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Inspiration / September 11, 2015

The 9 best things about traveling by bike

 

Sunflowers in Bulgaria

We at BikeTours.com adore bicycle touring (has a more obvious statement ever been told?). Without a doubt, we think it’s the best way to see and explore a new place. A way to “be in the movie,” rather than watch it from the back row—or even the front row.

Here are nine major boons to bicycle touring:

1. See new places. These are special places, not just the sights you’d see from a tour bus window. At a cyclist’s pace, you’ll spy magical places like hidden alleyways, ruins of long-forgotten castles, that tiny side road into an olive grove, and, if you’re lucky, tasty figs ripe for the plucking dangling over the roadside. And you’ll pass through rural villages, along rivers, and on mountain paths bus travelers will never know existed.

2. Savor the senses. On a bike, you can quite literally smell the roses, listen to the wind whistle through the trees (ideally a tailwind, of course), and feel the contour of the terrain beneath you.

3. Meet new people—on the path and off. You’ll have the opportunity to cycle with like-minded people from across the globe, all while meeting the charming and fascinating local people in the places you visit.

4. Challenge yourself. Ride more miles than you think you can pedal. Try a new food you think you won’t like. And don’t be scared to try out your new language skills to say “hi” or “thank you.”

5. Enjoy active travel. Experience the beauty of being active in the mornings so you can give into the pleasures of good food and drink in the evenings. Feel good about yourself and the simple joys of self-propelled travel.

6. Get in shape. With all this cycling to prepare for the tour and then riding the tour itself, you’ll feel amazing! Look at yourself in the mirror and smile.

7. Make wonderful memories. The adventures you’ll have and the people you’ll meet along the way will last a lifetime. Remember, it’s more about the journey than the destination.

8. Soak in the beautiful scenery. See places and scenes so beautiful and bucolic that you fear your camera can’t even capture the beauty.

9. Learn new cultures. Learn how Italians make their noodles or how the Balinese create offerings to the gods. Every new destination is a new experience.

Tags from the story:

Adventure travel


C.V Rao
2 years ago

I am interested in bicycle tours in central and eastern europe

BikeTours.com Staff
2 years ago

Thank you very much for your comment. Cycling in Central and Eastern Europe can be especially enjoyable, with towns and countryside that haven't changed as much over the past century as those in the West. You can find tours in a few ways:

Tours alphabetically by country: https://www.biketours.com/find-my-tour/view-all-tours
Countries and regions in alpabetical order: https://www.biketours.com/find-my-tour/europe/
Tour search: https://www.biketours.com/search/results/?search=true&sort=&tags=&search_q=&page_s=&type=3

Please contact us at info@biketours.com with any further questions.

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