21st Century Bicycle Travelers

The world is changing… and so is the way people travel by bike.

For the past few months I’ve been sharing my ideas on what I believe could be a new form of bicycle touring. In my efforts to introduce this new form of travel, I talked about the way bicycle tourists are perceived by the public; I shared my ideas on how bicycle tourists could look good, be respected by the non-cycling world and still be hard-core world travelers all at the same time; and I revealed some information about the snowboarding industry that could help bicycle touring evolve and grow over the next few years.

But even after all of that, some people still have no idea what I’m talking about when I refer to “the new generation of bicycle travelers.” And frankly, its completely my fault that there’s been so much confusion.

Its my fault because I haven’t defined this new breed of bicycle touring… and I haven’t been much of an example myself. I’ve been living this new type of bicycle touring for over three years, and I’ve barely even mentioned it up until now. But that’s all about to change!

So, instead of leading you on any longer and writing more articles that just plain confuse you, I’ve decided to define this new form of bicycle travel for you now. So, here it is…

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While many bicycle tourists of the past saw their trips by bike as a break from work and family, this new generation of bicycle travelers see their adventures more as a way of life. This isn’t “bicycle touring.” This is a lifestyle that revolves around traveling with your bike.

What Characteristics Set Bicycle Travelers Apart From The Tourists Of The Past?

• This new generation of bicycle traveler values time and experiences more than they value money and social standing. While many who tour by bike save up and wait until retirement to live out their bicycle touring dreams, this new generation wants to have their adventures now. They are less concerned with buying a big house, driving a fancy car or living in style once they turn 70. They’re putting off their future retirement to take mini-retirements now.

• This new kind of bicycle traveler wear clothes, rides bikes, and uses gear that blends in more with the people and places they are visiting. There’s no more need for fancy breatheable jerseys. No more tight, revealing lycra shorts. And no more neon colored clothes. This new generation of bicycle traveler isn’t out to win any competitions, fit in with the rest of the cycling world, or look like a bum. They’re doing their own thing, both on the bike and with the clothes they choose to wear. They may be bicyclists… and they may be travelers… but they look good and do their best to blend in with the people and places they are visiting.

• Many of these new cyclists do not work traditional 9 to 5 jobs. Instead, they prefer to have flexible hours, using their off time to travel and see the world. Many of these people work from home via a laptop or personal computer. Others work seasonal/part time jobs that allow them to travel when they aren’t at work.

• This new breed of bicycle traveler is more interested in creating their own experiences than following the routes others have traveled in the past. While many find following established routes to be safe, easy, and enjoyable, this new kind of traveling cyclist could care less about pre-established bicycle routes and signs. Don’t get me wrong, having a nice bike lane is a welcome luxury, but the lack of signed routes isn’t gonna stop these people from seeing the world. Besides, they’re much more interested in the road less traveled anyway. Heck, they don’t even care if there is a road! They’ll figure out how to get to there one way or another.

• These people are technologically proficient and make no apologese for being so well-versed in the digitial world. They travel with GPS devices, computers, digital cameras, cellular phones, video cameras, and solar panels. They document their travels and share their experiences with people from around the world via social networking sites, blogs, email newsletters and other technological networking tools. Many of these people use the Internet as a means of keeping in touch with friends and family back home, as well as a means of actually making money from their travels. Global Internet access is enabling this new breed of cyclist to travel the world, work from anywhere, and actually produce a positive cash flow while on their journeys.

• And finally, this new generation of bicycle traveler sees bicycle touring more as a way of life, not as something you do just once in your life. These people are in it for the long haul. Many of them started bicycling at a young age, found bicycle touring, and have gone on to this new type of bicycle travel as the years progressed. Even when they aren’t traveling by bike, the lessons these people have learned while on their travels play an important part in the way they live their lives today. To this new generation, bicycle travel isn’t just a retreat from the office, its a new way of living!

The Progression Of Bicycle Travel

In the past, there were five main type of bike tours and they progressed in the following way:

THE LONG DAY TRIP: This type of tour is usually conducted by an organization which brings bicycle riders together in a single location and these people ride their bikes for a relatively long distance in a single day. Typical rides of this type can range from 60-100+ miles in a single day. While “bicycle touring” is typically an overnight activity, these large events will often times call themselves “bicycle tours.”

THE SUPPORTED TOUR: The supported bicycle tour is a tour where your gear (food, clothes, camping equipment, etc.) is carried in a vehicle that meets you at various checkpoints along your route. Some of these tours require you to pay to be a part of them and in this case, the tour leaders typically drive a van or truck of some sort, while you get to ride your bike. Other times, groups of individuals will simply get together and take turns driving the chase vehicle while the others in the group get to ride their bikes.

THE CREDIT CARD TOUR: Credit card touring is when you travel by bike and pack almost nothing but the clothes on your back and a credit card to buy things along the way. Instead of carrying a tent, you pay to sleep in a hotel. Instead of cooking your own food, you buy food along the way. Credit card tours are typically less than a week in length and are usually not supported by a touring company.

THE GUIDED SELF-SUPPORTED TOUR: Then there are tours where you carry everything you need to survive on your bicycle (food, clothes, tent, stove, etc.), but a guide from a touring company leads you along a specific route. With these types of tours, you ride with a small group of people and are then escorted on a daily basis by an experienced bicycle touring guide.

THE FULLY SELF-SUPPORTED TOUR: Finally, there is the self-supported bicycle tour. A self-supported bicycle tour is when you travel alone, carrying all the clothes, tools, and gear needed to survive on your own for days, weeks, or months on end. This is the type of bicycle touring I did for the first five years of my bicycle travels… and it’s one of the most popular ways to travel by bike.

But this is where the progression of things used to end. Self-supported touring was seen as the ultimate adventure for bicycle tourists. But now that I’ve been traveling with my bike for almost 10 years straight, I’m starting to see more and more people breaking away in what I believe to be a new kind of “bicycle tour.”

THE BICYCLE TRAVELER: This is the new breed of bicycle touring. It goes beyond self-supported touring because it’s so much longer, more technologically advanced, and a whole lot slower than the traditional bicycle tours of the past. This new form of bicycle touring is not a short term stint. It’s a new form of travel… and a new way of living.

The difference between the bikes tours of the past and this new form of bicycle travel is that “tourists” travel with an end date. Whether their trip by bike is a week, a month, or a year in length, the trip eventually comes to an end and they ultimately return to their normal lives. The bicycle traveler, on the otherhand, has no end date. He just keeps going. One trip leads into the next and the adventure continues indefinately.

So Who Exactly Are These New Bicycle Travelers?

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