Cycling Vacations Blog

Dream Trip: Backroads in Cuba

Guests on a new tour from Backroads, known for offering active trips to unexplored locations around the world, will gain rare access to Cuba through the company’s recently approved People-to-People license by the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control. The company, which leads guided hiking and biking tours around the world, received approval at the beginning of March for the educational exchange trips, which they will offer throughout 2013 and 2014 with the first trip departing May 4.

Backroads has five confirmed departure dates in May and June of 2013, as well as 10 pending departures … Read more

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Biking England

The lush green lands of England inspired the poetry of William Wordsworth, Keats, and countless other literary luminaries. Indeed, with its radiant rolling hills, craggy cliffs, and luscious lakes, England is a virtual paradise for tourists. The geography of the country has played a crucial role in its history as artists have been enamored by the natural beauty of England. A bike tour is perhaps the best means to explore the many wonders of England. At some point of time, you definitely must have read about them. By taking a bike tour, you can personally experience the magnificence which inspired … Read more

Posted in Destinations, England | Leave a comment

Cycling in the Carolinas

By Shannon Burke, Velo View Bike Tours
Special to Bike Tour Buzz

In my opinion, the keys to a good bike vacation experience are scenic riding, fun off-the-bike options, and easy accessibility. Cyclists sometimes forget about that last point in their enthusiasm to ride in spectacular settings, but if you’ve ever spent some time lugging around a bike box, you’ll appreciate the idea of accessing your destination with limited hassle.

So if you’re considering North Carolina and the Blue Ridge Parkway as your next bike vacation destination, you should put some thought into where to land. Asheville, North Carolina, makes … Read more

Posted in Carolinas, Destinations, United States | Leave a comment

10 Tips to Get the Most Out of Your Bike Tour

By Al Duggan, VBT

Al Duggan from VBT, one of the leaders in walking and bike active adventure trips, gives us some tips for how to maximize your experience.

A little preparation can go a long way in assuring that you get the most out of your destination, wherever you decide to go. So our veteran travelers and our team of associates came to the rescue, offering up some great suggestions to help you really get in touch with local life and to feel comfortable while you’re doing it.

1. Learn a bit of the Language

One of the … Read more

Posted in Featured | Leave a comment

Bike Tour Buzz interviews Kathy Bechtel from Italiaoutdoors in the Boston Globe

Today, Bike Tour Buzz made a special appearance in the Boston Globe, interviewing Kathy Bechtel from Italiaoutdoors Food and Wine, the highly rated boutique vendor of Italian bike tours.

Check it out here, or the full text below:

Out in the Ecosystem: Kathy Bechtel from Italiaoutdoors Food and Wine
Interview by Ted Chan for Bike Tour Buzz and The Boston Globe

As an avid cyclist, I was excited to have the opportunity to interview Kathy Bechtel, owner of Italiaoutdoors Food and Wine. Kathy’s company is based in the Boston area, but focuses on personalized bike tours … Read more

Posted in Featured | Leave a comment

Veneto: Cycling, Food, and Wine, The Best of Italy

Special to Bike Tour Buzz
By Kathy Bechtel, ItaliaOutdoors Food and Wine

Kathy Bechtel, Owner of ItaliaOutdoors Food and Wine, takes us on a journey through the Veneto area. See the outstanding reviews for ItaliaOutdoors.

Think of the northeast of Italy, and most tourists think of Venice – one of the most romantic cities in Europe, with its gondolas, villas, and Piazza San Marco, surrounded by the waters of the Adriatic. Not a spot usually considered for cycling, but the Lido di Venezia, just a short ferry ride away, is a great place to explore by bike.

Expert … Read more

Posted in Italy, Veneto | Leave a comment

Update on our new bike tour review site

Today we wanted to call attention to our bike tour user review site. It’s an exciting stage as we start getting significant traction.

So far four vendors have multiple reviews and especially strong scores (more than 1 review and scores of at least 4 stars):

Italia Outdoors

DuVine Adventures

Meridien Ten

VBT

We need your feedback, good or bad! We really feel the bike tour industry needs a way to capture the feedback, both positive and negative of its clients. The goal of the BTB review site is to provide bicycling vacation travelers a place to praise great vendors, … Read more

Posted in Updates | Leave a comment

A new look for DuVine Adventures

Today we're digging on DuVine Adventures re-brand. Style matters for many of us in cycling, and we think of DuVine as the Rapha of bike tour operators. The new site matches the feel, stylish, modern, sophisticated, though somehow still understated.

DuVine is one of the best bike tour companies out there – they're one of our favorites and already have a few great user reviews. Bike Tour Buzz Founder Ted Chan has been on their Tuscany and Bordeaux tours and has nothing but raves.

Like DuVine, we're based in Boston, and we've always been super impressed with their commitment … Read more

Posted in Featured | Leave a comment

7 tips to getting the most from your bike tour

Guest post by Natalie Shami, Backroads

A bike tour can be a wonderful way to see a new part of the world. It gets you into the outdoors, out from behind the car window, allowing you to smell the scents, see the sights and meet the locals. But you want to be sure you’re prepared for the unique demands of a bike tour so your trip will be enjoyable. We don’t want you wearing out after the first 5 miles or be uncomfortable in any way! With hundreds of bike tours every year here at Backroads, we’ve got a … Read more

Posted in Featured | Leave a comment