A family biking around the world

In July 2022, Karin Verland-Hibert, her wife, Frances Lambert, and their two children, Justin, 8, and Lexi, 5, traveled to Denmark, the starting point of an amazing one-year adventure. Over the past few months, the Magog family has traveled to three continents, mostly…by bike. An overview of his remarkable journey in five points.

The project

Karen Verland-Hibert and Frances Lambert are travel enthusiasts. “We met on a plane, 15 years ago,” assures the mother, who answered questions Journalism Through a live video conference from the small town of Sabaya, Bolivia, just weeks before the family’s return to the country.

The birth of children did not dampen this need to discover the planet. Traveling for a whole year is a long-cherished project that the couple have been preparing for five years. In order to ensure that they would have an income during their trip, the teacher and engineer participated in a deferred salary leave program offered by their employers. In terms of preparations, they also improve their tent, which serves as their shelter most nights.

bikes

Why did you choose the bike as a means of transportation? “We chose cycling because we are both passionate about cycling. We go mountain biking, or bike tourism…” explains Karin Ferland-Hébert. But beyond this passion, the great traveler is convinced that this method of transportation facilitates contact with people. Especially since their two tandems, Pino tandems, attract attention in the villages where they stop. “We fell in love with this model because it ensured that our children were safe with us on the bike. They use the power they can provide and you can talk to them easily.”

The Road

Denmark, Germany, Holland, Belgium, France, Switzerland, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, New Zealand, Argentina, Bolivia, Chile: the list of visited countries is impressive. How was the route determined? Children and parents have chosen a place they would like to discover. If Justin wanted to go to Denmark to visit Legoland, Lexi wanted to see the Amazon jungle and its animals. On the other hand, adults wanted to cycle through the mountains and salt flats of South America.

We built the itinerary according to the level of difficulty. We wanted to grow, both physically and logistically. We wanted to take classes too. A few ‘hops’ by plane, train, truck and even helicopter were also planned.

Rhythm

The distance traveled each day on tandem varies from 30 to 80 km. “It depends a lot on the fuel points, the wind, the altitude and the condition of the tracks,” Karine Ferland Hébert recounts. It estimates that by the end of their journey, which will end in La Paz, Bolivia, on July 20, they will have covered nearly 9,000 kilometres. All this while maintaining a gentle rhythm for the children, who continue school thanks to the lessons given by their mother. Along the way, impromptu stops are welcome, whether to play in a garden in Europe or to watch a dung beetle cross the road in South America. Rest days are also on the schedule. “Our trip is a dream for adults, accessible to children,” sums up the mother.

tally

As their return to Quebec approaches, Karine Ferland Hébert begins to take stock of their adventure. Among the gains, I note that this trip allowed family members to improve their adaptability, develop their sense of mutual help as well as their creativity. “We see the beauty, diversity and richness of the planet’s ecosystems,” she says. What about the challenges? “In South America, it’s all about logistics. Or sleep? What do you want to eat? It’s cold and altitude too. Always being with the same people sometimes creates friction. However, the positive definitely outweighs the negative because parents are already thinking about the trip,” she adds. Coming in. For those who want to emulate them, Karen Verland-Hepper has some advice: “Dare! »