Tag Archives: self-guided biking tours

Self-Guided Cycling Vacations Offer Excellent Value But Buyer Beware, says Bike Tour Pioneer

Bike tour pioneer Loren Siekman of Pure Adventures offers tips on choosing a self-guided cycling vacation.
Bike tour pioneer Loren Siekman of Pure Adventures offers tips on choosing a self-guided cycling vacation.

SCOTTSDALE, AZ –Bike tour pioneer Loren Siekman of Pure Adventures claims to have been the first to introduce the concept of self-guided cycling vacation in 1994, in response to a growing demand from North American travelers for independent yet professionally supported active travel.

Since then, he says, the marketplace has been crowded with competitors, many of whom offer packages that are deficient in one way or another. While, according to Siekman, competition creates awareness, all offers are not created equal, underscores the founder and owner of Pure Adventures.

“The result for the consumer can be disappointing, at a minimum,” says Siekman, “We started in the 1990s with a Euro model tour and adapted it for the North American traveler.  We added more support like arrival orientations, raised the quality of hotels, built easy-to-understand navigation tools, included local experiences and significantly raised the quality of equipment. We tell customers that our self-guided tours are just like a guided trip in terms of quality and services but without the hassle of fixed travel dates, minimum group participation or strange trip mates to put up with. Our clients are always connected to us remotely, even though there’s no guide and sag vehicle on the horizon.”

Pure Adventures’ original version of self-guided is about half the cost of a guided trip, averaging $1,400 per person for a seven-night trip. A typical guided European cycling trip starts at 2,800.

But it’s buyer beware when looking at the preponderance of self-guided programs out there, advises Siekman.

“For example, in Europe, many local outfitters like to set fixed departure dates to maximize group numbers and lower their costs for luggage handling. Sometimes luggage transfers aren’t even included in trip prices. Navigation tools also vary from company to company from non-existent to high tech,” adds Siekman.

Questions that he suggests should be asked include; “How thoroughly researched are opportunities for cultural experiences? What is the quality of lodging and what meals are included?  How new are the bikes and equipment and what are the qualifications of the people maintaining them?”

Pure Adventures recommends that consumers create their own matrix of inclusions and then do a comparison study. To consider are:

  • Freedom to choose travel dates and customize the itinerary to their needs
  • Local support – what is it, who is it, and what can be expected?  Meet and greet, telephone support throughout the trip, transportation if needed, arrival and departure transfers, any back stop for bad weather, sickness, or other unforeseen circumstances like mechanical breakdowns?
  • Rental equipment and navigation tools – what is included, or how much extra is it and what support is provided?  What technology is available and how tech savvy must the user be to easily utilize it?
  • Lodging – an important area of scrutiny; be sure to look at ratings and seasonality, room category, group discounts, meals on site and what level menu, three course or five course?
  • Responsive – in the off season it’s easy to get email responses or phone calls, but what about when it is high season?  Is there a dedicated agent assigned and available to accommodate your needs and time restraints?
  • Language, insurance, licenses, recourse, payment conditions, and so on.

“Our self-guided biking and hiking tours are truly the best value, situated between a fully supported and date-limited guided trip and a do-it-yourself option. On our trips, you travel on your own terms with all the help and support needed letting you focus on what matters most – enjoying your vacation,” Siekman goes on to explain.  “Our company never cancels on its clients and can put trips together at the 11th hour in most of our destinations.”

Self-Guided Cycling Tours in North America include California, Colorado, and Arizona and just new in 2016 is Quebec. Pure Adventures also offers self-guided programs in 16 different countries throughout Europe.

The Beginner’s Guide to Self-Guided Cycling Adventure Holidays, a new e-book by Pure Adventures’ founder Loren Siekman, explores the reasons behind the growth in self-guided cycling, the differences behind different types of cycling holidays and how to choose a self-guided holiday tour operator (including a list of where to research tour companies). Short and to the point, this free e-book is an unbiased starting point for cyclists who have been on guided tours and feel ready for a more adventurous holiday experience.

For more information on all of Pure Adventures guided, self-guided and supported, self-directed tours, call: 800-960-2221 or 480-905-1235, Email: [email protected], or visit online: http://pure-adventures.com.

About Pure Adventures
Pure Adventures was created to meet North America’s growing demand for high-quality, self-guided cycling tours. Pure Adventures leverages and utilizes local expertise for route development, sites to see, people to meet, where to eat, and shop and experience life as a local would. Pure Adventures award-winning tours are competitively priced and meticulously planned with substantial behind-the-scene support creating a unique combination that makes a bicycle adventure more easily accessible to today’s active traveler.

This company pioneered self-guided tours in Europe in 1994. Tours span Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, England, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Scotland, Slovenia, Spain, and Switzerland. Twenty programs are available in the American West.

Pure Adventures was recently recognized with a Best of Travel 2015 award by OUTSIDE Magazine for their California tours that elevated that state to the top destination in the category of Best Road Biking.

  

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Pure Adventures Creates New Self-Guided Cultural Bike Tours of Myanmar, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia

Pure Adventures has introduced new self-guided biking trips in Vietnam.
Pure Adventures has introduced new self-guided biking trips in Vietnam.

Pure Adventures, a pioneer in self-guided cycling vacations, is introducing bicycle vacations exploring culture and countryside in Southeast Asia.

“Myanmar, Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia are very affordable and accessible to cyclists,” says Loren Siekman, founder/owner. “Our knowledgeable bilingual, in-country guides help us arrange bike rentals, unique lodging, ride itineraries and local cultural experiences found nowhere else. All the new tours feel like self-guided trips but include a guide and support vehicle for every ride to enjoy two-wheeled explorations of brand-new worlds.”

Pure Adventures announces hand-crafted cultural immersions that are unique to this company and to the regions explored. Because these are not pre-set group tours, guests determine their own departure dates and are possible with just two participants. The trips can also be customized based on cultural and culinary interests.

Rates include lodging (upgrades available for an additional cost), all breakfasts, some lunches and dinners, luggage transfers from hotel to hotel, bikes and gear, sightseeing tickets, briefings, guides, support vehicles, airport transfers, and more. Inclusions vary by itinerary.  They will even help manage tourist visas!

Myanmar – Cycling Discovery of Old Burma: Marco Polo called Myanmar (Burma) “The Golden Land.” From Mandalay to Yangon (Rangoon), guests pedal up to 55 kilometers daily over nine days, along the way discovering the secrets of gold leaf that embellishes statuary and temples and the secrets of gold that are the kindness and generosity of the people of this long-neglected country. Short flights, including by hot air balloon, reveal the temple fields of Old Bagan, the ancient capital of the Burmese empire. Village life comes into focus while pedaling by carts pulled by oxen, or climbing to an extinct volcano, Mt. Popa, home of macaque monkeys and nats (spirits), or exploring a wine making venture and traditional silk weaving techniques of the Inthar people near Lake Inle. The pastoral world fades in Yangon (Rangoon), a bustling city that mixes up the stupas of ancient and modern Burma with British colonial architecture and modern edifices. Here is the country’s holiest shrine, Shwedagon Pagoda, a golden stupa covered with 60 tons of pure gold. This trip, available from October through April, is priced from $1,287 per person, double.

Vietnam – Central Coast Highlights Bicycle Tour: In Vietnam, guests biking some 45 kilometers daily over eight days explore south from Hanoi along the Central Coast, passing through cultures spanning more than 1000 years and bisecting daily village life. Travelers may opt to swim and kayak on Halong Bay, where some 1,900 islands and islets create a marine landscape of limestone pillars. At Hue, the former royal capital, monuments, tombs and pagodas reveal a vanished feudal empire. In a region rarely visited by tourists, guests cycle around Hoi An Town, following small paths linking rarely-visited villages, rice fields, shrimp ponds and coconut palms. Privately hosted meals and carefully selected lodgings enhance this carefully textured journey. Available year-round, this trip is priced from $1,972 per person double.

Thailand – Chiang Mai Cycling and Culture 7N Tour: Thailand unfolds while biking on average 45 kilometers daily over eight days. In Bangkok guests lodge overlooking the Chao Phraya River and pedal seldom-visited neighborhoods rife with open air markets and tea shops. A flight north to Chiang Mai reveals Doi Saket and the Lost City of Wiang Kum Kam, once the capital of the Lanna Kingdom. Guests have the fun of overnighting at a resort with treehouse accommodations. A morning cycle along Sri Lanna National Park secures a boat ride and transfers into kayaks, and perhaps a swim. This adventure is available from $1,250 per person double.

Cambodia – Siem Reap & Angkor Watt Cycling: This is a five (or three)-day stand-alone tour or it can be combined as an add-on with another cycling vacation in Southeast Asia. Guests bike from 25 to 65 kilometers daily. After touring the temples of Angkor Wat, guests bike into the countryside where children practice English on visitors. One stop is at a floating village; another stop is the Roluos Group, a series of Pre-Angkor temples; and yet another stop is at the ancient ruins of Beng Melea, undiscovered and untouched for centuries and only recently accessible to the public. This tour is available year-round. The per person double rate is from $393.

Seikman notes that these new biking programs, along with new self-guided walking tours in Japan, round out Pure Adventures’ calendar that now offers bicycle vacations year-round somewhere in the world.

For more information on all of Pure Adventures guided, self-guided and supported, self-directed tours, call: 800-960-2221 or 480-905-1235, Email: [email protected], or visit online: http://pure-adventures.com.

Pure Adventures was created to meet North America’s growing demand for high-quality, self-guided cycling tours. Pure Adventures leverages and utilizes local expertise for route development, sites to see, people to meet, where to eat, and shop and experience life as a local would. Pure Adventures award-winning tours are competitively priced and meticulously planned with substantial behind-the-scene support creating a unique combination that makes a bicycle adventure more easily accessible to today’s active traveler.

The company pioneered self-guided tours in Europe in 1994. Tours span Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, England, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Scotland, Slovenia, Spain, and Switzerland. Twenty programs are available in the American West.

Pure Adventures was recently recognized with a Best of Travel 2015 award by OUTSIDE Magazine for their California tours that elevated that state to the top destination in the category of Best Road Biking.

 

For more travel features, visit:

www.examiner.com/eclectic-travel-in-national/karen-rubin

www.examiner.com/international-travel-in-national/karen-rubin

goingplacesfarandnear.com

goingplacesnearandfar.wordpress.com

moralcompasstravel.info

travelwritersmagazine.com/TravelFeaturesSyndicate/

goingplacesfarandnear.tumblr.com/

‘Like’ us on facebook.com/NewsPhotoFeatures

Twitter: @TravelFeatures