Sometimes you try something new, and take a shot in the dark in unknown territory. Such was the case when my family decided to take a bike tour vacation. The risk paid off, and ended with “We did it!!!” We took the opportunity to try something totally new and different with an overseas bike trip for the family — and we loved it!
While most people are happy to bicycle down the bike path in their own hometowns or on vacation at the local beach, many don’t consider extending these excursions overseas? Taking the family on an international cycling tour seemed stressful and downright daunting to me. (Eek!) Add two children and a husband to the mix, and my travel anxiety nearly hit the moon.
We had never taken a bike trip anywhere, and to add to my stress, BikeTours.com was new to us as well. It was a brand new experience, and yet, we were willing to take a leap for a once-in-a-lifetime trip.
A smile in any language
Our children were delightful companions who found new friends and conversation at every turn. In any language, we could understand a smile and a hearty “thumbs up” from passers-by as my eight and five-year-olds pedaled their bikes with us down the Danube River path.
Along the way, we were invited for bratwurst in a beer garden, met an old soul traveling with a donkey, wandered the beautiful cobblestone streets of a few small towns, and sipped Gruner Veltliner with an older German couple at the end of one of our days. (We used sign language and a small notebook to communicate–our German was as bad as their English.) Despite our minimal conversation, we exchanged emails and promised (I think) to keep in touch.
Abundance of Grapes
We noticed the Gruner Veltliner grapes were coming off the vines during our stay and many vineyards we biked passed had wreaths on front doors inviting us in for a sip of their recent harvest. The wind blew our hair, we laughed, we raced, our legs ached, we had a few scrapes, and at the end of each day, we were so confident that we did something real, made a mark, took rubber down the road, and pedaled uncharted territory. We were having that “once in a lifetime” trip that was planned one snowy Saturday afternoon many months ago.
“We did it!” my kids would say as they lay their sleepy heads down each night. “We did it, Mom!”
Free Agents
The best part of our trip (besides feeling so proud of my children’s efforts) was freely exploring each day on our own. Even though BikeTours.com had our back, we were free agents from sunup to sundown. We felt like pioneers, explorers, students (of maps and German phrases), and formed a stronger bond with each other and our fellow man.
The blog was written by Kathryn Brookshire Brown, a BikeTours.com repeat traveler who loves to bike tour with her family.