Families on the Move – Meet the Family Behind LovingTheBike.com

Families on the Move

We have been blessed to connect with many amazing families online, all of whom have adapted a travel lifestyle in one form or another.  We wanted to take the opportunity to introduce you to them here and highlight the positive aspects travel has had on their families. Welcome our interview series called Families on the Move. Miro & I are honored to a part of this global community we consider our extended family.

Meet the Amazing Family Behind LovingTheBike.com

Darryl – dad – loves his family, biking, and warm weather
Amanda – mom – loves her family.  slightly obsessed with dogs, and loves kids….needs to be surrounded in a little chaos
Kassi – 13 years old – fashion design, skateboarding, sewing, reading and all sorts of music.  She wants to spend her spare time volunteering at Children’s homes and mentoring at-risk youth.

Indie – 6 years old – our serious dude.  loves fishing and spending time with his dad.  he also has a passion for animals, wanting to work in animal rescue.
River – 2 years old – the wild man.  he keeps us on our toes, and is always on the move.  loves bikes, cars and really anything that moves.
Nacho – 8 year old rescue dog, adopted while we were living in the Caribbean (St. Kitts).  A sweet and gentle soul.
Tambo – 1 year old chihuahua….loyal, loving and feisty

Where are you now, where have you been and how long have you been traveling?

We are from Canada and are currently in Austin, Tx…we’ve been here for almost 2 years.  We really started off our journey when we lived in St. Kitts, West Indies9 years ago….we stayed there for 3 years.  We have travelled across Canada, spent a month in Belize, and 2 months in Barbados…sprinkled with shorter trips to different Caribbean Islands.

Why do you travel as a family?

We know it’s a huge world out there and we want to see and do as many things as possible.  Maybe it’s because we have a gypsy spirit inside of us, or it’s because we like to live life outside of the traditional box.  Whatever it is, we find traveling to new places and meeting new people a very rewarding experience.

What are some of the benefits your family has experienced as a result your travels?

We now have friends all over the world.  This is definitely the best of the benefits as they have helped us out in so many ways as we make our way from place to place.  Another benefit is the self confidence that has been built up in our children.  We’ve especially noticed an incredible boost in the self confidence of our 13 year old daughter and we know that traveling around has helped create this.

What inspired you and your family to incorporate travel into your lifestyle?

There isn’t really one thing that has been the inspiration for our travels, but reading about what other families are doing and seeing how their lives are being shaped is definitely something that pushes us to do more.

How do you address education while you are traveling?

Our daughter started out in the public school system, and actually started her schooling at a local school in St. Kitts…..we chose to start homeschooling when she entered 3rd grade….she’s now going into 9th, and we are unschooling / child-led learning with the younger two.  We have never looked back, and really feel that traveling aids us in our homeschool venture.

How do you and your family experience being global citizens?

We’ve lived off of work permits several times over the past 10 years.  The legalities of moving around the world are frustrating at times and take some work, but we keep on going back for more.

Can you share one of your family’s most memorable experiences?

Just one?  We have met celebrities and multi-millionaires as we’ve traveled and lived around the world….but one of the most memorable moments was walking as a family through our one acre of land that we own in Belize.  We had owned it for over a year before we all actually were there together so it felt so surreal to actually be walking across this beautiful land that we own in a far away country.

Can you share one story from your travel experiences when you and your family had an “aha moment”.

Watching the kids playing with a big stick….this stick acted as so many things for them, and had them using their imagination in ways I wouldn’t have expected.  It was at that moment when I realized how little we actually need to be happy, and how having less actually opens us up to our creativity.

What’s next?
We’re moving to Grenada and will be there indefinitely.  We want to have it as our base and will be investing into a business there.  We want to continue traveling, but will call Grenada home.  We’ll be moving there in late October.

Name: Darryl Kotyk
twitter: @lovingthebike
web site: www.lovingthebike.com