The Questions

Emily Chappell, a former London bike courier who left her job in September 2011 to cycle around
the world, has since learned a great deal and answers bike-touring questions alongside other female long-distance riders, including Helen Lloyd, Sarah Outen, and Eleanor Moseman. You'll find lots of great
tips and information for traveling cyclists of any stripe:
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• How do you deal with the exposure of sleeping alone in a tent at night?
• Do you worry about getting stranded without food/water to keep you going?
• How do you plan your route, and find your way?
• What do you do when your bike breaks down?
• How do you get up in the morning and carry on when you’re tired or it’s really hot or really cold?
• How do you deal with the monotony of parts of the road?
• What was your scariest moment?
• What would you recommend on your lower half, padded shorts or not?
• Are women more sociable, i.e. like to achieve together, rather than do it alone?
• How do you deal with unwanted attention from men?
• Have you tried wearing a skirt when cycling (perhaps with shorts underneath)?
• How do you deal with periods, cramps and really bad PMT days?
• What do you wear when cycling through more conservative countries?
• What kind of budget per day did you set yourself? And how did you go about setting it?
• Forgive the slightly graphic description, but men can ‘shake off’ much more effectively than women when going to the loo outdoors, with no loo roll. In my experience (and from talking to other women), women often end up with damp and smelly pants. A friend of mine uses her hand – not great when there’s no water – and I’ve experimented with a sponge (rinsing it through) and loo roll in a plastic sandwich bag. Using loo roll and then burning/burying it after just a wee seems a bit excessive. Any other ideas?
• What makes you cry?

See the answers here