We are celebrating Teen Treks 25th Season of running self-supported bike tours for teens across the U.S., Canada and Europe! To commemorate the event, Teen Treks has put together a new film, “Beyond the Bike: Teen Treks Adventures.” The film documents what has made Teen Treks more than just a bike tour for 25 seasons!
In the film, teens share stories about what makes Teen Treks unique from other summer camp experiences. Trekker Nora points out that a lot of other summer camps are less child oriented. With Teen Treks, teens have the opportunity to help frame their summer bike trip experience. “I was really surprised when I realized how self-directed it was, and how I was actually capable of a lot more than I thought I was,” Nora said. “I have never grocery shopped before, I learned how to navigate, I learned how far apart things are, and how to deal with yourself in the world. How to ask someone for help, how to fix your bike, and how to be self-oriented.”
Teen Bike Tour’s Impact
When the summer is over, Teen Treks’ office hears directly from parents about how the trip has impacted their teen’s lives. Often, parents will say their teen is more helpful around the house, more inclined to help cook dinner, sometimes opting to cook for the whole family. We hear about how teens are more motivated, channeling their newfound self-confidence into schoolwork and extra-curricular activities.
One common feedback we hear from parents, that speaks to the technological-heavy time period we are in today, is how teens don’t want to be around their phone as much when they return from the trip. In fact, they even will seek out opportunities to leave behind a screen and be outdoors doing things. All of us older folks are nostalgic of the days when kids played outside until dusk, no cell phone to pull their attention indoors. In today’s world, it takes a conscious effort to physically remove ourselves from screens. On a Teen Treks bike trip, teens go anywhere from two weeks to two months without their phones, depending on the length of the trip, as Teen Treks has proudly practiced a no-phone policy for 25 summers.
More and more, we are realizing how valuable a no-phone summer camp experience is for developing youth. Teens are able to be present within their group setting. Their energy and attention are focused on being outdoors, exploring by bike, being a helpful team member, playing games and having fun with their fellow bike travelers. They are more likely to engage with group members and locals they meet while traveling. They are using their own problem-solving skills to troubleshoot when adversity occurs. And they are relying on their own sense of imagination and creativity during downtime. All of this may not happen with a phone that can so easily pull us away. Makes me wish there was a summer camp like this for adults, as it seems we could all use a phone-less retreat!
Beyond the Bike
Teen Treks has been running for 25 Seasons because we believe in what we do. If you have ever had the chance to travel by bicycle, you will see how impactful such an immersive form of travel can be. Just like Trekker Rohan said in the film, ‘Beyond the Bike,’ “Normally, we get around from place to place by airplanes, or even cars, but when you are on a bike, everything you see, you are taking it in and realizing just how big the world is.”
Being surrounded by sights, sounds, smells as you use your body to travel from destination to destination is an enlivening experience. As teens are developing and thinking about the kind of person they want to be in this world, we find this kind of movement helps awaken their inner selves in an almost meditative way. Leader Grace talks about the simplicity of bike travel and how is strips one away from all the cares and worries of every-day life. “When everything is all packed on the bike, it never ceases to amaze me how little we need to get by and to truly be happy,” she said. “And now we get to this stage in their life where everything they have fits into two bags and a tent. And that’s all they own for that moment. Many of them confided in us that this is the happiest they have been in their entire life.”
Teen Treks hopes that we can continue to run self-supported bike tours for teens of this nature for another 25 years to come! It is our goal that more teens can experience the profound effects of teen bike tours. Please enjoy our new film, “Beyond the Bike: Teen Treks Adventures,” and share with a friend who you think would enjoy learning more about our summer camp experiences!
