Bike touring is a trip which requires you to carry everything you need for a multi-day trip on a bicycle.

Bike touring, is it for you?

You don’t require a high level of fitness to undertake a bicycle touring trip. You just need some determination and good planning. If you are interested in knowing more about planning a bicycle touring trip check out my blog here about planning your first trip >> Bike touring tips and planning considerations

If you are interested in understanding what gear you need for bicycle touring, check out my blog here>> Complete bicycle touring gear and equipment checklist.

If you have limited time off work a bicycle touring trip doesn’t have to be weeks or months. It may just be a few days. One of the huge benefits of bike touring is that once you purchased the gear and equipment, successive trips cost very little.

So, the 5 reasons why bike touring should be your next trip

1. See nature

The slower pace of a bike touring trip enhances your exposure to nature

Bicycle touring is slower-paced than doing a road trip but still immerses you in a landscape. Unlike flying over a country or region, you are now down on the ground, with the wind in your face and the sun on your back during a bike touring trip. Where hiking is a great way to get up-close and personal, bike touring provides a different experience in that you cover more ground. In 2021 on a bicycle touring trip through Tasmania, I would regularly wake to the sound of birds, catch glimpses of Kangaroos and Pademelons and feel the cool foggy morning air lift from the land. If you chose a bicycle touring location that encompasses things you love, for example coastal areas or mountain backdrops, then your trip will feel not only like a holiday but an adventure experience.

2. Self-reliance

Bike touring teaches you to be in control

If your someone who likes to hike, canoe, camp, climb or do just about anything outdoors then why shouldn’t biking be next on your list? A bike touring trip follows a very similar framework to a hiking trip. You plan your route, you pack overnight gear and you set off. These are all great skills to have in being self-reliant. If you are cycling alone you are required to self motivate, and you are in charge of your schedule and route.

3. Budget / Cost

Bike touring is cheap compared to other types of trips

Once your have purchased your bicycle and your touring equipment the bike touring trips become cheaper and cheaper. Food and accommodation are the other two factors which will contribute to your trip cost. If you are camping then estimate how much you will spend on camp fees EG $25 a day X 10 days = $250 on accommodation. Food is likewise the same, if you are eating dehydrated food satchels for dinner and lunch then a safe estimate is $20 a day x number of days.

4. Fitness

Bike touring will keep you fit!

Touring is at times hard work and at times easy, but always the body is moving. This constant movement for hours a day will definitely help keep you in shape or even trim down a bit. Admittedly when I was doing my first bicycle touring trip through Tasmania I was eating 3500 Calories a day where for an adult male it is usually 2500 Calories a day, so you certainly build up an appetite while cycling. Maintaining good nutrition is important while cycling and keeping on top of your hydration is key.

5. Distance

Bike touring will see you cover some miles!

In a 3 day cycling trip you may cover 150km give or take, depending on the terrain or how mountainous your cycling is. This means you can experience a variety of landscapes or if you cycle long enough, climates. After an initial couple days of getting settled on the bicycle you will start to feel yourself become more intuitive with the scenery, what the weather is doing, how the country-side is changing or the quirks of little town you cross become more apparent.

A bike touring trip covers more Km’s or Miles than a Hiking or Canoe trip so if that kind of experience is what you are after, then bike touring is right for you.

I hope this blog helped you in some way.

Bike touring is a great way to see a country or place and can be done both solo or in a group. Stripping the trip down to the bare essentials you really just need a bicycle, a tent, some clothes and some money to get you started.

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Complete bicycle touring gear and equipment checklist

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Bike touring: 5 reasons bike touring should be your next trip