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Bicycling Vacations
From WikiVerde
With the new movement towards eco-friendly products and living, there is nothing better than planning an eco-friendly vacation for yourself or your family. Tourism can really take its toll on a country and its natural resources. Add the rush of thousands to the already populated parts of the world and things can be taken for granted such as car emissions, needing more space for accommodations and retail outlets. Instead of spending money to replace items lost, the money from tourism can now be diverted into the places and sights that promote eco-tourism the most.
Traveling Through Countries On A Bicycle
Many of the countries are switching to bicycle vacations as an energy efficient and eco-friendly way of making the most of the sights and sounds to be seen. They are now offering specific tours to those who want to enjoy things first hand and not through the glass of a vehicle window. The traveler has no worries about how to get their bike over for the trip as many of the places to see offer bike rentals for tourists.
Amsterdam (The Netherlands)
Amsterdam is know as the “bike capital of the world” and rightly so. This perfectly flat city is ideal for biking and bicycles even outnumber people. Because of this statistic, visiting Amsterdam on a bicycle is easier than ever with the creation of the multiple routes giving safety to the riders. There is also a safety instruction in place as is an anti-theft program to include bicycle sheds to store rides when not in use. They are also working on a 10,000 bicycle garage at the main train station in Amsterdam.
Basel (Switzerland)
Basel is known for being a thriving agricultural area that grows fruit trees and grapevines. It also produces a fair amount of cattle. The country is so beautiful that there is no denying it is the perfect area to make bicycle riding the major form of transportation. Bicycle paths cross over the city and through the other areas of Basel to provide easy access to all the places to visit. Basel has even installed traffic lights and left lanes for bicycle riders only. There are also specific maps to show routes designed for the bicycle rider only.
Blue Mountain Bicycle Tours - Jamaica
This company was created in the beginning of 1991 and is very well known for its attempts to help the environment through the promotion of bicycle tours over other forms of transportation. Jamaican vacations will not be the same again when experienced on a bicycle tour. The tours offer riders a natural setting with mountains that are virtually untouched. Cooking is provided to the guests in natural fire pits,and water is obtained through natural mineral springs.
Boulder, Colorado (United States)
When visiting Boulder, Colorado, the guest will begin to see the effects of the newly implemented school biking program promoting bicycle riding to and from school. This will cut down on school bus emissions and gas consumption considerably. Almost all of the arterials contain a bicycle lane or trail on it. There is also a day of the year where over four thousand individuals ride their bicycle to work instead of commuting in the car.
Copenhagen (Denmark)
This destination provides a high quality of living. It is now adding to that by offering a bicycle program for not only residents but for tourists as well. Copenhagen has been called the “city of bikes" because of their popularity. To promote more eco-friendly travel, Copenhagen is working on more structures to provide cyclists with traveling venues around the city. One of the neighborhoods in Copenhagen, Christiania, has been car free for decades.
Davis, California (United States)
Being a smaller city of only 65,000, one would not expect there to be over 100 miles of paths and lanes especially for bicycle riders. Almost twenty percent of commuters ride bicycles each day to work. Davis voted to rid their city of public school buses in years past, and now almost all children bike or walk to school each day. The weather is also great for being outdoors, and the terrain is mostly flat and level making it perfect for a biking trek. A 1.7 million dollar underground bicycle tunnel is being built in the next few years.
Portland, Oregon (United States)
Portland, Oregon has created a network of bicycle routes that will take riders from one area of the city to the next. It has created more bicycle riders than ever before. When visiting this fine city, you can take your bike anywhere you choose inside the city as well as on trails that go off the beaten track. Vehicle use is being drastically changed by bicycle awareness in Portland.
San Francisco, California (United States)
Being second on the list for having the most people, it makes sense to get the masses riding bicycles as a major mode of transportation. Over 40,000 of those who live in San Francisco ride a bicycle to work and there are over 60 miles of lanes and paths specifically for cycling through the city. San Francisco elected a board to oversee the “San Francisco Bicycle Coalition” to place bicycle riding at highest priority and to concentrate on providing for those needs.
Trondheim (Norway)
Trondheim is one of the few cities that offer a bicycle lift resembling a ski lift to provide bicycle riders with the transportation they need to see the sights. It became imperative this lift was built as the uphill terrain was so severe that many riders had problems continuing on. Not only a great tourist attraction, the city is also very eco-friendly especially in the way it promotes bicycle travel. You can rent the bicycles you need in many places without having to worry about shipping a personal bicycle over.
References
1.www.bikeriderstours.com/
2.www.travelpost.com/articles/bicycle-vacation-ideas.aspx
3.www.bicyclingvacations.com
