Pablo Mandado and Ilze Zebolde have no plans, no agenda, no cause to fight for and they are certainly in no hurry – the couple simply has a dream to ‘discover different parts of this planet a pedal at a time.’ And, after quitting their restaurant jobs in Manchester, the intrepid cyclists are doing it as cheaply as they possibly can. Spanish Pablo, 27, and Latvian Ilze, 31, who met in Riga in 2011, are off to a flying start as they approach their first year of their open-ended odyssey on the road. In 356 days so far they’ve covered almost 7,000 miles (11,131.92km by their measurements) and been through 16 countries. Ilze Zebolde, 31, takes in her surrounds as she and Pablo Mandado take a break in their cycle journey around the world . Pablo, 27, and Ilze, 31, stop for a picture in Bosnia, one of the 16 countries they've been through since leaving London last year . Latvian Ilze sets up camp, the most common means of accommodation for her and Pablo, on the stunning Lake Bled in Slovenia . Ilze points at the winding road that she and Pablo had climb in Spain's Sierra Nevada with their 130kg of gear (including bicycles) With no plans or agenda, Ilze and Pablo are happy to stop and take in stunning views, such as this from a roadside in the French Alps . In that time they have been astonishingly living on less than three euros each a day, or by their meticulous calculations 10 euro cents per kilometre. They keep costs down by relying on free accommodation, along with not needing a budget for transport – their legs have that covered. Usually they pitch a tent under the stars and camp (161 nights of the 256) but also use hosting websites such as Couchsurfing (66 nights) and Warmshowers (44 nights). Sometimes, they get a good night’s sleep courtesy of the kindness of strangers. Showers are ‘sometimes daily, sometimes weekly,’ admits Pablo. This leaves food as their only major expense, and that takes up just 2.74 euros each per day of their 2.99 total outlay. Ilze often stars in their images with Pablo the designated photographer, but she doesn't seem to mind after another hill climb . Pablo gives up his camera for a moment, though, as Latvian Ilze captures her Spanish boyfriend taking a rest on the road . While they often pitch their tent in stunning settings, this pedestrian tunnel during their journey through Turkey isn't one of them . Rolling green hills and a shimmering lake greeted the duo in the Alps as their open-ended odyssey continued . Cheapest countries . Montenegro 1.65 . Italy 2.02 . Greece 2.18 . Most expensive . England 5.11 . Croatia 4.48 . France 4.11 . Per person, per day . When asked on their blog, TheCrazyTravel, how they can possibly live like this, Pablo answered simply. ‘Pasta, bread, rice, eggs, milk, seasonal fruits and vegetables. Often we get invited for a meal, or for some free veggies or fruits,’ he said. ‘We pick up wild fruits occasionally as well, and dumpster diving was an option in Western countries where half of the food production end up in the bin.’ Pablo and Ilze started in London before heading south-east and working their way through France, first down the west coast and then the south after a loop through Spain and Portugal. Pedal power then took them through the north of Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania, Macedonia, Greece and into Turkey. Ilze walks with her bike while Pablo trails behind to capture a snowy landscape in Turkey, which they traversed the entire north of . Pablo and Ilze's tent in a field in Bosnia - this is their usual means of accommodation although they often use hosting websites . Pabo and Ilze take a break in an Italian mountain town as they work their way from France towards eastern Europe . Pablo rides along the waterside in Thessaloniki, Greece, one of more than 200 stops they've made in their journey so far . All landscapes and settings are greeting Pablo and Ilze, including moody forests in France as they rode along both coasts . Ilze rides into the clouds as pedal power takes her and Pablo through eastern Europe and towards Asia, their next continent . The view from Pablo and Ilze's tent as they awake to another day in the saddle as they live out their dream . Pablo shows off the huge amount of gear he and Ilze need to carry as they work their way around the world . ‘Cycling over the bridge at the border between Greece and Turkey was symbolic,’ Pablo says. ‘Riding away from Europe, finally crossing into a different continent. Finally going further away and into the unknown.’ They traversed the entire northern coast of Turkey, before riding through Georgia and their latest destination, Armenia, and they plan to ‘continue into Asia, across the Pacific with the idea to cycle all the length of the American continent.’ ‘We are going to be on the road for the following years,’ they say.
Pablo Mandado and Ilze Zebolde left London last year on a quest to explore the world on bicycles.
They camp or stay with Couchsurfing and Warmshowers hosts and spent an average €2.99 per day.
Pablo, from Spain, and Ilze, from Latvia, moved to Manchester together after meeting in Riga in 2011.
They saved up for their travels, which they share on their website, while working in English restaurants.