Active travel is more than a vacation. Using all your senses, active travel can bring personal renewal, a sense of achievement and accomplishment, and can introduce you to new communities of people who share the same interests as you. It is for those who are looking for a different way to travel, who like to explore more and go to where the crowds of tourists don’t go, in a way that contributes to a healthy lifestyle.
Group travel is an invitation to try things you might not try on your own, in a safe and supportive environment. A lot of my travel is with my cycle clubs, which are also my ski clubs and my hiking clubs. I am fortunate to live in an area that has many clubs to join. We take active, outdoor adventure trips together. So many of the club members are like me – empty nesters who tend to have more time than they did when the kids were young. Over the years many of the members have become good friends, and we often do “non-club” trips on our own. It is wonderful to be part of a community of like-minded people who are willing to go somewhere – no lost opportunities or regrets because there is no one to go with!
My primary goal with this blog is to create a virtual cycling club so that we can cycle tour together. I’d like to build a community of like-minded adventurers who like to have travel companions. Solo travel can be fine, I prefer to travel with others. So many times I have heard from people I’ve met that that they wished there was a club like mine in their area. I am hoping that by telling you about some of the experiences that I have had, it will encourage you to think of similar things that you would like to do. Hopefully, people will reach out to me so that I can help them plan their own adventures, either with a group they know, or with people they haven’t yet met. You too can experience the healing and transformative power of having adventures in nature, with people like you.
You don’t need to be athletic to participate in active outdoor travel, and I know that pretty much anyone can do active trips, they just might not have considered it. Maybe you have been to the big cities in Europe, but feel that you haven’t really experienced the country or the culture? Or, maybe you’ve been to one too many all-inclusive resorts, leaving you thinking they all seem the same? Perhaps you are ready to try something different? There are active trips for almost every fitness and experience level. I belong to a running club too. Invariably someone who runs marathons or half-marathons will tell you they started in the learn-to-run clinic! You can start with a trip that is manageable for you, you will build confidence, and then you will be looking around for the next adventure!
My travel passion is cycle touring which can be done leisurely and safely thanks to dedicated bike paths. Riding a bike allows you to be mobile and gets you to the roads less travelled. You can see the amazing flower fields in Holland in a book or from the seat of a bus, but you can’t imagine the experience of cycling past them and smelling millions and millions of hyacinths! And, so much nicer when you can share that experience with others. Other notable cycling excursions include Germany during the grape harvest and the Portuguese Camino, cycling up the coast and ending at the breathtaking cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, Spain. And the truly wonderful addition to cycling trips is e-bikes, which makes outdoor adventures manageable for almost everyone looking for a different way to travel.
My second keen interest is in hiking in spectacular places – Yukon, Patagonia, Machu Picchu, northern Thailand and the Highlands of Scotland are some of the incredible places I have explored by foot. Hiking in Peru is almost a spiritual experience as you contemplate the incredible achievements of civilizations long forgotten, walking the same routes over the stones that they laid. Choosing to wander through cities and villages at a slower pace lets you experience the local culture, history, architecture and food in a way that maximizes your travel memories. The choices are endless. A hiking trip doesn’t mean you have to walk with a heavy backpack all day long. A hike can be any distance over a terrain that is manageable for you, for as many days as you like. “Hiking” is not synonymous with “camping” – more often you end your hike day at a wonderful hotel, enjoying a great meal and talking with your travel companions about the fantastic day you all just shared.
