The routine of 2 cycling travellers

When you win the lottery, your happiness level goes up for the first month. Afterwards it levels to the state were you left it. We think long term travelling is like winning the time jackpot. You get used to the luxury of having this time wealth. So what do you spend it on?

Although Esther is a feminist, our household on the go is divided quite conservatively. She cooks while he sets up the tent. Vincent takes care of the electronics and navigation. Esther takes most of the pictures and sorts them out. Each one washes their own clothes. Yes, we both hate it. He does the dishes, she takes care of the social media. Vincent makes the first draft of the blog, Esther edits it until it’s unrecognisable. 

Are we tourists or travellers? We wish to be travellers, but then the previous paragraph wouldn’t sound that wining. Travellers aren’t better than tourists. Travellers visit places, try to blend in, and sometimes succeed to open minds. Most travellers spend less, which isn’t necessarily better for the local economy. Tourism is hollowing the cores of many attractive cities. As travellers, we overcrowd and overprice the place just the same. Travellers are out there, even in the less frequented places. It’s when we connect with locals that we feel the difference. It’s as easy as a smile on a surprised face when we pass on our bicycles. 

Cycling together is a cheerful challenge. Giacomo, an Italian who’s an experienced tourer, made us realise we aren’t as relaxed as we hoped. Us northerners are eager to move on. Giacomo charmed us with a Bialetti coffee and his cycle stories. With Luca, we enjoyed two cycling days and festive tapas in Santiago. We regret not seeing our joyful German friend again because of making the detour to Islas Cies. Even between the two of us, the cycling pace is the first point of discussion. Cycling together isn’t obvious, but so much better when we manage!

We were impressed by our last Spanish host. Cristina toured around the world for 3 years. We stayed at her Galician home together with Paul, a South African cyclist. Both of them have a flourishing youtube channel. Our little participation in the Sola en bici channel made us think about making money on the road. We’ll stick with the plan, we don’t want to be eternal travellers. 

We made our own routine on the go. The division of the tasks, the distances of the day, the moment we go to sleep, they got into a system. We had a difficult time to find that balance. Chewing on the kilometres needed, Esther described the cycling just ‘like a workday’ to her mum. Every person needs a bit of structure. Vincent needs a little more. We are happy that we can now make every place feel like a home even if it is only for one night. 

This travel jackpot didn’t skyrocket us to euphoria. Luckily we were happy before we got out!