The Beginning of Our New Adventure
Dear Adventurous Reader,
It has been awhile since our last adventure, when we set out in our van to see what would befall us, exploring the country that we call home yet never ventured past the eastern seaboard. Since we have been home we have been planning our next travel but nothing was falling into place.
There is a plan taking shape, it is happening behind us as we are searching and finding what we need to know. The plan is still hazy, but bits and pieces are starting to show and then get nailed into place as we see how it is taking shape. It is different to what we thought it may have been, and most of us are okay with that. Most of us…
Our old plan was to join our friends in Guatemala and we could think of nothing that would be better than months in a quiet village, hanging out with good friends, and enjoying a country we have never been to.
We started thinking about it. Then we started talking about making it happen, but it never moved passed the talking stage. It never felt like there was anything behind the talk to make it escalate into plans; no weight or substance.
Our dreams kept growing. The trees, the air, the adventure. Jacqui was reading blogs from families that traveled through Guatemala and quickly fell in love with the idea of going there. “Just think of all the ruins we could explore.”, “It is a beautiful place, here, look at this photo.”
I kept working. I kept trying to think of ways to change our income, change what we did so we wouldn’t come home to an empty wallet for months - which is what happened last time. A feedback loop grew, and I started getting stressed, worried and concerned that I wasn’t doing enough.
So while Jacqui grew to love the idea, I was growing to hate it.
As One Door Closes…
Years ago, when we talked about bicycle touring, it was determined to be an unacceptable form of transport. But as we have come to read more stories of families touring online, and met more people who have done in overseas, we have come to like the idea.
With one door (appearing to be) closed, a second opened up when cheep tickets came on sale down to Tasmania over summer. Tasmania has been a destination we would like to venture around, and $5 tickets for children means that it was a small amount compared to what we could pay other times.
So did we take the easier route? Did we give up? Did we pivot and change direction because the first plans were too hard? Are we missing out?
28 days of cycling through what will be a beautiful state of Australia.
Our three older boys recently purchased new bikes with their paper-round money, and those bikes have found a purpose in becoming bicycle-touring steads. We are still trying to figure out the logistics of getting around with everybody else. Logistically traveling with three younger children and two adults is confusing every bike shop employee that we talk to about it.
It is a new frontier, a new battleground, building something from the ground up. It seems traveling with so many children is not something commonly undertaken, and there's not very many resources for how to get around that. So would appear where on our own, at least for a little while.
But we are planning a trip, and making things happen. It feels good to have something to plan for, knowing that something is going to happen and traveling is not years away (something that I fear).
So join us, would you Adventurous Reader? Join us as we find out what it is like to cycle for a month with six kids, it should be fun.