Family-friendly bike tours
Ten reasons your next family vacation should be an overseas bicycle tour
“Bicycle tours are a great way for parents to change their kids’ lives by helping them gain an appreciation for and acceptance of foreign lands, cultures and peoples.” —Jim Johnson, founder and former president, BikeTours.com
1. Bond with each other
Cycling to your destination each day creates the best kind of souvenir. The memories of a shared experience can last a lifetime.
2. Sense shared accomplishments
You gain a shared sense of accomplishment—whether it’s a climb together up a long hill or simply making it to the day’s destination (or the next gelato shop).
3. Create lasting memories
Cycling allows you to soak in the settings you ride through. The adventures you’ll have and the people you’ll meet along the way on your bicycle tour will last a lifetime. Remember, it’s more about the journey than the destination.
4. Reconnect as a family.
Traveling by bicycle is an excellent way for families to slow down and connect with one another. You can take a break from your normal fast-paced life, savor the world around you, and connect with each other.
Tips on how to choose the right bike tour for your family.
5. Experience new places intimately.
Bicycle tours help give kids a feel for a country, its terrain, and its people - more so than most other means. At a cyclist’s pace, you’ll experience places four-wheeled travelers will never know existed.
6. Gain a better understanding of new people and cultures.
Bicycle touring is the perfect pace to meet local people. The more kids get to meet people from around the world, the more accepting they become of different cultures.
7. Unplug and engage all your 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.
8. Improve self-image.
Active vacations encourage more positive self-image thanks to the simple joys of self-propelled travel and earning your destination.
9. Reap the benefits of active travel.
Experience the beauty of being active during the day so you can enjoy good food in the evenings—and so the kids fall asleep more readily!
10. Build environmental awareness.
For parents trying to raise kids who are environmentally aware, bicycle tours are a form of sustainable tourism that has a negligible impact on the environment
Related blog posts
Tips on talking your family into a family-friendly bike tour
Bicycle touring: A family-friendly adventure
Pedal faster, Mommy! Tips on bike touring with your family
