By the title, you can tell what was Dave Conroy’s previous profession. Tired and suffering ‘burn-out’, he began his transformation into to a round-the-world traveler – on a bicycle. Though he has encountered several difficulties along the route, Dave is still on the road of discovery in more ways than one.

© Gretchen for TravelBlogs, 2011. | Tired of I.T! | 2 comments |
Post categories: Blogs
Post tags: Canada, cycling, North America, overland travel, road trip, Round the world, solo travel, United States

Whether by bicycle, on foot or taking that irresistible road trip, Subbu guides his readers through his native country of India. From lakes to mountains to historical places, he describes the journeys and shares his knowledge of the place he calls home.

© Gretchen for TravelBlogs, 2011. | Wandering Soul | 2 comments |
Post categories: Blogs
Post tags: Asia, cycling, hiking, India, Malaysia, photography, road trip

© Gretchen Wilson-Kalav for TravelBlogs, 2009. | Long Way Home | No comment |
Post categories: Blogs
Post tags: activism, Africa, bike ride, couples, cycling, Europe, South Africa, Wales

The Vogels in Alaska, USA.

What could possess an otherwise perfectly sane family to take off to pedal bicycles 20,000 miles from one end of the earth to the other? I wish I knew…

We were just your ordinary, everyday, American family one day. And the next we were anything but. In May 2008 the four of us were living in a typical American home in Boise, Idaho. The boys attended fourth grade at a local elementary school. I taught Special Ed at a local high school. John was serving as our stay-at-home dad, fixing up the house and doing other assorted chores. In short – life was typical and predictable.

I was living the American Dream – and doesn’t everybody want the American Dream?

But a month later, the four of us were living a life very few can imagine. We arose every morning in our tent, packed our sleeping bags, strapped all our earthly belongings onto our bicycles, and pedaled away to face the adventures of the day – of which there were plenty!

How did that transformation happen?

I suppose I could give some trite answer here– we woke up one day and decided we wanted more… blah, blah, blah… But the reality is that I honestly don’t know how it all came to be.

What I do know is that I’ve always been adventurous and independent and (perhaps) a little foolhardy. My mom always told me stories of when I was little – of how I scared the pants off her with my antics. And I know that my wanderlust began in earnest when my parents took me to Mexico when I was sixteen – my eyes were opened to the fact that there’s a whole new world out there!

I’m sure my time in the Peace Corps in Honduras helped push me along. As did the two years I taught in Egypt with my husband. During our seven years in Ethiopia our twin boys were born, and they moved with us to Taiwan and then on to Malaysia.

So by the time we moved to my hometown of Boise, Idaho when the boys were seven, we had been around the world a time or two. We had also learned to thrive on the unexpected nature of travel in third world nations.

But yet – there was another side of us. That side that believed – truly believed – that to be a “proper” parent, one must do what’s expected. One must drop the kids off at daycare, work all day, pick the kids up, fix a quick dinner, take the kids to soccer practice, and then collapse into bed utterly exhausted. After all – that’s what society raised us to believe is right. That’s what we should want.

And so it was that I went about my daily routine. I taught all day dealing with unruly teenagers. By the time I got home, I was too tired to truly enjoy my own boys. But I didn’t question it because…well, I was living the American Dream – and doesn’t everybody want the American Dream?

Cycling across the treeless tundra of Alaska, USA.

And then came the day – a beautiful spring day in March of 2006. That day, John slumped into our house after a particularly rough day in the classroom (he’s a teacher too) and collapsed into his favorite chair by the window. His eyes glazed over and I knew he wasn’t looking at the lawn which desperately needed mowing or the barn which needed fixing. He was farther away. Much farther away.

Was this the way I wanted it to be? Was the American Dream the be-all and end-all?

“Nancy,” he said, “I can’t do this. I need to get away. I want to buy a triple bike and take off. Just me and the kids – out exploring the world. We’ll be the three musketeers. We’ll be Mr. Incredible and his children saving the world from destruction and injustice! We’ll be Superman and Spiderman and the Incredible Hulk rolled into one! Oh yeah – and you can tag along too.”

I started thinking about our life in Boise, Idaho and the American Dream? And I started to wonder about the real question: Was this the way I wanted it to be? Was the American Dream the be-all and end-all? Was it the path to enlightenment and roadway to happiness? Would I, could I, be content with a big house in the suburbs and some cars? Was that really what life was all about?

Within a few weeks we had made the decision to go for it. Life was too short to not go and besides – our boys would never be eight years old again. Two months later we headed out to see our country with our boys.

We spent one year on the road that time. Twelve months of being together, growing together, learning together. 365 days of taking on challenges together as a family and triumphing over them. In short – it was one year of magic.

And so – the decision to take off again came easily. We knew the challenges we would face. We knew the rewards. We knew the magic.

Now, we are nine months into a 20,000-mile trek from Alaska to Argentina. We’ve pedaled 7000 miles, camped on the side of the road about 200 nights, and consumed more granola bars than I can count. But we’ve also grown together as a family and forged a bond that cannot be broken. And for us – that’s what keeps us going.

© Gretchen Wilson-Kalav for TravelBlogs, 2009. | Why We Travel: Nancy Sathre-Vogel’s Story | 4 comments |
Post categories: Articles
Post tags: cycling, family travel, life-changing experiences, travel with kids, why we travel

Many people dream of going on big adventures; only a few ever do it. For this article, I found 13 individuals, couples and families who had the guts to embark on epic adventures. You may envy them, or you may think they’re crazy. But I guarantee that their stories will inspire you.

Karl Bushby: Walking around the world

Karl Bushby is attempting to break world records by walking around the world. He set off from South America in 1998, walked north to Alaska and walked across the frozen Bering Straits (the first man to do so) into Russia. That alone took 8 years, and Karl has been delayed in Russia with visa problems for the last two years. Ultimately, his aim is to end up in London. By that time, he expects to have been walking for 14 years, with over 36,000 miles covered. Visit his website: Goliath Expedition.

Manon Ossevoort: Traveling by tractor from the Netherlands to South Africa and onto the South Pole

Manon Ossevoort’s tractor in Egypt.

Manon Ossevoort is a theatre maker and actor from the Netherlands who is travelling from the Netherlands to South Africa by tractor. Along the way, she is collecting the dreams of people she meets (on pieces of paper). From South Africa, she will travel by boat to Antarctica, where she will continue on foot or by tractor to the South Pole. Here, she plans to build a snowman and place the pieces of paper containing people’s dreams in the belly of the snowman. She is also raising money for War Child. Visit her website here.

Becky Sampson: Travelling by horse from London to Tokyo.

From London to Tokyo, by horse. Becky Sampson and her piebald pony, Bertie’s Quest, are setting out on a 15,000 kilometre, four-year quest through Western and Eastern Europe, Central Asia, China and Japan. Becky is aiming to raise £15,000 for SOS Children, an organization that works to provide safe places for orphan children to live and grow. Her journey is slated to begin in February 2009. Visit here website: Expedition Equus.

Ted Simon: Motorcycled around the world, twice

Back in 1977, Ted Simon set off on a 4-year motorcycle journey through Africa, the Americas, New Zealand, Australia and across Asia into Europe. He covered 78,000 miles on a 500cc Trumph. 25 years later, at the age of 70, he did it all again. He’s written books about both his journeys, which you can order from his website, Jupitalia.

Fire at Torres de Paine, Chile. Photo by Marlis Seelos.

Kinga Freespirit: Hitchhiked around the world

In 1998, Kinga Choszcz and her husband Chopin set off with $600USD and hitchhiked around the world for five years. Their amazing journey took them through the Americas, New Zealand, Australia, Asia and Russia before culminating in Europe. She wrote a book about the experience called Led By Destiny. In 2005, Kinga again set out, this time to Africa. Sadly, she died from malaria in Ghana in 2006. Read about her earlier adventures on her GeoCities website, or her more recent ones here.

Christoph Rehage: Walking from China to Germany

Christoph Rehage is walking from China to Germany, a journey that will take at least two years. After almost a year, he’s still making his way through China. He writes about his trip on his website, The Longest Way.

Frank Muldowney: Pushed an empty wheelchair across Australia

Frank Muldowney with Harvey

Frank Muldowney pushed a wheelchair containing his invisible friend “Harvey” from Perth to Sydney, a 4,000 mile journey undertaken to achieve world peace. Visit his website: Believing in Harvey.

Tim Cope: Travelled by horse from Mongolia to Hungary

Tim Cope followed in the footsteps of Ghengis Khan and travelled 10,000 kilometres by horse from Mongolia to Hungary. The journey took him over three years. Visit his website: Tim Cope Journeys.

Colin and Julie Angus: Completed the first human-powered cirumnavigation of the globe

In 2004, Colin Angus, his fiancée Julie Wafaei and someone else (the website doesn’t say who) took off from Vancouver and began a two-year cycling, skiing, canooing, hiking and rowing trip that became the first human-powered circumnavigation of the globe. They’ve done other similar adventures, which you can read about on their website: Angus Adventures.

Rory Stewart: Walked across Afghanistan in 2002

Rory Stewart may not have covered as much distance as some of the other people mentioned here, but consider where he was walking and when. He wrote a book about his adventure called The Places in Between, which you can order from his website: Rory Stewart Books.

The Vogels: Cycling from Alaska to Argentina

The Vogels are a family of four (mom, dad and ten-year old twin boys) cycling the full length of the American continent over 2 and 1/2 years. Read about their adventures on their website: Family on Bikes.

The World by Road: Driving from New Zealand to New York

OK, so they’re not driving all of that, but The World By Road expedition crew are on one very big road trip. So far, they’ve driven through Australia, Asia, Russia, Europe (including far north Scandinavia), Africa and South America. After over 50,000 miles and a year and eight months, they’re on the home stretch. Check out their website: The World By Road.

Amy and Wim: Cycled from Belgium to China for their honeymoon

Now isn’t that romantic? After tying the knot, Amy and Wim rode from Belgium to China, covering almost 11,000 kilometres. Read about their journey on their blog: Amy and Wim.

© Eric Daams for TravelBlogs, 2008. | 13 Epic and Slightly Crazy Travel Adventures | 9 comments |
Post categories: Round-Up
Post tags: adventure travel, Becky Sampson, Christoph Rehage, Colin Angus, cycling, danger travel, epic adventures, Frank Muldowney, hiking, hitchhiking, horse travel, Julie Angus, Karl Bushby, Kinga Freespirit, long-distance walking, Manon Ossevoort, motorcycle travel, overland travel, road trip, Rory Stewart, Round the world, sailing, sea travel, Ted Simon, Tim Cope, Vogels

© Gretchen Wilson-Kalav for TravelBlogs, 2008. | Family On Bikes | No comment |
Post categories: Blogs
Post tags: Central America, cycling, family travel, North America, South America, travel with kids

© Eric Daams for TravelBlogs, 2008. | Amy & Wim | No comment |
Post categories: Blogs
Post tags: couples, cycling, honeymoon, overland travel

A butt-wrenching bike ride from humble Belgium, southeast across Europe and Asia, finally ending up in China… How’s that for a romantic honeymoon?

Amy and Wim are an American-Belgian couple who decided to go all out for their honeymoon. Since August 2007, they have been riding their bikes across Europe and Asia. So far, they have cycled some 8,700 kilometres, but there’s more to come as they ride the final stretch from Laos to China.

In this interview, which was cross-posted on Travellerspoint, Amy talks about why the inspiration behind their epic bike ride and the experiences they’ve had on the road.

What inspired you to turn your honeymoon into a full-blown bike trip from Belgium to East Asia?

It all started with an inspirational book about intercontinental biking. After reading it, I knew that Wim and I were destined to bike across large land masses. So, I mentioned it to Wim, and he totally shot the idea down. “No, no, that’s not realistic,” was his only comment. So, for a few months I indirectly worked at changing his mind (subliminal messages, internet success stories, etc…) Then one day he came home from work and announced that we should go to the bike store. It was the moment I had been waiting for!

Had either of you done long-distance bike journeys before?

No. We had never done any biking before. We didn’t even know about butt pain before we started. A few days before we left we visited another biker to see how he plans his routes, where he eats, what he wears… We had no clue! I can say that in those first two months we did some intensive learning.

When you set out, did you have a basic idea of your route? How much have you deviated from that?

From the beginning, we wanted to make it to China and we had a general idea of which countries we would cross in the process. However, because I’m American, I was not able to get a visa for Iran or Syria. Surprisingly enough, India also denied me entry. So, we have deviated quite a bit. But every country we have visited has been so interesting, that we don’t have any regrets.

What have been some of the biggest challenges on your trip?

In the beginning, the biggest challenge was physical. But now that our muscles are trained and our behinds are calloused, the challenges change with the country. A different combination of diffuculties presents themselves at each border crossing (i.e. language, people, food, places to sleep, finding good maps, bad roads). And yet, that is exactly what makes it an adventure!

Cycling through the Egyptian desert.

How expensive is a trip like this?

Our budget is 30 dollars per day. In Europe this meant (wild) camping, cooking our own food, and pedaling our hearts out to make it somewhere cheaper. However, in cheaper countries, we are often able to keep our budget down to 10-15 dollars per day. An advantage of biking is that it is so economical!

What do you think are the main advantages of traveling by bike?

Definitely the fact that you visit all the “in between” places. Although judging from your guidebook there might be nothing to see in between two towns, you can bet on it you’ll meet some interesting people, and have some kind of an adventure. With your bike, you really can’t run away from any situation: when you arrive late at night in a small village without a hotel, you are simply forced to go find someone that will sleep and feed you. Those are the most memorable moments!

Has this been a bonding experience for you as a couple?

We were a little worried about literally spending at least 24/7 within a 6 foot radius of each other. But is has proven to be one big bonding experience. When something is wrong, there is no hiding it. When we are upset with one another, we have to deal with it right away. It’s taught us a lot about ourselves and really strengthened what we have together.

Check out Amy and Wim’s blog to read all about their trip.

© Eric Daams for TravelBlogs, 2008. | Honeymoon Bike Ride, from Europe to Asia: Interview with Wim and Amy Meeussen | No comment |
Post categories: Interviews
Post tags: Asia, couples, cycling, Europe, honeymoon, saving money

© Eric Daams for TravelBlogs, 2008. | Bird Year | No comment |
Post categories: Blogs
Post tags: Canada, cycling, family travel, green travel, nature, North America, United States

They’re on what’s known by bird lovers as a Big Year, trying to catch a glimpse of as many types of bird as they can. But they’re doing it with two key differences: by cycling the entire way, they’re making an important point about fossil-fuel-free transportation; and they’re also raising money for bird conservation.

TravelBlogs caught up with them last week to find out how their trip is going.

First of all, tell us a bit about yourselves and why you’re doing this trip.

Big Years were becoming more and more ridiculous in their use of fossil fuels

We are a family living in Whitehorse, Yukon. Wendy is a family doctor, Ken works on conservation issues and Malkolm is a high school student. We decided to do this trip after reading several books about “Big Years.” A birder’s Big Year is the ultimate birding obsession – spending an entire year to see as many birds as possible in North America. Big Years, however, were becoming more and more ridiculous in their use of fossil fuels – the current record-holder flew more than the distance to the moon as he zig-zagged across the continent in search of rare birds. We decided that we would do our Bird Year without using any fossil fuels – by bikes, boats and boots.

One of the stated aims of your trip is to raise money for bird conservation. Why is bird conservation important at the moment?

Conservation is important and will be increasingly critical over the next few years. Birds are a good focus for us since their migrations link threatened habitats across the world. The birds that pass through our own home areas depend upon our actions at home – and our actions in supporting conservation in far-away places like the tropics and the Arctic.

How are you promoting bird conservation?

We are promoting bird conservation in several ways. We are raising money for bird conservation through direct donations and through something we are calling our “Bird Day Challenge.” We are giving presentations during our travels to raise awareness about bird conservation and climate change. And, at the most basic level, we are doing our best to leave a small conservation “footprint” during our travels.

You’re also promoting fossil-fuel-free transportation by bicycling the entire trip. Is this the first time you’ve done a major bike trip? Has it been a big challenge?

This has been our first self-supported bike trip of this sort. It has been a challenge in several ways. Since we are using no fossil fuels for our transport, we have to constantly think ahead to make sure we have all of the supplies we need. We can’t (or won’t!) jump in a car to get that loaf of bread or jug of milk we forgot to get. One of our biggest challenges has been in keeping up our website, blog and email correspondence. After a physically demanding day, it isn’t easy to search out a place where we can do our internet. We are also carrying way more gear than we would on a “normal” trip – things like a laptop computer and heavy camera gear. It is worth it though, since it is the way we promote our conservation goals.

What’s it like travelling together as a family? Has it been a bonding experience?

The trip has become our life

We have done a number of wilderness trips as a family – but nothing as demanding as this trip. The trip has become our life: getting up every day, cycling and sharing the day’s highlights. It has brought us closer together as a family since we are all working towards our shared goals.

What have been some of the highlights of the trip so far?

One of my most memorable moments came as we searched for the the Tufted Puffin from kayaks. This clownish looking species, with an enormous orange bill nests on the small islands near La Push, in Washington. Yet by the time we arrived, they had all gone out to sea. We found a kayak rental company and paddled out in search of them. Luckily, one of these beautiful birds popped up from a dive right in front of my boat, and gave us a great show- preening and flapping its wings. Another great moment was when I found a Black-capped Gnatcatcher. This bird had blundered hundreds of miles north of its usual range, landing in south-eastern Arizona. I thrashed around in the mesquite for hours in search of it, ripping myself apart on the thorny bushes. Finally I heard the bird calling its scratchy, cat like meow, and spotted it flitting in a cactus.

What should people do if they want to find out more about bird conservation?

We are encouraging people to do fossil fuel reduced birding in the spring of 2008. People can go out in search of birds using eco friendly forms of transportation, (walking, cycling, public transportation etc.), while raising money for bird conservation. For more details see the “ Bird Day Challenge” page of our website. There are also many great books and websites about ways to protect birds. To find some websites, go to the “ Protect Birds” page on our website and follow the links.

Take a look at Malkolm, Ken and Wendy’s blog, Bird Year, to stay abreast of where they are and the latest birds they’ve seen.

© Eric Daams for TravelBlogs, 2007. | A 10,000 Mile Quest for Birds: An Interview with Malkolm, Ken and Wendy | One comment |
Post categories: Interviews
Post tags: activism, Big Year, cycling, family travel, green travel, nature, North America, United States