As is the case with most people, a perfect vacation is one that allows you to relax, have fun but also keep you active and curious to discover new things. That’s why more and more men and women tend to prefer a different approach to the “classic” sit under the sun and do nothing vacation. While some prefer hiking as a means to keep active but also relax during the vacation, it’s more and more common to see people taking short cycling vacations.
If you’re unfamiliar with the term, a cycling vacation is the essence of active relaxation methods, becoming more and more popular nowadays. Imagine yourself and a group of your best friends on a warm summer morning, mounting up on your bikes, ready to set off for a short weekend cycling tour of your area, or why not a full tour of the country, armed with nothing more than your bike and a bag of supplies and fresh clothes. No TV’s, no technology, no urban problems, just you, your friends and the hot road to your feet.
Another popular trend, besides cross-county or weekend cycling vacations, are interstate ones. Getting bored by the local set-up, numerous people choose to spend their vacations in a relaxing cycling trip to a neighboring state, whether it’s just for a short change in scenery or with the purpose of visiting some landmarks abroad. France for example, is well known to receive thousands of cycling tourists from Germany, Belgium, Spain, Switzerland or Italy. They’re either coming for a weekend through the vast and beautiful French vineyards, visiting the imposing medieval chateaux that are scattered across the Hexagon or simply wish to take a tour through the major cities, visiting landscapes and witnessing local festivals.
There are many advantages that weigh heavily in the balance, compared to your average car trip. One that is quite obvious is the actual body movement taking place on a bike, one stated by doctors world-wide as being extremely benefic to your body, next to swimming or jogging. Not only will your muscles have the chance to stretch out, but your whole circulatory system will be put into motion. You’ll also lose a lot more fat cells in a cycling vacation than you probably lost all week at the office and all these advantages combined will allow you to stay in shape, feel better about yourself and eliminate most of the stress and pressures you’ve gathered up until then. Can a car do that for you? Most likely not.
Of course, since there’s limited space on your bike, you should choose carefully what you plan to take to your cycling vacation. It all depends of course on the length of the trip and what you’re planning to eat/where you’re planning to sleep. If it’s just a weekend runaway, it’s likely that a simple handbag with a few fresh clothes, a couple of bottles of water (this is extremely important, especially if it’s hot outside, since dehydration and fatigue are not to be toyed with) some food to eat while you rest and some money (in case you prepare to spend the night at a hotel for example) is roughly all you need. An even more adventurous approach would be to camp up and sleep in tents, which is more bag-consuming but it definitely gives you a better sense of freedom, being directly out in the nature.
For longer trips it’s best if you plan ahead and look up places to spend the nights on the Internet, so that you are not caught up by nightfall without a place to stay. Also make sure one of the people in the group you’re on the cycling vacation with, has some handy tools in case your (or someone else’s) bike breaks down. A flat tire, a loose chain or anything in between can turn a lovely vacation into a nightmare in case you can’t deal with it.
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