The story of how I saved money, quit my job, sold my possessions, and set off to endlessly travel by bike around the world. My Plan

My 3 Books
I write, self publish and sell books about bicycle touring

(see all 3 book)

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Introduction
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Some Advice About Advice
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START HERE for Touring Bikes and Commuting Bicycles
Custom Touring Bicycles and Bike Upgrade Buyers Guide
Bicycle Touring Frames 
The Steel Repair Myth.
Steel and Aluminum Derailleur Hanger Repair.
Bicycle Touring Wheels
Phil Wood: The Best Bicycle Hubs

Panniers / Bike Bags
Cargo Trailers Vs Panniers
Tires for Bike Tours..
Bicycle Touring Saddles.
Women's Specific Bike Touring Saddles
Brooks Leather Touring Bicycle Saddle Care and Conditioning
Bike Computer
Touring Handlebars, Bar Ends, Adjustable Stems, and Padded Grips.
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How to prevent flat tires
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Digging Through The Past and
50% Overstock Book Sale

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It has been way to long since I sent out my last newsletter.  Those of you that follow our Twitter updates know that we have spent the last nine months riding from Yuma, Arizona, across the USA to DC, and we are now at my sister's house in Indiana.  Last summer's leg of our journey was very different than all the previous years because we were also on the speaking circuit.  This involved shipping books ahead, pedaling faster than usual to get to the events on their dates, and playing the star for a couple hours.  Our last public appearance was two weeks ago and now we have settled into finishing our third book which should be out this winter sometime after the holidays. 

With all the printing and shipping of books we had two boxes of our first book lost forever by the US postal service and with US Media Mail there is no insurance or recourse for compensation.

This is actually good news for you. our readers.  During our talks we sold most of our books in pairs.  We now have two extra boxes of our second book left over and are having a big sale to equal up our inventory.  Below is our blowout offer.

50% OFF OVERSTOCK SALE
For a limited time receive half off our 2nd book
Down The Road in South America
The perfect GIFT!!!

So, here I sit in Indiana for the time being.  It has been five years since I have seen my family which is always one of the hardest parts of being on the road.  There are the usual Travis family get togethers during the holidays but this time Crazy Uncle Tim and Aunt Cindie will attend. 

A strange side show to our overdue visit is the large garbage bag full of mail we have to sort through.  Most of our financial affairs are handled online but there is always a trickle of paper mail going to my parents house while we are away.  Cindie says she feels like a financial archeologists sifting through bank statements and mutual fund prospectuses.  She discovered that during the years we were away the USA went through a huge economic boom with offers to buy our house for ridicules prices and pre approved credit cards.  The most bizarre letters we received were from our mortgage company offering us pre approved home equity loans including cards where we just had to phone in to activate and then we had US$65,000 (and more depending on the market value of our house) to blow.  Please keep in mind this bank made these offers to loan us huge sums of money while we were homeless, drifting around the world, and without jobs.  We have always hated debt and would never accept these loans, even when we had professional jobs, but I have met enough people in my travels to know many took these kind of loans and went on a spending rampage that ended last year.  The bigger the party the bigger the hangover and as we rode across the USA last summer we saw a lot of people nursing devastating hangovers.  No wonder many big banks went under and individuals are in financial ruin.

After our 3rd book is published this winter we have fairly firm plans to fly to India to spend another five years visiting the subcontinent and neighbors.  Those of you who have followed us for awhile know that unless we have actually acquired airline tickets our plans could change.  India is most likely next because we want to go somewhere we have not been yet and that list is always shrinking.  Another deciding factor is affordability.  The recession has cut into our little business and book sales are down about 30%.  This reduced income made for some very hard traveling across the USA last summer because we lost our ability to pay for campgrounds and camped most nights in city parks once we were east of the Rockies and away from the National Forest.  Our solution to weather the recession is to find the cheapest region we have not visited yet and head there.  India and neighbors, being cheaper than Africa, The Middle East, and Eastern Europe is most likely the clear winner.  You will know we are doing well when you get a newsletter sent from a country in Western Europe.  But, until then, we will probably cash in all of our frequent flyer miles for one way tickets to New Delhi, India.

Wishing you all a great holiday season.

Tim Travis
www.DownTheRoad.org
Traveling Since 2002 + No Plans To Stop

Cindie's Twitter http://twitter.com/DownTheRoadORG
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