What could be better than traveling, saving the planet and getting in your daily exercise — all at once! Our “Travel” advisor Susan gives you the sites, guidebooks and insurance info you need to walk & cycle around fabulous destinations worldwide …
Going Green: WALKING & BIKING YOUR WAY …Walking and biking are great ways to lessen your impact on the environment and experience places in new ways. Several companies specialize in these types of trips, and their websites provide a good look at the possibilities. With fabulous destinations from which to choose, there are many options to match your traveling style:
www.backroads.com: One of the best companies for adventure travel, their website allows you to search by activity (walking, biking, or multi-sport – adding rafting, kayaking, etc. to the mix), destination and traveler type – solo/single, family or what they call “classic” – groups composed of couples, friends, independent travelers. You can also choose from “Premier Inn Trips” and “Casual Inn Trips.” Premier Inns take you to Relais & Chateaux and Small Luxury Hotels for a truly deluxe travel experience. Casual Inns take you to beachfront cottages, local bed & breakfasts and lodges in natural settings.
www.butterfield.com: The website for Butterfield and Robinson, who has offered Biking and Walking tours since 1966, provides worldwide destinations. In addition to biking and walking travel, they also give you some very small ship cruises (you’ll walk once you get to each port!). Food and lodging are appropriately luxe, and tours of varying activity level are offered. Trips for individuals/couples are standard, while others focus on traveling with kids. Private travel is also possible. Examples of their trips: Amalfi Coast Walking, Vietnam with the Kids, Burgundy Biking.
www.gapadventures.com: Billing themselves as “the great adventurer people,” they have a commitment to sustainable tourism, and, per their website, they “work with local communities to develop sustainable tourism opportunities that help local economies while minimizing negative environmental and cultural impacts.” Trips are offered in locations around the world and include cycling and trekking/hiking opportunities as well as a wide range of other activities including Volunteer travel.
www.countrywalkers.com: Their tagline “Explore the World One Step at a Time” says it all. Destinations range from North America to Latin America to Europe to Africa, Asia and the South Pacific. There are “Classic Walking Tours,” “Walking a la Carte Tours” which allow you some customization to your daily routine and “Private Trips.” Food and lodging are of high quality, with evening activities (i.e. attending a local concert) included as part of their programs where appropriate. Independent time is factored into their group trips, and, for the more adventurous, Hiking Trips are also offered.
www.thewayfarers.com: Similar to Country Walkers and of the same high quality, The Wayfarers offers walking tours around the world, including Women Only Walks! Women Only Walks are great to do with friends, or perhaps your mother or daughter, but solo women travelers are also most welcome. Per their homepage, they “support environmental projects and preservation societies and value and encourage local traditions and crafts.” In addition to group tours, private tours can also be arranged.
INDEPENDENT TRAVEL
For independent travel, these guidebooks can help you find your way:
www.lonelyplanet.com: This publisher of guidebooks offers a series that focuses on walking tours. Examples include: Lonely Planet Walking In Italy, Lonely Planet Walking in Ireland, Walking the Cathedral Cities of Eastern England, Lonely Planet Walking in Australia, and Lonely Planet Walking in France, among others. You can also find these books on the Amazon web site.
For self-guided cycling trips, the series Road Biking which includes Road Biking Northern California, Road Biking Georgia, Road Biking New Mexico, Road Biking Virginia, Road Biking Washington D.C., etc., etc. provides options for day and multi-day trips. The plus is that you can probably find something close to home in this extensive series. A “Mountain Biking” series is also available. Both are published by Falcon and available from Amazon.
INSURANCE
Although you can book any of the above trips through the individual websites, your travel professional can also do the bookings (without extra cost to you) and can help you with associated details such as flights to and from your destination. You may also wish to consider trip insurance, which covers medical emergencies abroad – usually an inexpensive solution that you will be happy you have if you find yourself ill or injured overseas. Your travel agent can help you find the right policy for your needs. From a previous post, you can also source: www.insuremytrip.com. Note that trip cancellation insurance is often costly, but a medical emergency only policy costs much less.
As always, we look forward to hearing about your walking and cycling adventures at Snoety.com!
Susan
