Lauterach A three-year trip by bike was originally planned. When Karina Forsthuber and her partner Peter left Vorarlberg at the end of November 2019, no one thought of an early end. The route was already set. At first, the freedom-loving and travel-loving couple wanted to New Zealand. Then they had planned to experience Fijis, North America and Asia on their bikes. For their tour, they quit their jobs, rented their apartment, and stored the furniture.
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First effects
Not quite four months later, they landed at Frankfurt Airport in mid-March 2020. During this time they sat a total of 6000 kilometers on the saddle. They had explored the north and south islands of New Zealand. “We saw great landscapes in a small space. Tropical areas, fjords and alpine-like mountains were part of it, ”remembers Karina Forsthuber. The corona pandemic, the effects of which were felt in New Zealand from the end of February, had led to her first bicycle trip being canceled. “The toilet paper and bread shelves in the supermarkets were empty. New Zealand banned Chinese tourists from entering the country and restricted the import of Chinese goods, ”says the 49-year-old. The first hotels and campsites closed.
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Memories captured
While the native of Salzburg, who met her partner for a season in Lech 23 years ago, wanted to continue the journey, Peter was more concerned with safety. They agreed on the end of their bike tour and booked two of the last flights home in March of the previous year. “To be on the safe side, we booked through a travel agency and got business class flights via Australia and San Francisco to Europe,” says the passionate everyday cyclist and mountain biker, and she has to smile at the thought of the ticket prices. The globetrotter wrote down her experiences in a self-published book. “In ‘Kiwis und Corona’ I describe the last days of our bike trip through New Zealand on 288 pages.”
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Another tour planned
From their current home in Lauterach, the two well-traveled people plan to continue their bike tour with mats, tents and camping stoves as soon as possible. Karina Forsthuber already has experience with long journeys. After all, she and her partner toured the USA for a year in a camper van or drove from Vorarlberg to India in eight months. “I could imagine that we will tie in with North America. A bike tour through Europe could be on the agenda for the summer. ”Despite the untimely end, she liked the first bike tour. The two of them can enjoy the feeling of freedom again on their next bike tour. VN-PAG
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“I could imagine that we will continue our bike tour in North America.”
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