10 tips for choosing a bicycle vacation

1. Think about where you want to cycle. Bicycle Vacations are one of the fastest growing in the travel industry. A Google search of Bicycle Tour Companies returns over 2 million results. The possibilities are endless. There are bicycle vacations to just about anywhere you want travel.
2. Think about the type of tour you want. The most popular type of tour is a fully supported tour. On a fully supported tour, you and the group you are cycling with are accompanied by tour leaders and a support vehicle often called a SAG wagon. The leaders take care of all the details, fix flat tires, carry your luggage and point out highlights of the areas you visit. On a limited support tour, usually your luggage is carried for you but you are on your own during the day. On a fully loaded tour, you carry everything including clothing, spare parts, tools, food, tent and anything else you need.
3. Think about how much cycling you want to do. Again, the possibilities are limitless. There are companies that cater to folks who are not cyclists but think a cycling vacation would be fun. Often these companies plan their trips expecting guests to bike between 10 and 15 miles per day. On our recreational trips, our average guest moves at about 8 miles per hour including stops. There are also trips for people who want a little more cycling. Summer Feet Cycling’s recreational trips are set up for people who want to ride between 20 and 35 miles per day. At 8 miles per hour, this works out to be between 3 and 5 hours of cycling always broken up by stops and lunch. More aggressive tours will ride between 50 and 75 miles per day at a quicker pace and then there are trips for the hardcore cyclists who want 80 to 100 miles a day with as many hills as they can find. Most companies will encourage you to cycle as much or as little as you want so there is no pressure to do it all. Look at the company’s website and it will often disclose the daily mileage option.
4. What type of lodging appeals to you? Here the possibilities also run the gamut. At the higher end, you will stay in the best Hotels and Inns an area has to offer. Other companies use simple, clean and comfortable lodging, and there are trips designed for those who wish to camp. Similar to the Bed & Breakfast based trips, camping trips will range from deluxe camping where someone pitches your tent and cooks for you to do-it-yourself camping trips.
5. Consider price. Self proclaimed luxury companies charge somewhere between $3000.00 and $5000.00 per person per week for a fully supported domestic trip offering high end lodging and meals, and between $3000 and $7000 per person per week in Europe. Like everything else, some things cost a lot because people enjoy the prestige of paying a lot. There are many opportunities to enjoy a luxury trip for less. In some areas that are hard to reach or have legitimate security concerns, the premium may be justified. In most places, you can get as good or a better tour for less money. Knowing what is important to you will help you narrow down the selection.
6. Do Some Research Most companies will have a wealth of knowledge on their websites: the itineraries, daily cycling distances, links to lodging, as well as list of what is included in the tour price. Request brochures and call the company’s toll free number with any questions.
7. Do Not Be Intimidated. All the companies I have ever dealt with understand that the best way to grow their businesses is by making sure every guest has a great time. The trip leaders will 99% (everybody has a bad day on occasion) of the time bend over backwards to make sure you feel comfortable and enjoy yourself.
8. Small Group Travel is Not a Bus Tour Many people are wary of signing up for a packaged vacation because they worry about giving up their freedom, eating bad chicken, and being stuck with the boorish auto parts salesman from Des Moines for six days. Small group adventure travel offers travelers a great deal of flexibility while also turning over the logistics and planning to someone else so you can enjoy your vacation. Everyone who has ever taken a Summer Feet Cycling trip as there first bike tour or group travel experience has told me they cannot wait to do it again.
9. Bigger is Not Always Better. The industry is dominated by a couple of large players, Backroads and VBT being the biggest. The advantage of a large company is consistency of product in a wide variety of places. The disadvantage is that many trips offered by large companies are formulaic. Therefore, with so many places to manage, they may not drill down as deeply as a smaller company dedicated to getting it right in a few locations. In full disclosure, I am the owner of one of the smaller niche companies, Summer Feet Cycling.
10. Take a Trip In ten years in business, I have never had anyone say that the trip was a mistake, a disaster, or a regret. I have sent a few people home sad that it rained a little more than we all would have liked. I have had hundred of people say that they were, thrilled, elated, changed and looking forward to their next trip. 27 million people have taken a bicycle vacation in the last five years. Join the fun!

Tags: active travel, Bicycle Tours, how to choose a bicycle tour

This entry was posted on Friday, April 3rd, 2009 at 9:26 am and is filed under Bicycle Tours. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.