July 12, 2023
Alexandra Kinias

Driven by her passion for new adventures, Yousra Mounir, the 37-year-old cyclist and world traveler, loves to embark on life altering journeys that push the boundaries and challenge her being. The latest of these adventures was a full equipment solo cycling trip from Munich, Germany to Rome, Italy through the Alps. In Rome she met with her sister and they both cycled to Florence. Yousra covered 500 km in 20 days. 

Yousra lives in Cairo and Dahab, and in both cities she cycles her way around. Cycling through Europe is not a typical activity for Egyptian travelers, but for Yousra it was the perfect opportunity to raise her adventures to a whole new level. 

What Yousra loves most about cycling is the feeling of freedom it provides her and connecting with nature and local people. “Its the best way to enjoy life and also save the planet,” she told WoEgypt. 

To satisfy her wanderlust, Yousra bought her bike in Belgium in the summer of 2022. She cycled from Lier to Maastricht, The Netherland with light luggage. She met her sister in Frankfurt, Germany and they both cycled for one week from Heilbronn to Bamberg.  For a first cycling trip, it was obviously full of challenges that Yousra put in account to try to avoid in her second trip.

It took Yousra two months to plan her trip from Germany to Italy, passing through the Alps. Yousra is a member in several groups for cyclists and bikpackers. In addition, she is also a member of warmshowers.com, a global community where members can find hosts or become hosts to fellow cyclists, provide them with shower, bed and maybe food.

To prepare for the journey, she asked many questions in these groups, and received a lot of advice and guidance about cycling and bikpacking in Europe. “I prepared my map, with the cities where I would stop everyday.  I asked warmshower hosts in these areas if they can host me in their homes or in their garden, as I also had my camping gear.”

She bought some of her supplies in Cairo, and made a list of the items she had to buy in Germany, and that included a good sleeping bag for the Alps. “To be honest I was so scared even after I arrived to Germany,” said Yousra. “I didn’t believe I was going to make it solo, but I took a deep breath and let myself go with the flow.”

Yousra was flexible with her travel plans, she tweaked or changed them as needed. “Sometimes I didn’t find a host in places I was planning to spend the night, or I got tired before I reached my destination and had to look for another place to rest. Sometimes I wanted to stay longer in a place that wasn’t on the initial plan.” She camped many times in people’s gardens and backyards. “I had an amazing experience. Even the random people I stayed in their garden were super warm and they welcomed me in their places with open hearts.”

Once on the road, Yousra’s fears and worries subsided, “I just focused on the present moment and where I was going next. It was an amazing feeling I can’t describe in words.”

The most challenging part of her trip was cycling through the Alps. At times, she even had to push her bike uphill to an elevation of 1370m, which was quite challenging. “But with steep hills there is always an amazing view.” Other times, she found herself in forests all be herself, which was quite unnerving. 

With the end of her solo cycling trip in Rome, she embarked on another trip with her sister; from Rome to Florence. They both had their camping gear, and spent some nights in camping sights and and on other nights, they camped in the gardens of warm shower hosts. 

“We cycled in Rome a bit, which I don’t recommend at all because of its heavy traffic,” said Yousra. “We spent a week on the road to Florence, with a lot of steep hills, but again the view was amazing.”

The trip from Rome to Florence was so challenging, and along with the heavy weight they were carrying, and hot weather, Yousra and her sister were ready to give up, at some times. 

“We met wonderful travelers on the way, and we camped together with some of them. We also met wonderful hosts who picked us from train stations and prepared for us delicious Italian dinners.”

Yousra aspires to go on the cycling Tour d’Afrique from Cairo to Cape Town, but with the situation in Sudan, her plans are still up in the air.

What makes a cycling trip successful, Yousra believes that it all depends on planning and preparing for the trip. “First believe in yourself and trust that your body can do it. Train before you start your cycling trip. Exercise daily, maybe for 20 or 30 km a day, carrying with you your full gear, for your body to get used to the extra weight. 

Prepare your checklist, and it doesn’t need to be perfect, but at least you have with you the important things you will need on the road.

Plan your trip few months ahead, and don’t be shy to ask all the questions you have in your head, no matter how silly you think they are. There are no silly questions when it comes to survival. Be flexible on the road and change the plan if you feel like it. Install a reliable maps app like maps.me or komoot, and also download offline maps. Its so important. Finally, listen to your body when it needs a break,” she concludes.

You can follow Yousra’s adventures on Facebook and Instagram

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