We receive news from many cycle travelers who have had to change their route and, in many cases, return to Spain due to problems related to the closure of borders due to the coronavirus crisis, is the case of Dani Ku or Alex Hohmann.

Many borders have closed and others are close to closing. Last week it happened in Asia and they are already doing it in America. For example with Argentina closing not only its borders but also its National Parks. We also receive news of the closure of many Cycle Houses in South America.

These days, support communities for cyclists are becoming especially useful, such as Cycle travelers through South America, Mexico Cycle Travel Support Network, I am a Cicloviajera, Long Distance Cyclist, Cycle travelers, there are many more examples, excellent groups to seek information about what the situation is in different places on the planet, contact travelers who have passed through a certain place before you, where to stay, the necessary procedures for some procedures, etc.

If you are en route, evaluate based on your finances, the information you have, the duration of the visa in the country you are in and your real possibilities of maintaining the trip. We allow ourselves to make some recommendations after speaking with several cycle travelers:

1. Stop for a while in a “safe” place.

2. Travel through remote and unpopulated areas. In this case, keep in mind that at some point you will need to stock up. There have already been cases in which a bicycle traveler has told us that he did not feel well received by the locals in the places he traveled. Remember that fear is free and spreads very quickly.

3. Check the situation of nearby borders and the possibility that they are closed.

4. If one of your options is to fly back home, check with the airlines about the feasibility of that flight. Everything indicates that the restrictions are going to be even greater and will affect more and more countries.

5. If you already have a purchased flight, check the airline's policy in this situation for possible cancellations or changes. In this article of El Mundo you can see that each company is making different decisions.

6. Find out about your travel insurance coverage, in case it contemplates repatriation in a case like this.

Each country is making its own decisions, and some are not allowing foreigners access. There are others that can be accessed, but that, like Peru, warn travelers from Spain of home isolation for a period of 14 days; or in areas specially designated for them, such as in China, which also warns that you will have to cover the costs incurred.

El País, keeps an updated article with the countries that are applying restrictions to Spanish travelers, when we are writing these lines for Viajando Despacio there are already more than 110 countries.

In such a volatile and changing situation, it is essential to obtain information from reliable sources. We start with the official ones, such as the consulates and embassies of each country and the country itself. Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperationl.

Virtually all of these organizations have the latest information about the coronavirus on their covers. From our experience as travelers we know that they will always put themselves in the worst of situations and advise against continuing their trip.

If you still decide to continue with your trip, think about putting into practice some minimum safety rules for your health and that of others. Take extreme precautions, avoid crowded places and, out of responsibility, avoid direct contact with people at risk, such as the elderly.

Here are the basic protection measures recommended by the World Health Organization. We know that they are not easy to carry on a bike trip, but you have to be more careful than usual.

To those of you who are traveling by bike somewhere in this beloved world of ours, we wish you the best. If your visa and your provisions allow it, perhaps a good idea is to stay camped next to that lake where you slept today or in that cozy clearing in the forest and wait a few days before returning to civilization. And when you return, send us a photo and contact us to tell us about it at Viajando Despacio.

Take care of yourself, greetings traveler.