Travel stories

While it’s certainly not guaranteed, occasionally people are lucky enough to find a special someone on a Boat Bike Tour. Tour leader Fred tells the story of meeting his wife on the Gandalf: On May 7, 2016, I started my work on the Gandalf to lead one of my favorite tours along the IJssel River in the east of the Netherlands: the Hansa Highlights Tour. Meeting Kris During the boarding procedures, I met Kristine. She came on board with a local Dutch friend of hers, who, as a kind of…

With thousands of kilometres of bike trails, beautiful scenery and so many cultural sites to explore, Europe is a bikers paradise. So no wonder that many cycle groups choose to go on trips by bike and barge. They can indulge in doing what they love best with the added pleasures of sailing and discovering a new country. We interviewed Mary Maraggio, a member of Bay Area Senior Cyclists in Cape Cod, about her and her club’s experiences of cycling through Europe with Boat Bike Tours.     When did you…

Taking a vacation isn’t only fun, it’s also one of the best ways of learning about other cultures and histories that you may not normally be exposed to. Many charter groups choose to sail with Boat Bike Tours for just that reason: they want to give their students a unique experience that combines learning with pleasure. Last year, we had a great time hosting a group from the University of Alaska Fairbanks as we explored the rich cultural history of the Netherlands together. Here we interview Michelle Bartlett, director of…

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…

We went on a week-long cycling and sailing holiday with the Fluvius from Amsterdam to Bruges with a group of four people. We heard about the trip thanks to my brother. The tour departed opposite central station in Amsterdam and arrived at a dock in Bruges which was also close to the station. It turned out to be an unforgettable week. We were looked after with great care on board, with delicious meals and well-kept bedrooms. The crew tried to please everyone and the atmosphere was very friendly! Sailing from the…

We, Ewa (23 years) and Sandra (20 years), are currently doing an internship at Boat Bike Tours. Of course part of the experience is doing a tour ourselves! We were lucky enough to take part in one of Boat Bike Tour’s most popular routes, Hansa Highlights. It was a trip we’ll never forget! We began the tour in the port of Amsterdam. There we were warmly welcomed by the ship manager and our tour guide, Wilma, when we boarded the ship De Nassau. After checking in, we went to our…

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 during corona times, and what it’s like to take part 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…

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…

Margriet has been with the Boat Bike Tours team for years. Originally in marketing, she’s currently helping make the company more sustainable. And when it comes to boat bike tours you could say that she’s an old hand. Nevertheless, there are always a few new discoveries awaiting her when she joins one of our tours. She recently took our Hansa Highlights tour and was pleasantly surprised more than once by a lot of unexpected aspects of the trip. The tour wound its way over eight days through picturesque Dutch towns…

On our Southern Tour of Holland, our intern Alina cycled through the Green Heart of Holland to the city of Gouda, with its 73,000 inhabitants. Here she shares some interesting things she learnt about this most Dutch of cities. Anyone who’s ever visited Gouda knows how impressive the city looks – especially when you’re staring up at the fairytale town hall from the middle of the market place. The Four Cs of Gouda Despite its name being synonymous for cheese, Gouda is so much more than a cheese capital. On…