If you would like to book a trip for your own group with Boat Bike Tours, there is no getting around Paula; she is your first point of contact. She will listen to your wishes and works with you to decide which trip and which ship would best suit your group. She’ll also help you with organizing the trip.
If anyone knows Boat Bike Tours inside-out, it’s her: she’s been with Boat Bike Tours for 28 years! That’s why we asked her what to look out for when organizing a group trip and what your options are.
Plan your own group trip
Let’s say I’m interested in booking a Boat Bike Tour for my own group. What’s the first step?
First of all, of course, I would like to know what wishes and ideas our guests have, so that I can make suitable travel suggestions. For this I need the most important key data:
- How big is your group?
- Where do you want to travel?
- When do you want the tour to take place?
On the basis of this information, I can see which ships would suit your needs and I put together some route suggestions. Many ships are set on specific routes, but if the tour starts and ends in Amsterdam we can also offer different routes.
People on the MAG 3
Private group trips can be planned completely according to the group’s wishes. What does this mean in practice?
The starting point for many people is: “I saw a nice tour on the site, can we do it with a group?” If a ship is then free on the desired date, it’s no problem to arrange it. Generally you can book any trip on our website as a private group trip. But there is so much more possible: we can adapt the route, for example, if the group wants to see certain things along the way. Some groups prefer shorter bike tours; others want longer bike routes. You can choose whether you want a tour guide or not and which services are included.
What kinds of groups book their own Boat Bike Tour?
There are so many different groups! There are, of course, many bike clubs who take private Boat Bike Tours, but we’ve also had a group of ukulele players on board and a yoga group, for example. One group traded in the bikes for inline skates. Some groups are particularly interested in culture and want to visit many museums. Sometimes it is a study trip and then it can happen that the group does not want to cycle at all but takes the bus from one place to another. We can organize that too. And we have some families who keep booking a ship for reunions.
What trip or group do you remember particularly well?
Once we organized a Bike Boat Tour for people with visual impairments. That was something very special. In cooperation with the Travel Eyes agency, we organized tandems so that the poorly-sighted people in the group could ride the bike tours together with a normal-sighted partner.
How big should the group be?
In general, you can book any ship from our fleet for a charter trip, including the larger ones for over 100 passengers. Our smallest ships can accommodate 20 people. So you generally need at least 18 people. But we can also find a solution for smaller groups. We can book them onto a larger ship and then we make sure, for example, that the cabins are next to each other or that the group has a separate dining area.
Do you have any golden tips for preparing a trip?
Not really, because the trips are all so different. In my experience, however, planning works best when the group thinks carefully in advance: what do we actually want? Then we can arrange things much more easily and quickly. This can get complicated if too many questions remain unanswered. And that means more work for the person who organizes the trip.
What do you like best about your job?
The variety! I am in contact with all sorts of groups from different countries, with the ship owners, tour leaders and so on. I have to keep all the balls in the air with around 60 group charter trips per season. And sometimes things change right up to the last minute, for example that an additional bike has to be organized. That’s why I’m actually never finished. But I am always very happy when everything goes well and the guests are satisfied!
How to book your travel bubble
Simply fill in this form and we will happily make a tour proposal for you based on your preferences. Once you’ve received an offer from one of our travel advisors, you can discuss or adjust arrangements by phone or email, then you can go ahead and book your bubble!
Plan your own group trip
