Liam Garner always had travel on the agenda.
“I always knew that I wanted to go on a big crazy adventure and run away after high school,” he claimed.
At age 17, he embarked on the journey of a lifetime: bicycling the “Pan-American highway” from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, to Ushuaia, Argentina.
He took 527 days, stopping at each place and enjoying himself.
“More than a few countries have more than surprised me, and I believe everyone else would be, too,” he said.
What made you want to leave?
I was diagnosed with Asperger’s (syndrome) when I was young, and I think it played a really significant part in why I’ve always struggled in school and routine. I also think that played a really large part in why I’ve become so drawn to the concept of this enormous adventure away from civilization. In the classroom, “that was always my fantasy that could help me get through it a little bit.”
What motivated you to travel?
He declared, “I’ve always loved nature, camping, and stuff like that. “Prior to getting a car, I rode my bike everywhere. I would simply ride my bike somewhere, camp, and return the next day. And that’s how I initially got started—accidentally, by bike touring.
“Eventually I did a bigger trip from L.A. to San Francisco, and that one took me eight days,” he continued. “I created a video series from that trip that became popular on TikTok, and it kind of encouraged me. Wow, it turns out that people care about this, and doing this is both amazing and enjoyable for me.
Jedidiah Jenkins’ best-selling book “To Shake the Sleeping Self,” which describes Jenkins’ life-altering bicycle tour from Oregon to Patagonia, was as another source of inspiration for Garner.
Describe a few highlights.
“Learning the language, seeing my family, living with them, and really connecting with the culture was probably the highest point for me,” he said. “I’m a first-generation immigrant from Mexico on my mom’s side. getting to go through Mexico and actually really living there for a significant portion of time was probably the highest point for me.” I’ve really travelled to Mexico more often than my mother has.
He said, “I was able to see 14 states of Mexico. Going on a bike is a great thing because you truly get to see the terrain as it changes, smell the aromas, and touch the earth. Every state was so distinct and unique.
What are your favourite locations?
“San Francisco, Medelln, and Mexico City were my top three cities. And my top three countries were, I believe, Mexico, Colombia, and Peru, with Mexico being his preferred nation.
With all the news, “I think it’s really easy to create biases about foreign places,” he said. People can say, ‘Oh, I shouldn’t ever go there,’ quite easily. I don’t believe it’s appropriate for someone to comment on anything that they haven’t actually personally encountered. Never trust what you hear. Check it out for yourself.
How has your mother handled the trip?
“My mum, I think, has been adjusting more and more to it, as I’ve gotten farther and farther on my trip and been away from home for a longer and longer period of time,” he said. But in the early stages of my vacation, particularly after I was robbed for the first time, my mother was horrified. I believe that I legitimately gave her a 10-year age increase, and I am extremely sorry. But she has consistently been my strongest ally.
How frequently have you experienced theft?
“In reality, we were robbed three days ago. It wasn’t me this time. He referred to his partner Chloe Zimpelman, whom he met while bicycling through California, as “It was Chloe.” After Garner finished his bike trip, Zimpelman went out to meet him, and the two are now trekking home together. “They took Chloe’s rucksack, which contained her phone, cash and passport. Thank goodness, we did discover the passport. They had thrown it away.
What additional accidents did you have?
“In Colombia, I was unlucky and I hit a pothole, going really fast downhill, that I didn’t see,” the driver claimed. “I ended up landing directly on my head, and after hitting the pavement, I tore my ear open. I tore my ear in two.
“I got plastic surgery for that, and I had to get a bunch of stitches in my shoulder, my hip, where I rubbed away the skin, and that actually led to me being in Cali, Colombia, for over a month, in and out of the hospital,” he claimed. His mother took care of the remaining costs after his insurance paid for the most of them. “It was such a serious injury that it took me almost a month to finally get back on the bike. For about 15 minutes, I was completely unconscious.
