For many years we were wondering what is the reason that people with children are very rarely joining Ecotopia Biketour, while on other biketours this seems to be different. Now some of us have become parents ourselves, and it starts to seem that the biggest reason why there are no children on the Biketour is that there are no children on the Biketour. Biketouring with children requires additional effort, preparation, skills and confidence, and in addition to managing the daily life on the tour itself, it is particularly challenging to get the right equipment to carry both children and luggage on the bike, and to get all of that to and from the tour using public transportation.
We are a few experienced Ecotopians who want to join the tour next summer with our children. To support each other on the way there and back, to share equipment along the way, and for the children to have someone to play with, we are trying to all join at the same time. For this we are announcing the Ecotopia Childish Weeks.
For 1–2 weeks, Ecotopia Biketour will put a special focus on the needs of children and their caregivers. Daily distances will be shorter and more flexible, the route will have vital infrastructure (shops, train stations) along the way, and skill-sharing will happen both during the preparation and on the tour to make sure that the group is aware of the specific needs that children and their caregivers have and that people joining with children feel confident to prepare well for their trip.
The Childish Weeks aim to make the tour inclusive for people joining with children, not exclusive for people joining without children. Also, children are still welcome on all other parts of the tour, and the Childish Weeks can be an opportunity for children and their caregivers to slowly get used to this way of travelling and then staying on the tour when it returns to its regular pace.
The Childish Weeks will probably happen some time between middle of June and middle of July in southern Sweden, Denmark, and/or Northern Germany. We want to decide the exact dates within the next 4 weeks to make joining easier for people who need to plan their summer far in advance. For this reason, if you are considering joining us next summer with children, please contact us now. We are planning to create a group chat where we decide the most fitting dates now and will later plan our travels together and exchange helpful knowledge.
Most of us do not have experience biketouring with children yet and we all have doubts and insecurities about it. To encourage and empower each other, we plan to keep in touch throughout the year, share useful knowledge on our blog, and even organize some local test tours to gain some experience.