The Pollocks

By Robin Bolson, Communications Manager

For most people, a honeymoon consists of a week or two in Hawaii or somewhere warm and relaxing. But for Dany and Tristan Pollock, it meant embarking on what they call a Sabbatimoon, lasting two years and covering over 60 countries and six continents and logging over 100,000 miles. Along the way, they worked to support entrepreneurs and startup ecosystems.

Fast forward a few years to today and Tristan and Dany are living a relatively quiet life in Somersett’s Back Nine community raising a feisty, adorable 1-year-old named Delta. Dany works remotely in internal communications for the “electric adventure vehicle’’ company Rivian while Tristan labors in the climate tech/startup world, as a managing partner at Cool Climate Collective which has invested millions in over 20 climate tech startups.

But how did these world travelers and Minnesota natives land in Somersett? It started with regular visits to Reno to spend time with one of Dany’s friends from her childhood. As the Pollocks got to know the area, they started thinking of Reno as a little like Denver, a community focused on the outdoors and the arts. “It’s more vibrant than people know,’’ says Tristan.

And Reno’s clean water was another draw. “Being near the source of mountain water is pretty cool,’’ says Tristan.

Once they decided they wanted to settle in Reno, they looked around, found Somersett, and fell in love. “I’ve been swimming all the time, and I love all the trail systems,’’ says Tristan. The couple was also impressed with the thoughtful way the community was developed. “Everybody’s got beautiful views of the mountains.’’

“We were looking for something that really felt like you were just in nature,” adds Tristan. “We could choose when we go into the chaos of the city or midtown. Here you have coyotes and quails in your backyard.’’

The family loves to take walks around the neighborhood where Delta is ‘’touching and interacting with all the plants and trees.’’

With the move to Reno and the arrival of the baby, the sabbitimoon “almost seems like a distant memory,’’ says Tristan.

Tristan and Dany got married in Minnesota in the summer of 2017 and never intended to start this epic journey. They went to Burning Man and then bought a one-way ticket to Mexico without a plan on how long their trip would last. They originally thought it would last a year, but when the end of the year came up, they said “we’re not done yet.’’ They hadn’t even made it to South America. amazing Michelin Star restaurant that was nearby,’’ says Dany.

They traveled for another year, making plans for the next destination whenever they had good wi-fi and probably would have continued longer if they didn’t start to miss routines and having close friends nearby.

After two years of adventures, when they returned to their home in Minnesota, they faced what turned out to be the opposite of a world jaunt: the COVID pandemic. They spent the whole first year of the lockdown in Tristan’s parents’ basement. After about a month of not being able to go anywhere, the four decided to create a children’s book to help families navigate the pandemic. They had everything they needed right there after all - Tristan’s parents are both creative.

So, Tristan and Dany wrote the book, Tristan’s mom drew the illustrations, and his dad took care of the graphic design. They self-published the book, titled “Stay at Home, Dog!” and donated much of the proceeds to a Minnesota-based charity, Feed My Starving Children. (If you’re interested, the book is still available on Amazon.)

With all of the places they visited, could they choose a favorite?

Tristan doesn’t hesitate – it is Chile for him. “It’s got a little bit of Reno in it, hot springs, mountains, ocean,” he says. While there they especially enjoyed the Huilo-Huilo Biological Reserve, with the “craziest hotels’’ shaped like pinecones and mushrooms, and treehouses. The landscape was beautiful with mountain rivers and waterfalls. “I didn’t expect that,’’ he says.

And Dany is partial to the islands - “Tasmania was incredible,’’ as were Iceland and Easter Island and Bali. “There’s something about island cultures,’’ she says. The friendly people and being able to explore the whole island without feeling overwhelmed. She also enjoyed the islands’ natural worlds which “encapsulate different types of species and animals and plants that are a little bit different than other places.”

They didn’t stay in one place very long, except when they were working, such as in Saudi Arabia, Albania and Russia. They spent two months in Moscow which was like “a winter wonderland,’’ with lights across the whole city, Red Square and the cathedral. In Saudi Arabia, they enjoyed amazing places that in the U.S. might be national parks but because Saudi Arabia doesn’t have as much tourism (other than Mecca), they don’t have the infrastructure set up.

One would expect that after two years, traveling would get to be a little tiring, but that wasn’t the case for the Pollocks. What did get old was the planning, which was key to getting the most out of their visits. “We found if (our trip) would be spontaneous, we would miss out on opportunities, like a cool festival or an

Will they ever return to traveling now that they have a home base and a tiny human in tow? Dany is looking forward to setting out as a traveling trio, although they will stay in one place longer than they did on their Sabbitmoon. “But we want to wait until she is a little older,’’ she says. We can’t wait to follow along via Instagram!

Follow the Pollocks online

Instagram: instagram.com/wedidthat

Blog: www.heywedidthat.com

Tristan: www.tristanpollock.com (info about his amazing accomplishments too numerous to list, including a Tedx Talk and a start-up used by the likes of Kanye