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Peter Neiger was working a good job and making good money, but he was unhappy. He sold his stuff, quit his job and decided to bike across America without any previous biking experience.
We start this interview with Peter sharing what inspired him to bike across America, what the first month was like and what encouraged him to push on during really tough times. After a number of months on the road, Peter made his way to LA where he started a new career, and ended up finding himself back into the same spot as he was in DC.
So, for the second time, Peter decided to quit his job to bike across the country. And this time, him and his wife decided to take all their work on the road and head out for 2.5 years with their dog. Peter shares what it was like to travel by bike with a dog, a remote job, and his wife. He shares challenges that they overcome, highlights of the trip, low lights of the trip, and what he learned along the way.
We also talk about the decision to stop the biking trip despite not making it to all of the lower 48 states. Many of us can identify with the desire to stop, but it can be hard when you’ve attached a certain identity to yourself. Peter shares how biking became not fun for them anymore and how they ultimately made that decision.
Enjoy!
What we talk about:
- Working in DC in a typical career and leaving all of that for something different
- Quitting a job to bicycle across the country
- What it was like to bike across the country with no previous biking experience
- What attracted Peter to biking across America
- The desire to quit and just go home
- Highlights of the first trip across the country
- Ending the first trip in LA, starting a new career and ending up in the same position
- Taking work on the road + biking for 2.5 years with his wife and dog
- What the second bike trip was like
- Working remotely + biking
- Traveling as a couple + living in tent
- The decision to stop biking
- The novelty of biking, as with anything, wears off and it just becomes normal
- Finding the balance between settling down and the need for adventure
- Traveling with jobs vs. traveling without
- How to know when to stop
- Pie Town, New Mexico
- Warm Showers
- Having your identity attached to being a biker, being a traveler, etc.
- Is this a rough patch or do I hate this? How do you strike that balance?
- The experience around creating something from a trip
- Bike touring in the US vs. traveling internationally
- Biggest learnings from biking across America twice!
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Music Credits:
www.bensound.com
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