I was a solo on a bike/barge trip Amsterdam to Bruges & seeing AMS & Brussels alone
 

This trip report is a follow-up to some questions I had when I was contemplating taking a barge/bike trip to the Netherlands and Belgium as a solo traveler. After deciding to book the trip I, of course, asked more questions here about where to stay while on my own in Amsterdam and Brussels pre and post trip. Many of you here were so helpful that I wanted to let you know how things went.

Background: I am well-traveled and am old (mid-70s), but I prefer and enjoy more active travel. Sadly, I am also adjusting to being a widow who no longer has a companion. Travel was a huge part of our lives, and I have decided to forge ahead and do the traveling that we didn’t get the opportunity to continue together. I have realized that I can be alone and be a widow at home, or I can be alone and be a widow exploring more of the world. Plus, I know the window is rapidly closing on how much longer I will want (or be able) to take strenuous trips or do any major traveling at all. As a couple, all of our travel was self-planned and done independently rather than with tour groups; we visited close to 40 countries, with many return trips to our favorites. We enjoyed slow travel, and seeing an area from the seat of a bicycle was one of our favorite ways to travel; we did about a half dozen, self-guided European cycling trips where a local outfitter supplies the bicycles, the route notes and transfers luggage from lodging to lodging.

Self-guided was absolutely perfect for the two of us but no longer works for me because I don’t want to go it alone as I ride from place to place. Now I need to go with a group tour because I want some companionship, and I don’t know how to maintain or troubleshoot a bicycle problem (that was my husband’s area). Last year I did two group cycling tours—along the Adige path from the Innsbruck area to Verona and the coastal Camino from Porto to Santiago de Compostela (at times a tough ride even with an ebike). Those were hotel-based group cycling tours where I happily paid the single supplement to ensure that I would have my own room with my own space and be able to get away when I wanted alone time.

This spring I decided I wanted to take a cycling tour of the countries that are best-known for cycling--the Netherlands and Belgium. As I started to look at guided tours I quickly realized that nearly all tours in these countries are done as bike/barge tours. I had a lot of apprehensions (many valid as it turned out) about the idea of being a solo on a barge trip and asked here for advice.

The single supplement on group tours to me is a major source of irritation. In fact, in a situation like mine, it’s like rubbing salt into an open wound. Not only do I no longer have my life and travel companion, but I have to pay extra (often a lot!) for myself because I no longer have a husband to share a room with. I need my space and alone time, and I am not willing to take pot luck and be matched in a room for an entire tour with someone I don’t know.

On a barge or ship tour, a single supplement nearly doubles the cost because they want to be able to fill those tiny cabins with two people to maximize their profits. (Yes, I do understand that this is a business endeavor for them.) From what I have seen while researching trips, the single supplement on boat trips is much, much higher than on a hotel-based cycling tour. Even though I can afford it, the idea of paying nearly double (in addition to my fare, I would have had to pay 90% of the fare that a second occupant in the cabin would pay) stuck in my craw. About six weeks before the trip, one of the two tours that I was considering suddenly eliminated their single supplement. I jumped and signed up for a ten-night, deluxe, bicycle/barge trip between Amsterdam and Bruges in early June.

I am from the US and know from experience that I want to have a couple days on the ground in Europe to recover from jet lag prior to beginning a tightly scheduled tour. Even though I wasn’t super excited by the idea of visiting Amsterdam (it’s never been at the top of my must-visit list), I planned on three nights (3 full days) in Amsterdam before joining the cycling group. On the last day of the cycling tour we had to check out and be off the barge between 6 and 9am, so I knew that after the tour I would need to spend at least one additional night in Europe before flying home because I didn’t want to try to figure out how to get from Bruges to an international airport for a flight home the same day the barge trip ended. In fact, it would probably be nearly logistically impossible.

If I needed one additional night, I figured I might as well make it two nights and give myself the opportunity to visit somewhere else. I had read that many people consider Bruges to be an overly touristy town, so I knew that I didn’t want any more nights there. I knew I would have had my fill of Amsterdam so decided to see a bit of Brussels; I booked two nights there. It would be an easy, one-hour train ride to get from Bruges to Brussels, and it ended up that it would be least hassle if I also flew out of there. Plus, the price of a plane ticket home from Brussels was only a few more dollars (truly only a few) than it would be to make a roundtrip flight from AMS.

So, my trip was decided. 3 nights on my own in Amsterdam, 10 nights on the barge traveling between Amsterdam and Bruges, and 2 nights on my own in Brussels.

Since this report focuses on three completely different things, I have decided to break this into sections, so if people want to they can just jump ahead to the section that interests them.

julies you sound like a very young and energetic mid 70's. Not old at all. Looking forward to your impressions of Amsterdam, which we recently visited and loved.

Oh thankyou for this julies. I am looking forward to hearing all about it - the good the bad and the ugly. Hopefully mostly good!

Wonderful a visit report and well written too. Yeah, on for the ride
​​​​

julies, I was reading your questions and concerns prior to this trip. I'm looking forward to hearing the results.

I too was following your pre-trip threads. Looking forward to see how it all panned out.

I too was following your earlier threads with interest, and admiration, we easily do 20000 steps a day on our trips, but no way I could do serious biking like this! As someone said earlier you’re a young seventy something, not old at all!

Am sorry about your husband, to me one of the joys of traveling is sharing the whole experience with a companion. But you took the sensible decision in forging ahead on your own, albeit with a group.

Can’t wait to hear about your experiences…

Julies, I’m signing on too, this sounds an interesting trip.
And I hope I’m still planning trips in my mid 70’s.
I’m sure you’ll inspire others with your report.

Yes, it's very difficult not having someone to share those trip memories with or to ask for clarification on exactly what happened when on the trip. So, on to Amsterdam.

AMSTERDAM

As I said, Amsterdam wasn’t really calling to me a whole lot, and I had some negative expectations about it being super touristy and packed full of people--some of them drunk in rowdy groups out to celebrate--and I did see a little bit of this during my stay there. For these reasons I didn’t want a hotel in tourist central since I was hoping to avoid some of the craziness. Plus, I kind of wanted a canal view since it seems to me to be quintessential Amsterdam.

Even though Amsterdam hotel prices are ungodly high, I decided to just spend a bit more to get that room with a canal view since I would be alone and would be in my room more than just to sleep. Going out for dinner on my own is just something that I really don’t like to do. Breakfast and lunch are fine, but there is just something about a dinner alone (especially when everyone else is dining and socializing with someone) that I don’t enjoy. Plus, especially after a long day of walking and sightseeing, I don’t need fancy dinners and am just fine with take-out and a glass of wine in my room.

I finally settled on a newly remodeled hotel at the edge of the Museum Quarter, outside of the main canal ring, south of the Rijksmuseum and to the west of De Pijp. During my stay the NH Museum Quarter Hotel changed ownership and transformed into the Avani Museum Quarter Hotel; my room with a wall of floor to ceiling windows overlooking a more out-of-the-way canal was a good match for what I was looking for. It was a nice hotel that I would recommend if people are looking for similar lodging. There is a Spar grocery store only a block away for picking up a few supplies. There was a good (and pricey) Italian deli a couple blocks away, and one night I got takeout from there. There is a “pantry” area at the hotel that sells snacks and drinks so the hotel has a microwave for guest use; I just zapped my meal from the Italian deli and went up to eat in my room with a view. Another night I walked home through De Pipj and got some great Indonesian takeout.

I’d said to myself right off the bat that my intention in Amsterdam wasn’t to run around like crazy trying to see everything. Rather, my objective was to home in on what I specifically wanted to see and do. In addition to recuperating from jetlag, I was able to do a lot in the three days I had there. Even though I didn’t get out the door until late morning (nearly noon) every day because, after sleeping in trying to get my time clock to readjust, I enjoyed a good, leisurely late breakfast at the hotel, I walked a ton—eight to ten miles a day.

Over the course of my stay I just wandered quite a bit looking at the scenery and observing people, but I was also able to visit numerous museums too. In the super touristy—close to the Red Light district-- part of Amsterdam I walked by the Bloomen Markt (don’t bother because it’s a joke) and through the Begjinhof, which by itself was a nice respite from the crowds right outside of it but not worth a special trip to the area in my opinion since the walk through it takes only 5 to 10 minutes. I thought about visiting the Oulde Kerk when I strolled by it but decided at that point in the day I was tired and didn’t need to pay 13.5 euros just to see another church when I have seen hundreds in my life. Other than my visit to the Our Dear Lord in the Attic museum which was definitely interesting and unique, this was the part of Amsterdam I found least compelling and most wanted to escape from.

Other days I did find interesting walks, neighborhoods and sites that I felt were really worthwhile. The Canal House Museum had very descriptive, educational and fascinating multi-media displays about the growth of Amsterdam and the canals, and it gave me great background into the city in general. I really enjoyed visiting the Van Loon Museum which is a perfectly restored, wealthy family’s canal house from the 17th century; the back garden and coach house just add to the interest because you can see what is not visible from the street and canal. Both the Van Gogh (reserved 2 days before) and Rijks (reserved a couple hours before) museums were fabulous and worth the time to visit. My last evening I took a very good,1.5 hour small group (there ended up being only four of us), open boat tour of the canals that included the Jordaan neighborhood which most of these boat tours don’t include. https://www.amsterdamboatadventures....ing-boat-tour/. This I reserved the night before.

On my terms, doing exactly what I wanted to do, Amsterdam ended up being an enjoyable stay, and I probably could have easily filled another day.

A big plus to my hotel that just happened to work out really well for me was that they have a feature called “lazy Sunday” where you can request a 3:00 checkout on Sunday. So, in mid-afternoon on Sunday I went to meet the group on the barge and begin my cycling trip. I had taken the airport bus to the hotel from the airport and also thought about using public transportation to get from my hotel to where the barge was docked. However, once I figured out that from the hotel it would be a walk and a metro ride and a transfer to a tram and another walk, I had the hotel call me a cab. Good decision.

MY AMSTERDAM TO BRUGES 10 NIGHT CYCLING TRIP

The first day of the trip we had a one-hour window for check-in on the barge and were shown to our cabins on the Merjlin to get settled. The cabins were down a flight of somewhat ladder-like stairs, and the cabins were small as expected but as nice as could be. Crew members carried our luggage to our cabins and carried it up the stairs at the end of the trip. In the cabins there were two twin beds with space under them to store a suitcase, one small desk with a shelf above it, one narrow vertical closet, a non-opening porthole, and a nice, newly remodeled bathroom. Because space was so tight, sharing a cabin with a spouse would be okay, but I would be hesitant about sharing even with a good friend. I was so glad I had my own space.

After we got settled in, the boat set sail for Haarlem and we had a group meeting up in the lounge area to learn more about the trip and our daily routines. As I had expected, the group was primarily married couples (a mix of New Zealanders and Americans), with a couple people traveling with friends. There were only two of us who were on our own without knowing anyone. In addition to the six married couples, there were two women friends from the US, two women friends from Australia, a 60-something US woman and her mid-40s nephew who were taking their first European trip, a single guy from Canada who had also jumped to book at the last-minute when the single supplement was eliminated. And me.

Our cycling guide has been doing these barge/bike tours for close to 30 years, and she told me that these trips are typically married couples and sometimes women friends traveling together. It’s not often that there are singles who come alone on them. We both speculated that it is because of the extremely high cost of booking a cabin as a single. Plus, frequently couples will take these trips to celebrate an anniversary or special birthday. Age ranges are typically mid-50s to mid-70s, with differing types of cycling backgrounds. Perhaps if a tour is aimed at a younger demographic and is more bare bones (this was marketed as a higher end tour on a deluxe/premier barge) there might be more solo travelers. I don’t know.

I knew ahead of time that this would be a mama duck with the ducklings trailing behind kind of ride. It’s not my preference, but it is a compromise I knew I need to make on nearly all of these group cycling tours. Plus, we only had one guide for all 20 of us. She did a great job, but in my opinion this is way too many people for one guide to be able to handle because the group stretches out like a long snake behind the guide. Even with the high-tech gear (the boat has cycling helmets with radio communication so you can hear the guide) and walkie-talkies for the guide to communicate with the person who is the sweep (the last person in the line) for the day, it’s just too many people cycling along in a row.

Half of us were riding ebikes and half were on regular 7 speed Dutch bikes. I had read about the winds in the Netherlands sometimes being worse than climbing hills elsewhere and had ordered an ebike just for that reason. I really didn’t need it except for an hour one afternoon when it was helpful as we rode into a headwind. But, there was one day I chose not to ride because of the absolutely horrible weather, and that day an ebike would have been invaluable due to the extremely strong winds. In fact, that day, knowing I wasn’t going to ride and knowing the weather forecast, the super fit and experienced guide chose to ride my ebike rather than her standard bike.

On our trip there were some people who were highly fit and trained (picture the fancy, lycra-clad cycling types) with lots of cycling experience who were sometimes frustrated at being held back from being able to zoom ahead and crank out the miles, and there were some people who were more hesitant and uncomfortable about riding, especially when we were in congested city areas. (I do realize that this can also be the case with a hotel-based cycling trip.) Finally, after several days, the boat owner/captain discussed this with the group and said that the fast riders had to realize they signed up for a group experience and would have to adjust to the needs of the group.

Our typical daily schedule was a nice breakfast buffet at 8, and a 9 departure with sack lunches that had been packed for us for our picnics. A couple days we left a little later than 9 because the boat would start motoring at 6 or 7 so we could skip having to cycle through the places that weren’t such good riding and move on to those that were better riding—a big benefit of a barge tour in my opinion. We’d typically return to the barge about 4 to 5 or so and get cleaned up before a delicious (the food really was good) three-course dinner that was served at 6:30. All meals were set menus with accommodations made for those who needed them for dietary or health reasons. At least half the nights after dinner the cycling guide would take those who wanted to go out for a guided, walking tour of whatever town we were moored in. She was an exceptional cycling guide in this way because she not only knew how to plan the routes, maintain the bikes, and lead people on the rides, but she also had background and could explain about the history and features of the areas we were visiting.

Our itinerary was as follows:

DAY 1 We checked in, and then the barge started to motor to Haarlem where it would be docked overnight. After dinner we took a walk around Haarlem with our cycling guide.

DAY 2 In the morning the boat motored out of Haarlem and dropped us off at a place that would be more conducive to biking. Our guide adjusted the intended schedule to give us more riding and took us for a ride through the rolling, shrub-covered dunes to see the North Sea at Katwijk aan Zee. We then cycled to meet the boat where it was docked for the night in Leiden. After dinner we had a guided walking tour of the nice town of Leiden.

DAY 3 The biking was enchanting today. As we cycled out of Leiden we rode through a lovely residential neighborhood. Then, as we approached the Hague, we rode through what is supposedly the most expensive and upscale neighborhood in the country. Since I always love to check out houses and neighborhoods, this was right up my alley. We ate our picnic lunch in the center of the Hague but only had time to walk around the King’s Palace area which is backed by a large size pond or reflecting pool. Then we cycled to Delft for a tour of the Royal Delft Pottery factory which frankly I wasn’t really looking forward to thinking it would be just a typical factory shopping stop. I was in for a pleasant surprise because the factory really does more than just the stereotypical blue and white pottery. They produce some amazing and enchanting (non-blue) architectural tile features. After another delicious dinner on the barge, we also took a brief walking tour through Delft with our guide.

DAY 4 In order to get into a better situation for more interesting cycling, we motored out from Delft for a couple hours before our 9am cycling departure. During today’s ride we got a brief lesson on how to read the signage on the Dutch cycling routes; they certainly have a good system figured out! Then, we rode into Rotterdam which was a really pleasant surprise for me. Knowing it had been extensively bombed in WWII, I just assumed it would be an un-interesting modern city. Apparently, some of the initial building was rather ho-hum since they just needed to get some housing in place quickly, but now there are incredibly creative buildings, including the fairly newly built marketplace building. They hired some truly innovative architects to re-build the city, and it was an unexpectedly intriguing city to walk around.

After leaving Rotterdam, we cycled to Kinderdijk with its 19 windmills where we had a picnic at the windmill park. I hadn’t anticipated this site would do much for me, and it didn’t; I certainly wouldn’t make any extra effort or go out of my way to go there. ( When we saw our fist windmill on the trip our guide explained to us that the positioning of the windmill blades indicates whether it is a “retired” or active windmill. Blades in a X position mean it’s not functioning whereas blades in a + means it is still in use but not currently moving.) However, the riding all day was pleasant enough, through scenic rural areas and interesting regular neighborhoods.

In the afternoon there were two different options available—take the local ferry back across the river to shorten the trip and eliminate some riding, or put on more kilometers and hours of riding before meeting the barge in Dordrecht. I opted for the longer route and was glad I did because it was scenic and nice rural riding. This was one of the two nights when the crew had the night off, and we were on our own in town for dinner. After a brief time for us to clean up, our guide took us on a walking tour through Dordrecht which is a very pleasant town for strolling but without any particular monuments or buildings to see. I had dinner on my own in a small, hole-in-the-wall doner kebab place on a main square. These were the very best fries I have ever had in my entire life!

DAY 5 While we ate breakfast, the barge cruised from Dordrecht to Willemstad so we could have more interesting riding. We did a short walking tour of the star-shaped city of Willemstad before biking onward to Tholen which is a charming small town with no real sights. Today much of the scenery at times reminded me of rural Wisconsin or Minnesota. Our final stop during the ride was a farm where they sold strawberries and white asparagus (which the Dutch prefer to green). I had never seen a strawberry vending machine before, but they had one here and also at other farms we stopped at while riding later on in the trip. These strawberries were real strawberries, not the huge tasteless strawberries we usually get in grocery stores in the US. Quite a few of us bought some to take back to our cabins or to share.

DAY 6 We had a slightly earlier than usual start to riding, and we had the choice of either a short day of biking with a couple hour cruise on the boat into the Antwerp harbor or a more extended ride with biking direct to the Antwerp moorage. Our guide told us that it is really a lot more interesting to cruise into the Antwerp harbor and see the immensity of the entire harbor that way than it is to cycle through the more industrialized setting through the extensive harbor area. I was the sweep for the morning ride, and we actually had a slight climb into a headwind at the end of the ride before those of us (more than half the group) who wanted to cruise into the harbor on the boat joined the barge where it had temporarily tied up at Kreekerak to pick us up. The others cycled on through the harbor area to rejoin at the Antwerp mooring. The greater Antwerp general harbor area is immense—many miles long--and it takes quite a long time to cruise through and into a berth.

Those of us who had cruised in had lunch on board and finally were able to disembark about 2:30 for free time in the city. I visited the fascinating Red Star Museum which tells the story of the immigrants who left from Antwerp for the US. This was another day when the crew had the evening off, and we were on our own for dinner. While strolling around on my own, I ran into our guide, and we decided to have dinner together at a small Vietnamese restaurant. Afterwards on my way back to the barge I went up to the top (climbing much of the way since some of the escalators weren’t working) of the 10-story MAS museum building for the views.

DAY 7 Because the barge couldn’t leave the Antwerp harbor until 2pm due to berth and shipping lanes guidelines, we started the day with free time in Antwerp, and people chose different things to do. Rather than visiting the cathedral (one more church!) I went to the Plantin-Moretus museum of printing. The house itself (3 houses joined together) was a superbly preserved example of 17th century houses. We all commented on how dark and gloomy it must have been to live there and to do that painstaking work in nearly dark conditions. There is an interesting feature in Antwerp—a tunnel that goes 30 meters under the river and connects with the cycling path on the other side. With our bikes we rode down in the elevator, went through the tunnel and then rode the elevator up on the other side.

Our ride through the countryside was enjoyable, and I am starting to think that maybe I prefer Belgium to the Netherlands even if there are many more cobblestone streets which make for not so smooth cycling. The downside to the day was that on the way out of Antwerp we needed to make a stop at a pharmacy for Covid tests and masks since one person had just tested positive—a second person also had tested positive by evening. Before arriving in St. Amands where we would dock for the night, we also stopped at another strawberry, raspberry, and white asparagus farm which sold its produce via a vending machine.

DAY 8 While we ate breakfast, the boat cruised from St. Amands to Dendermond. There we tied up temporarily and got on the bikes and started biking on what was the best weather day of the trip—gloriously sunny and in the low 60s. We made it to Ghent where we were scheduled for a canal boat tour. Our guide says this is her favorite city, and I would have liked more time to explore, but we didn’t have it. Unfortunately, in Ghent (pronounced “hent” with a guttural “h”) we only had 45 minutes prior to our boat cruise and an hour afterwards which really wasn’t enough time for me. But, the canal boat tour was interesting and informative with a fun guide. Our barge had to tie up overnight a very long way from the center of the city, so the group had to ride out of town to our berth and were unable to do any more exploring of Ghent. As it turned out, by my choice, this was my last day of cycling on the trip.

DAY 9 This was the day of absolutely miserable weather with rain (sideways at times) and temperatures in the low 50s, along with a 20 to 30 mph wind. I decided to embrace the cruise part of the trip rather than the cycling aspect and stayed on board for the day with 4 or 5 other people. At my age I feel I don’t have anything I have to prove to myself or anyone else about my fortitude. I dislike cycling in the rain, and it doesn’t make me feel virtuous having done so. Plus, cycling when it's wet and slippery is much more dangerous, and I don’t want to risk a potentially life-changing injury. For me it was much more pleasant just staying in the boat and looking out the rain-streaked windows than it would have been cycling with those hardy people who decided they signed up for a cycling trip and were going to cycle no matter what. (I have decided I fall into the category of people who want to take a tour that involves cycling to get a feel for the area rather than being a die-hard cyclist who is most interested in the cycling aspect of a trip and racking up the miles. If someone plans to sign up for a cycling tour this is something imperative that you need to know before signing on because the focus of a tour can be very different depending on whom it is catering to.)

After a couple hours out in the cold and rain, a number of the riders changed their minds about the need to cycle, especially since most of them didn’t have appropriate rain gear. The barge had been cruising along while they rode and needed to make a planned, nearly hour-long stop to refill the clean water tank. During the re-filling stop the guide made an unplanned detour to bring the cycling group back so those who needed to quit could.

Despite the nasty weather, a few super hardy souls (fools in my opinion) did get back on the bikes and finished the ride into Bruges. Between our arrival by boat in mid-afternoon and dinner at 6:30, I walked through Bruges alone and made a first pass at figuring it out; I had a chance to stroll through the peaceful Beguinage area away from the crowds before returning for dinner. After dinner our guide took those who wanted to go on a guided walk through the town, and I did learn a lot even though I had already explored on my own. The evening in Bruges was peaceful as there were hardly any people around. In fact, I was surprised to see that many of the restaurants are closed in the evenings because their business is during the day with the bus loads of people who come in for day trips. I didn’t bike today, but I did walk 7 miles.

DAY 10 On the itinerary this was another day with a choice for passengers. People could spend the day exploring Bruges on their own, or they could take a 55k ride to the sea at Oostende. Earlier in the trip I had made up my mind that unless I found Bruges to be terribly, terribly touristy I would opt to spend the day sightseeing there rather than cycling to see the sea (I have seen the ocean plenty of times). The weather—light rain and cool temperatures and hail—just reinforced my decision to sightsee. I decided it would be worth it to buy the 33 euro for 72 hours Bruges museum card since there were a number of places I wanted to visit, and most of them had a 15 euro admission fee.

After breakfast I set off by myself for the kilometer or so walk from the barge’s mooring into Bruges. The barge was moored about a block or so from where all the tour buses park and about a half mile from the train station, so it was an easy walk into the center of town. It was early (around 9 or so) and I couldn’t even find a canal boat tour that was operating yet, so I found other things to do before taking the canal cruise. (The boat tours all apparently don’t operate until at least 10 when the tour buses start arriving.)

I started at the Museum and Apotheek Sint-Janshospital, a 12th century edifice which I found to be a fascinating mixture of learning about medical care in past centuries and art works. The apothecary portion was fine but not nearly as unique or interesting as the hospital. The Gruuthusemuseum provided an in-depth look at what had once been the grandeur of the richest families in Bruges. After one of the museums made a reservation for me for a couple hours later, I made it all the way up the 366 steps of the Belfort (there are a couple landings to rest and to see the workings of the carillon) to get a view of the city. A very full day before having our farewell dinner on the barge.

DAY 11 The tour ended after breakfast, and we needed to check out of our cabins by 9:00. My original plan had been to walk the half mile to the train station and move on to Brussels right after breakfast. But, there were a few things I still wanted to see and do in Bruges. The captain said I could leave my luggage on the boat for at least a few hours, so I walked back into Bruges to see the last few sights that I hadn’t had time for yesterday. I went into the OLV Kerk Museum church to check it out and to see the small Michelangelo statue there. And, then before returning to pick up my luggage I went to the Groeningemuseum to see the masterpieces there.

Over the course of 7 days of I rode 160 miles. On the final two days of the cycling trip, I chose to skip an additional 50 to 60 miles of potential cycling primarily due to the weather.

Pros (for me) of a barge-based bike trip: It was lovely not having to pack and unpack every day. Having the barge motor through some of the less pleasant areas to cycle through and then deposit the cyclists at more interesting areas in which to ride is a very definite advantage because it gives you the opportunity to cycle only through the most scenic and attractive routes. We had one day with really horrendous weather—sideways rain, temperatures in the low 50s, occasional hail, and winds of 20 to 30 mph. That’s the day I chose to cruise to the next port rather than cycle, and it was nice to have this choice. I spent very little money during the barge trip because it really did include nearly everything--all meals (with the exception of two on-shore dinners) and light afternoon snacks. If you wanted additional beverages, you could just run up a tab on the ship for wine or beer or cocktails or soft drinks.

Cons (for me) of a bike/barge trip. Other than your cabin where you can recline on the bed or sit at the desk chair (and many boat cabins don’t even have a desk or chair), there really isn’t a lot of space or opportunity for alone, quiet time. Our barge had a small interior lounge area and two small exterior seating areas. Cooler than normal weather meant that we had to bundle up for any extended periods outside. A couple times I tried to take my book to an outside area and read, but inevitably within 5 or 10 minutes there was a group sitting there chatting away amongst themselves; inside in the lounge there were always people chatting.

I don’t think I was the only one who craved some alone time rather than joining the group chitchat. (While on the boat, a true extrovert would always be able to find someone to talk to.) The guy who was the only other solo traveler on the trip either spent all of his time in his cabin, arriving in the common area just as meals started, or left by himself to go onshore; he even found a couple gyms to go to in the evenings when we were docked. I am guessing that perhaps both of us felt this way since we were alone and didn’t come with a companion. On a hotel-based trip, on the other hand, there usually are a few quiet common areas for guests within the hotel, or, if you want you can find a small café for a quiet glass of wine or cup of coffee. It’s different on a barge.

Compared to other cycling and regular tours I have taken, this one really felt couples-focused rather than group-focused. It could have been the dynamics of this particular group, or it could have been the number of people on the trip. All the other tours (cycling and regular small group tours) I have taken since my husband’s death have been no more than 11 or 12 people, whereas this was 20 people. Maybe with fewer people it’s just natural to make sure everyone is invited and included in the group rather than to just pair off.

My other theory on this trip is that with all of the forced time together on the barge for meals and the days cycling together, when there was free time for sightseeing or an opportunity for an onshore meal, the couples wanted to just have time alone together rather than include the fifth wheel. Let’s just say that if someone decides to go as a single on a cycle/barge trip they had better be comfortable (I am) with venturing out on their own for sightseeing and the infrequent meal on land. A couple times when we were in port I did go out with others for some sightseeing, but this was completely random and spontaneously happened when we realized we were headed the same place. Then, after we had visited the site, we split up with the couple going their way for the rest of the time and me on my own.

And then there is Covid… We were lucky that only a few people got it, and it didn’t spread like wildfire through the barge. Apparently last summer the guidelines were that if a passenger got Covid, s/he would be kicked off the boat. This year the sick person is supposed to isolate when possible and then mask when around others. This was tough to do on a small barge.

Would I do another bike/barge tour? It’s up in the air. I am actively looking for another bike trip for this fall (I am not someone who plans very far out), and it will also be solo because I don’t have anyone to go with. If it seems like a barge is the best way to see an area, I might maybe try it again. And, as I re-read what I have written, I am realizing that for a solo who is ok spending on-shore time alone and isn’t expecting to make friends and be a part of a tight group during the tour, the advantages (not packing, having the boat just cruise through less desirable cycling areas, being able to stay on the boat in bad weather) can outweigh the disadvantages. Then, though, there is also the issue of the horrendously high single supplement on a bike/barge trip. That will also impact the decision. So, we’ll see…

I hope this helped people who are considering a bike/barge trip.

You sound very wise for having stayed on the barge on the rainy day ... I never think about rain contingency plans but you are right, anything could have happened on that bike in the rain. Also interesting to hear how the company communicates with the cyclists at the end of the peleton. Glad you had a good time!

Lavandula

An excellent read, thank you for posting julies.

I truly enjoyed your trip report.
Living in Belgium and being an avid cyclist who loves to cycle in the Netherlands (rather than in Belgium) it was nice to read your observations to all these well-known places.

Hello julies, reading about you, and your husband, and travel, felt like reading about myself. I'm younger than you but have had the same experience. We retired fairly young then had the double whammy of covid and cancer.
I've been overseas twice since my wonderful husband died. Firstly a tour with 10 women. I couldn't bear to be around other couples and be reminded of all I'd lost. Secondly a tour of 20, some couples, the rest solos who were all women. The bits I added to either end of the trips were a mix of good, average and terrible. Before we had always travelled independently.
Nothing is the same but I feel like I need to enjoy life for both of us.

Great insight into the pros and cons, thank you.

And very interesting, the details of how it works was fascinating.

Thankyou. An interesting read. I am glad Amsterdam proved nicer than you thought, though it is still not my favourite city in the Netherlands.

I think bike and barge caters more for an older demographic. Younger people prefer self guided, or self developed/bike packing tours I think, even solos. Not all of them work as yours did though, as some allow more freedom to the cyclists to do their own thing whilst offering back-up for problems.
It does of course offer the chance to miss a day for bad weather or just because you want a rest,, which self guided pre-booked hotel tours don't.

Whilst I understand totally why you chose the trip you did I think the other one you were considering may have offered you a more interesting route.

Should you be tempted to try again have a look at lots of companies. Many offer interesting routes, for a reasonable price, and may have a more mixed group of nationalities on board.

Thanks for the detailed report julies, made for interesting reading. KayF and you did well to plunge back into international travel, you owe it in a way to your husbands, way to go!

Thank you for this informative trip report and sharing your feelings and challenges. I really admire your attitude, your ability to do bike trips, and you continuing to honor your husband with going on the trips you would have done together. It is hard to find the balance as we age. I am lucky to still have my husband to travel with, but the independent travel we have enjoyed, is more challenging and less desirable. Thanks for the insight on some of the options.

Very true coral. DH and I have been married for 45 years and traveling regularly right from the beginning, it’s one of the greatest joys of our lives. He’s 72 now, with two titanium knees, and we’re off to Galapagos next week…Keeping my fingers crossed, hopefully it’ll all go off well, travel does get harder with age!

I appreciate all of you taking the time to read and then comment.

Adjusting to life alone after a long and happy marriage is difficult, and, frankly, it stinks to be alone. @KayF it's interesting that you too have come to the same conclusion that I have--it's got to be small group tours--and that you have also had mixed experiences with being on your own at the ends of tours. My first tour (not a cycling trip) I made plans to stay on and travel to one additional place for 2 nights. It was awful because I booked the exact type of place we would have loved together but was terrible for me alone; I hadn't yet realized that the choices I made for when there were 2 of us would be different from what works best for a single woman.

I am seeing that traveling as we age, even if it is not an "active" trip gets more difficult. When I flew home from this trip, it once again hit me that people have to be in pretty decent shape just to make it through airports. Long, long hikes between gates, taking the train/tram between terminals, cramming into a bus that will take you to the terminal when your plane doesn't use a jetway etc. This spring on a different trip I transited through the Atlanta airport, and my fitness tracker indicated that I had walked nearly a mile and a half there!

As far as traveling alone now, obviously, my options have narrowed. While looking for options for a fall bike trip, I keep finding trips that sound really good and visit interesting places, and then I realize that they are self-guided. In the past, that would worked and was our preferred method. Now those choices are out.

It is interesting that while out for a bike ride this morning here at home in the US, I saw a guy wearing a Ciclismo Classico jersey. We rode together for a little bit because I asked him what he thought of that company. He has taken two trips with the company and likes them because they have really good guides whereas some of the other companies he has traveled with had some and not particularly good immature guides on the tours he took. It was interesting for me to hear this because my guide on this barge trip, who I really liked a lot, is in her late 50s. And, last spring I took a cycling trip with Road Scholar which is a general tour company from the US aimed at people over 50. Our guide on that trip told us that Road Scholar insisted on hiring guides over 50 so they would fit with the clientele and also because they felt guides who were a lot younger might get impatient with the pace of older riders. @hetismij2 Road Scholar is the company running the other tour I was considering. They also use the mama duck method of riding, and since I would have had to pay the single supplement with them, it would have cost me something like 5K more for a tour that was 3 days longer and on a not as nice a barge.

It costs a lot more for me to travel with tours than we ever spent when planning and executing our our trips. In fact, one of the reasons that we were able to travel as much and take as many trips as we did was because "doing it yourself" (even when hiring drivers as we did when visiting developing countries) is a whole lot less expensive.

I also want to clarify about my need for some alone time and separation. I am not a true introvert who really needs to be alone most of the time because interactions with people deplete me, but I do need some alone time and some separation. I can do cocktail party type chitchat with the best of them, but it gets pretty old after 10 days. During the course of the cycling tour there were only 3 people (and one of them was the guide) with whom I had any type of in-depth (more than just the standard where are you from, what did you think of today's ride, when are you leaving and are you extending your trip) type of conversation. This was not the case on any other of the tours I have taken.

This is an interesting topic, Julie, and I’m glad you shared your thoughts.
I just had my first solo trip and I realised I planned that well for my current needs but in 10 years time, it would be a different trip. The aspect I liked least were the ‘travel days’ between bases, I don’t have much luggage but a few times I had to jump off trains and run downstairs and then upstairs to next platform and that was a few times too many.
A widowed colleague just returned from a river cruise and a Paris stay and loved it, decided that’s all she’s doing from now on, but, the single supplement nearly doubled the cost.
I don’t see myself doing that, but a longer city (small city not big city) stay with daytrips or similar.

Jules:
As a senior single woman I enjoyed reading your TR, although I am in no way a cyclist. However, having had the solo travel experience of many years I certainly identified with how your trip went.

I had traveled on business as a solo prior to embarking on solo leisure travel experience once my children were grown and away from home here in the U.S. and I became single (at 60) once more, so I knew how to navigate but wasn’t sure what to expect socially. But cautiously I stuck my toe in the water and it’s been pretty ok for twenty plus years, give or take a few flirtatious husbands and those death looks from insecure wives. I’ve done both small and larger group bus/walk travel in Canada and Europe on my own. However, River cruising has been my favorite, with six under my belt so far.

Two of the River cruise lines including Tauck and Uniworld have had bikes on board and have offered that mode as a choice for at least one of the daily excursions as well as evening ride opportunities. Tauck offers a standard no single supplement cabin rate and I have negotiated with both Uniworld and Avalon to contact me if the single supplement were to be dropped prior to the trip I was interested in. On two of those occasions when this happened, then opted for the larger window/balcony cabin on a higher deck.

I wasn’t sure what to expect socially on the first cruise but surpringly, even though it was mostly couples, I was invited at every meal by one table or another to join them. By the time I was on my most recent, sixth experience, it was almost fifty-fifty single women traveling together or as singles and socialization was a wonderful mix for all.

It takes a bit of courage to step out of our comfort zone but you have made the first plunge. Keep it up and go out there on as many adventures as you can manage. It’s a different life from being a couple but it’s not the end of the road if you can continue to find fulfillment in travel.

Yes, our former preferences and styles need to change as life events happen and as we age. Right now I am flexing and figuring out what works for me. Standard cruises just have never been my thing, but maybe my feelings about that will change as I age. We always used to say to ourselves that we'd save river cruises and do them in our 80s.

And, boy do I identify with the comment about schlepping luggage up and down in train and metro stations!

And, now to finish up....

BRUSSELS

The train ride into central station Brussels was easy and I arrived around 3, but my deciding to stay to see a few more things in Bruges meant that I only had a couple hours on arrival day and then one full day to see Brussels. An announcement was made just prior to arrival at central station to be sure to watch out for pickpockets, so I doubled my precautions.

I had vacillated (a lot) about which hotel to book in Brussels because I wanted something convenient to the train station and centrally located without being smack dab in the middle of tourist central. I was tired when I got off the train, and an irritating, chronic leg injury was acting up, so I was thrilled when I discovered that it only took me 2 to 3 minutes to walk to Hotel Dixseptieme from the station. I got their cheapest room, and it was huge--like a suite--and lovely. There was no view because it faced a small, paved inner courtyard with a few shrubs and tables, but that also meant it was extremely quiet (other than the occasional inconsiderate fellow guest). There was a huge tub which I much appreciated so I could have a relaxing soak after having spent 10 days doing a lot of physically strenuous exercise. Breakfast was delicious too. So, all in all, the hotel gave me everything I was looking for even though within a block it does get quite a bit more touristy. However, this historic hotel is not for those with mobility issues because there are small flights of stairs everywhere; I even had to go up and down some stairs and across the courtyard to get to my room.

Prior to my trip I had made a list of things I wanted to see and do in Brussels. Of course, my decision to spend an additional morning in Bruges meant that the reality was that I was able to see and do maybe 1/3 of them. It didn’t help that I had a terrible time navigating around Brussels; even with Google maps I was constantly lost (and a regular map didn't help too much either).

My first day I managed to get over to the St. Catherine’s area and had some pizza at Nona for a late lunch/early dinner. It seemed like an area I would have liked to have more time to wander in, but I never found my way back. I also walked through the Grand Place, taking all of that in.

My one full day in Brussels I had great plans to see a lot of different things, but this didn’t pan out. I swear I must have walked in circles (you know that dreaded feeling when you find yourself realizing that you had already walked past the same shop 10 minutes ago) a couple times just trying to find my destination, and I kept getting more and more screwed up. Even though it was only a block or two from my hotel I never did find the Galleries until I ran across it in early evening my last day when security for some reason (maybe an event?) were blocking entrance. But, if anyone is interested, I did find some sort of glass-roofed, gallery shop area that had at least 50 nail salons and also a lot of sex-related shops. Not at all what I was looking for!

I had read that the musical instrument museum is in a splendid Art Nouveau building (former department store) so decided to visit that primarily to see the building. But, once there, I became fascinated by the museum and all the various instruments (75% of which I had never heard of) with all the short audio clips to listen to them. Then, I was going to walk to the Horta museum but kept going in circles until I finally just decided to forget the idea and go instead to the nearby Beaux Artes museum; it was a good choice since I lingered until the guard kicked me out of a gallery at 10 minutes before closing time.

Lodging close to the more touristy area ended up being a good choice for me because, a little out of the main area but within a couple blocks from my hotel, I managed to find The Noodle Bar, a very good small Asian/Thai restaurant where I had a great Thai dinner at a sidewalk table. And, in the morning it was a very quick walk from my hotel to the train station to catch the train direct to the airport.

So, the trip ended. It was a good mix of places and activities, and I got a lot of exercise because in addition to the cycling I walked between 4 and 10 miles every day of the trip (the most miles on the non-cycling days). I enjoyed both countries and would contemplate re-visiting some places but likely won’t be returning because there are so many other places in the world I still would like to see in the small window of traveling time remaining for me. And, I am looking for that next cycling tour to a place that’s new to me where the cycling isn’t too difficult for someone who is older.

One final tip from me is before booking to ask the company for a breakdown of the demographics of the guests to see if it is a match for you. No matter how much I wanted to take a particular tour or see an area, I absolutely would not go on a trip that was comprised of only couples or one where a large group of closely connected family and friends have all booked together.

It sounds like you had some wonderful experiences! I am glad to hear to have used Road Scholars. My Mom did that at one point and really enjoyed it and used some of their shorter trips, some independent time, and some day trips, to string together a hybrid experience. She did meet another woman who she really liked and they travelled a couple of times together. I have noticed there are a lot of woman only and singles tours, also. It is harder with the some of the smaller tours to gauge who will be on the trip because it does change from trip to trip. Good luck with your future planning, and again, you have my admiration for your wonderful attitude.

Sounds like an interesting trip.

>>My one full day in Brussels I had great plans to see a lot of different things, but this didn’t pan out. I swear I must have walked in circles (you know that dreaded feeling when you find yourself realizing that you had already walked past the same shop 10 minutes ago) a couple times just trying to find my destination, and I kept getting more and more screwed up. Even though it was only a block or two from my hotel I never did find the Galleries until I ran across it in early evening my last day when security for some reason (maybe an event?) were blocking entrance. But, if anyone is interested, I did find some sort of glass-roofed, gallery shop area that had at least 50 nail salons and also a lot of sex-related shops. Not at all what I was looking for!<<


>>I had read that the musical instrument museum is in a splendid Art Nouveau building (former department store) so decided to visit that primarily to see the building. But, once there, I became fascinated by the museum and all the various instruments (75% of which I had never heard of) with all the short audio clips to listen to them. Then, I was going to walk to the Horta museum but kept going in circles until I finally just decided to forget the idea and go instead to the nearby Beaux Artes museum; it was a good choice since I lingered until the guard kicked me out of a gallery at 10 minutes before closing time. <<

I can relate - every time I go to Vienna I wind up lost. The first time I was there my German wasn't so good and I passed by the street 'Einbahnstrasse'. After a while, I passed by it again. I thought, I must be walking in circles. I think there was a third time. Later on I realised that Einbahnstrasse means 'one way street' and I hadn't been going in circles, I just kept seeing that sign on different streets!

How nice that you found two of the good museums. In all honesty Horta is a bit of an outlier and I would probably recommend a taxi for most people to get there unless you are comfortable with the tram system. The musical instruments museum is by Horta as well, so you haven't missed out. I love this museum too, very interactive and interesting.

Lavandula

julies Thank you for your report! My colleague and her spouse (both in their early 60s, avid cyclists) have gone on numerous bike tours in recent years. They are doing a Bike and Sail tour in the Netherlands this summer (sailing around the islands). When I look at their itinerary, they bike at least 30-40 miles a day, so I'm surprised (in a good way) to see your tour is less bike mileage. Like what you observed, my colleague is going not just with her spouse, but a group of her friends so they basically "buy out" the entire boat of 24 spots. I am interested because I am a casual cyclist, definitely not in any good shape or form. On a good day I can do 20 miles flat land but forget about hills. I am considering taking one of these bike/barge or bike/sail tours with my husband and our son (preteen) but mostly just unsure if I am fit enough to bike that much. Of course you said there is always e-bike option! Sounds like no one on your tour came as a family with teenage kids; have you encountered such in your previous bike tours? I also appreciate you talking about not having much private space on a barge... that's something I haven't considered, and might be an issue with my husband, and then also my son with lack of space for him to run around (after biking!). So lots to consider.

Would you mind sharing the company you went with on this bike/barge trip? You can always private message me if you don't want to make it sound like an advertisement ! Thanks!

lavandula That's a pretty funny story about you in Vienna. I am normally pretty okay with finding my way around, especially now that there is Google maps. But, for some reason in Brussels I really had problems.

yk I sent you a private message with details of the company/boat I used. I have preteen grandkids, and there is no way they would have fit in or enjoyed this particular trip. First of all, just think of the food your son likes to eat. Dinners here are set meals with no choice. I mention this solely because one of my kids just returned from a self-planned European family trip, and I was told my 'tween grandson had pizza for at least 2/3 of the meals. Another thing: apparently the kids (and the others are teen girls) favorite of the entire trip was swimming in one of the towns in the Cinque Terre.

As I have researched cycling trips, I have noticed there are many companies that offer cycling trips targeted at families. I would start researching those because I think the right trip could be a lot of fun for a family. I would probably do a hotel based trip since it would give you more flexibility and more private space. Also, I wouldn't worry about your perceived lack of fitness since there are many rest stops and breaks. I have done other cycling trips where I did a lot more mileage, and at home I too think to myself that's way too much because I would never want to do this here but it works out. Good luck.

Interesting trip report, Julies. I still remember you researching a Munsterland bike trip in Germany.

Seems like you didn't get to the Sablon in Brussels on this trip. A shame, it's one of the prettiest parts of the city.

WeisserTee-- You have an incredible memory if you recall my looking into a trip to Munsterland because that was nearly two decades ago; it was a lovely self-guided trip.

As I said, my time in Brussels ended up being quite limited, and. as we all d when traveling, I had to make choices.

juies, I completely understand why you chose the trip you did. Based on the costs I would have done the same. It is kind of shocking that Road Scholar don't offer singles a better deal, I am sure many older people would love to go on their trips but, like you, are put off by the expense.

Some of the bike/river cruises offer more freedom in as much as you can do your own thing along the way but still have the back-up of the crew if you need them, and I have seen a couple of Dutch sites with boats with some single cabins, mostly sail and cycle it's true, but I did find another one, forgot to bookmark it though!

I admire you doing your cycling holidays, and learning how to do things on your own. I hope you can find another cycling holiday which offers you what you want.

Hi julies--I've been away here and there for weeks, and while I've been reading your trip report, this is my first chance to get to reply.

First of all, kudos to you for doing the trip. Being alone just isn't pretty--and neither is aging. You seem to be determined to do this segment of life the way you once tackled a hill before e-bikes, and I am not only applauding here, but I'm also finding inspiration for my possible future. I gave away my bike at age 64, just around the time e-bikes became more of a thing, partly because my older husband had lost interest. The biggest factor personally for the decision was that my crumbling joints were making getting on and off the bike quite a task and quite a risk. But that does not mean I will shy away from travel as I go forward, and like you, I have to find ways to make it all possible while giving me a sense of independence. My husband and I kid each other now about who is going to go first, but we know it's coming. He turns 80 at the beginning of 2025, and while I'm a comparatively young 70.75, my genetics aren't pretty. We constantly inform each other now of where certain documents and certain passwords are, plus we each have become extra diligent about informing our girls where everything is in the house.

FYI, we only did self-guided cycling and hiking in the US; abroad we always did guided tours except for one-day rentals here and there. Only one tour, thank goodness, was a "follow the mama duck"--and unlike with your tour, the company had failed to inform us of that. In fact, they implied in conversation that they were for expert cyclists! Pre-trip, I was actually worried I would not be able to keep up. Ha! They did provide directions like the other companies, but their directions were totally unreadable. I told my husband I'd like to submit them as examples as to why English teachers emphasize the importance of parallel structure. This company was also into group pictures every 2 miles. My teenage girls tried to keep a straight face and some semblance of a smile for the first ten, but eventually, they would just absent themselves from all shots. We quickly followed their example. In fact, we four decided to make the best of it, sneaking our bikes out after everyone returned to base to explore on our own at our own speeds and at our own whims. And you understand--it's not like we needed to get some sort of work-out or prove a point. Like you, we were cycling to get a feel, a vibe of wherever we are at, something that traveling in a car just can't deliver. For most of our tours, if we saw something we liked along the way, we could just stop and explore. "Mama Duck" tours just can't do that. But it does sound as though you had a good, well-educated guide and a darn good itinerary.

I totally get how you can't explain that mileage per day isn't a problem to people who haven't done these. I, a non-athlete, remember doing 50 miles in pouring rain over mountain passes on a hybrid bike--but it wasn't as though I was doing 50 miles in an hour. One breaks everything up into segments. Rests. Eats. Enjoys it all. Takes it all in. Laughs with others. Cries on some inclines, but...

Unlike you, one of the reasons I liked guided tours, though, was that I did not have to hike or bike with my husband. He doesn't have to be first--he's not competitive that way. He just has to keep going and going and going at his rate and that need frustrated me. Guided tours could accommodate his speed and allow me to enjoy mine, which was hardly turtle paced. Our two daughters found their own pacing individually, too. The idea one could opt out at lunch OR decide at last minute near the end of the day's regular routing to attempt another 20 miles was fantastic.

I think you did well with your trip planning. I was so happy to read about what you did in Amsterdam and that you got to experience the non-party side of it all. On both our trips there, we were able to avoid most of that. I've just finished reading Hans Luijten's intensive biography of Van Gogh's sister-in-law Joanna Bonger, Jo van Gogh-Bonger: The Woman who Made Vincent Famous, and now I'm itching to read all of the letter translations she did and revisit all the Van Goghs I've seen throughout the Netherlands and France with those insights in mind. Your journey in Delft made me happy because I had gotten such a great feeling about the place and had been deprived of exploring it. It pleased me so much that you got into all the art in Bruges--like you, we used almost every entry possible on our art cards there. You made me laugh about the walking in circles in Brussels. We had the same thing happen on our most recent trip, mainly because we've grown to rely on Google Maps rather than upon our good ol' Streetwise fold-out maps, and when signals start bouncing off buildings and leading one astray, it's teeth gnashing time.

Enough of that. Keep all of us posted about your next adventure. You have a fan club!

BRAVO!!!

AZ

Julies - DH and I are contemplating a “bike and barge” so both your first thread and this one have been very helpful. Thank you

I’m interested in a “tour” where rather than mama duck style everyone is given directions for the day and you start and stop the day at the same location. The boat cruises at night or early in day. Do you know of any companies that do something like that?

I, too was so interested in learning more about this trip. And I'm so sorry to hear of your loss. I admire you for forging ahead, as I'm sure it is incredibly hard at times. I will read this whole report when I'm not at work. ;-) Thank you for writing it.

Rocket79--If you are willing to shell out, VBT and Backroads, among others, offer that style in various locations. My sister and her husband did ebikes with Backroads along the Danube, I believe. We ourselves did the trip old school (no boat, no ebikes) there and loved it.

AlessandraZoe Thank you for the compliments on my forging ahead alone. But, for me anyway, doing guided, group cycling tours are the least worst option. I don't want to just say my life is over and stay at home. So, this is the choice I have made, and I will keep doing it for as long as I am able whether it's another month or another five years.

goingthere2 I can't answer your question about other companies that don't require you stick with the guide but also offer barge/boat trips. I have now taken 2 tours that were offered with guides from and under the auspices of boatbiketours.com. From my understanding, their company philosophy and guide system is that the group rides together, following the leader. I also think that some of the larger boats cruising the Rhine or Moselle, for example, have people just ride on their own and meet the boat every evening at its berth. A warning though that I heard for the captain of the barge I took: Make sure that this is a trip designed around cycling and cycle routes rather than it being a cruise where cycling is an option.

I just tentatively (waiting to see if they have a single room) signed up for a hotel-based cycling tour with experienceplus.com. As I understand it, the guides mark the daily routes with chalk arrows and members of the tour ride at their own pace, alone or in a group. So, a different style altogether. Another major difference between this and a barge tour is that for a single supplement, it is only about a 15% premium over the double sharing a room price.

But, as AZ said, these--VBT, Backroads, Experience Plus-- are very pricey trips. For people who have visited Europe before on their own and who don't need a ton of hand-holding and who are comfortable with not speaking the local language, I highly recommend just finding a local outfitter (after all these are the same people the major international cycling companies use as their on the ground operators) and doing a self-guided tour. We successfully did close to a half dozen of these and had a great time on our own. If my situation were different (and I so wish it were), that's what I would do.

Sorry for the late replies, but I have been out of town.

julies, another thought came to mind. Have you considered doing a trip, cycling or otherwise, with your pre-teen grandkids? A totally different take, you’d obviously have to structure it around the their interests, but this could be equally rewarding. Introduce them to travel and discovering a different culture and see the world through their eyes.

I know our mom greatly enjoyed traveling with her grandkids, though my sister or I was also always there. I myself have done several trips with my niece and nephew over the last 15 plus years and each one has been special.

Once again , kudos for your attitude and approach to life, you’re an example to emulate! Whatever you decide, I wish you good health and many more years of travel…

It is possible to do self guided tours within the Netherlands, hotel to hotel. You get to meet everyone at breakfast and supper where there is a set of maps handed out. Equally interesting.

There are many many companies that offer self guided tours in Europe,. and the European based ones are normally cheaper, but also offer the tour in English.
Most offer luggage transfer and some, but not all start from places easily accessible by public transport if you are not, or even if you are, taking your own bike. They all offer the option of a hybrid or a pedal assist 25km/h max e-bike hire

This company in France for instance: https://www.safrantours.com/en/self-...ccm_paging_p=1
No experience with them, I was just surfing and found them, a nice mix of routes on offer.

Many companies offer tours in the Netherlands such as the 11 cities tour in Friesland or the Pieterpad by bike, the length of the country.

Some companies offer women only tours too.

The bike and barge trips on the Moselle are aimed at cyclists and offer your cycle routes to take, and meet up at the end of the day, or take a day off if you want. Here is trip report from an Australian who did such a trip with a friend a few years ago:
https://uncoolcyclingclub.com/german-bike-and-barge/