Do you spend your days dreaming of taking off with your children to explore the world? You’ll ride camels around the Egyptian pyramids and gaze in wonder at the graceful domes of the Taj Majal – with your children by your side. You’ll take buses from town to town, fly from country to country, and explore back streets by donkey cart. But travel on bicycles? With children?
With our children, my husband and I have now traveled 21,000 miles through twelve countries with our 12-year-old twin boys. We’ve discovered that traveling on bikes with kids is the best way to see the world.
The bike allows you – indeed, it forces you – to get off the beaten track and see the tiny villages of the world. When one is traveling with a motor of whatever kind, you will skip over the small towns in order to reach the cities. But it’s the small villages in a country that can teach you about life in that country. Cities – for all their differences – are mostly the same. In today’s face-paced world, cities are becoming increasingly generic; it’s the villages that still retain the character of the country, and the bikes allow us to get to know them.
Another advantage of traveling on bike is that you are one with Mother Nature. As you travel without the protection of a vehicle around you, you’ll be more in touch with weather conditions and landscape. Our children have learned, first hand, the effect of altitude on temperature. They’ve cycled over mountains and now truly understand the effects of the movement of tectonic plates.
But perhaps the most important part of bicycle touring with children are the life lessons they learn from their bikes. They learn lessons that will carry them through life – through all the hardships and struggles they’ll face. They learn to persevere and know they can come out victorious in the end. There are times when only through teamwork can you reach your goal. And sometimes, all you can do is focus on getting through the next 60 seconds and forge ahead.
Yes, kids can learn these things in other ways, but traveling on bike is not only more effective, but more fun!
Nancy Sathre-Vogel has been bicycling with children for more years than she cares to think about. She is now touring on her bike from the Arctic to Patagoniawith her sons as they attempt to break the world youngest to cycle the Pan American Highway. This and other unique content ” articles are available with free reprint rights.
Tags: Adventure Holidays, bicycle touring with children, bicycling, bicycling with children, biking, Children, cycling, exercise, family, family travel, fitness, recreation, sports, travel, Travel and Leisure
