Walter Bogner has been traveling the world by bicycle for 56 years with groups of up to 40 people. His trips have taken him to places like Vietnam, New Zealand, and Mauritius. Traveling alone was simply too boring for him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even as a teenager, Walter, a native of Graz, would follow his parents on their holidays by bicycle. At 20, he decided he no longer wanted to travel alone. He sought out like-minded individuals throughout Styria to join him on his travels, often combining his work and involvement in youth work with his passion for travel. This led to Walter spending a full 60 days on the road in 1974 with a group of 16-year-olds. It's probably unimaginable today that their parents would have allowed it. Since then, the average age of his group has risen somewhat, as have their expectations regarding accommodation. Single rooms are a no-go on Walter's group trips: "...the participants should get used to each other.".<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Preparing for a cycling trip is very important to Walter. It's the only way to travel safely with a group and to get to know the surrounding area and local culture. Walter isn't a fan of simply following a route, because then you only have the route itself in mind, not what there is to discover to the right and left. He learned to read maps as a child, so Walter prefers to familiarize himself with what the new region has to offer before the trip even begins. A lack of accommodation or unexpected hills don't pose a problem for him. What surprises him more is how little many travelers research their destination beforehand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou have to prepare for every trip, then you'll get more out of it.\u201d<\/p>Walter in our interview<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n