About Us

Bank holiday cycling tour

We are a little family of 3 from sleepy North Wales who dream of travelling the world, living simply and exploring the unknown with our cheeky toddler in tow.

Matt and I met 5 years ago through the skydiving club at Liverpool University, so that spontaneous, adventurous thrill-seeking nature has always been deeply embedded in who we are as a couple. It has always been our mutual dream to travel together and we had plans to take off for a year once I had graduated from university, but our dreams were temporarily put on hold when our little surprise came along in 2008! Following Theo’s arrival, we moved from the city of Liverpool to the slightly quieter hills of North Wales and our focus changed to the ever-challenging task of becomming parents. However, our dream never left us- and when Theo was just over a year old, we made the decision to move in with Matt’s dad in order to save money for our venture.

After a year of scraping together what we could, we were still frustratingly far from our goal. Trying to save in the midst of the recession was a struggle and we quickly learnt that even working doesn’t come cheap when you factor in nursery costs and commuting. Desperate for our own space once again, we moved out after a year of saving to our current home and once again, our travelling dream slipped even further from our grasp. For a while, we considered abandoning it altogether in favour of placing roots for ourselves and investing our feeble savings into a mortgage- but soon found that even mortgages were few and far between in the current economic climate. We’d hit a brick wall- and the world was looking smaller.

New Years Eve, 2011, Matt had been idly browsing the internet and chanced to mention that there were flights to Canada going cheaply. In fact, he’d been looking for a few days out of interest but frustratingly even in that short space of time, prices had begun to creep up. Fuelled by our New Years Eve drinks and the threat of time slipping from us, we started to dare to dream again. We had become frustrated with the years of dreaming and no action; we desperately wanted, and needed, to do something, anything. Before we had even had the time to fully consider our decision, we had done it- a moment of fleeting madness, perhaps!- and booked our outbound flights to Calgary, Canada. We weren’t sure what we would do, where we would go or how long for- but we had a starting point. We had snatched back our dream.

As yet, we don’t have a return flight or a concrete plan of action. Restricted by our finances, we know it can’t be the full year of touring the globe that we had originally dreamt of; but it’s a step in the right direction, a taster, something to satisfy our craving for escapism! Our current hope is to do a minimum of 6 weeks, combining cycling with trains to work our way across Canada and then down the west coast of America, ending at San Francisco. However, we have no idea where it could lead to- and that’s part of the thrill for us. Perhaps we can stretch our time and finances further and extend the trip; perhaps we can come back, save for another 6 months and then go again somewhere else with more experience and an appetite for travel. The feeling of not knowing can be terrifying- but it’s also exhilerating!

Our outbound date is 30th April 2011 and I hope you enjoy following our journey as we piece together our route, plan, prepare and train for our expedition and then undertake the tour itself. We’d love to hear from anyone with similar experiences and will welcome all the support we can get from family, friends and followers everywhere!
Becki, Matt and Theo.

More About Us

Matt

I like to make decisions on the spur of the moment, and I believe that if you set your mind on something you can make it happen. My motto is that you only live once, so make the most of the short time you have. I’ve always loved cycling and commute to work on my bike daily come rain or shine, although I rarely cycle more than 20-30 miles at a time there is plenty of prep work to be done before we set off. I’m into all things gadgety, interested in climbing and I enjoy photography and working on my blogs. I’m really looking forward to a big adventure with my family and all the challenges it will bring! You can read more about our shorter cycling trips over at my blog travellingtoddler.com, check it out. I also love a good sunset and gazing at the sky at night, so I’m hoping the Rockies and west coast fulfill my expectations.

Likes:	Gadgets and technology, planning and organizing gear and routes, cycling!
Dislikes:	Being hungry and/or tired!

Becki

I’m a fun-loving free spirit with a true, raw appetite for life, experience and travel. I love to read, write and be creative in any way shape or form- I continually have one project or another on the go! I am always seeking to push myself beyond the boundaries of where I thought I could go- and will take up any challenge presented to me, no matter how big or small. I’m known as a bit of a dreamer too. I can be a compulsive organiser and a lover of ‘list-making’, but this doesn’t stop me being spontaneous and seizing the moment when the mood takes me. I’m also an avid runner, and although I enjoy cycling too, I haven’t the same strength or experience as Matt- and so will need to train hard in order to prepare myself for those long days on the road and rather scary-looking hills through the rockies…

Likes:	Writing, running, being around nature
Dislikes:	Cycling up steep hills, being told what to do!

Theo

Our cheeky, fun-loving and spirited 2.5yr old is a true character and a real ‘mini-me’ combination of the two of us. Cuddly and affectionate, Theo especially adores his Daddy and is extremely inquisitive, adventurous and has endless supplies of energy. Theo loves anything with wheels, Fireman Sam (!) and his cuddly cat, Tara. He’ll be trailing behind us as we cycle and no doubt absorbing all that he sees in the proverbial sponge fashion that is characteristic of his love-to-learn nature. His bubbly and outgoing personality win over the hearts of all who meet him, although in true toddler fashion he likes to get his own way and will let you know when he’s not happy! With his cheeky, dirty little laugh and endless questions, he will help us appreicate our trip all the more by opening our eyes to many aspects that would be otherwise overlooked.

Likes:	Being social, having a giggle, anything with wheels, chocolate!
Dislikes:	The hoover (!) being tired, being told off.