When you step onto one of our ships, it’s easy to imagine the quiet magic of cycling through tulip fields or drifting along a calm canal at sunset. What’s less visible is the long journey that brought Boat Bike Tours to where it is today. In a recent conversation with our CEO, Laurens Winkel, our podcast host Ennie invited him to look back at the company’s history and share how it grew from a small Dutch organization into the international travel company many guests know and love. What followed was a story of passion, people, and a commitment to doing things well.
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A childhood on the water
Laurens has been connected to boats for as long as he can remember. His family owned traditional Dutch sailing vessels and, as a child, he spent his summers working on board. Life on the water shaped him early, even though he first chose a more traditional path, studying business, earning an MBA, and starting a corporate career.
Yet the pull of entrepreneurship – and the pull of the water – never faded. When a booking agency for family boats came up for sale, Laurens seized the opportunity. “I always wanted to do something of my own,” he said. “Something that connected my background, my passion, and a real product.”
At that same moment, an entrepreneurial sailor named Jan Timmermans had developed a completely new idea: a tour that would combine cycling with life on board a ship. The two men met, realized that their strengths complemented each other, and joined forces. Laurens became the owner in 2006. “It was a small world back then,” he laughed. “But the concept had something very special.”
Early days: six people, two ships, and a lot of passion
When Laurens stepped in, the company operated from the historic town hall of Monnickendam, a small village near Amsterdam. The team consisted of only six colleagues, and remarkably, five of them still work at Boat Bike Tours today. The fleet was equally modest, with two ships operating throughout the season and a few smaller vessels supporting the busiest weeks.
Guests at that time were almost exclusively German travelers booking through specialist cycling agencies. The bike-and-barge idea was still an unusual niche, but the people who discovered it fell in love with it. Many returned year after year, asking for new routes, new destinations, and new types of experiences. Their enthusiasm planted the seeds for future growth.
Milestones that shaped our growth
Over the years the company took several deliberate steps that gradually transformed Boat Bike Tours from a niche operator into a broader active-travel brand. Laurens described the first turning point as the moment cycling holidays became more mainstream. Guests were no longer joining solely for the biking; they also appreciated the charm of small ships, the comfort of having everything arranged for them, and the calm pace of exploring landscapes from the water.
Marketing
Another major shift followed when Boat Bike Tours created an in-house marketing team. Until then, most bookings came through resellers. “For the first time we could speak directly to our guests,” Laurens explained. This direct contact allowed the company to innovate faster, design new tours more effectively, and shape the guest experience from the first email all the way to the final farewell on board.
E-bikes
The rise of the e-bike brought yet another wave of change. Suddenly, people who loved the idea of cycling but worried about distances or hills felt confident enough to join in. This made longer routes possible without increasing the difficulty, and it opened the concept to new audiences.
Fully-guided concept
Around 2015 the company began shaping its products for travelers from the United States, Canada, and New Zealand. This is when the fully-guided concept was born: premium ships, a dedicated tour leader on board, and an itinerary filled with iconic places such as Amsterdam, Bruges, Antwerp, and the Dutch countryside. “That was the real turning point,” Laurens said. “Suddenly we had a product that overseas guests loved.”
Acquisition of EuroSail and a US office
One year later, Boat Bike Tours took over EuroSail, adding four higher-category ships to the fleet. This strengthened the company’s premium offerings and broadened the types of tours it could offer. As guest numbers grew, so did the need for better service across time zones. Many North American guests were calling the Amsterdam office outside office hours, so in 2022 Boat Bike Tours opened its own U.S. office. “Guests appreciated having someone in their own time zone,” Laurens said. “It improved the whole journey.”
A strategic plan built on quality
After Covid, the company took a step back and examined what should guide its future. The answer was simple: quality. “If we deliver a great experience and exceed expectations, growth will follow automatically,” Laurens said. The focus shifted firmly toward craftsmanship: developing meaningful routes, maintaining ships to high standards, and ensuring that every guest feels supported and cared for. Growth became a result, not a goal.
A merger that felt natural
In 2024 Boat Bike Tours merged with Island Hopping, a company it had worked with for many years. The decision came naturally. “They shared the same values,” Laurens explained. “The same focus on active travel, small ships, and personal experience.”
The merger added new destinations, new expertise, and new colleagues in Germany and Croatia, while keeping both brands’ identities clearly visible. It also expanded the company’s philosophy of combining local landscapes with authentic, small-scale travel.
More destinations, more ways to explore
What began on Dutch waters has grown into a wide network of routes across Europe and beyond. Guests can now cycle through Belgium and France, follow the curves of the Moselle Valley between Germany and Luxembourg, explore the islands of Sicily, or sail on tall ships across Denmark and Sweden.
Through the merger with Island Hopping, entirely new regions opened up, from the striking coastlines of Croatia, Greece, and Turkey to a collection of itineraries in Asia. Mountain biking, once completely absent, is now part of the offering as well — a lively, more adventurous option that attracts younger travelers while still fitting the spirit of exploring together in small groups.
Laurens described this expansion as “natural growth,” always guided by the same question: does the destination fit our identity? Only places where the landscapes, the culture, and the pace of travel align with the boat-and-bike philosophy become part of the program.
What never changes: the human touch
Even as the company expands, the heart of the experience remains unchanged. Guests still find personal attention, small groups, friendly tour leaders, and ships that feel like a welcoming home on the water. Behind each tour is a team working with quiet dedication: arranging routes, solving challenges, and ensuring that the atmosphere on board stays warm and relaxed.
“People don’t see all the work behind the scenes,” Laurens said. “They just feel the result. And that’s exactly how it should be.”
Inspired to start your own adventure?
To plan your own bike and boat adventure, call us at (203) 814-1249. You can also send an email to info@boatbiketours.com, if you prefer. Either way, we’ll be happy to help. And don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter to stay updated on our latest tours and special offers. We’d love to welcome you on board!
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