Reason 2 Roam

27/08/2024

Matt and I have been off the bikes for 6 weeks now. He is healing really really well and is now working on building back strength in his shoulder.

We met some bike Packers at our hotel in Bishkek..we jealously watched as they packed their bikes and headed out on their adventure on the silk road route. We offered to lend any tools or zip ties or anything else they might need... But they were well prepared and didn't need anything from us.

About 5 days later we got a knock on our hotel room door and a phone was shoved in my face. On the other end of the phone was Romeo - one of the backpackers we jealously watched leave - his rack had broken and he wondered if he could borrow mine.

Of course! As long as it was back to us by the 26th of August.

Romeo arrived back in Bishkek about 6 hours later with a multi tool in hand and left with my rack. (and the beef jerky a friend left in his bag).

Romeo and his companions arrived back to Bishkek last night. We re- installed the rack and shared stories and lies over more beer than was really needed.

These are some of the pictures of their adventure. So beautiful - we can't wait to come back and see these views ourselves.. after all we can't let my rack have all the fun!

19/07/2024

Look who is upright!!

05/04/2024

The eve of the Rickshaw Race... We are tired, dusty, nervous and excited!

If you want to follow our progress on a map, you can do that here: https://blogging.theadventurists.com/map/adventure/rrapr24/team/vintage-vagabonds-and-the-vagrant

We have about 4,000 kms between us and the south of India. That's a lot of cows to dodge, trucks and busses to stay away from, and amazing people to meet.

Can't wait. Wish us luck.

04/04/2024

India Part 1 photo dump.

Southern India has been awesome. It's been hot too! Here is a photo dump of some of our adventures from the past 3 weeks.

1. Indian Thali - typical lunch. There is also rice in the middle of the plate.
2. Sunset in Goa - Palolem beach
3. Cooking and sweating. Not in that order!
4. One of the amazing people we have met here in India!!
5. Jacaranda Trees in the Mountains of Kerala
6. Riding the bus. This is a rare photo when the bus isn't full full full!!
7. Temple at sunset. We arrived in town just in time for the incredible light as the sun set on this ancient temple.
8. Enjoying some AC in Pondicherry - that was an awesome city
9. Incredible temple in Madurai. No photos allowed inside, but this is where we were blessed by an elephant!!
10. Beach vibes in Verkala.

30/03/2024

Way back in February we spent about an hour or so with some fine folks chatting about our 2023 adventures on the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route and cycling in the Baja.

For those of you who weren't able to be there, we invite you to grab a cup of coffee and watch it now.

If you are wondering what we have been up to since we recorded this, check out our profile for some reels we have made about cycling in Sri Lanka and spending time in India. We have some different content on our instagram page too: https://www.instagram.com/reason2roam

On April 2, 2024, we fly from Goa to NE India to begin the ridiculous Rick Shaw Run. We are excited to get the ridiculousness underway. Don't know what we are talking about - check out: https://www.reason2roam.com/rickshaw-run

A HUGE THANK YOU to everyone who has donated to either of our two campaigns. We have reached our goal of $1,000 for Cool Earth, but still have a ways to go for Two Wheel View. Please consider donating if you haven't already: https://reason2roam.com/fundraising

Thanks again for your support everyone. Tail winds.

15/02/2024

Cave tubing in Belize was a riot and it was made better by sharing with friends! A special shout out to Heather's mom for braving the 3 river crossings it took to get to the start.. and all the kind people who helped her get there!

10/02/2024

SUPER EXCITING NEWS! We have a vagrant joining us for the Rickshaw Run!

We met Max while cycling on the great divide mountain bike route - invited him to come on the run with us (not just because he's a mechanic) and for some reason unknown to us - he said yes!!

Our team name is now: The Vintage Vagabonds and the Vagrant!

We only store and share the data we need to give you the adventure you bought from us or use the service you wanted to use for as long as you want to make use of it.

10/02/2024

We had a great turn out yesterday at our presentation... Over 32 people! It was awesome to share our adventures with everyone!!

A great big THANK YOU to Matt and Heather from Reason 2 Roam for giving us a chairside view of their recent bicycle journey on the Great Divide Mountain Bike route during yesterday's Afternoons for Adults program. We are sure you won over a few people in the room to believe that they, too, could take on this incredible trip. If you missed the presentation, visit their website at www.Reason2Roam.com to catch up on this adventure and others.

Afternoons for Adults meets every Thursday afternoon at 2:00 PM for conversation with others and a variety of activities. Refreshments are provided. Visit highriverlibrary.ca/Events for more information.

07/02/2024

Here is some really useful advice for booking hotels and flights - and we speak from experience that it is a best practice.

Here is what the article outlines:

Use price checking sites (like Google flights, booking.com, Skyscanner, Agoda etc.. ) to find routes and options and then go straight to the source to book.

When you book direct with an airline they "own" the ticket and can actually help you if there are issues. If you book through a different site you have to contact the site because they "own" the ticket and they don't have as much ability to sort issues as quickly as the airline can.

As for hotels, it is usually cheaper to book direct if you can as you will often get a better rate. We stay at places that are too cheap to be online.. but if you "ruck up" with a screen shot of what you could pay elsewhere they will usually match or beat the price...

We still use these services, but for info gathering purposes.. read the article to see which sites give you the most into most of the time!

Cheers!!

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/advice/book-direct-and-comparison-websites-to-avoid-travel-holiday/

Independent travellers tend to get cheaper fares and good-value hotels, says a new study – so follow these tips to get the best deals

05/02/2024

Whatcha doing on Thursday Feb 8 at 2pm? If you answered - nothing... then why not make the drive down to the High River Library and watch our armchair traveller presentation about our bike trip last fall?!

High River Library - 2-3:30pm

31/01/2024

ICYMI: While we are having a tonne of fun in Belize, we are continuing to raise funds for Cool Earth. 57% of the way there! We only need $427 CAD dollars to reach our goal - that's only 85 people to donate $5.00CAD. If you were thinking - oh yah - I would like to support Matt and Heather - you still can and we would sure appreciate it! Click the link below to be taken to the donation page

Thanks for considering!

Help Matt and Heather raise money to support Cool Earth

30/01/2024

Played a little with this new camera editing. I feel like this is appropriate for a group of Canadians in sunny Belize

29/01/2024

Anyone else lay awake at night as a child worrying about flying over the Bermuda Triangle? I was 18 the first time I got on a plane! 🤦‍♀️

26/01/2024

We are thinking about converting the wheels on our Rickshaw to this.. we figure we will get better mileage. Thoughts?

Don't know what rickshaw I am talking about? ICYMI: https://www.reason2roam.com/rickshaw-run/

29/07/2023

📸 *Captivating Caterpillar Discovery!* 🌏🐛 (Flashback to Vietnam 2013)

Greetings, fellow travel enthusiasts! 🌟 Today, I've got a delightful treat in store for you – a blast from the past that will awaken your wanderlust and appreciation for the little wonders of nature! 🍃📅

This enchanting photo is the underside of a *Vietnamese caterpillar* that we stumbled upon during our 2013 escapades in Vietnam! 🇻🇳🦋 It's amazing how our travels often introduce us to the most unexpected and fascinating creatures, right?

The past few weeks have found me keywording, organizing and culling the over 30,000 photos in our digital photo library. It's been a great walk down memory lane...but I keep getting distracted and spend a little longer editing the odd photo like this one.

Have you ever stumbled upon such curious critters during your travels? Let us know in the comments and if you happen to have a picture even better! ❤️🐛

Thanks for being a part of our travel community, and let's keep the wanderlust alive together! 🌍✈️

25/07/2023

Calling any celiac followers (or those followers who know a person with celiac disease) that like to travel!!

I wanted to share this resource with you - handy restaurant guides translated into local languages to use when you travel to help keep you healthy.

This link explains the background on these cards and why you can trust them... Plus it has links to buy them....and they are cheap!

Happy eating and travelling everyone!

If you're celiac like me, this 2023 updated page contains resources, restaurant cards, and city guides to help you eat GF safely on the road.

21/07/2023

Do you use reviews to make decisions when you travel? We have a love/hate relationship with them. For example, if I (Heather) left a review that the food was terrible at a restaurant.. was it really terrible or did it just have too much mayo?!

The world of reviews just got trickier too...

What do you think about reviews?

Artificial intelligence produces plausible verdicts on hotels, restaurants and tech in an instant

27/01/2023

Travelling is cool but it's a pain in the ass sometimes.

Literally a pain in the ass.

Cramped bus seats, loud moto taxi's, bumpy ferries, long scooter rides on crappy roads: all result in a pained posterier!

Give it up for a pampered rump instead?

Not a chance!