Emily Chappell’s advice (part two)

To follow up my last post, here is some more advice from Emily Chappell that I got when I met her last week in Edinburgh.

Apologies for the bad photo

6. McDonald’s might not be aware of it themselves, but they have excellent laundry facilitates (i.e., a sink, soap and a hand dryer)! If you are stealth camping in the wilderness, McDonald’s can be one of the best places to wash yourself and your clothes.  On top of that, most McDonald’s have free wifi!

7. I can be a last minute kind a person, and because there is so much preparation and planning involved in this trip, I sometimes worry I wont get it all done in time. Emily assured me that she often feels the same way, and that it can be impossible to plan everything in advance. We agreed that it’s better to have a date set for your trip and get as much done as possible ahead of time. After that, there’s no point worrying, just do what you can!

8. I spoke to Emily about my ‘bibs or shorts’ dilemma. She usually wears Assos shorts, because of their great fit and longevity. Shorts can be a very personal thing, however, so I really need to try them out and see how I get on.

9. Emily has cycled through many hot and sparsely populated regions. She found that carrying 3 litres of water was sufficient for anywhere she’s been to, even in 40 degree hot desert regions in China.

10. To protect herself from stray dogs, Emily uses a ‘dazer’, which is an ultrasonic dog repeller. It sits in her front bag for quick and easy access.  Has anyone else used them before? Does anyone else have other tricks that help repel dogs?

Many thanks again to Emily for all of her advice!
Support Emily through her blog (http://thatemilychappell.com), on Twitter  and pick up her new book, What Goes Around, if you get the chance!