Journey on wheels

Luxury travel is taking on a new avatar. Move over cruising on a luxe yacht to the Alaskan landscape or swimming in the azure waters surrounding a private island in the Maldives. Millennial travellers are now soothing their wanderlust hopping onto bicycles and pedalling away to picturesque destinations.

Vineyards of Styria in Austria, fairy-tale town of Tallinn in Estonia, centuries-old temples of Angkor in Cambodia and the Banaue rice terraces in the Philippines are some locations popular among cycle enthusiasts looking to explore the world on their bikes.

Take senior marketing executive Nilima Kale, for instance. She recently cycled through the castles, cathedrals, town and villages of the Loire Valley in France. “Seeing a place by cycling through its nooks and crannies allows you to experience it intimately. At the Loire Valley, I got to sense the local culture and get a pulse of the place and its people. There is also the added benefit of staying fit as you pedal around,” says Kale.

Experts say this is the era of “slow travel” – the exploration of the intricacies and the ins and outs of a place at a relaxed pace. “For slow travellers, cycling is the best option,” says Rohan Prakash, business head, Trip 360, powered by Cox &Kings. “Its inherent slow speed allows travellers to soak in every scene. Pedalling through the itinerary lets you stop anywhere you wish, taste local food, and partake in local cultural events. For those who believe in putting their endurance to test, there are premium challenging cycling trips. Routes like the London-Edinburgh-London spanning 1,400 kilomere, or the Paris-Brest-Paris of 1200 km are for those with high endurance levels,” adds Prakash.

Experiential travel companies have been curating cycle tours from Bolzano to Venice in Italy, Orleans to Saumur in the Loire Valley in France, Vilnius to Tallinn in the Baltic region, Marseille to Barcelona and in the Southeast Asian regions of Cambodia, Bali and Vietnam.

According to experts, what makes these cycle tours premium is that they are curated in a fashion that provides a unique experience. It is not just about pedalling through varying landscapes, but say, indulging in a gourmet food experience in the Austrian city of Graz and then cycling to the Styria vineyards on its outskirts for a wine tasting session, followed by sampling of local delicacies at a wine tavern. Or say, experiencing the various festivals of Spain by cycling from Seville to Ronda.

Depending on the experience, an eight-day cycling tour to Italy minus airfare/visa can cost Rs 1.28 lakh per head, with prices going up to Rs 1.38 lakh for the Baltic region and above Rs 1.50 lakh to Scotland and the Lake District.

“We provide facilities such as bikes, helmets, accommodation in four-star hotels on such tours. Generally on such tours, the group size is small and the distance covered each day is manageable such that the cyclist is not burdened. The tours are designed to allow cyclists to relax and explore at a comfortable pace,” says Milind Bhide, founder and managing director, Countryside Adventure Holidays.  

Prakash says the routes through which the tours run are scanned for climatic conditions. “Ensuring evacuations during emergencies, providing vehicle support in case the cyclist is tired or meets with an unfortunate incident, technician support, and checking on the hydration and nutrition level of the cyclists are all components that define the premium cycling package.”

Bhide says although only 4-5% of their customers opt for cycling tours, this segment is poised to grow rapidly in the next few years. “We expect cycling tours to grow to 18-20% by 2022.”

According to Prakash, they have observed not only adventure enthusiasts, but also mainstream travellers indulging in experiential cycling tours. “There has been a rise of 14% in the number of enquiries for cycling tours, of which 65% are for international premium packages.’’

CYCLE OF LIFE

Rs 1.28 lakh – Approximate per head cost for an eight-day cycling tour to Italy minus airfare/visa. The prices go up to Rs 1.38 lakh for the Baltic region and above Rs 1.50 lakh to Scotland and the Lake District