Helen in her own words:
“Full time global hobo cycling the world on AU$100/week creating vlogs, blogs, and photo’s as I go.
On the road in one form or another since 2004. I left the UK with a round-the-world ticket on what should have been my ‘year out’ but never properly returned.
Living out of a backpack ever since, I taught English in South Korea, travelling back overland along the Silk Road before emigrating to Australia in 2007 where a travel fundraising job meant I continued to move from place to place every week or two.
In Australia I took up bicycle touring and in 2016 set out on an ambitious first bike tour through the outback along the Gibb River Road, Tanami, and Oodnadata tracks.
In 2017 I returned to work for a year while training for and running the New York Marathon, before returning to full-time bicycle touring.
In spring 2018 I set out into The Beast From The East to ride a loop of the UK coast and down to Sicily and back.
In 2019 I rode up the Norwegian coast to the North Cape and back through the Baltic states.
In early spring of 2020 I set out to Istanbul getting caught in lockdown in Germany, waiting and changing course as borders closed and reopened, finally arriving in Istanbul a year late in September 2021.
Totalling 58,000kms over 5 years so far..
From here the plan is to continue on riding to Africa, via the the Middle East (pandemic & borders permitting!)"
New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast go live every Tuesday at 7am UK time - Hit the subscribe button so you don’t miss out.
The Tough Girl Podcast is sponsorship and ad free thanks to the monthly financial support of patrons.
Support the mission to increase the amount of female role models in the media. Visit www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast and subscribe - super quick and easy to do and it makes a massive difference. Thank you.
Listen to Helen Now!
Click here if you can't see the link below.
Show notes
Being a full time global hobo
Where she is at the moment
Her childhood and growing up in the UK
Living in Australia for 10 years
Going on a round the world gap year at 26 years
Why she’s never stopped travelling
Taking up cycling over the past 4/5 years
Taking the train from Asia back to Europe
Finding a job teaching English in Korea
Travelling back to the UK along the Silk Road
Making the move to Sydney, Australia
Not being into sports or fitness at a young age
Getting into running in her early 30s
Living on her bike since 2018
What are the realities of travelling on the road full time
Her day to day routine while riding
Cycling in the desert in Australia
Enjoying her own company
Magical moments from her trip
Enjoying the type 2 fun
Interacting with people from different countries
Using Warmshowers
Safety while travelling
Using a spot tracker in Australia but not in Europe
Getting robbed while in Greece
The lessons learned from the experience
Insurance…and the challenges of getting it while bike touring
Bike gear and equipment
Learning bike maintenance
Wanting to spend time in Africa
How covid impacted Hels while travelling
Starting up Youtube and how it’s going
Travelling on AU $100 per week
Living off savings and earnings from Patreon and Paypal
Keeping costs down and budgeting
Staying in her tent or Warmshowers hosts
How she’s uses her mobile phone and the power of free wifi
Sharing her story on social media
Being supported and encouraged by people online
Thoughts while cycling
Quick Fire Questions
What to remember when things are getting hard
Advice for wanting to be a full time Hobo and travelling full time
Why you should start of small
How to follow along with Hels and be kept upto date with what she’s up to
Social Media
Instagram: @hels.on.wheels
Facebook: @Helsonwheelswithmlt
Feeling inspired week after week?
You can do 3 easy things to help me continue to grow the podcast!
Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes, so you won’t miss a single episode
If you’re loving the podcast, please leave a 5-star review on iTunes! I read every single comment!
Share the podcast with your friends, especially if you think it could help them, and spread the #ToughGirlPodcast love.
Your support helps me continue to grow the podcast and do inspiring things in this space! Already done all 3? You’re a rockstar! Thank you!
Want to do more?
Please become a Patron and donate US$5 a month to help fund the runnings costs. Thank you.
