I contacted some people on Instagram who have done huge bike tours recently to ask them how social media has impacted their ride. (I did this after writing my own thoughts on whether adventure was better before social media.)

Here are their responses. (Thank you to everyone who helped out with this.)

• Alee Denham said “the best part would have to be the fact that it motivates others to travel the world by bike. The biggest help from social media is the social interaction and knowledge associated with a big online community. I have made literally hundreds of friends from purely discovering that we share similar interests!
  I like to use a smartphone for navigation, as well as for listening to podcasts. But I purposely never get a sim card when I travel because I like to unplug from society to enhance my experience of the world around me. It makes me feel much more present and it allows me to really look forward to catching up with the online world after around 4-7 days (sometimes up to two weeks).
  The way I go about travelling the world financially is through many different income sources, including my website, product sponsors, book sales, YouTube ads and generous donations from people who appreciate my content. I can’t attribute social media directly to any single income stream, but it works as an important funnel to direct people to content on other platforms which are monetised.”
• Geordie Stewart told me that “social media provided three main things on my cycle. First, connectivity. Second, creativity. Third, an amusing contradiction. I suppose it provided some thread of normality to my life in the UK given my abnormal life on the road.
  The creativity was something that only really emerged during the ride. I had so much time to think, so I enjoyed trying to create mini-narratives on a daily basis with Instagram stories. Like my writing or photographs, it was just another means of creative self-expression.
  The contradiction was, arguably, the most interesting aspect of social media use. I say that because seemingly I shared a lot but felt I actually shared very little. I captured small moments or particular images but those were immediate snapshots rather than everyday life. Social media, therefore, was often a contradiction between the perception people had of the trip and how I actually felt.
  My phone was probably my most important bit of kit. Primarily it was my means of navigation and communication but, crucially, it was also my audio source. I rode most of the day with my headphones in listening to music and podcasts. I finished the trip and still wished for more time to listen, learn and think.”
• Ed Pratt felt that “by far the best thing was being able to meet people who travelled out to find me on the road because they’d somehow heard about my ride or stumbled across my videos. I met some real lovely nutters in this way. One couple out in New Zealand drove six hours just to hand me a can of baked beans!
  When I was out in Kazakhstan my hub’s flange started cracking. Hundreds of miles from Aral, the next town, I had to find a way to reattach the spokes that had pulled through the broken holes. I posted an image on Facebook to see if anyone had any advice. Many did, and some even sent illustrated photos of the best way they I could fix it with wire.
  In terms of income, for advertising talks and the sale of my film series, social media has been invaluable.”
• Lars Bengtsson appreciates “the fast and easy connection to fellow travellers. I can find information about every bit of the world. I follow a lot of other adventure cyclists. Their stories and their pictures help keep me motivated.”
• Dean Nicholson (YouTube) first set up social media “so I could share my adventure with friends back home. This soon exploded and now people from all other the world can see what I’m up to. I can show the state of the world from plastic pollution to refugees.
  Fans have reached out to me and offered up their sofas and spare beds which I am so grateful for!”
• Ann Johansson told me that “the reason I first got the idea to my tour was because of social media. And after setting off I started to noticed that I inspired others. That circle of inspiration is amazing to be part of.
  I wouldn’t have survived all the long dark lonely evenings tucked up in my tent without my phone, haha. No, but seriously. Touring without a phone would be really hard. While riding Kazakhstan my phone suddenly died. In a blink of a moment I was without my navigation tool. I had to check into a hotel, open Google maps and draw my whole route through the country in my notebook. For the next month those drawings were the only map I had to follow. In the end it worked out well. The hardest thing was to be without music and podcasts. Riding 8 hours a day over the vast Kazakh steppe with nothing to look at except the horizon in front of you without my phone was a challenge 😉.
  It was never my plan to gain anything financially from my social media platforms and therefore I got quite surprised when I first got my first ambassador offer. I’ve had several companies sponsoring me with gear and clothes which has been really helpful.”
• Franzi says that “it’s a great way to connect to others who are also traveling. The best times we had were when we shared the road with others for a little while. Of course, sometimes you simply cross paths, but we also arranged meet-up points via Instagram with others in the area to ride together. We made so many friends this way.
  We use several apps for traveling like warmshowers, alpine quest, osm and so on. They make traveling easier in many ways.”

What about you? What have your experiences been? Let us know in the comments.