Taking the family out on a bike ride is one thing, but taking them from one end of the world to the other, well that ’s truly amazing! Especially when the family has two twin eleven-year-old boys who need educating along the way!
Nancy Vogel has just returned home after her family’s record-breaking, 27,000km Pan American cycle ride, starting in Alaska and finishing in Argentina. In an exclusive interview for Sportsister she reveals the challenges, dramas and sheer pleasures of taking the children out of school, and taking on the world.
Was yours always a conscious effort to get your kids ‘out there’?
Absolutely not! To tell you the truth, we never even thought about it! John and I have always toured on bicycle - that’s how we met 21 years ago. We always knew that if we were to travel long-term, it would be on the bikes. It was just a given; it was a totally natural thing to take the boys with us.
How does a mother know how far she can let her children go?
That’s a tough one. As people have always said, you just have to go with your gut feeling; you just instinctually know what your child can do and what he can’t.
We lived overseas for many years and didn’t worry about them being kidnapped and all that - it wasn’t even a part of our psyche. It wasn’t a problem in Ethiopia, and they were the only blonde boys on the block!
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In Taiwan, I was wandering around a store and Daryl got separated from me. It didn’t take long for everyone in the store to know that I was looking for a blonde kid. Nobody spoke English, but they all pointed to the last place they had seen him, and one of the workers brought him to me.
When they were six, we went to the USA on vacation. I took the boys to the book section in a store and let them read while I shopped. But before I knew it: “Nancy Vogel, please come to Customer Service to retrieve your lost kids.” Lost kids? Turns out someone dragged them there worried they were in danger: I couldn’t believe it!
In which ways have the boys grown?
I think the main thing is how they’ve grown to trust themselves. They know they can do anything - if they can ride a bike from one end of the world, what can’t they do?
They’ve also learned a lot about how to travel the world. Even at 13, I would have had no qualms whatsoever about sending them off alone for the final 2400 km.
It’s a lonely road - did they not miss the company of other children?
Not until Ecuador. I don’t know if it was just their age - we noticed it becoming more of an issue around their 12th birthday - or if it was just that it was harder to meet kids up in the Andes. All through Mexico, Central America, and Colombia we found lots and lots of kids. But suddenly, it just didn’t happen any more.
So, we talked with the boys and they said they wanted to be with kids, but they also wanted to finish the trip.
It was a trade-off - should we have abandoned the journey so they could be with kids? Or allow them to complete it and go another few months alone. We felt the benefits of being allowed to finish outweighed the benefits of going back home so close to the end.
As partners, did you need your own space or was it found on the road?
It worked out quite well. The boys tended to head off to the beach or into the forest to play, leaving John and I at camp. Or they sought out an Internet cafe or whatever in towns. It wasn’t much of an issue for us.
Any advice for families who are inspired, but think they could never take on a challenge as huge as yours?
Go for it! I know it may seem like what we doing is a huge physical challenge, but it really isn’t.
The key is to not look at the whole - 18,000 miles on a bike is overwhelming: 50 miles isn’t. Look at today, take it one step at a time, and it all adds up.
And it won’t be easy. There will be some times when your decision to live your dream will be seriously challenged! Just be 100% committed, and you can do anything!
Nancy and the family volunteered their time along the route for educational charity Reach the World. The Family on Bikes blog has more info, videos, maps and advice for mums and families looking to ride together.
Nancy was speaking to Mark Pawlak, the editor at Adventuresportsholidays.com
