A woman simply would not have been safe doing this trip, even in a group, and would almost certainly have been sexually assaulted or worse multiple times.
I also found his take on poverty and charity to be quite interesting. In some countries he's harassed for money as he's viewed as a rich white man and in others he doesn't feel anything is expected of him. However it is extremely rare that he ever gives anyone something to help them out (the Russian couple who lost their bakery and home in a fire the night he was staying there is the only real example I can think of where he actually does). He doesn't even seem to actively choose to support specific tradespeople based on their evident need. Even when he saw a young child trying to sell a single egg on a busy street in Africa, he didn't feel the need to stop and buy it to help even though he could have so easily done so. He finally seems to become aware of this in his last leg between Kazakhstan and Europe when he sees a crippled boy in pain walking miles to get home. He doesn't stop to help, but he does finally acknowledge that he could have.
Overall though, a really interesting story with lots of information about many areas of the world and the challenges with immigration bureaucracy, cultural differences, and the struggles of travelling by bike. Definitely should have been longer and properly split into 3 books.
July 20, 2021
Nu patīk man šādas grāmatas. Nu tā, ka ir uz neiespējamā robežas.
Kāds 24-gadīgs britu jaunietis īsi pirms 11.septembra notikumiem izdomāja apbraukt apkārt pasaulei (viņa sākotnējo plānu nedaudz izmainīja tieši 9/11) - cauri Eiropai, lejā pāri Āfrikai, tad pāri okeānam augšā pa Dienvidamerikas un Ziemeļamerikas rietumu pusi, atkal pāri ūdeņiem, cauri Sibīrijai ziemā, Japāna, Ķīna, "stānas" un atpakaļ cauri Eiropai uz mājām. 60 valstis 4 gados.
Ļoti cilvēcīga grāmata, kur savijās gan personisks skatījums uz valsti un tajā notiekošo, gan vietējo iedzīvotāju kolorīts. Vienīgais, kur nepiekritu, ka viņš, 2004./2005.gadā braucot cauri Turkmenistānai, izteicās, ka Ašhabada ir kārtējā padomju pilsēta "identical in style from the Pacific to the Baltic".
Ā un vēl profesionālajā ziņā galvu pagrozīt lika vīzas viltošana - izbraukšanas datumu nomainot no 3 uz 8 🙈
I wanted something that I did not know that I was capable of. I would never know unless I tried. I wanted unpredictability. I wanted to demand more of myself than I could demand from others. I wanted open space. I wanted anxiety and insecurity, storm and strife, even if I did not always have the courage to cope with them. I wanted to strive, to seek and to see whether or not I would yield. I wanted to overload my senses. I felt that I would only know my strength if I took the strain. That I needed to taste blood to know I was hurt, needed to be thrashed by a gale to accept it was windy, needed to taste lung to believe I had pushed myself hard. I needed to confirm that I was alive.
Kāds 24-gadīgs britu jaunietis īsi pirms 11.septembra notikumiem izdomāja apbraukt apkārt pasaulei (viņa sākotnējo plānu nedaudz izmainīja tieši 9/11) - cauri Eiropai, lejā pāri Āfrikai, tad pāri okeānam augšā pa Dienvidamerikas un Ziemeļamerikas rietumu pusi, atkal pāri ūdeņiem, cauri Sibīrijai ziemā, Japāna, Ķīna, "stānas" un atpakaļ cauri Eiropai uz mājām. 60 valstis 4 gados.
Ļoti cilvēcīga grāmata, kur savijās gan personisks skatījums uz valsti un tajā notiekošo, gan vietējo iedzīvotāju kolorīts. Vienīgais, kur nepiekritu, ka viņš, 2004./2005.gadā braucot cauri Turkmenistānai, izteicās, ka Ašhabada ir kārtējā padomju pilsēta "identical in style from the Pacific to the Baltic".
Ā un vēl profesionālajā ziņā galvu pagrozīt lika vīzas viltošana - izbraukšanas datumu nomainot no 3 uz 8 🙈
I wanted something that I did not know that I was capable of. I would never know unless I tried. I wanted unpredictability. I wanted to demand more of myself than I could demand from others. I wanted open space. I wanted anxiety and insecurity, storm and strife, even if I did not always have the courage to cope with them. I wanted to strive, to seek and to see whether or not I would yield. I wanted to overload my senses. I felt that I would only know my strength if I took the strain. That I needed to taste blood to know I was hurt, needed to be thrashed by a gale to accept it was windy, needed to taste lung to believe I had pushed myself hard. I needed to confirm that I was alive.
November 2, 2020
Read expertly by the author I thoroughly enjoyed this book of travel, endurance and culture differences.
Surprisingly gripping considering it isn't a fictional story. Not only about physical stamina, but also mental endurance which was sometimes so much harder to cope with.
Slightly ruined by a spoiler review written Ranulph Fiennes which was read in between the the two parts! Couldn't that have been either left out completely or saved until nearer the end?
Surprisingly gripping considering it isn't a fictional story. Not only about physical stamina, but also mental endurance which was sometimes so much harder to cope with.
Slightly ruined by a spoiler review written Ranulph Fiennes which was read in between the the two parts! Couldn't that have been either left out completely or saved until nearer the end?
December 2, 2021
Listened to the audiobook version and whilst an enjoyable listen in a "by jove let's tallyho and stick out the old stiff upper lip chaps" way as any English explorer/adventurer will never tire in letting you know.... a slight bit of editing would not have gone astray!! Repetitive in parts but admirable for such an effort and this shows... Phew would be a good one word description..
September 19, 2023
I'm an avid cyclist and I've read quite a few cycle touring related books. Not everyone will like this book but I enjoyed it. I enjoyed a few things in particular (1) his ongoing internal debate as to why he was doing this and what meaning it had (2) observations of different societies (3) interesting quotes he shared from famous people or just apporopos quotes.
October 1, 2020
Alastair you dont have to worry about leaving us with a bench or a water fountain because you have this great book to leave us. Truly inspirational and live affirming. A must read for anyone with a slight interest in travel and a longing to wonder 'whats at the end of the road'.
February 12, 2022
Enjoyed this in the main and it's one helluva adventure that the author takes us on. I enjoyed the stories of the road more than the pontifications, but that's just me. I found in pretty inspiring in terms of planning future adventures
August 3, 2022
Beautifully written and inspiring travelogue-meets-adventure of Alastair’s astonishing cycling circumnavigation in his early twenties, which captures all the colour, contrasts and contradictions of the people and places in our fascinating world.
September 21, 2021
a wonderful, adventurous escape from my mundane, corporate workdays
December 18, 2021
infinitely inspirational.
January 12, 2022
Excellent read! Reads like fiction.
April 5, 2022
I regret to say that this book was extremely safe and boring.
May 8, 2022
What an amazing story. I particularly enjoyed the authors descriptions of the people he met and the challenges brought on by his travel decisions. Recommended.
May 9, 2023
Such an amazing and inspiring adventure!
June 12, 2023
Epic journey, written soberly and therefore with a very realistic feel to it.
June 22, 2024
Dude has a weird attitude towards women, was very distracting
November 3, 2024
Really enjoyed this listening. Also being read by the author adds the extra excitement. What a journey! I definetly would not do the same, but I envy the state of mind.
February 1, 2025
Super entertaining book, loved every page of it. Whilst it is very funny written, you also gain more courage in discovering the world out there
March 18, 2025
4.5 stars.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews