DreamTours makes your cycling adventures a reality

by Kraig Becker on

Have you ever wanted to go on an epic cycling expedition? Perhaps explore the Serengeti by mountain bike or maybe ride the Silk Road? Perhaps you’ve always wanted to go on a cycling adventure to some remote place, but just weren’t sure how to prepare or handle the logistics. If so, you’re luck, as DreamTours is here to help!

DreamTours comes to us from the same team that organizes the annual Tour d’Afrique, an annual ride from Cairo to Cape Town, crossing 7500 miles of African wilderness in the process. The concept behind DreamTours is simple, come up with a great idea for your cycling adventure, post it on the DreamTour website and invite friends, family, and cycling buddies to vote on the concept and weigh in on the idea. If you get enough people to join your tour, the DreamTeam will handle all the logistics and make the adventure a reality. The best part, you’ll get to ride for free!

The DreamTour website acts like an online forum for adventure cyclists. Once you create your account, you’ll be able to post your ideas for cycling adventures, vote on the tours posted by others, and leave comments or questions about those trips. If you see one that looks interesting, you can elect to join the tour, or recruit riders to join your adventure, and you’ll soon be off and riding. If your tour sells out, you’ll get to go along for nothing, or you can choose to apply your discount to the entire team, saving everyone money in the process.

With the DreamTour team taking over the planning process, there will be nothing left for you to do but train for your cycling adventure. Once they have everything organized, and the logistics in place, you’ll simply hop a flight to your destination, and hit the trail.

Bike and cruise options for Alaska and Caribbean

by Jamie Rhein on

Here’s a cruise option that combines two different elements: biking and cruise ship amenities. The company Bike and Cruise, paired with Norwegian Cruise Lines offers unique vacation options in Alaska, Europe and the Caribben. Each day the ship takes you to a new port where you set off on your bicycle to enjoy the sights and scenery.

The cycling portion is led by an expert cyclist which certainly has benefits. The beauty of this sort of bicycling trip is that you don’t have to schlep all you gear with you. Plus, after a hard day of cycling, there’s a hot tub to enjoy, oodles of food options and all the rest of the amenities on a ship.

According to the Bike and Cruise trip descriptions, when you’re on the ship, you’re able to do what you want and eat with who you want to spend time with. It’s not like you have to be with just the people who are part of your tour group.

Years ago, I did an organized cycling trip in Western Australia. Except for the fact that, in order to take the trip, I chaperoned 20 high school-aged kids, mostly boys, it was grand, particularly on the days I was able to head off alone. Even fifteen minutes can work wonders.

I read in the Columbus Dispatch travel briefs that the Alaska cruise is to sail from Seattle on June 28th and the trip goes until July 5. The website reflects the 2008 dates, so if you’re interested, contact the company. The cruise dates for the Caribbean and Europe are not yet listed either.

Rottnest Island: Experience it Yourself

by Jamie Rhein on

A few days ago, I wrote a post about cycling in Western Australia. One of the highlights was a day trip to Rottnest, Island. The island, not far from Fremantle, is a getaway destination that’s perfect for beach going, cycling (like we did) or swimming with dolphins. You can sign up for a variety of tours including bus tours and a train tour once you arrive. Since taking a ferry is the only way to get there unless you fly or take your own boat, it feels adventurous from the start.

Because private vehicles aren’t allowed, this is a cyclist’s paradise, and if walking is more your speed, there are several guided walking tour options to learn about the penal, agricultural, aboriginal and maritime history of Rottnest or about the uniqueness of the flora and fauna. This is the only place in the world where Quokkas, small marsupial animals are found in the wild.

Check out foiled’s video on YouTube for a fun, wish you were there, cycling experience. This is a round-up of what his friends and he did from taking the ferry over to a pub stop at the end of the day . This is done in a quick music video style so it’s fun to watch. He packs a lot in. By the way, if you go, bikes are rented by the day and come complete with locks and a helmet.