5 Reasons to go on a cycling tour
Whether it’s for a week, a month or a year, exploring by bicycle is a great way to see a country and experience its culture. I’ve been lucky to go on some great cycling tour’s with the team here at Vivi, including hitting the roads of Belgium, France and the Netherlands.
Here are 5 awesome reasons why you should go on a cycling tour:
- Get off the Beaten Road
One of the best reasons to go cycle touring is to get away from the crowds and experience the real culture of a country. Skip the overrated tourist attractions, and head out into the country. Cycle through the countryside, enjoy the beautiful views, stop at small villages and chat with the local people. More than likely you’ll make new friends, learn about the culture, and you may even be invited in for dinner.
- Restoring your Faith in Humanity
Whether you need it or not, cycle touring will restore your faith in humanity. Why? Because people are amazing! Escape the scare mongering of the media — remember bad stories sell and make more money. While cycle touring, you will experience overwhelming kindness from strangers and enjoy the friendliness of the global cycling community (watch out for the cyclist hello ‘nod’). We’ve very rarely, if ever, had a bad experience with the people we’ve encountered on our travels. One memorable moment sticks out in Belgium — on one of our first ever cycle tours the team had struggled with punctures. Having struggled with getting a particularly difficult rear tyre off the wheel for a good twenty minutes, a local, who was driving past, pulled over and did it for us in about thirty seconds. Then, with a smile and a good luck, he was off!
- Great Exercise
Vacations usually involve a lot of overindulging in rich food and drinks, without a lot of activity or exercise. Before I discovered cycle touring, I would regularly go on holiday and do absolutely nothing (lazing in the swimming pool doesn’t count!). Cycling tours get rid of that worry! More than likely, you will return home, a fitter and healthier you. In fact, after spending the day cycling, you can over-indulge in all the local food and drink you want, and still not worry about weight gain. Everyone loves a relaxing holiday. But I can honestly say I like an active one just as much, if not more!
- Guarantees a Unique Experience
Cycle touring always delivers a unique experience. No matter where you plan on cycling, you never know who you are going to meet, where you might want to detour to, and even where you will spend the night can be a bit of a mystery. Cycle touring is one of the most flexible ways to travel, with so many different factors that can influence your trip. You can stumble across things you’d never have seen before (we’ve found amazing cheese markets, local restaurants and unbelievable beaches). No two different cycle tours, or even a two day cycling tour, are ever the same.
- Great for all Budget Types and Cyclists
Cycling tours are a great vacation option for all cyclists (even non-cyclists), no matter the budget or experience. If you love your luxuries and don’t fancy camping every night, then opt for a supported cycle tour or stay in accommodation with bike facilities. If you’re tight on budget, then plan to camp and cook your own meals (European hostels are really cheap and often have bike facilities). After the initial cost of buying your gear, cycling tours can be done extremely cheap. And, once you have the gear, you have it forever. We’ve done tours as cheap as £15 a day per person.
So that’s my 5 reasons to go on a cycling tour! What are you waiting for? If you need help or suggestions, get in touch to start planning that cycling tour now.
Originally published at Vivi Nation.
