The first question that popped into my head when I heard about the "street giraffes" was how you come up with such an idea. Leaving everything behind and then with two small children. For me, even without children, probably unimaginable. And yet such an appealing idea...
What was your idea for this cycle tour?
Lorena and Gregor discovered travelling early on when they spent a year backpacking together. Like many people, they love being out in nature and the best way to explore it is by bike. They tell me that cycling is the best way to travel, as you can travel at your own pace and experience nature to a greater extent. The birth of their two daughters, who are not at all fans of travelling by car, has increased their desire to travel by bike. This also resulted in the first small and successful bikepacking holidays in the summer, which probably laid the foundation for the idea of this campaign.
And yet: most people will probably still be able to manage a week's family holiday by bike. Extending this week to an indefinite period of time, probably very few. Other factors obviously played a role in the decision in favour of the cycling trip. The desire for family time and the desire for an inner journey were further arguments. Now, when the daughters are not yet of school age, was the best time to go through with it. "And then we asked ourselves: 'Does this even work with two small children in the long term?' and then said that if we don't try it out, we'll never know if it works," says Lorena, explaining the final decision.
If we don't do it and try it out, we'll never know if it works. - Lorena Bennek
Were there any "teething troubles"?
Of course, a bike trip like this requires a little more organisation than a short holiday. Even if the two of them summarise the start with: "We cleared our room, packed up and said we'd just give it a go". It probably didn't happen quite that quickly. Gregor and Lorena are particularly grateful for the help of their families and friends in the somewhat stressful days before their departure.
They mainly have food and clothes with them. A solar panel is attached to one of their bike trailers, which supplies the e-bike batteries, mobile phones, their laptop and the kettle with electricity. Other equipment includes a water tank (10 litres), an additional battery for electricity, a tent, sleeping mats, sleeping bags, a table and a chair. Generally "more than we would like", jokes Lorena. They will send a parcel with superfluous items back to Germany during the course of their journey.
Once all the things were packed, Ella and Laila were safely accommodated in the two child trailers and everyone had said their goodbyes, it was time to set off from Chiemsee. For the first 6 weeks, the StrassenGiraffen stayed mainly in southern Germany, more or less as a trial period with the question "Do we really want to do this here?" on their minds. The many and sometimes heavy thunderstorms in particular made for an unpleasant start and posed a major challenge. The family was able to spontaneously find accommodation with helpful people via various platforms. Nevertheless, the fear of sudden thunderstorms accompanied them for a long time on their sometimes daily stages.
We'll just give it a go now. - Lorena and Gregor on their decision to go ahead with the trip.
Where should the journey take us?
From southern Germany, the StrassenGiraffen travelled along the Inn river over the Reschen Pass towards Italy and the sea just south of Venice. "Our older daughter cried with joy when she realised that we were cycling to the sea," Gregor and Lorena proudly recall. The journey then took them through the centre of the country via Ferrara and Bologna to Florence. With small detours, they continued on to Livorno, from where they took the ferry to Sardinia. And even there they were able to cover a few kilometres by bike. From Olbia they travelled to Bari Sardo, where they have been living in rented accommodation since November.
Because the street giraffes have had another addition on their journey: Maluna, the new family member, is a Labrador mix and needs time to get used to the new situation. The holidays were therefore used to stay in one place for a longer period of time. Until November, however, everyday family life looked a little different and was a challenge, especially at the beginning: "Initially, procedures were not 100 per cent clear and we had to acclimatise to the new situation," says Gregor. "Who does what? How do the children provide support?" were questions that the family had to face. This also made it difficult to get into the flow of travelling and relax alongside all the tasks.
What does your everyday travelling life look like?
Ultimately, however, it's like any new task or life situation: you get used to it. Gregor and Lorena can't say for sure what the new travelling routine will look like, as it depends on many factors: What's the weather like? Where are we travelling to? and so on... The day usually starts in a relaxed way with a (baby) coffee and breakfast, often with something already cooked for lunch. Depending on what the plan is for the day, the four, or now five, set off between 10 a.m. and 12 noon, usually cycling between 20 and 50 kilometres during the day, but they also have a 70-kilometre stage behind them on the journey to the ferry to Livorno. The family often uses Laila's afternoon nap to be able to cycle even longer.
But there are also days when they don't travel at all, but stay in one place. "To arrive and relax," they say. When they are travelling, especially in winter, when it gets dark early, they have to see where they can and are allowed to pitch their tent. Wild camping is not allowed everywhere and a campsite would be too expensive in the long term. Should nothing materialise, these are of course a good plan B.
The road giraffes tend to live from day to day without planning far into the future. This is not even possible, as they never know exactly how many kilometres they will travel in a day. If they do plan a stay in a place or city in advance, the four of them sometimes use platforms such as "couchsurfing" to have a permanent roof over their heads.
What were your highlights and lowlights?
The family had many positive experiences with the friendliness and helpfulness of the people, who also spontaneously took them in during emergencies caused by bad weather, which they describe as one of the many highlights of the whole trip. The experience of nature, sometimes being away from civilisation by bike for several days, was also a very special experience. Gregor emphasises the ride in Baunei in Sardinia in the mountains, which was a "dream" in terms of both landscape and colour. The many free-roaming animals, such as wild boars and wild horses, also contributed to a kind of zoo vibe.
In addition to weather difficulties and the worry of not knowing where to sleep for the night, the StreetGiraffes also had a bad experience that they can smile about afterwards: While camping in Sardinia, they were attacked by cats who started stealing food and washing powder in droves. When they started jumping on the tent, it was taken down again and the four of them had to look for another place further away for the night.
We were attacked by cats. - Lorena
What is a cycle tour with small children like? Exhausting?
As wonderful and enriching as these last few months may have sounded, I couldn't imagine that travelling with two small children wouldn't be exhausting. But the opposite was the case, even if Gregor and Lorena had the same thoughts at the beginning. For the children, the cycle journey was a great adventure. What's more, travelling by bike would be much more pleasant than a long car journey. After all, children have energy to burn off and, since October, their older daughter Ella has been able to ride her own bike, which was brought to her from Germany by a carpool. Laila was then also given a balance bike.
If they don't feel like cycling or are simply too tired, they have the option of travelling in their child trailers and just looking at the scenery. It was important to the parents that each child has their own safe space and they lovingly describe the trailers as a kind of "nursery on wheels". The third option for transporting children is the front seat on the tandem for Ella and the child seat on the pannier rack for Laila.
Everyday travelling also gives the children a fixed structure, which Gregor and Lorena have noticed since their longer stay in Sardinia. Of course, Ella in particular would have missed her friends at first, but they all enjoy spending time together and small children are usually very sociable anyway. The two daughters also love nature and being able to develop freely on the cycle tour, even if they don't feel like cycling. That's why it's important to cater to the children's needs. This makes the whole experience with them really positive.
But tell me, how do you finance your cycle tour?
One important question has not yet been answered, which many may have asked themselves at the beginning of the story. How can the street giraffes afford this indefinite journey? Both Lorena and Gregor work as trainers for non-violent communication (NVC). While Lorena is currently on parental leave, Gregor was still employed until December. While travelling, both have already offered workshops, coaching sessions and talks for families. They want to take their "project" to the next level, inspiring people and contributing to a more peaceful world. In recent months, they have also been able to accompany conflicts through their experience, which they also count among their many highlights.
They are also out and about on social media, sharing their cycling journey with their followers.
In addition to their savings, this covers the costs. The food in particular is very expensive, as the street giraffes attach great importance to healthy cooking. And of course they also have to pay for a night in an Airbnb or their flat in Sardinia.
We have the vision to contribute to a more peaceful world and want to inspire people with this project. - Lorena
What's next for your cycle tour?
Although it is not clear how long the cycle tour will take and the road giraffes live from day to day, they have ideas about where else they might go. "The southernmost point of Europe is on the agenda and maybe Morocco once we're there," says Gregor. New Zealand has also been discussed. So the end is probably not in sight any time soon. All that matters to them is that everyone feels comfortable.
In the near future, they also want to find a place where Ella can go to school. However, if nothing comes up, the Benneks are also open to travelling further afield. With a view to returning to Germany, a tour is planned for the summer, during which Gregor and Lorena will offer their workshops in a school and at a leisure centre, among other places, and all four of them will be able to visit family and friends again.
Finally, I wanted to know one more thing from the two of them: "Why do you call yourselves the Street Giraffes?" "The giraffe is the symbol of non-violent communication because it has the biggest heart of all land animals and non-violent communication is also known as the language of the heart," Lorena explained to me. The combination with the word "road" then goes without saying...
>> You can find more information about the StrassenGiraffen and their cycle tour at: strassengiraffen.de
Lukas Niebuhr
Working student
