On the road for eight months: Swiss couple cycles to New Zealand

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It is almost bedtime for Nicolas Jud and Smilla Berger in Langkawi when Blick speaks to them on the phone. They spend the night in a cheap hotel before returning to mainland Malaysia the next day and pedal towards Australia with their touring bikes and luggage. “My brother lives in Auckland and we want to visit him there,” says Nicolas Jud, who works in event marketing.

The adventurous idea of ​​traveling to Australia by bike came from him. As a child, he went on light cycling trips with his family. «I didn’t have any special experience or much knowledge. We did not prepare specifically for the trip. “But my dad is more experienced and helped us with the planning,” says Jud.

The people of Bern found suitable touring bikes and equipment on the Internet. “Upon request, we found a sponsor for the equipment who was willing to support our idea in a relatively simple way,” says Jud.

First test immediately after the start of the trip

Self-employed illustrator Smilla Berger gave up her apartment and part-time job in a restaurant, and Nicolas Jud also gave up his shared room to save money. The couple lived at Jud’s parents’ house in Wilderswil for a month until their adventure began in June 2023.

While the duo’s first challenge on the first day was the Grimsel Pass, the Nufenen Pass also demanded a lot from amateur cyclists. «At the top of the pass, we were proud and happy to have mastered the first tests. But we soon realized that we had approached this crazy idea a little naively and had taken everything for granted,” says Smilla Berger with a laugh.

Equipment and orientation aids

The couple wanted to use the first month of their European tour to gain experience. One of the first findings was that they had a lot of luggage with them. More than one or two t-shirts are unnecessary and dead weight. In addition to tents, mats and sleeping bags, you also have a little “luxury” with you in the form of fitted sheets. “Sleeping is a little more comfortable if there isn’t always a gap between two sleeping mats,” Berger says with a laugh.

Sleep and rest are very important on a challenging cycling tour of approximately 70 kilometers a day in the deserts of Oman, where temperatures reach up to 40 degrees, or on overcrowded streets and chaos, as in Mumbai. Travel times and distances at the relevant stage destinations vary depending on the day, altitude, road and wind conditions. “We had to set off early in the morning due to the heat in the desert and took a break a few hours later. “It was brutal and I had a headache,” Bernese said.

They stocked up enough water from gas stations to carry them across the desert. They plan their travel routes using Google Maps and orient themselves using other navigation programs. “Gas stations and rest stops are marked there, and almost all of them are open at all hours of the day,” says Jud. For geopolitical reasons in the Middle East, the Swiss did not always choose the shortest route and traveled parts of the route by plane. Iran and Pakistan managed to bypass them and reach Oman from Dubai. “We’re not taking any additional risks and we don’t want our parents and grandparents to worry,” says Berger.

Accommodation on the Road

The couple prefers to spend the night in their tent somewhere in nature. This is not possible in big cities. “We are looking for cheap accommodation, but not the cheapest,” says Berger. After several negative experiences they are no longer fooled by the pictures on the internet and have been examining the rooms in advance ever since. Smilla Berger recalls with disgust a very bad accommodation she shared with cockroaches in Mumbai.

The couple mention Sri Lanka, where Smilla Berger’s mother traveled south for two weeks with the couple from Colombo, or Thailand, where they were able to spend the night on a puddle with a rice farmer, or Oman, which were previous highlights. Since we are only in one place for a day or two, we view our trip as an exploratory trip for a later stay where we want to spend more time and get to know the country and its people better. Oman is definitely one of them,” explains Berger. They were less enthusiastic about Türkiye. Nicolas Jud: “It was almost a culture shock and unusual in terms of cuisine. Most of the locals there didn’t speak English either.”

Positive intermediate results despite failures

But halfway through the adventure, the temporary balance of the Bernese people is positive. They have avoided major malfunctions so far. “We had to change brake blocks, tires and even pedals. “But that’s normal for these routes and roads,” says Jud.

The partner adds that driving a two-wheeler on such a tour is tiring, but the view is intensely perceived. The couple also agree that this adventurous journey has further strengthened their relationship, which has been going on for almost seven years. Nicolas Jud: “On such a difficult journey you can no longer hide anything and you experience yourself unadorned. “You depend on each other, you have to look for solutions and make compromises.”

Continue towards the goal

Despite all the positive impressions and experiences they gained during their trip to 16 countries so far, the couple from Bern are happy when they arrive at their destination, New Zealand. This will most likely be the case in July as well. Until then you should keep pedaling.

For now, they’re looking forward to meeting a friend on the way to Bali, before seeing Jud’s brother again in Auckland and recovering from an extraordinary bike ride with the family that will fly to Australia.

Source : Blick