FAQ
Here are some of the questions we are asked most frequently:
Why? We love our kids and we love adventure. With the ever increasing pace of life in the US and modern prophets and apostles pleading with us to spend time nurturing our families, we wanted to step away from the rat race and spend focused, dedicated time with our children.
Why bike touring? For years we’d dreamed and worked toward buying a sailboat and spending a year sailing across the Pacific Ocean. As we worked closer and closer to that dream we discovered that because we have kids that sleepwalk, Shane can’t sleep when there’s kids on the boat. Every gentle splash of a wave wakes him up in a panic that a child just fell overboard in their sleep. We also discovered that while we love the idea of sailing, it doesn’t really represent who we are and what we’re passionate about. We explored ideas ranging from hiking across Europe to building a custom overland camper and decided that bike touring fits us best. Biking slowly connects you with the environment and immerses you in the people in a way most other travelers miss.
Why now? With kids ranging from 6 to 17 years old, this is the last year we have all the kids “under one roof” (or tent!). After that it’s off to college and missions. We didn’t want to miss this opportunity, so we made the sacrifices necessary to make it happen, and make it happen now!
What about school? Before the trip we already homeschooled all but our high school kids. Our oldest worked hard doing online school and finished his senior year in just five weeks online. Our Sophomore is doing homeschool curriculum as well. We primarily use The Good and The Beautiful and DIVE Schooling curriculum.
How much does it cost? How much do you have to spend? That’s how much it costs! Bike touring is great because you can spend as little or as much as you want. We eat out about three meals a week and stay in a hotel one or two nights a week. Since we don’t have any expenses back home (we sold our house when we left on this trip), we can live quite frugally. We spend more on groceries than we did at home for two reasons: we eat far more calories than we did before, and we buy food in daily quantities rather than discounted bulk packages.
How did you get a year off work? It wasn’t easy and we prepared for years, but being self-employed we had the flexibility of taking a year off without quitting a job or taking leave. However, it would be far easier to just quit your job and come back in a year than to build a business that you can step away from.
How can you afford it? As mentioned above, we live very frugally and we prepared for years. Whatever the cost, we feel it’s worth the sacrifice even if taking a year off now adds three years before retirement at the end of a career when the kids are grown and gone.
Where do you sleep? We mostly stay at campgrounds or camp in the yard of Warmshowers host families. We travel 30-50 miles each day.
Why tandem bikes? We researched all kinds of bike ideas. Most everything that accommodates a child puts them in back behind the parent, usually on some sort of trailer. We have found that to be boring for the child and hard for us to communicate with them. Our tandem bikes allow us to have a conversation with the kids and allows them to rest as much as they need to.
How do you do food? Like a number of God’s children, we live without refrigeration and buy groceries daily. We cook on two backpacking stoves (MSR Jetboil) that we can fill with regular gasoline.
How far do you go? We average about 40 miles per day. We bike 4-5 days a week, taking plenty of rest days and try to do a layover day on Sundays where we can attend church.
What is your final destination? Great question; we don’t have one! We literally make plans one day at a time. We plan to travel for about a year and we have a list of places we would love to visit, but we keep our plans loose and flexible. That has required a major shift from the destination-driven mindset we’re used to. We would love to tour the Holy Land, Europe, Patagonia, New Zealand and China, but there’s no way to fit all that into one year!
How much does each bike cost? A lot more than my first car! You can build and price your own bike version here.
Have other questions for us? Comment below and ask!