My Love-Hate Relationship With Hotels

It’s easy to point out the benefits of staying in a hotel when on a bicycle tour. On the other hand, it’s a little more difficult to point out the drawbacks.
Hotels provide a number of amenities that are important to the traveling cyclist. When staying in a hotel you have a toilet, shower, drinking water, [...]

The Revolution Will Not Be Motorized

(Portland, OR) The cycling equivalent of Woodstock is coming… but instead of joining rock fans on a muddy farm, one million cyclists and supporters of clean, oil independent transportation will gather for celebrations and purpose filled action in 50 states for upwards of 300 rallies. More remarkable, all of these unified, localized events will roll [...]

How To Secure Your Bicycle & Belongings When Going Inside A Building

The other day I received an email from BicycleTouringPro.com reader Josh Wildman. Josh is currently in the process of planning his first long distance bicycle tour, so here is what he had to say:
Hey Darren,
I was just wondering how you trust your bike is secure when you go inside places for hours at a [...]

Tips For Protecting Your Sunglasses & Mirror

When traveling by bike there are typically a few small items that you need to treat with extra caution so as to not damage them. Two such items that come to mind are your sunglasses and your mirror.
For some cool tips on now to protect and organize these items while out on tour, check out [...]

Can I Really Get Free Hotel Rooms For My Bicycle Tour?

Yes! Yes, you can!
You can easily get big and small name hotels to give you free accommodations for your bicycle tours. And I’ll show you how to do it!
It was on my 4th long distance bicycle tour that I began to toy with the idea of staying in hotels. The only problem with the idea [...]

The Cyclists Awareness Test

Watch the video below:

Don’t Criticize Me For Carrying A Spare

While cycling in Aruba recently, I came across a group of young Dutch boys standing in the middle of the road with a confused look upon their faces.
When I approached the group of five, one of the taller boys came towards me and said something in Dutch. I don’t know exactly what he said, but I [...]

Did You Get My Postcard?

I recently mailed out a few hundred postcards to the subscribers of BicycleTouringPro.com. The postcards featured 8 different images from my recent bicycle tour of Aruba.
(If you didn’t get a postcard, it means that you are currently not a BicycleTouringPro.com subscriber, or I simply don’t have your mailing address on file. It’s also very likely [...]

Will You “Twitter” The Bicycle Touring Pro?

If you’re a web savy computer junkie, or simply someone who’s taken note of the Web 2.0 movement, then you’ve likely heard about “Twitter.”
If you are unfamiliar with Twitter, watch the short 2 minute video below. The video explains it a lot better than I ever could.

The best way to start learning about Twitter is [...]

What Is Your Single Biggest Question About Bicycle Touring?

If you’ve already joined the BicycleTouringPro.com mailing list, then you’ve likely been asked to fill out a short survey about bicycle touring.
Since I first created that survey in late 2007, I’ve had more than 600 people fill it out and answer the question, “What is your single biggest question about bicycle touring?”
Here are some of [...]

Doing Your Laundry When Staying In A Hotel

If you have the opportunity to stay in a hotel on your bike tour, you’re going to want to take advantage of the resources that are available to you. One of those resources is running water and the ability to wash your stinky clothes!
Many hotels have washers and dryers available to their guests, so if [...]

Free International Phone Calls When Traveling By Bike

I’m in Aruba at the moment, but you would never know it. Even though I’m spending my days riding around the island on my bike, I’m able to respond to my emails, update my blog, call my friends and family back home, and generally stay in touch with the outside world.
The Internet has really changed [...]

Next Page »