To escape the rat race, this pair cycled 15,000 km along the route from Finland to Singapore

Operating without a training or meal plan, Heinila said he gained physical strength in the first leg of his journey. “We realized that Eastern Europe is pretty flat. That [was] our training … before we reached the mountains of Georgia and Tajikistan,” he added.

Heinila cycled through central Asian countries like Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan before he reached Southeast Asia, where his route wound through countries such as Vietnam and Thailand, he said. It was a chance to see how “most of the world” lives, he added.

“We’re extremely privileged in Finland. We wanted to get a peek into reality,” Heinila said.

The pair typically cooked porridge for breakfast, making banana pancakes on rare occasions, said Heinila. After pedaling for a few hours, the two would stop to cook lunch in the shade, he added.

“Our budget was $20 per day. We just went with the bare minimum,” said Heinila. On one occasion, when the two ran out of gas to cook, they snacked on raw eggs from a store, he added.

Heinila said he kept his focus on securing basic needs like food, water, toilet paper and a place to pitch his tent for the night.

“You don’t have time to think about nonsense like the past or the future. You’re focused on survival, and I think that’s the best feeling ever,” he said.

By the time Heinila had traveled 10,000 kilometers, he had punctured his bicycle tire 37 times, according to a post on his Instagram account. Aside from tires, he said he also learned to fix and rebuild other bicycle parts like racks and panniers.

“When you have a need, you just figure it out,” he said.

Living on the road could be “dangerous,” such as when the two men ran out of water while traveling through Tajikistan, said Heinila.

Heinila cycled more than 20 kilometers to a road to get water from a passing truck, all while fighting a days-long bout of diarrhea and dizziness, he said. “Your body goes into survival mode, and you just cope with the challenges,” he said.

Despite the challenges, Heinila said he didn’t feel like giving up “for one moment.” The difficulties were worth it for the “ten years’ worth” of memories that Heinila made in a few months, he said. Cycling through the mountain valleys of Tajikistan and viewing its “remarkable” cultural heritage was the most memorable for him, he added.

Heinila said he was also struck by the hospitality of the Tajikistan people. “They were feeding us, taking care of us like their own children,” he said. “Everybody felt almost like family because the communities were so small.”

The first thing that Heinila and Poikola did upon reaching Singapore was visit the Finnish ambassador’s residence, where they had a small celebration with other Finnish people, he said. Later that night, the men reminisced about their journey while enjoying the view from The Fullerton Hotel Singapore, where they downed Singapore Slings, he added.

When Heinila first set out on his journey, he was afraid of the consequences it would have on his career path, he said.

“Now it feels like I can get whatever job I want. I have this incredible confidence,” he said.

But going back to a desk job after “tasting freedom for so long” will be an adjustment, Heinila added. “It’s a struggle to keep this sense of freedom, while contributing to society in the most meaningful way I can,” he said.

Heinila has ideas for more adventures in the future, such as crossing the Baltic Sea on a paddleboard, he said. It is important for people to embrace discomfort instead of being “locked into planning for the future,” he added.

“There’s this whole world out there.”