Travelling multimodally with a child: that’s the challenge Eduardo Vargas and his spouse, Alive Bluhm, set for themselves.
The result? Mission accomplished! In large part thanks to the services of the company Voyager à vélo.
Eduardo Vargas, Alive Bluhm and Marian
The Montreal couple and their daughter, Marian, first took the train to Toronto. A stay at the beginning of August allowed them to visit several attractions in the Queen City.
“We wanted to experience our first family cycling trip with our 8-year-old child,” summarizes Mr. Vargas.
“We spent three days in Toronto. It’s truly a beautiful city. There are many things to visit, and it’s really well-suited for families. We walked a lot, but we loved it.”
Niagara
The trip then called for the family trio to take the train to St. Catharines, in the Niagara region, to begin the cycling portion of their vacation.
“The train goes to Niagara Falls, but we got off in St. Catharines. That’s where we started our cycling journey,” says Eduardo Vargas.
“We cycled for four days, at 45 kilometres per day. For a total of 160 kilometres! With an 8-year-old girl, it’s possible. The Niagara region is easy to cycle, but we had to plan our route well. We used the beautiful bike paths in the region.”
Brand new bikes
Logistically, the valuable services of Voyager à vélo were put to good use, continues Mr. Vargas, who, in his everyday life, is a travel guide for the Vélo Québec organization.
“We were able to access bikes from Voyager à Vélo. They were brand new. They were waiting for us in St. Catharines for our ride,” he explains.
“We also used the luggage transport service to our accommodations.”
The Vargas-Bluhm family also took advantage of the public transit option available in that region, which allows for bike transport.
“The Niagara region is a great place to cycle. But it wasn’t always easy. We had to stop. You have to remember we were riding with an 8-year-old girl. But we weren’t rushed. We had all day to cover about 40 kilometres,” recalls Eduardo Vargas.
“We were able to easily complete the entire Niagara region loop.”
It must be said that dad Eduardo is an expert in two-wheeled travel. As a guide for Vélo Québec, he has accompanied several groups of cyclists here and abroad. He has taken part in trips to Asia and Italy, among other places.
From Mont-Tremblant to St-Jérôme
The family has developed a taste for this kind of adventure. The trio has promised to embark on another cycling tour.
The father and daughter have even done it again. A few days ago, little Marian and her dad did another ride on the P’tit train du nord, between Mont-Tremblant and Saint-Jérôme in the Laurentians.
In two days, they cycled a distance of 100 kilometres. “That’s pretty good!” he exclaims.
“We had our luggage with us. Marian had her things on her bike. She was very good. Riding with a child for long distances? It’s totally possible!”