27-07-13, 03:44 PM
i've been to Europe quite a few times (short and longer breaks), i camp and tend to clock miles but not at the detriment of my enjoyment.
I posted this up on a couple of other forums:
For me i want to get a decent way into Europe (Alps) without too much cost. You can stay in hotels (most exp), youth hostels (i have done this very cheap in many countries), adlers, zimmers, pensions, apartments, guesthouses. In the ski resorts and off of the beaten track some can be cheaper (euro25 /night in the summer, when business is not skiers). I generally camp though - between 8-22 euro a night. Why camp? well 90% of sites always have space for a tent and my overall costs are 25% lower. Problems with camping: amount of kit to carry, can be wet/cold, can be a pain if in transit to pitch/strike camp each day. I do have a routine. A bloody good tent also means quite pitch/strike times and plenty of dry space (I have an Italian tent, a Brenner, made for alpine climbers)
I also take a folding gas stove, so i can brew-up and eat hot food when i like. If i dont take it i spend 30euro a day on food drink minimum.
Your bike needs to be in decent fettle: i don't get it serviced beforehand (some do, I just stick to standard service routines), but i do check everything over and make sure i am not going to end up stuck on the side of the road (obviously always a chance). I do take a puncture repair kit.
Also i dont think i'll do 400miles everyday - going down i did 850 miles from bristol to southern Germany on day 1, but after this i did mostly lower mileages and avoided motorways. The first time i went into europe i thought yeah i'm gonna do munich-vienna-bratislava-berlin etc, but it was just silly, all you are gonna see is white-lines and tarmac. The roads you want to ride will be away from motorways, but you will need them to cover large distances. Remember you may want to visit a lake, castle, shopping district, historic town or whatever - arriving at 3pm to leave again at 9am the next morning will not allow you to do it properly.
I never worry about travelling alone, i enjoy it and always seem to meet people on my travels. I have been on holiday with my mates and sometimes having your own schedule is easier than compromising with someone else.
Remember there may be days when riding is not what you want to do (a break, the weather) so i try to camp in or near to towns - this bit is easier if you are hotelling etc.
HTh
I posted this up on a couple of other forums:
For me i want to get a decent way into Europe (Alps) without too much cost. You can stay in hotels (most exp), youth hostels (i have done this very cheap in many countries), adlers, zimmers, pensions, apartments, guesthouses. In the ski resorts and off of the beaten track some can be cheaper (euro25 /night in the summer, when business is not skiers). I generally camp though - between 8-22 euro a night. Why camp? well 90% of sites always have space for a tent and my overall costs are 25% lower. Problems with camping: amount of kit to carry, can be wet/cold, can be a pain if in transit to pitch/strike camp each day. I do have a routine. A bloody good tent also means quite pitch/strike times and plenty of dry space (I have an Italian tent, a Brenner, made for alpine climbers)
I also take a folding gas stove, so i can brew-up and eat hot food when i like. If i dont take it i spend 30euro a day on food drink minimum.
Your bike needs to be in decent fettle: i don't get it serviced beforehand (some do, I just stick to standard service routines), but i do check everything over and make sure i am not going to end up stuck on the side of the road (obviously always a chance). I do take a puncture repair kit.
Also i dont think i'll do 400miles everyday - going down i did 850 miles from bristol to southern Germany on day 1, but after this i did mostly lower mileages and avoided motorways. The first time i went into europe i thought yeah i'm gonna do munich-vienna-bratislava-berlin etc, but it was just silly, all you are gonna see is white-lines and tarmac. The roads you want to ride will be away from motorways, but you will need them to cover large distances. Remember you may want to visit a lake, castle, shopping district, historic town or whatever - arriving at 3pm to leave again at 9am the next morning will not allow you to do it properly.
I never worry about travelling alone, i enjoy it and always seem to meet people on my travels. I have been on holiday with my mates and sometimes having your own schedule is easier than compromising with someone else.
Remember there may be days when riding is not what you want to do (a break, the weather) so i try to camp in or near to towns - this bit is easier if you are hotelling etc.
HTh