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Shortly after we started offering our trips again, Els van der Drit joined one of our tours from Bruges to Amsterdam. She works in health care and had had an intense period in the first months of the corona outbreak. Els really needed a vacation, but was hesitant to travel by plane. Boat Bike Tours seemed like the perfect solution. Flying to another country? A beach vacation? I don’t feel up to it, even though I really need a holiday. Then I see an advert about Boat Bike Tours. I…

Cycling from Amsterdam to Maastricht through beautiful Dutch countryside, Frederike would normally be found helping the marketing team as an intern, but in June she experienced one of our trips firsthand. Here’s her account of what tours are like as a solo traveler.   Hello Frederike! As an intern at Boat Bike Tours you’re normally in the marketing department. Did you gain many new impressions during the trip? Yes, definitely! Since the tour only took place at the end of my internship, I’d already gained a lot of theoretical insights…

Some say that the Netherlands is a cycling paradise on Earth. Of course, at Boat Bike Tours, where we organize the most beautiful cycling cruise vacations, we tend to agree! Cycling is such a strong part of our culture that we’ve compiled some fun facts about why we love it so much. We hope you find it an inspiring read! See our tours in the Netherlands 1. Cycling is a cherished part of daily life In the Netherlands we really love riding our bikes. The average adult pedals about 1,000…

Kris and her friends have been sailing together every year for nearly a decade. Here she tells us about how she got inspired to organize her first trip, and how it launched adventures all over Europe, along with lots of new friendships.   Planning a tour with friends We did our first [boat and bike] trip in 2011. My friend’s husband was organizing one and we were invited to come along. It was wonderful, but we didn’t have a perfect fit with the group, they were quite different from us.…

In 2019 Boat Bike Tours started a journey to become carbon-neutral by 2021. Here’s the story so far – as told by our sustainability coordinator Margriet Lakeman. At an annual meeting in October 2019, we were brainstorming how to make our tours more sustainable with tour leaders, skippers and office staff. Ideas were noted down on a big sheet of paper: Avoid food waste No disposable plastic on board Reuse cycling maps Slower sailing More suggestions were made until a skipper grumbled, “What’s the point? We did this last year.”…

Summer is just around the corner and the Netherlands is in full bloom. After weeks of being confined at home, we’ve just heard that restaurants, cafes and museums will reopen from June 1st, and from July 1st, campsites and hotels will also open their doors to visitors. We, too, will be hitting the waterways from June 17. For those of you who are yearning to have an adventure but care about safety, Boat Bike Tours offers a great way to travel while avoiding the crowds. Read about why our tours…

What is it that makes the combination of biking and sailing so addictive? Over the years, Boat Bike Tours has noticed that once people go on one trip, they usually come back for more. Some of them have even been coming annually for over a decade! So what is it that makes our tours so popular? Here are just a few of the reasons:     1. Enjoy luxury and adventure in one Often when you’re planning a holiday you have to make a choice: do you go stay at…

Are you wondering what travel will be like after the coronavirus has settled down? We all are! The constantly changing situation means it’s hard to know what the future holds. While it’s not wise (or even possible) to travel right now, there will come a time when it’s safe to hit the road again. And that will be good. Travel is a meaningful part of modern life, it teaches us about the world and ourselves. It connects us with our beautiful planet, its people and its places. Thinking about travel…

At Boat Bike Tours we’re always busy coming up with new ideas, even during these uncertain times. Travel is in our blood! Sitting at home and waiting until the storm has passed isn’t our style; even now we just can’t sit still. We want to plan for the future! And we’re not the only ones feeling that restlessness to travel. That’s why we’re sharing some of our plans for 2021 with you:   1. Luxury trip to three countries This pampering trip starts in the most romantic part of Germany’s…

Let’s be honest: we all expected spring to go a little differently. Due to the new coronavirus and the resulting lockdowns across the world, everyone’s plans, not to mention our entire lives, have been turned upside-down. We’re now facing unprecedented circumstances – and it also applies to travel.   Unprecedented situation The virus has caused aircraft to be grounded, borders to close, and entire nations to stay at home. Many spring trips have been cancelled and what will happen to summer vacations is anyone’s guess. All over the world, restaurants,…