Travel Preparations [1]: First, Persuading My Mother

One of the reasons I started this blog was to spark interest among fellow cycling enthusiasts and hopefully provide some useful insights. That said, please understand that when I share travel anecdotes or reminisce about the past, the topics may stray a bit from cycling. Much of the content also covers events from over 30 years ago (as of 2016), so I expect many things have changed since then.

First, Persuading My Mother

Having decided to travel abroad, I felt a sense of relief, and for some reason, I had a feeling that everything would work out from there. At the time, I was working at a production company in the printing industry. Since it was a company with fewer than 20 employees, I understood all too well how difficult things would become if even one person were to leave. So, wanting to give as much notice as possible, I informed the company that I intended to resign six months later, in March of the following year.

There is a travelogue on bicycle travel titled *World Pedal Journey (Volumes 1 & 2)* (Saimaru Publishing, 1974) by Ikemoto Motomitsu. Mr. Ikemoto was a pioneer of adventure cycling, and this book chronicles his journey spanning 4 years and 4 months from 1968, during which he traveled 42,000 km across 47 countries. It serves as a sort of bible for young people aiming to travel abroad. I used it as a reference myself.

I began serious preparations after the new year. First, I had to tell my mother. My siblings had all moved out on their own, but as the youngest, I was still single and living with her. My mother was the one who understood my passion for cycling best. She didn’t object, but she seemed worried. That was only natural. After all, I was telling her I was going on my first trip abroad—and by bicycle, no less. To ease her worries even a little, I explained my plan in a convincing manner and made some promises.

First, I told her that now, having passed 30, this was my last chance. Thinking about the future, I limited the trip to two years. The route would take me from North America to Europe and then to North Africa. I promised to call her once a month, send postcards regularly, take enough travel money with me, and be extremely careful to avoid accidents, and so on. I managed to convince my mother. This was right at the start of the New Year.

Next → Travel Preparations [2]: Ordering a Camping Bike

私がブログを始めた理由の一つに、自転車好きの人たちに興味を持ってもらい、何かしらの参考になればという思いがあります。とはいえ、旅のエピソードや想い出話になると、少し自転車から離れますので、ご了承ください。内容も30年以上前の出来事で、現在とは状況が違うことが多々あると思います。

まず母親の説得から

海外旅行を決断して気持ちもスッキリし、なぜか、この先うまくいく気がしました。そのころ、私は印刷関連の制作会社に勤めていました。スタッフが20人にも満たない会社でしたから、１人でも欠けると、何かと大変なのは私自身よく理解していました。そこで、なるべく早めにと思い、会社には半年後の翌年３月に退職したい旨伝えました。

自転車旅行の紀行本に、池本元光著『世界ペダル紀行(上･下)』(サイマル出版 1974年) があります。池本さんはアドベンチャー・サイクリングの先駆者で、この書には1968年から4年4ヵ月かけ47ヵ国、42,000㎞を走破したようすが記されており、海外を目指す若者達のバイブル的な存在です。私も参考にしました。

本格的な準備は、年が明けてから始めました。まずは母親への報告です。兄弟はみな独立していましたが、一番下の私はまだ独身で、母親と二人暮らしでした。私の自転車への思いを一番理解してくれていたのが母親です。反対はしませんでしたが、心配のようでした。当然でしょう。初めての海外旅行、しかも自転車で行くと言うのですから。母親の心配を少しでも軽くするように、もっともらしく計画を説明し、約束事も決めました。

まず、30才を過ぎた今が最後のチャンスであること。先々のことを考えて、期間は2年まで。コースは、北米からヨーロッパ、そして北アフリカ。月に１回は電話をかける。絵はがきをマメに送る。十分な旅費を持っていく。事故には細心の注意を払う、などなど。母親には何とか納得してもらいました。正月早々のことです。