Bicycle Touring with Children

By Guest | February 24, 2010

Many people dream of taking off with their children to travel the world. Their dreams are filled with days of visiting the Egyptian pyramids or the Taj Majal. They will travel on buses and planes and boats But traveling the world on bicycle? With kids?

I have now cycled about 21,000 miles with my twin sons (now 12) in the past few years, and can tell you that traveling by bike may just be the best way to travel – even with kids!

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.

On bicycles, you are more in touch with Mother Nature. Without a protective layer of steel and glass surrounding you, you’ll feel every drop of rain and every subtle change in temperature. Our children truly understand the idea that altitude affects temperature and the tremendous forces of nature that have created mountains out of lowlands – they’ve pedaled over it!

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 since her kids were big enough to reach the pedals. She is now cycling from Alaska to Argentina with her sons as they attempt to become the youngest people in the world to pedal the entire Pan American Highway..

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