Why Do A Cycling Tour?: A review of various tour companies and general tips
Jan 16th, 2017, 07:40 AM
#121
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Hello all,
I've been following this thread over the years - very helpful.
I have traveled solo on several bike tours - years ago with a company called Bike Riders (based in Boston) which was bought by Backroads I believe. I loved the two trips I did with them - Maine and Nova Scotia. The groups were small 8-12) and so friendly I felt it was the perfect way to vacation on my own.
More recently I took two trips with VBT. The first was in Puglia which I loved. Again, small group (9), great guides, and complete comfort traveling on my own. Last summer I went to Acadia National Park. For the first time ever, I was in a group of 22, including an extended family of 8 who pretty much kept to themselves. It was the first time I did not really feel like we 'bonded' as a group. There were two dinners on our own which I did myself. I didn't mind but was surprised. The scenery was gorgeous but I didn't feel the hotels or food was up to previous standards. Still, I think VBT is an excellent company - I think I was just unlucky and perhaps the destination wasn't as exciting as the others. I chose VBT over Backroads because the Backroads hotels seem almost too luxurious - I like the smaller places with character and don't need a golf course...
Anyway, now I am hoping to go to Piedmont, and the VBT tour I'm looking at already has 14 people booked on a tour 8 months away. That has led me to explore DignGo, which limits its groups to 14. Has anyone here had experience with DigNgo, or Piedmont? I would love to have any thoughts, also about other smaller groups.
Thanks!
Kathy S.
I've been following this thread over the years - very helpful.
I have traveled solo on several bike tours - years ago with a company called Bike Riders (based in Boston) which was bought by Backroads I believe. I loved the two trips I did with them - Maine and Nova Scotia. The groups were small 8-12) and so friendly I felt it was the perfect way to vacation on my own.
More recently I took two trips with VBT. The first was in Puglia which I loved. Again, small group (9), great guides, and complete comfort traveling on my own. Last summer I went to Acadia National Park. For the first time ever, I was in a group of 22, including an extended family of 8 who pretty much kept to themselves. It was the first time I did not really feel like we 'bonded' as a group. There were two dinners on our own which I did myself. I didn't mind but was surprised. The scenery was gorgeous but I didn't feel the hotels or food was up to previous standards. Still, I think VBT is an excellent company - I think I was just unlucky and perhaps the destination wasn't as exciting as the others. I chose VBT over Backroads because the Backroads hotels seem almost too luxurious - I like the smaller places with character and don't need a golf course...
Anyway, now I am hoping to go to Piedmont, and the VBT tour I'm looking at already has 14 people booked on a tour 8 months away. That has led me to explore DignGo, which limits its groups to 14. Has anyone here had experience with DigNgo, or Piedmont? I would love to have any thoughts, also about other smaller groups.
Thanks!
Kathy S.
Jan 28th, 2017, 07:04 AM
#122
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Kathy--I SO understand when a large group dominates the trip and/or they become exclusive. But group behaviors, which you cannot control, are more important than numbers.
As I may have mentioned above, we took a trip in Puglia where a group of 6 with a very tight relationship went out of their way to include others, and their doing so made it so much fun for the rest of us.
Conversely, it is interesting that I remember when a group of just 3 persons on another trip decided they did not have to interact with anyone else and their behaviors created seating problems at dinner for the guides. My youngest kid at age 10, without any input from us, finally "cracked" their social barrier, much to the shock of others on trip. She just started joining them at breakfast and would cycle with them, whether they wanted her to or not. They got a kick out of it. Tensions immediately eased. You can imagine how relieved the guides were.
FYI: Yeah, that youngest kid is doing rather well in her career right now. She talked her way into a company as an undergrad and more or less seated herself at the decision table. Again, a) cycling trips truly are a growth experience at any age and b) personalities are born, not made and c) she still cannot clean up any room in which she lives.
Here's my input, which is rather opposite to your current viewpoint but still might be helpful:
1) Whether traveling as a couple or as a family, I now avoid like the plague any company that limits the group to 14. We have learned to look for LARGE groups to increase the likelihood we'd find others we'd enjoy and dynamics we'd enjoy. We make sure we interact with several couples traveling together on an individual basis early on (following lead of our kid). And as an FYI, my husband and I and other family members have always "adopted" singles on trips. It's far more fun that way. We avoid like the plague couples on trips who want to find "matching" couples--those are leeches.
2) One of the founders of DigNgo happens to be one of our worst cycle guides ever with another company, but then again, his DigNgo business model is different and might work for you.
3) You are going to hate this, but the Piedmont is the least fascinating area in which we've ever cycled. My husband just kept saying of the scenery, "It's like the most boring parts of every trip we've ever taken before." We did great things before and after the trip; the routes themselves were so darn dull.
As I may have mentioned above, we took a trip in Puglia where a group of 6 with a very tight relationship went out of their way to include others, and their doing so made it so much fun for the rest of us.
Conversely, it is interesting that I remember when a group of just 3 persons on another trip decided they did not have to interact with anyone else and their behaviors created seating problems at dinner for the guides. My youngest kid at age 10, without any input from us, finally "cracked" their social barrier, much to the shock of others on trip. She just started joining them at breakfast and would cycle with them, whether they wanted her to or not. They got a kick out of it. Tensions immediately eased. You can imagine how relieved the guides were.
FYI: Yeah, that youngest kid is doing rather well in her career right now. She talked her way into a company as an undergrad and more or less seated herself at the decision table. Again, a) cycling trips truly are a growth experience at any age and b) personalities are born, not made and c) she still cannot clean up any room in which she lives.
Here's my input, which is rather opposite to your current viewpoint but still might be helpful:
1) Whether traveling as a couple or as a family, I now avoid like the plague any company that limits the group to 14. We have learned to look for LARGE groups to increase the likelihood we'd find others we'd enjoy and dynamics we'd enjoy. We make sure we interact with several couples traveling together on an individual basis early on (following lead of our kid). And as an FYI, my husband and I and other family members have always "adopted" singles on trips. It's far more fun that way. We avoid like the plague couples on trips who want to find "matching" couples--those are leeches.
2) One of the founders of DigNgo happens to be one of our worst cycle guides ever with another company, but then again, his DigNgo business model is different and might work for you.
3) You are going to hate this, but the Piedmont is the least fascinating area in which we've ever cycled. My husband just kept saying of the scenery, "It's like the most boring parts of every trip we've ever taken before." We did great things before and after the trip; the routes themselves were so darn dull.
Feb 5th, 2017, 07:20 AM
#123
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Thank you Alessandra!
I appreciate your thoughts on this. I called DigNGo to get some information and have to say I did not get a great impression from our conversation. I felt like he was almost dissuading me from signing up! So, I think I am back with VBT or Backroads. I agree a larger group makes it easier to find like-minded souls - perhaps I just had bad luck on the last one. It's really impossible to predict. I am outgoing and very comfortable socializing with couples, that's why I choose to avoid 'solo' trips which I understand are often mostly/all women. I'd rather travel with a mixed bunch.
Despite your caution, I still have my heart set on Piedmont - I want to do Italy and I want to explore a region I've never been to, and I've traveled extensively in Italy already. I also am looking forward to the food of that region. But I hear what you're saying about the scenery. Hey, I live in NYC so any scenery at all is frankly pretty spectacular to me! I think the problem with the Maine trip also may have been that it was too close to home and didn't feel like enough of an adventure for me (or the others).
Thanks again!
Kathy
I appreciate your thoughts on this. I called DigNGo to get some information and have to say I did not get a great impression from our conversation. I felt like he was almost dissuading me from signing up! So, I think I am back with VBT or Backroads. I agree a larger group makes it easier to find like-minded souls - perhaps I just had bad luck on the last one. It's really impossible to predict. I am outgoing and very comfortable socializing with couples, that's why I choose to avoid 'solo' trips which I understand are often mostly/all women. I'd rather travel with a mixed bunch.
Despite your caution, I still have my heart set on Piedmont - I want to do Italy and I want to explore a region I've never been to, and I've traveled extensively in Italy already. I also am looking forward to the food of that region. But I hear what you're saying about the scenery. Hey, I live in NYC so any scenery at all is frankly pretty spectacular to me! I think the problem with the Maine trip also may have been that it was too close to home and didn't feel like enough of an adventure for me (or the others).
Thanks again!
Kathy
Feb 6th, 2017, 02:50 AM
#124
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The group mixture is so hard to control, and I'm keeping fingers crossed that you'll get a good bunch.
I'd try to talk you out of Piedmont again, but my husband remarked, "You forget that we cycled Piedmont after Mallorca and Catalonia--quite a few trips would have paled against those two." And he's right.
Happy planning!
I'd try to talk you out of Piedmont again, but my husband remarked, "You forget that we cycled Piedmont after Mallorca and Catalonia--quite a few trips would have paled against those two." And he's right.
Happy planning!
May 30th, 2017, 06:42 AM
#125
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I'm also thankful for this cycling thread. I read it long ago and now realize I never contributed to it. I recently sent a friend a write up of our experiences with cycling vacations, I pasted it below. I'm not good a typing up a full trip report so excuse the lack of details. Any questions let me know.
Our first group tour was with Backroads to Thailand in 2002. I'd had their brochure for years, finally we decided to book. Loved the company, loved the guides, loved Thailand. The only reason we don't use them every time, they are expensive and don't go to many locations
Our next trip in 2003 was to Tuscany, Italy with VBT. We had booked with a small company, after booking flight and hotels the company canceled the trip. I was able to find the VBT trip with the same dates so it was an easy decision, only problem for me it was rated moderate/challenging, I am not a strong cyclist. We disliked the lazy guides, they repeatedly annoyed us with their attitude and disregard for their guests. We decided to enjoy Italy (if not them) and not discuss our displeasure with other guests. We gave the company scathing reviews of the guides and vowed to never travel with VBT again.
For our 40th anniversary in 2008 we again booked with Backroads to Morocco. Backroads was great, we loved the trip, Morocco is such an interesting country, unlike any other country we've visited.
Looks like they've discontinued that tour.
In 2009, we cycled with a small company, Bike and the Like in Cape Cod. The trip was very inexpensive, the group was a little too large, don’t think I’d go with them again, but have no complaints about the company for a budget.
In 2010 we went to Virginia to do the Bike Virginia ride, I fell the first day, got a concussion so we didn't ride. This ride is a large (1,600 people) state ride, most people camp together, we hotel it. I'd love to do this again, the route changes every year. It travels through small towns, each town sets up entertainment for the passing cyclists. http://bikevirginia.org/2017-tour/routes/ .
I kept reading good reviews for VBT and seeing many interesting looking trips, we thought different guides would make it a good experience. We decided to give them another try, in 2013 we did the Natchez Trace with VBT, it was one of our best trips, the group was small, only nine of us. The guides were fantastic, a very fun trip, we’re glad we gave them another try. https://www.vbt.com/tours/mississipp...natchez-trace/
In 2014 we did the Katy Trail, Missouri ride. It also is a large state ride, with a smaller limit of 350 riders. It rides in the opposite direction each year, we learned on the ride we picked the hard year riding into the wind. It is a flat (rails to trails) ride. Most people camp but it provides shuttle service to hotels for those who hotel it. It was a very fun ride, mostly locals who do it every year, we met lots of nice people, we had breakfast and dinner with them in parks and fire stations as we rode. Fun experience!
We again booked with VBT to tour Vermont in the fall of 2014. It is a beautiful part of the country and as usual the other guests provided interesting conversation. Link to tour: https://www.vbt.com/tours/vermont-ch...alley-islands/.
Last month we booked our first ebike trip to Croatia. Croatia is hilly, we wanted to enjoy the islands but also take it easy so this ebike trip sounds good. The ebike allowed us to enjoy the scenery on bikes without stressing to get up the hill. I was surprised how much my DH (a strong rider) enjoyed the ebike. l We loved Croatia and the boat, liked the tour, only thing we didn’t like was waiting for the rest of the group to catch up http://www.inselhuepfen.de/e-bike-an...url=tour-types
I thought if we liked this company we’d go next year to Greece, some in our group went to Greece with this company and said the boat in Greece is not nearly as nice, so I don’t think we'll to go to Greece with this company.
Our first group tour was with Backroads to Thailand in 2002. I'd had their brochure for years, finally we decided to book. Loved the company, loved the guides, loved Thailand. The only reason we don't use them every time, they are expensive and don't go to many locations
Our next trip in 2003 was to Tuscany, Italy with VBT. We had booked with a small company, after booking flight and hotels the company canceled the trip. I was able to find the VBT trip with the same dates so it was an easy decision, only problem for me it was rated moderate/challenging, I am not a strong cyclist. We disliked the lazy guides, they repeatedly annoyed us with their attitude and disregard for their guests. We decided to enjoy Italy (if not them) and not discuss our displeasure with other guests. We gave the company scathing reviews of the guides and vowed to never travel with VBT again.
For our 40th anniversary in 2008 we again booked with Backroads to Morocco. Backroads was great, we loved the trip, Morocco is such an interesting country, unlike any other country we've visited.
Looks like they've discontinued that tour.
In 2009, we cycled with a small company, Bike and the Like in Cape Cod. The trip was very inexpensive, the group was a little too large, don’t think I’d go with them again, but have no complaints about the company for a budget.
In 2010 we went to Virginia to do the Bike Virginia ride, I fell the first day, got a concussion so we didn't ride. This ride is a large (1,600 people) state ride, most people camp together, we hotel it. I'd love to do this again, the route changes every year. It travels through small towns, each town sets up entertainment for the passing cyclists. http://bikevirginia.org/2017-tour/routes/ .
I kept reading good reviews for VBT and seeing many interesting looking trips, we thought different guides would make it a good experience. We decided to give them another try, in 2013 we did the Natchez Trace with VBT, it was one of our best trips, the group was small, only nine of us. The guides were fantastic, a very fun trip, we’re glad we gave them another try. https://www.vbt.com/tours/mississipp...natchez-trace/
In 2014 we did the Katy Trail, Missouri ride. It also is a large state ride, with a smaller limit of 350 riders. It rides in the opposite direction each year, we learned on the ride we picked the hard year riding into the wind. It is a flat (rails to trails) ride. Most people camp but it provides shuttle service to hotels for those who hotel it. It was a very fun ride, mostly locals who do it every year, we met lots of nice people, we had breakfast and dinner with them in parks and fire stations as we rode. Fun experience!
We again booked with VBT to tour Vermont in the fall of 2014. It is a beautiful part of the country and as usual the other guests provided interesting conversation. Link to tour: https://www.vbt.com/tours/vermont-ch...alley-islands/.
Last month we booked our first ebike trip to Croatia. Croatia is hilly, we wanted to enjoy the islands but also take it easy so this ebike trip sounds good. The ebike allowed us to enjoy the scenery on bikes without stressing to get up the hill. I was surprised how much my DH (a strong rider) enjoyed the ebike. l We loved Croatia and the boat, liked the tour, only thing we didn’t like was waiting for the rest of the group to catch up http://www.inselhuepfen.de/e-bike-an...url=tour-types
I thought if we liked this company we’d go next year to Greece, some in our group went to Greece with this company and said the boat in Greece is not nearly as nice, so I don’t think we'll to go to Greece with this company.
Jul 9th, 2017, 12:54 PM
#126
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Dear AlessandraZoe:
Thank you so much for the thoughtfulness and thoroughness of the biking information you have shared over the past few years. The insights of you and fellow travel enthusiasts is much appreciated. The information shared is helping my husband and I plan for our first cycling vacation in (gulp!) 20 years.
We will be going on a VBT Prague to Vienna biking trip in September 2017. Can you, or fellow travelers provide any insights? The trip is classified as easy, however I am curious about the biking terrain.
A bit off subject, we did a walking/hiking tour with VBT in 2016, the Northern Italian Lake area. Our trip was wonderful, the group of 20 cohesive, warm and fun.The guides were engaged and informative.
I look forward to your response.
Thank you.
Thank you so much for the thoughtfulness and thoroughness of the biking information you have shared over the past few years. The insights of you and fellow travel enthusiasts is much appreciated. The information shared is helping my husband and I plan for our first cycling vacation in (gulp!) 20 years.
We will be going on a VBT Prague to Vienna biking trip in September 2017. Can you, or fellow travelers provide any insights? The trip is classified as easy, however I am curious about the biking terrain.
A bit off subject, we did a walking/hiking tour with VBT in 2016, the Northern Italian Lake area. Our trip was wonderful, the group of 20 cohesive, warm and fun.The guides were engaged and informative.
I look forward to your response.
Thank you.
Jul 10th, 2017, 05:33 AM
#127
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How kind of you to comment, mzamiska1.
I did not do this area with VBT, and I so hope those that did chime in. We did it with a Backroads trip, and ours was a family trip, so that will be different from yours right away.
If this is anything like our Backroads tour of the area (and I'm going to assume it is after looking at the lovely itinerary), you will spend much of your time biking along the Danube, and it was easy and delightful. Our only foe on that trail was the July/August heat, and you likely will not face that.
If you have any qualms, just put in for an e-bike right now! You can always cancel and get a regular bike. I've never had one, but the person who did on our Slovenia trip totally enjoyed it.
Post trip overview: We were not big fans of Prague; we totally enjoyed Vienna.
I hope you get more information from someone more current.
Happy cycling,
AZ
I did not do this area with VBT, and I so hope those that did chime in. We did it with a Backroads trip, and ours was a family trip, so that will be different from yours right away.
If this is anything like our Backroads tour of the area (and I'm going to assume it is after looking at the lovely itinerary), you will spend much of your time biking along the Danube, and it was easy and delightful. Our only foe on that trail was the July/August heat, and you likely will not face that.
If you have any qualms, just put in for an e-bike right now! You can always cancel and get a regular bike. I've never had one, but the person who did on our Slovenia trip totally enjoyed it.
Post trip overview: We were not big fans of Prague; we totally enjoyed Vienna.
I hope you get more information from someone more current.
Happy cycling,
AZ
Dec 18th, 2017, 01:58 PM
#128
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AZ,
I have to agree with everyone. This is incredibly useful information.
My fiancee and I are planning our honeymoon and are looking at doing either the Backroads Parma to Verona tour or the DuVine Verona Lake Garda tour. I have done all the research I can and called the companies with plenty of questions. In the end, though, there are pluses and minuses to both. I have no idea how to decide which to pull the trigger on and do. Just reading the thread, it seems like Backroads has a little better reputation with this group, but the thread spans a bit of time. Do you think this reputation still holds true or has DuVine made improvements over the last 5 years?
I'd love any suggestions on how to pick one of the trips.
I have to agree with everyone. This is incredibly useful information.
My fiancee and I are planning our honeymoon and are looking at doing either the Backroads Parma to Verona tour or the DuVine Verona Lake Garda tour. I have done all the research I can and called the companies with plenty of questions. In the end, though, there are pluses and minuses to both. I have no idea how to decide which to pull the trigger on and do. Just reading the thread, it seems like Backroads has a little better reputation with this group, but the thread spans a bit of time. Do you think this reputation still holds true or has DuVine made improvements over the last 5 years?
I'd love any suggestions on how to pick one of the trips.
Dec 20th, 2017, 07:23 AM
#129
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So sorry! I have no idea how DuVine is doing right now, pvpaisano. I can tell you that our past two experiences with DuVine, as negative as I rated them, offered three really fabulous positives: lodging, food and wine. And I think those three things are wonderful for a honeymoon.
And on their Slovenian trip, I felt as though I got a better understanding of local culture through DuVine (and by the way, VBT is really good at that, but I don't think the honeymoon vibe would be as great).
My objections on the two DuVine trips were guide training and safety. Backroads peoples are STARS at that. The other thing I consider to be important is that should someone in the group be "objectionable", Backroads guides have a pretty good idea how to buffer it, part of the superb Backroads training.
As a few others have mentioned, the concept of "small groups" as opposed to "large groups" is not always an advantage. With a large group, as a honeymoon couple, you can "hide" as much as needed. With a small group, it's so much harder.
On another matter...
I think I am going to "restart" this thread on a couple of forums so we can gather more recent contributions. You have no idea how much I'd like to do another bike trip, but now my left hip is going downhill fast. I do not want an ebike; I want my youth back, I'm thinking, and it's not going to happen. Instead, I'll be asking others to live for me and report their up-to-date experiences.
I need to say this again: Our daughters owe so much of their current success, personally and professionally, to these trips. We expected them to live up to our example (go the extra mile, don't whine, be on time, enjoy all these wonderful people, enjoy these surroundings, and for goodness sake, learn a bit of the local language) and they did. We always felt blessed we could afford to give this gift to them, and we as the aged parents feel blessed that they truly used these trips as their personal launching pads. They both are tolerant of others, and they easily adapt to circumstances in any country or setting. That's pretty much all one needs to enjoy life.
Enjoy this holiday season, and I promise to create a new thread in 2018.
AZ
And on their Slovenian trip, I felt as though I got a better understanding of local culture through DuVine (and by the way, VBT is really good at that, but I don't think the honeymoon vibe would be as great).
My objections on the two DuVine trips were guide training and safety. Backroads peoples are STARS at that. The other thing I consider to be important is that should someone in the group be "objectionable", Backroads guides have a pretty good idea how to buffer it, part of the superb Backroads training.
As a few others have mentioned, the concept of "small groups" as opposed to "large groups" is not always an advantage. With a large group, as a honeymoon couple, you can "hide" as much as needed. With a small group, it's so much harder.
On another matter...
I think I am going to "restart" this thread on a couple of forums so we can gather more recent contributions. You have no idea how much I'd like to do another bike trip, but now my left hip is going downhill fast. I do not want an ebike; I want my youth back, I'm thinking, and it's not going to happen. Instead, I'll be asking others to live for me and report their up-to-date experiences.
I need to say this again: Our daughters owe so much of their current success, personally and professionally, to these trips. We expected them to live up to our example (go the extra mile, don't whine, be on time, enjoy all these wonderful people, enjoy these surroundings, and for goodness sake, learn a bit of the local language) and they did. We always felt blessed we could afford to give this gift to them, and we as the aged parents feel blessed that they truly used these trips as their personal launching pads. They both are tolerant of others, and they easily adapt to circumstances in any country or setting. That's pretty much all one needs to enjoy life.
Enjoy this holiday season, and I promise to create a new thread in 2018.
AZ
