Tag Archives: Pure Adventures

bike trips, cycling trips

Pure Adventures Brings Self-Guided Bike Vacations To New World Province of Quebec

Pure Adventures has introduces self-guided bike vacations in Quebec, Canada
Pure Adventures has introduces self-guided bike vacations in Quebec, Canada

SCOTTSDALE, AZ–Pure Adventures announces that its self-guided bike vacations are now being offered in the Province of Quebec. Plus with a favorable exchange rate, a vacation in Canada is more affordable than ever for Americans.

While in the early 1600s the French created the fur trade on Canada’s east coast, subsequent decades of war brought the Brits to power. But Francophiles today appreciate that the Province of Quebec retains a French imprimatur as regards language, food and hospitality. Plus the province offers one of the best organized networks of bicycle pathways and trails anywhere in North America.

Pure Adventures (http://pure-adventures.com/) has a special affinity for all things French and for bicycles. In fact the company pioneered self-guided bicycle tours in France before expanding across the globe. Now an itinerary on this side of the Pond recognizes this province’s privileged French heritage as it allows guests to embrace the hospitality of Quebec at a personal pace, on two wheels.

“The good news for Americans is that the exchange rate for US dollars over Canadian dollars makes it more inexpensive than ever to visit our neighbors across the border,” said Loren Siekman, founder and director of Pure Adventures. “This spring and summer the predicted exchange rate should hover at around $1 US dollar to $1.3 Canadian.”

Explored over seven leisurely days and six nights is a swath of countryside called Saguenay Lac Saint-Jean. This region is accessed by riding east out of Montreal to Quebec City along the St. Lawrence River and then north to Lac St-Jean, Quebec’s third largest lake that creates the Saquenay Fjord, one of the world’s longest, that eventually flows into what becomes the Gulf of St Lawrence.

The rides average 50km daily through this historic playground that includes world-class bike trails that are among Quebec’s most popular cycling routes: Route Verte (Green Route) is a network of dedicated bicycle trails on both sides of the Saint Lawrence River leading to Quebec, and the Véloroute des Bleuets (Blueberry) is another dedicated cycling route around Lac Saint-Jean. Guests also cycle along Chemin du Roy (King’s Highway) enroute to Old Quebec City. (Pure Adventures suggests that guests arrive in Montreal a day before the tour begins so they can walk the cobblestones of Old Montreal.)

The well organized and marked network of 350 km of bike trails allows cyclists to admire the beauty of countless beaches, lakes, rivers and traditional Quebecois villages as they ride. Stops along the way are a must for tastings at microbreweries (Microbrasserie du Lac, La Chouape, Le Coureur des Bois), for samples at cheese-makers (fromagerie Perron and fromagerie Médard) and for smatterings of culture at historic sites. This self-guided tour is a road cycling trip that can also be accomplished by hybrid bike; the entire ride is on paved roads.

Guests enjoy a variety of accommodations ranging from white-washed cottages reminiscent of Brittany or Normandy to dwellings that might once have housed aristocrats. Sometimes guest rooms enjoy views of the lake and at one lodging breakfast is taken in an art gallery. All accommodations have been curated to provide comfort and off-bike access to shops and restaurants along the bicycle route.

This tour can be arranged for a minimum of two people from now through Oct. 15, 2016. The per person rate, double, is from US$1040 for seven days and six nights of immersion in French culture a la historic villages where the French language is pervasive. For more information please see http://pure-adventures.com/show-tour/181/Canada+Quebec+Bike+Tour

The trip rate includes personal orientations to review the route book and trip details; six nights lodging with breakfasts; luggage transfers; detailed road book with maps, cue sheets and suggestions for visitation and site information as well as restaurant suggestions; pre-travel documentation and information; pre and post travel assistance and travel planning; vehicle transfers to Saguenay and return to Quebec; emergency telephone support to local support staff during daytime office hours; Canadian taxes; bike rental with associated gear (hybrid bikes are included and there’s an option to change to cross/road bikes at no added cost). Custom tours for groups can also be arranged.

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.

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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bike trips

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.

  

For more travel features, visit:

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

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

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Asia/Pacific, bike trips

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

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moralcompasstravel.info

travelwritersmagazine.com/TravelFeaturesSyndicate/

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bike trips, cycling trips

Pure Adventures Introduces Supported, Self-Directed Bicycle Vacation

Bicycle vacation specialist Pure Adventures has just introduced ‘Supported, Self-Directed’ adventures, that lets guests enjoy the freedom of a self-guided/independent trip with the support of a guided tour.
Bicycle vacation specialist Pure Adventures has just introduced ‘Supported, Self-Directed’ adventures, that lets guests enjoy the freedom of a self-guided/independent trip with the support of a guided tour.

Bicycle vacation specialist Pure Adventures has just introduced ‘Supported, Self-Directed’ adventures, a new concept in cycling vacations that lets guests enjoy the freedom of a self-guided/independent trip with the sag wagon service and trip leader support of a fully guided tour.

“This supported self-directed concept allows independent cyclists to ride and explore remote destinations where roadside assistance or local services may not exist, essentially creating their own ride complete with all the support needed,” says Loren Siekman, Pure Adventures founder/owner. “The support van and trip leader assigned to transfer guest luggage from one overnight stop to the next also assist with ‘sag’ stops along the route (every 20-25 miles), provide a lift for shorter ride options, help with mechanical matters, and handle any on-road emergencies or questions.

Supported self-directed itineraries require that a minimum of six people sign up for the same fixed departure date and program. However if six friends or family members sign up, then they can choose their own exclusive departure date.

“Even though six or more clients are traveling more or less on the same route, they are under no obligation to fraternize and for all intents and purposes may remain as independent of one another as they like. The only common denominators are that their luggage is in the same van and they’re most probably staying at the same inns,” Siekman said.

Pure Adventure manages all logistics, makes all reservations, and provides all vehicles, trip support leaders, as well as high end bike rentals.

“It’s a perfect middle ground between fully guided and independent/self-guided at a price point more closely resembling a self-guided trip.”

The advantages of supported self-directed travel include lower trip rates, no appointed meal and departure times and the freedom to sightsee at leisure. Riders can tap into the expertise of the company’s leader who knows bike mechanics, supplies fresh water and healthy snacks, advises on caution stops, suggests things to see and do and provides transport to guest-selected restaurants.

“In this format, we may suggest but are not organizing group activities such as museum visits or wine tastings often included in a fully guided trip. And though trip distances on these programs tend to be longer than most of the self-guided trips we offer, shorter ride options exist thanks to this Sag support. It is the perfect option for couples of different abilities,” said Siekman.

New for 2015, Pure Adventures’ Supported Self Directed itineraries include: Death Valley, Bryce & Zion National Parks, Epic Climbs of Arizona, Yosemite to San Francisco and several more County Kerry & Cork in Ireland. Coming later in 2015 will be new and challenging trans-Pyrenees and trans-Alps trips plus other long distance rides with less mountain climbing demands.

For more information see http://pure-adventures.com/ssdtours/

 

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