“There are no seven wonders of the world in the eyes of a child. There are seven million.”
The most inspiring travelers are not the ones who break records, or go the fastest, but rather the ones who continue to travel as a family once they have children. I (virtually) ran into my first cycling family three years ago while I was doing research for a paper I was writing about “road schooling,” and quickly fell in love. Here was a family with twin eleven year old boys who had decided that their boy’s middle school years would better be spent cycling from Alaska to Argentina, and boy were they right.
As I started to do more research, I quickly found blog after blog depicting families with children of all ages, from infant to teenagers, with anywhere from one to four kids, cycling just about everywhere you could imagine. There is a family of five all on one bike, a six year old pedaling on her own, and many hilarious pictures depicting the elaborate tailored tandem/trailer set ups people have created to fit the need of their own individual family. There are pregnant mothers, infants in specialized bike seats, and teenagers pedaling on their own. There is even a couple who cycled around the world for ten years together, the first few years alone, before they had two children in two different continents along the way! But there is no point in me telling you just how amazing they are, instead, check out some of their blogs for yourself.
I really love these guys! They are cycling with their seven year old girl and have great tips throughout their articles for road schooling such. He (the dad who is the author of the blog) is a wonderful writer and tells things how they are; the good and the bad.
One of my favorites blogs yet is the Family Adventure Project, which started when a couple made a pact to continue traveling and adventuring once they settled down and had children. They have now done everything from overnight ski trips, to cycling around the world (even with an infant!), to epic camping trips all with kids in the tow! They, of all people, will show you that anything is possible, and give you some great ideas for adventures both big and small in the meanwhile.
After I read this article the other day I quickly tried to make Kevin promise me that someday we will walk the PCT with our children as well. These eight and nine year olds have completed five months of walking (which means they finished a month ahead of scheduled), that’s the whole Appalachian Trail, and the kids loved it! Impressive huh?
This twelve year old cycled across the states with you Dad, and this article gives a nice overview of what it was like for her.
Some great frequently asked questions about traveling with children, with some well thought out answers!
These guys started to cycle around the world with their two year old son, and have now taken a little pause since they just had their second child.
And last but not least, an article with ten great tips about taking your kids on the road.
Though Kevin and I are thankful to be doing this trip now since we have no mortgage or children, those things are in no way going to stop us later on. In fact, I couldn’t imagine raising children without traveling with them, and not just on two week trips, but for months and months at a time. Travel was one of the greatest gifts my parents gave to me as a child, and I can’t wait to someday pass it on to my own.
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