More than 10 years ago, I set off to cross Latin America by bicycle, with my beloved Pelago. Since then, a lot has happened. Not least, I’ve gone from solo cycling to family cycling. As it so happens, I’m now married to a Brazilian bicycle traveller — who I met in front of a bicycle shop in Mexico — and am mother of two wonderful Finnish-Brazilian kids. And what else would two transcultural cyclists with kids do if not bicycle tour as a family?
Transitioning to family cycling
When we first started cycling long distance with our kids, our daughter was 1-year-old and our son 2,5-years-old. They were both still in their diapers, and did things babies and toddlers do — like cry at night, spill food and water all around and eat whatever they could get their hands on. Our daughter couldn’t speak and only learned to walk after crawling around the grounds of Europe for months.
The mindset shift
For two people used to enjoying the freedom of solo cycling, family cycling didn’t come easy. Bicycle travel as we knew it suddenly didn’t exist anymore. Long gone were the days when you could cycle when and where you want to, stop when and where you want to, eat whatever you want to, sleep wherever you want to and talk to whoever you want to for as long as you want to. All of a sudden, it was all about our children’s needs. We learned the hard way that with kids, life on the road changes just as much as it does back home.
When cycling with kids, it’s mostly them who dictate how long and when you cycle, when to stop for food, what kind of places you choose for sleeping. And to be honest, finding a balance between your and your kids needs is tricky. But hey, when in doubt, kids usually end up winning the battle. The sooner you accept this, the better it flows. For us, it took months to accept.
What about freedom?
A bicycle grants a person with a sense of freedom like no other means of transportation, at least if you ask me. Throughout history the bicycle has helped children go to school in rural areas, women emancipate from home-based helpers to active subjects in society, people with less economical resources to get to places faster. Even I still remember that wonderful feeling of freedom I experienced each spring when the snow melted from our home road, meaning I was finally allowed to cycle to school.
In solo cycling the feeling of freedom is omnipresent. Just take a look at any bicycle traveler’s socials and you’ll see that one of the first words that comes up in their feed is freedom. So how to combine work, family life and education with cycling, while still maintaining that sense of freedom — so essential to bike touring? Is it even possible? Or is it something you can only achieve alone?
Our upcoming journey
In July 2026, we’ll hit the road again as a family, on a mission to cycle to Turkey through France, Switzerland, Italy, Slovenia and the Balkans — for a start. As lovers of cultures and bike touring, we’re definitely looking forward to exploring the world and its people from the saddle again (all except our daughter, who’s devastated by the thought of not being able to bring all her dresses along!), and yes — chasing that feeling of freedom together. What’s different in our upcoming journey, compared to the previous ones, is that our kids now have scholarly obligations.
In our current reality in Catalunya, our kids go to school. School in Spain starts at the age of three [sic!], so they’re meticulously learning to read and write, among other things. Yet, once we leave Spain we’ll also leave the Spanish education system behind. This leaves us with many options that you could also call challenges. Neither Rodrigo (that’s my husband) nor I have experience in worldschooling — although Rodrigo has a background in education. We’re basically free to mix and match our kids’ school curricula from scratch, combining the best of Finland and Brazil, which is fascinating but scary. I invite you to follow along.
Call it a comeback!
What we want to show our kids is life outside their own cultures. We want them to evolve their multicultural minds and cultivate cultural sensitivity, while being able to process everything with us, their parents. Yet, apart from our children, I have the mission to continue working for intercultural understanding and global awareness on a larger scale while on the road. Among my other jobs, this is where Strangerless steps in (again).
At the doorstep of our next cycling adventure, I’m getting back to blogging after nearly 10 years. In the meanwhile, the internet has changed — and so have I. While I’m determined to find my feet as quickly as possible, I’m always happy to hear what topics you’re here for. If anything, you can expect writings on bicycle travel, intercultural encounters and multicultural parenting — especially on the road.
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