Frequently Asked Questions
These are the questions we are most frequently asked when people see us with our bikes...
Where are you from?
Colleen is from the U.S. She was born in Maine and grew up near Seattle, Washington.
Jose is from Spain. He was born in Jaén, Andalucía.
How long have you been traveling?
We began this journey on July 25, 2014.
For how long do you plan to travel?
This is a complicated one. We have a lot of dreams and ideas and, for the moment, we don't have plans of stopping. We can tell you that on June 5th, 2016 we'll be touching down in Mexico and we plan to be in the Pacific Northwest for the holidays, then cross Canada and the East Coast of the U.S., heading back down towards South America. Australia and Asia are also calling to us...There's just so much to see!!
Where have you been?
Spain, France, Switzerland, Italy, Albania, Montenegro, Croatia, Bosnia, Serbia, Kosovo, FYROM and Greece. Check out the map of our journey!
How much do your bikes weigh?
We haven't weighed them with much precision, and we'd almost rather not, but we think they weigh around 50 kilos (110 lbs) each. We carry a lot of things but it gives us the security and independence we need to live cheaply and make money as we go.
Where do you sleep?
In our tent! Wherever we can find a clear, level space that no one is using. We've camped in some amazing and not-so-amazing places. We also like abandoned houses for exploring and keeping dry. Sometimes people let us sleep in their backyards or in a spare bed.
And if it rains??
We get wet! :) But not too much if we're inside our tent and on high ground... Sometimes, if we know it's going to rain or worse, storm, or if it's cold and/or windy we look for an abandoned house to hole up in and keep warm by the fire. And sometimes, in that process, we find a kind soul who offers to let us stay with them!
How do you make a living?
We are professional street artists! Colleen plays the violin (mainly folk/fiddle music) and Jose makes giant bubbles. With wide smiles and positive energy, we share the present moment and people respond. Most recently, we've added a product line of our special, secret, concentrated bubble mix and wands that allow any aspiring bubbler to make his/her very own gigantic bubbles. We've received one feedback and they were quite content with the product.
In this way, we can pay for food and some bike repairs, little more.
We try not to use our (very) minimal savings, but in adverse conditions we sometimes have no choice but to book a room somewhere.
How old are you?
Colleen is 27 and Jose is 26.
How do you shower and wash your clothes?
Hygene is important and we are loyal followers of the "30% cleanliness is better than 0%" rule. If all you can do is rinse your socks and feet in a fountain then do it.
That said, there are several ways to keep clean on the road. There's the quick soap and water shower with water from our water bottles (extra fast if someone can hold the bottle for you, just like a real shower!). Then there's the beach shower, great during the off-season when there are fewer beach-goers to offend with your soapy nakedness. There are sports centers and churches who are sometimes willing to collaborate. And then there are kind people who invite you into their homes and insist that you take a shower (a nice way of telling us we smell, hehe). One way to find such people is through a website called Warm Showers (see our Links). We've used it several times and have had nothing but great experiences. It can be a good solution for washing clothes, too. When the weather is good, we wash our clothes by hand in rivers or fountains (with 100% biodegradable soap to not contaminate). If there's no sun to dry our things, we sometimes turn to the classic laundromat solution (if we can find one).
What do you eat?
Everything!! We mainly eat basic things like rice, pasta, vegetables, fruit, and muesli. And on special occasions we make chiapati or calzones. We cook using fire, either with a piece of grill we found set over rocks or with our self-made StickSucker. We wash the dishes with the ashes from the fire. This saves on soap and water and leaves our pots disinfected and sparkling clean!
Are you boyfriend and girlfriend? Are you married?
You'll just have to keep reading our blog to find out!
Colleen is from the U.S. She was born in Maine and grew up near Seattle, Washington.
Jose is from Spain. He was born in Jaén, Andalucía.
How long have you been traveling?
We began this journey on July 25, 2014.
For how long do you plan to travel?
This is a complicated one. We have a lot of dreams and ideas and, for the moment, we don't have plans of stopping. We can tell you that on June 5th, 2016 we'll be touching down in Mexico and we plan to be in the Pacific Northwest for the holidays, then cross Canada and the East Coast of the U.S., heading back down towards South America. Australia and Asia are also calling to us...There's just so much to see!!
Where have you been?
Spain, France, Switzerland, Italy, Albania, Montenegro, Croatia, Bosnia, Serbia, Kosovo, FYROM and Greece. Check out the map of our journey!
How much do your bikes weigh?
We haven't weighed them with much precision, and we'd almost rather not, but we think they weigh around 50 kilos (110 lbs) each. We carry a lot of things but it gives us the security and independence we need to live cheaply and make money as we go.
Where do you sleep?
In our tent! Wherever we can find a clear, level space that no one is using. We've camped in some amazing and not-so-amazing places. We also like abandoned houses for exploring and keeping dry. Sometimes people let us sleep in their backyards or in a spare bed.
And if it rains??
We get wet! :) But not too much if we're inside our tent and on high ground... Sometimes, if we know it's going to rain or worse, storm, or if it's cold and/or windy we look for an abandoned house to hole up in and keep warm by the fire. And sometimes, in that process, we find a kind soul who offers to let us stay with them!
How do you make a living?
We are professional street artists! Colleen plays the violin (mainly folk/fiddle music) and Jose makes giant bubbles. With wide smiles and positive energy, we share the present moment and people respond. Most recently, we've added a product line of our special, secret, concentrated bubble mix and wands that allow any aspiring bubbler to make his/her very own gigantic bubbles. We've received one feedback and they were quite content with the product.
In this way, we can pay for food and some bike repairs, little more.
We try not to use our (very) minimal savings, but in adverse conditions we sometimes have no choice but to book a room somewhere.
How old are you?
Colleen is 27 and Jose is 26.
How do you shower and wash your clothes?
Hygene is important and we are loyal followers of the "30% cleanliness is better than 0%" rule. If all you can do is rinse your socks and feet in a fountain then do it.
That said, there are several ways to keep clean on the road. There's the quick soap and water shower with water from our water bottles (extra fast if someone can hold the bottle for you, just like a real shower!). Then there's the beach shower, great during the off-season when there are fewer beach-goers to offend with your soapy nakedness. There are sports centers and churches who are sometimes willing to collaborate. And then there are kind people who invite you into their homes and insist that you take a shower (a nice way of telling us we smell, hehe). One way to find such people is through a website called Warm Showers (see our Links). We've used it several times and have had nothing but great experiences. It can be a good solution for washing clothes, too. When the weather is good, we wash our clothes by hand in rivers or fountains (with 100% biodegradable soap to not contaminate). If there's no sun to dry our things, we sometimes turn to the classic laundromat solution (if we can find one).
What do you eat?
Everything!! We mainly eat basic things like rice, pasta, vegetables, fruit, and muesli. And on special occasions we make chiapati or calzones. We cook using fire, either with a piece of grill we found set over rocks or with our self-made StickSucker. We wash the dishes with the ashes from the fire. This saves on soap and water and leaves our pots disinfected and sparkling clean!
Are you boyfriend and girlfriend? Are you married?
You'll just have to keep reading our blog to find out!