Who is Florian?
My name is Florian Lumpert, I am 21 years old and I grew up in a small village in Tyrol (Holzgau). I have been discovering the world on my bicycle since 7th May 2017.
I literally left from my front door and cycled through Switzerland, Germany, France and England to Edinburgh (Scotland), from where I took a flight to Toronto (Canada) on 28th May. My journey took me across the entire province of Ontario and then across Manitoba as well. When I was there, I took the decision to cross parts of the USA to get to the Western regions so I could experience much of the Rocky Mountains. Therefore, I cycled through the Theodor Roosevelt National Park (North Dakota) to Red Lodge (Montana), a tourist town at the foot of the Rocky Mountains. Fortunately, I was able to get myself a job in a restaurant and therefore increase my travelling budget. Three weeks later, I cycled through the Yellowstone National Park and the Grand Teton National Park (Wyoming), through the Idaho National Forest and, finally, through the Glacier National Park (Montana). My mid-term goal is to follow a path north across the Rocky Mountains to the Banff and Jasper National Parks in order to, hopefully, arrive at my first big goal – Vancouver.
I don’t know where I am going to end up eventually, but after leaving Vancouver I am planning on cycling south to Central America.
Why am I travelling?
To be totally honest, I often ask myself the same question! I think, first and foremost, I am doing it to meet different people and find out about their attitudes towards life. I believe that this is extremely helpful to understand the conflicts and problems that happen around the world. Also, of course, I am travelling for myself, as I want to understand MYSELF better.
Every day I cycle for six to nine hours and sometimes I even cross deserts or I cycle along endless straight roads where I do not meet anyone for a long time. This means that I have a lot of time on my hands to think about various things, including myself. This can sometimes be very difficult! I think about the past, the present and the future. Every day offers me something new and I see so many different things. I enjoy every moment of it, I take in my surroundings and I don’t wait for better days to come. This is why to me it feels like I’ve been travelling forever!
Why do I travel by bike?
That’s an easy question! Cycling means travelling fast enough to cover long distances quickly but also slow enough to take in your surroundings and to get to know as many people as possible – which is very important to me! I am certain that I couldn’t do that by driving a car.
Why do I take Flying Tent with me on my journey?
It didn’t take me long to decide. When I discovered one of those “flying tents” online I thought I had to give it a go! Flying Tent makes it possible for me to sleep in breath-taking spots. I couldn’t do that in a conventional tent. You basically just put it up and tighten it between two trees and there you go! And if there aren’t any trees it’s also easy to erect it on the ground. Nevertheless, I will keep my big tent with me in order to be on the safe side.
You can find more information about my journey here: GLOBALBIKEADVENTURE.
Text & Photos: Florian Lumpert
Leave A Comment