Riding a bike around the world is a dream for many of us—but Kinga Tanajewska has been hard at work living that dream since 2017. Along with her trusty BMW F 800 GS, named Chillie, she’s steadily been making her way around the globe and sharing videos on her YouTube channel, On Her Bike. Kinga started in Australia, and has so far made her way through Oz, Asia, Europe, and Africa.
In October, 2022, she’s been rolling through Canada, experiencing some of the natural beauty that maple leaf country has to offer. While traveling through Quebec, she had her first-ever Bunk-A-Biker experience, which she shares in this video.
For those unfamiliar, Bunk-A-Biker is a community built by bikers, for bikers, offering a place to stay for other riders who are currently traveling. It was started by Norwegian rider Kjetil Lystad back in 2014, after having been That Guy for so many of his rider buddies. You know, that one friend who’s always willing to help out and has your back any time you’re in the area and you need them? In his case, his help came in the form of offering a place to stay. Word quickly spread.
That was its first incarnation, but unfortunately, health concerns caused Lystad to step back in 2017. The dream was far from over, though. In 2019, Zee Traveler stepped in and successfully transformed the site and community into the flourishing endeavor you now see in 2022.
What Are You Waiting For:
There’s a variety of help that hosts can choose to offer visiting bikers, from a place to pitch a tent in their yard, to a spare bedroom, to tools and mechanical help—you get the idea. One cardinal rule of the service is that hosts can’t charge visiting bikers for the service—but asking to see something like a visitor’s driver’s license is fine.
A look at the current map of Bunk-A-Biker locations shows a large number of active hosts worldwide. Europe and North America show the largest numbers, but there are some hosts residing in Australia, Asia, Africa, South America, and even Iceland. Each pin on the map has specific instructions from the host about what they’re offering, as well as how (and when, in relation to your travel) you should contact them.
Back to Kinga’s experience. She’d contacted a very nice Bunk-A-Biker host named Jean-Pierre, who resides in Quebec, in advance. Originally, she had planned to simply pitch her tent on his property, and she was prepared to do so when she rolled up on her F 800 GS. However, because he’s a fellow rider and has traveled for years himself, he instead offered her the use of his spare room because it was raining. How awesome is that?
In any case, you can follow Kinga’s adventures on her YouTube channel—and you can check out Bunk-A-Biker at the link in our Sources.
Source: Bunk-A-Biker