Charter travel stories

The Mandurah Over 55 Cycling Club comprises of 220 cyclists – both experienced and beginner – who love cycling around Western Australia together. In recent years, they’ve branched out to do boat and bike tours together all over Europe. We asked cycling club member Mike and his wife Barbara about their highlights from these journeys.   When did you do your first tour with Boat Bike Tours? Our first trip was from Paris to Champagne and back again, with two barges and 40 club members. We’ve also done tours in…

John and Nola are members of the Over 55 Cycle Club in Perth, Western Australia. They’re so enthusiastic about biking and barging that they’ve organized multiple European tours for their cycle club in collaboration with Boat Bike Tours. During these trips some 70 or so club members have participated, with quite a few coming back for repeat trips, as they had such a great time. We chat to them about the most memorable moments from their tours so far.   What inspired you to organize your first boat bike trip?…

Who says you can only explore on two wheels? On a recent charter tour guests skated their way around Holland instead! Swapping the bike for a pair of inline skates looks like a pretty smooth way to go. We’re inspired! Are you inspired to start planning your own tour? At Boat Bike Tours you can charter your own ship and receive a group discount to make the tour even more affordable. Read about all the details of “booking your bubble” here, or sign up for our 6-part e-mail charter tour…

With thousands of kilometres of bike trails, beautiful scenery and so many cultural sites to explore, Europe is a bikers paradise. So no wonder that many cycle groups choose to go on trips by bike and barge. They can indulge in doing what they love best with the added pleasures of sailing and discovering a new country. We interviewed Mary Maraggio, a member of Bay Area Senior Cyclists in Cape Cod, about her and her club’s experiences of cycling through Europe with Boat Bike Tours.   When did you first…

Taking a vacation isn’t only fun, it’s also one of the best ways of learning about other cultures and histories that you may not normally be exposed to. Many charter groups choose to sail with Boat Bike Tours for just that reason: they want to give their students a unique experience that combines learning with pleasure. Last year, we had a great time hosting a group from the University of Alaska Fairbanks as we explored the rich cultural history of the Netherlands together. Here we interview Michelle Bartlett, director of…

Kris and her friends have been sailing together every year for nearly a decade. Here she tells us about how she got inspired to organize her first trip, and how it launched adventures all over Europe, along with lots of new friendships.   Planning a tour with friends We did our first [boat and bike] trip in 2011. My friend’s husband was organizing one and we were invited to come along. It was wonderful, but we didn’t have a perfect fit with the group, they were quite different from us.…