The Bicycle Touring Pro’s Travel Plans For 2014
Mar
2014 is going to be an incredible year for Bicycle Touring Pro! Not only will I be bicycle touring across 11+ countries on three different continents, but I am also going to be:
- Giving you the opportunity to go bicycle touring with me (Keep reading to find out more. The dates in red below are the parts of my bicycle tour this year where I am looking for people like you to travel with me).
- Individually coaching 10+ individuals and working with them to plan, prepare for, and execute their very own self-supported bicycle touring adventures.
- Releasing a new and completely updated edition of my wildly popular book, The Bicycle Traveler’s Blueprint, which teaches you everything you need to know about conducting the bicycle tour of your dreams.
Like I said, 2014 is going to be an incredible year… and I hope that you will follow along as I post my best bicycle touring tips, resources, photos, videos and updates here on the website at www.bicycletouringpro.com… and on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram.
Now that that’s out of the way, let me tell you about my bicycle touring plans for 2014…
January – May: Exploring Southern California, USA
In order to travel for one full year, I’ve rented out my home in the mountains of Utah and have committed to twelve months of non-stop travel. I’ll be staying with my parents in Ventura County, California for the first few months of the year. During this time I will be conducting short daily rides throughout the county and participating in overnight bicycle tours with my friends on the weekends. After cycling each day, I’ll return home and spend the evenings working on the new and improved version of “The Bicycle Traveler’s Blueprint.” I’m working hard to turn this book into the biggest and best resource about bicycle touring that has ever been written, so it is a big project, but I hope to have it finished by April, 2014.
May 17 – May 25: Danube Waltz Bicycle Tour in Austria with Rad & Reisen
As soon as I land in Europe this May I will be traveling to Passau, Germany for the start of an 8-day self-guided bicycle tour along the Danube River with a company called Rad & Reisen. Click here for more details on this bicycle tour. This is a very unique bicycle tour because during the day we will be riding our bicycles along the shore of the Danube river… and at night we will be eating and sleeping on-board a large boat that follows us down the river throughout the tour.
This is one of many opportunities for you to ride with me this year. If you are interested in joining me on this 8-day self-guided bicycle touring adventure down the beautiful Danube River, please contact Rad & Reisen directly and tell them you want to participate in the Danube Waltz self-guided bicycle tour with Darren Alff from Bicycle Touring Pro. The tour takes place between May 17th and May 25th, 2014.
May 26 – June 9: Short Stay in Poznan, Poland
I’ll then fly back to Poznan, Poland and will stay in the city there for approximately two weeks. This will be my third time in Poznan… and I love the place! During my time in Poznan I will be visiting with some friends, riding my bicycle, taking table-tennis lessons and writing about my recent bicycle tour in Austria with Rad & Reisen.
June 10 – June 30: A Slow & Steady Bike Tour across Poland and Lithuania
On the 10th of June I will leave Poznan, Poland and cycle north-east toward the city of Gdansk and the Poland/Lithuania border. I’ll cross into Lithuania and then slowly begin making my way east toward the Latvian border. I don’t have a strict schedule for this leg of the journey and I’m not even sure exactly where I’ll be going in Poland and Lithuania. I think I kind of want this leg of the trip to be open and flexible so that I’m not tied down with commitments and I can pretty much go wherever I please. If you live in Poland or Lithuania and you would like to host me or come out and ride with me for a day or two, please get in touch!
July 1- July 13: Cycle from Riga, Latvia to Tallinn, Estonia with Citybike LTD
If you’ve ever dreamed of cycling through the (sometimes under-appreciated) countries of Latvia and Estonia, where beautiful beaches, enchanted forests and lovely people await, then now is your chance! Join me on a 13-day self-guided bicycle tour with CityBike LTD. We’ll sleep in guesthouses and tourist farms each night, cycle between 40 and 80 kilometers each day, and be assisted the entire way with turn-by-turn directions, lunch and dinner recommendations and a whole lot more. If you are interested in joining me on this incredible self-guided bicycle tour through Latvia and Estonia, please contact CityBike LTD directly and tell them you want to participate in the Riga to Tallinn self-guided bicycle tour with Darren Alff from Bicycle Touring Pro – taking place between July 1st and July 13th, 2014.
July 14 – August 10: Bike Touring In Finland
After arriving in Tallinn, Estonia, I’ll cross the water by boat to Helsinki, Finland. I plan to participate in a 1-day bicycle tour of Helsinki with Bike Tours Helsinki… and then I’ll continue cycling north toward Lake Oulujarvi (and beyond?). My friend Rob, from Canada, is joining me for this leg of the tour and we plan to do a lot of wild camping.
August 11 – October 14: Ireland & The United Kingdom
When my bicycle tour in mainland Europe is over, I will immediately jump on an airplane and fly to Dublin, Ireland. I will quickly cycle out of the city and into the countryside. I don’t have any detailed plans for this 2-month leg of the journey. Instead, I plan to ride as far as I want on any given day and let the wind blow me in any direction it pleases. I hope to cycle around Ireland and the whole UK during this time, traveling through Ireland, Scotland, the Isle or Man, Wales and England. My Europe tour will come to an end in London, England… and from there I will fly to Taiwan.
October 15 – November 15: One-Month Bike Tour In Taiwan
Finally, I will end my bicycle tour this year in the island nation of Taiwan. I’ll be cycling around Taiwan for approximately one month with a friend of mine named Kevin, who I met and rode with during the Bike Switzerland Challenge Tour in the summer of 2012. We’ll be cycling around Taiwan for one month with little to no plans. Our only plan at this stage is to go slow and enjoy the experience!
I don’t know what I’ll be doing or where I’ll be going after my bicycle tour in Taiwan comes to an end. Maybe I’ll continue cycling in Asia? Maybe I’ll fly back home to visit my friends and family in the United States? Or maybe I’ll catch a flight down to Australia or New Zealand and continue traveling there? We’ll have to wait and see!
Stay tuned to BicycleTouringPro.com for my updates from the road… and be sure to follow the adventure on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram and Pinterest. And if you are interested in either hosting me during my travels this year… or maybe even cycling with at some point, please get in touch.
Click here and learn how to conduct your own self-supported bicycle tours.
Click here and learn how to conduct your own self-supported bicycle tours.
Photos by: angeloangelo, Reg Natarajan, Dan DeChiaro, jurvetson, mbell1975, Bolshakov, Liga_Eglite, jurvetson, Miguel Virkkunen Carvalho, L.C. Nottaasen, News Oresund, Luke Ma and Zach Dischner.
Darren, I am currently in Northern Bulgaria now and they are certainly concerned about the goings on in Ukraine. You might make secondary plans just to be safe.
Thanks Tim. I understand and am watching the situation in Ukraine very carefully.
epic plans!
Let me know if you are in the West of Ireland. And don’t forget your waterproofs! Btw, we are NOT part of the UK!
Good luck on your next tour. I hope to cycle Taiwan again soon along with South Korea and back into Japan ( can’t get enough of cyclin in Japan) since I was in Taiwan I believe they have improved cycling infrastructure enormously. One to keep in mind is that police stations and fire brigade stations are cyclist friendly in Taiwan , good for a shower even a bed.
Wow nice tours!!