Interview With The Authors Of “Ultralite Bicycle Camping”
July 20, 2008 by Darren Alff · 1 Comment
Dr. Bernd Fischel and Barbara (Barbie) Garrett are the authors of the book, “Ultralite Bicycle Camping: The Cyclists Guide to Ultralite Camping and Touring in Europe.”
This 349 page book covers numerous aspects of bicycle touring, but centers around how you can travel in Europe on an ultralite bike… and on an ultralite budget.
This 41-minute interview is packed with tips for traveling light, saving money, and navigating your way through Europe. Whether you are an experienced bicycle tourist or a complete novice, you’ll find a number of useful nuggets in this interview with Bernd and Barbie. Read more
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My Love-Hate Relationship With Hotels
May 30, 2008 by Darren Alff · Leave a Comment
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, shelter, television, possibly a free meal in the morning, and a whole host of other amenities. But hotels also have some negatives.
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Can I Really Get Free Hotel Rooms For My Bicycle Tour?
May 24, 2008 by Darren Alff · Leave a Comment
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 was that I was a poor college student with very little money in my bank account. A couple nights in middle of the road hotels would very quickly bankrupt me. So I had to figure out another way to make my “hotel dreams” come true.
As a long distance cyclist, I had a lot of time to think about how to approach the situation… and in 2004 I developed a system that has provided me with thousands and thousands of dollars worth of free hotel rooms over the past four years.
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Doing Your Laundry When Staying In A Hotel
May 9, 2008 by Darren Alff · 2 Comments
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 you have the money, use the machines you have access to.
But if you’re hotel doesn’t offer these services… or you simply want to wash your clothes and not have to pay anything extra, washing your clothes in the hotel sink (or bathtub) is your next best option.
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Bicycle Touring vs. Bicycle Camping
April 8, 2008 by Darren Alff · Leave a Comment
The following guest post was submitted by Bob Morgan.
As I prepare for my epic ride on the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route (GDMBR) I have responded to many contacts from people who would like to join me on this 2,700 mile bike-camping tour. Some of them have had a taste of “credit card” road touring and a few have participated in extensive supported tours, but very few have done any self-supported bicycle touring… and even fewer have bike-camped along the way.
There is a big difference between these two types of touring. Sleeping in hotels and sleeping on the ground at night are two completely different things… and being prepared for a bike-camping expedition is of key importance when traveling a route such as the GDMBR. Read more
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The Secrets Of Stealth Camping
April 4, 2008 by Darren Alff · 4 Comments
It’s called many things: stealth camping, wild camping, guerrilla camping, rolling off into the woods, etc. In the end, they all mean the same thing.
Stealth camping is the act of quietly finding a place away from people where you can camp for the night and then quickly slip away in the morning without being detected. The key to stealth camping is to remain hidden at all times and to leave no trace of your existence during or after your departure from the site. Read more
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Tools For Planning A Self-Supported Bicycle Tour
January 13, 2008 by Darren Alff · 1 Comment
Each year, as summer approaches, I receive a flood of emails from people asking me how they should go about planning for a long distance bicycle tour.
“Where do you start?” many of them ask.
Well, today I’m going to tell you! I’m going to show you exactly how I go about planning for my tours and I’m even going to give you some free resources that you can use to help you plan for your next self-supported bicycle tour. Read more
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Selecting A Tent
November 30, 2007 by Darren Alff · 2 Comments
There are many different ways to conduct a bicycle tour. You can camp, stay in hotels and hostels, or simply stay with friends. If you’re planning to do any camping though, you’re going to need a good tent. And selecting the right tent for your long distance bicycle tour is of top importance.
Your tent is your home out on the road and you want to be comfortable inside your home. For that reason, you need to find a tent you are going to be comfortable living in for the duration of your tour. For this reason, I recommend that you select whatever tent is going to make your feel most at home. Read more
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