Tom’s travel bug is taking him to Tokyo on a bicycle
A Bearsted man bitten by the travel bug is set to embark on a 9,000-mile trip to Tokyo on just two wheels.
Tom Butterworth will spend the next six months in a saddle as he takes on the gruelling challenge to the capital of Japan for charity.
The 25-year-old quit his job in data management after plotting his way across Europe. He has already pedalled from Paris to Naples.
He said: “I got the idea in January. I wanted to cycle to Nepal but found out that cycling through Tibet would be impossible because of the political situation and I would have to pay for a Chinese guide.
“I felt disheartened by that but I thought of new destinations and Tokyo popped into my head.”
Tom bought his bike on eBay second hand and is packing just the essentials as he gears up for winter nights in a tent.
He will tour across France following a ferry trip from Dover before moving through Belgium, Germany and Poland.
He said: “Cycling is very different to any other way of seeing the world.
“You are going at the right speed to make progress but at the same time you are going slow enough to absorb what you are going past.
“I am not sure if I will be coming back as I would like to continue travelling.
“I took a course in teaching English as a foreign language and I would like to do that.”
Tom is raising money for children’s cancer charity CLIC Sargent as well as Hopes and Homes For Children and anybody interested in following him on his journey can visit www.two wheelstotokyo.com
CLIC Sargent helped Tom’s brother Harry, who is now a member of the charity’s board of trustees, after he was diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2011.
Tom said: “I wanted to give something back to them so they could continue doing the work they do.
“Sometimes there isn’t a lot of support for families when you think about the costs incurred when parents have to take time off work.
“The second charity is one to help orphans get out of orphanages and into loving families.”
To support Tom, visit https:// uk.virginmoneygiving.com/twt
‘You are going at the right speed to make progress but at the same time you are going slow enough to absorb what you are going past’