That is going to be an incredible yr! I’ve already cycled throughout Poland, Ukraine and half of Romania. Now I’m taking a brief relaxation break within the lovely metropolis of Brasov, Romania… and in about two weeks time I’ll start a 3-month-long bicycle tour throughout Romania, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Denmark, Norway and Sweden.
That is my fifteenth yr in a row of my bicycle touring all world wide… and I completely love my life/job because the Bicycle Touring Professional – touring the world and serving to folks such as you plan, put together for, and execute their very own guided, self-guided and self-supported bicycle touring adventures.
On this article I’m going to make use of my upcoming bike tour throughout Europe as a planning instance… and I’ll share with you ways I decide my journey locations, how I plan out protected and pleasant cycle touring routes, how I’ve damaged my 3-month-long bike tour down into smaller (extra manageable) segments, how I program my complete bike tour onto my smartphone so I can simply navigate as soon as I hit the street, plus… a complete lot extra.
STEP 1: Resolve The place You Need To Go
That is crucial a part of planning a motorbike tour. You’ve received to select a vacation spot on your travels primarily based on the locations that curiosity YOU most. Don’t simply decide a spot for a motorbike tour since you heard it was a superb place to experience… or as a result of you already know another person who has been there. Choose part of the world you have an interest in… and that’s the place it is best to go!
The explanation I’ve determined to cycle throughout Serbia, Bosnia, Demark, Norway and Sweden this summer time is as a result of these are 5 European international locations that I’ve by no means been to earlier than. As somebody with greater than 15+ years of bicycle touring expertise, I’ve cycled in quite a few wonderful locations all world wide, so going someplace new is what appeals to me now.
I need to cycle throughout Serbia, Bosnia, Denmark, Norway and Sweden as a result of these are 5 new international locations for me to discover, but additionally as a result of it means knocking off 5 extra international locations on my listing of 34 international locations I’ve already cycled throughout in Europe. Are you able to consider that? I’ve already cycled throughout 34 European international locations… and by the top of this summer time I’ll have cycled throughout 39 European international locations. That’s fairly wild!
STEP 2: Break Your Bike Tour Down Into Smaller Segments
Please be aware: This portion of the article was up to date after the video on the prime of the web page was created.
After deciding that I used to be going to cycle throughout Romania, Serbia, Bosnia, Denmark, Norway and Sweden, I then started planning a route. However 3-months is a very long time to plan… and the distances are fairly huge. So, as a substitute of treating my bike tour this summer time as one, massive, lengthy journey, I’ve damaged my bike tour down into seven, smaller, extra manageable segments:
Brasov, Romania to Tuzla, Bosnia (906+ km)
Tuzla, Bosnia to Copenhagen, Denmark (BUS TRIP)
Copenhagen, Denmark to Oslo, Norway (863+ km)
Self-Guided Bike Tour in Bergen, Norway with Energetic-Norway.com (325+ km)
Oslo, Norway to Bergen, Norway (462+ km)
Self-Guided Bike Tour in Matre, Norway with BergFritid (203+ km)
Bergen, Norway to Umea, Sweden (1,288+ km)
Brasov, Romania to Tuzla, Bosnia
Watch the video on the prime of this web page and also you’ll see that the very first thing I do when planning a bicycle tour by way of a brand new nation or space is that I start by looking out the Web for enjoyable, fascinating, or distinctive issues to do within the international locations/areas I plan to cycle by way of. I then plot the placement of those enjoyable, fascinating or distinctive issues onto a map contained in the free software program, Google Earth.
After I’ve plotted out all of the factors of curiosity, a pure line tends to kind – stretching from my beginning location to the place the place I hope to finish my bike tour. I then join the dots and plan out this new route utilizing the web site at maps.google.com (pictured above).
Tuzla, Bosnia to Copenhagen, Denmark
The second main section of my bike tour this summer time includes getting myself from Tuzla, Bosnia to Copenhagen, Denmark. As an alternative of biking this lengthy section, I’m going to take a bus. I used the web site at www.rome2rio.com to search out the most affordable and best solution to get from Tuzla to Copenhagen and found an organization that operates tremendous low cost bus rides from Tuzla to Copenhagen each single Sunday. I marked down the date of the Snuday that works greatest for me in my calendar, contacted the bus firm to verify they’d have the ability to transport my bicycle (they will!), and wrote to the bus firm asking for a reservation.
Copenhagen, Denmark to Oslo, Norway
The third leg of my journey includes biking from Copenhagen, Denmark to Oslo, Norway… in time to achieve my buddy Eric who’s going to be flying into Oslo, Norway on July twentieth. Which means I’ll have rather less than two weeks to cycle from Copenhagen to Oslo. I might go the sooner and cheaper manner… by taking the bridge over to Sweden after which biking north from there to Oslo. However that wouldn’t give me a a lot time in Denmark. And since I’ve by no means been to Denmark earlier than, and I’d prefer to see not less than just a little little bit of the nation whereas I’m there, I’ve determined to take the longer, costlier route – touring west from Copenhagen, then north to the highest of the nation, the place I must take a ferry to the underside tip of Norway, after which cycle from there to Oslo.
A Self-Guided Bike Tour in Bergen, Norway with Energetic-Norway.com
As soon as in Oslo, I’ll meet my buddy Eric on the airport… and we’ll journey collectively (by way of the practice) from Oslo to the close by metropolis of Bergen, Norway. As soon as in Bergen, we’re going to be taking part in not ONE, however TWO, back-to-back, self-guided bicycle excursions with Energetic-Norway.com.
The 2 bike excursions that we’ll be taking part in are the Sunnhordland by Bike and Boat tour… and the Biking Hardangerfjord self-guided bike tour.
Throughout these two self-guided bicycle excursions, Eric and I will likely be bicycling on our personal, with out a information, by way of a few of Norway’s most scenic mountains, coastlines, hills and fjords. All through the bike tour we’ll be staying and eating in lodges, guesthouses and cabins that Energetic-Norway has organized for us upfront. It ought to be wonderful… and we’re each actually wanting ahead to the expertise!
This will likely be Eric’s first time in Europe and his first bicycle tour ever, so that is going to be an unbelievable expertise for my previous high-school/school buddy… and I sit up for sharing the thrill of bicycle journey with him.
Plus, the wonderful thing about doing this bike tour with Energetic-Norway is that we merely present up for the beginning of the tour, there will likely be bikes ready for us, all the small print of the tour are taken look after us upfront, and our solely job is to comply with the tour itinerary supplied for us, arrive at our lodges/guesthouses every night time, and customarily benefit from the total expertise. It’s going to be a blast… and I’m actually wanting ahead to it!
Oslo, Norway to Bergen, Norway
After the bike tour with Eric and Energetic-Norway is over, Eric and I’ll take the practice again to Oslo, the place we’ll meet my buddy Rob, who will likely be flying in that day from Canada. The three of us will keep in Oslo for the night time and take part in a 3-hour-long bike guided bicycle tour the next afternoon with www.vikingbiking.com.
Throughout this 3-hour bike tour with Viking Biking, we will likely be escorted round Oslo on car-free bike paths, by way of parks, hidden again streets, and alongside the close by fjord. We’ll uncover all the main metropolis websites in a enjoyable and relaxed method: the previous citadel Akershus Festning; the Metropolis Corridor (house of the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony); the primary avenue of Karl Johans Gate and the Royal Palace; Vigeland Sculpture Park; and at last alongside the fashionable harbor of Tjuvholmen/Aker Brygge. What higher manner discover a brand new Scandinavian nation… than by bicycle!
As quickly because the Oslo bike tour is over, Eric will run off to the airport in preparation for his flight again to america, and Rob and I’ll proceed on our personal, out of town, and again to Bergen on our bicycles.
This will likely be my 4th bike tour with Rob. We met just a few years in the past throughout a guided bicycle tour in Switzerland with Bike Switzerland. And since then we’ve gone on two extra bicycle excursions collectively: a week-long self-guided bicycle tour within the Loire Valley (France)… and a self-supported bicycle tenting tour in Finland final summer time. This yr we plan to spend one other week biking collectively, touring from Oslo, to Bergen. It’s good to have pals who additionally prefer to experience bikes!
The Fjord Biking Route Bike Tour
Then, on the tenth of August, my buddy Katelyn will fly into Bergen and we’ll start a five-day bicycle tour by way of the Sogne fjord area north of Bergen, Norway. However we gained’t be doing this tour on our personal. As an alternative, we’ll be taking part within the self-guided Fjord Biking Route bike tour with BergFitid.
Throughout this distinctive bicycle touring expertise we’ll get to expertise all of what Fjord Norway has to supply in the best way of slender valleys, fjords and majestic mountains. The tour contains bike rental (incl. bike bag, helmet, lights and power package), information pack (overview map, information and mountain climbing maps for Masfjorden), 5 nights accomodation with breakfast, packed lunch and dinner, in addition to entrance to the Bjorn West Museum. Plus, your complete route is on paved roads, so it’s an incredible tour for bicycle touring newcomers.
This will likely be Katelyn’s first bike tour ever, so will probably be enjoyable to have her be a part of the journey and see what she thinks about self-guided bicycle touring. I’ve a sense she goes to like it!
Bergen, Norway to Umea, Sweden
Over the past leg of my bike tour this yr I’ll be touring on my own, carrying all my very own clothes, meals, tenting tools, and so on… and tenting within the forests every night time. I’ll bathe within the native lakes, use the Web at native libraries, and customarily be dwelling off the land. Beginning in Bergen, Norway, I’ll cycle north… alone… till I get to Umea, Sweden, which is the place my Scandinavian journey will come to an finish.
As soon as I get to Umea, Sweden, I’ll pack up my bicycle and put together for the lengthy flight again to Los Angeles, California – the place I plan to go to with my mother and father for a couple of month or so earlier than I proceed on to Central America for much more bicycle touring adventures later this yr.
STEP 3: Switch Your Route Particulars Into Your Smartphone
So, as soon as I had all that deliberate out on Google Maps, I merely saved the routes I wanted to tackle my bicycle as 4 separate information (1. Brasov, Romania to Tuzla, Norway 2. Copenhagen, Denmark to Oslo, Norway 3. Oslo, Norway to Bergen, Norway 4. Bergen, Norway to Umea, Sweden) and I e-mail these information to myself. Then, on my smartphone, I open these Google Map information and they’re immediately transferred into the offline mapping utility I exploit on my cellphone to navigate whereas I’m biking – MAPS.ME
This can be a actually merely offline mapping functions that permits you to see the place you might be anyplace on the planet and determine the place you’ll want to go… with out having a have to entry the Web (such as you would wish to do with the Google Maps app or an analogous on-line mapping utility). The app permits you to obtain the information for any nation on the planet… upfront. After you have that knowledge downloaded (and the route you want to take saved to your cellphone), you don’t want entry to the Web any longer. Merely use your cellphone or pill’s free GPS monitoring function and also you’ll have the ability to shortly and simply navigate from the place you might be to the place you’ll want to be. It’s that easy!
How you can Plan a Bicycle Street Journey – Conclusion
So, that’s how I’ve deliberate my 3-month-long bicycle tour throughout Romania, Serbia, Bosnia, Denmark, Norway and Sweden this summer time. I began by researching the areas I used to be most curious about visiting and I plotted out these factors of curiosity on the map of the world utilizing Google Earth. Then I broke my bicycle tour down into smaller, extra manageable segments. I then used Google Maps to create a route plan for every of these small segments of my journey. I emailed these map information to my smartphone… and utilizing the MAPS.ME utility, I used to be capable of save the route plan for my complete bike tour to my smartphone! Now every little thing I have to find out about my bike tour this summer time is saved in my cellphone… and I’m able to hit the street.
To be taught extra about plan a bicycle street journey, be sure you learn this text about route planning… after which seize a duplicate of The Bicycle Touring Blueprint – the world’s greatest ebook about planning, getting ready for, and executing a self-supported bicycle tour.
Norway photograph by: Victor Velez
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