A few days ago on Twitter, someone asked us which sites to check out for information about bicycle touring with kids. We thought for a few minutes, and then we realised just how many great families are out there pedalling around.
What we really admire about these families is that they’re not waiting for ‘someday’ to travel with their kids. They’re getting out there and making it happen, despite the often cited idea that once you have kids you have to ‘settle down’ and ‘be sensible’ – in a very traditional sort of way.
So, if you’re looking for some bike touring inspiration for you and your children, look no further than these blogs.
1. This family is made up of dad Reuben, mom Heidi, 4-year old Eden and 2-year old Harper. They’ve done a number of shorter tours, and are currently on a 20,000km bicycle tour around North America, Mexico and Central America. They call their trip an ‘exercise in adventurous living’ and ‘a way of increasing and strengthening the simplicity in our lives’.
What we learned from them: You can use cloth diapers, even on a bicycle tour! We checked with the Pedal Powered Family about 3 months into their tour, and they said the cloth diapers were working out great.
2. In 2010, Linda and Phil took advantage of a 3-year career break from Phil’s work to embark on a world bike trip with their son Luca. They puttered around Europe for a while, and then flew to Southeast Asia, where Luca has been treated like royalty everywhere they’ve been.
What we learned from them: That it’s possible to bike tour while you’re pregnant and that the BoBike Junior seat is one of the few bicycle seats for kids that will fit with panniers.
3. Not one or two kids, but three kids! Kirstie and Stuart have been cycling with their growing family since the first one was just 3 months old. They have heaps of stories from their family bike trips and an equipment list for what they call ‘Cycle Toddling’ and this summer they’re cycling across Europe.
What we learned from them: That you can take even a young baby cycling (with a car seat in a trailer), but you might need to modify your routine a bit!
4. The Pedouins
Imagine one bicycle, with mom, dad and 3 daughters! That’s the Pedouin family, and they’ve pedalled all the way from their home in Kentucky to Alaska on their quint bike. It’s no light rig either, with 5 riders and all their gear!
What we learned from them: That life on the road has lots of lessons for kids; learning isn’t just for school.
5. This family, including twin teenage boys, has just finished cycling from Alaska to the southern tip of South America. They’ve got a host of resources, including making the decision to go, homeschooling and what young kids get out of bicycle touring.
What we learned from them: That sometimes making the decision to go is scary but it’s also very rewarding.
And a few more to check out:
- Family Verhage – 2 tandems and over 1,000 days on the road. They’re homeschooling their kids while they travel.
- Southeast Asia With A Baby – A great journal about taking a 7-month old around Laos and Vietnam. The mum, Christine, has also written a detailed article on the practicalities of cycle touring with a baby.
- The Stouts – They’re car-free in day-to-day life, as well as keen bike tourists, and have an informative article on how they bought a recumbent trike to accommodate cycling while pregnant, and with a young child.
- Toddler On Tour – This family are just getting started with their bike adventures but on their site you’ll find some useful links and a series of posts about how they got ready for their bike touring adventure in North America.
Do you know of another impressive family on tour? Leave a comment and share your favourite family bike touring blogs.