Turnkey tours

The idea behind this new bicycle travel agency is quite simple: to allow travellers to spend a cycling holiday in complete peace of mind. This is done by arranging everything. Accommodation with breakfast, transferring their luggage between these, delivering rental bikes, providing assistance, booking certain visits, etc. Travelers receive a topographical map and .gpx files to guide them from one stage to the next with the help of a GPS. A “roadbook” also documents the points of interest encountered along the way and contains the practical information of the day.

The tours are varied with destinations ranging from Austrian Salzkammergut, Dordogne, Andalusia to Portugal and the Black Forest and Constance Lake.  Moreover, the service is flexible in order to reach a large number of people. When booking a tour, the customer fills in a form in which he/she can tick certain options (extra nights, electric bike, activities and visits, range of accommodation, etc.). The basic prices vary between 600 and 1100 euros per person, for tours lasting an average of one week.

A whole philosophy

 “Travelling by bike is much more than an original way of getting around, it is a whole philosophy”, we often hear. It’s about slowing down, enjoying the simple things, leaving room for encounters and unexpected discoveries. “There is also an important place given to ecology,” adds Joseph. “This is why we have as a criterion that all our tours are accessible by train, by night for the most remote, in less than 24 hours” he continues.

This alternative vision of what travel is all about is what attracted Joseph to leave the traditional tourism sector. Before, he developed trips to the four corners of the world for French agencies. He then created his own agency specialising in long-distance trips around the world. This was at the end of 2019. It was also at this point that he started cycling around Europe to design original itineraries. The team was soon reinforced by friends and family. Together they finally founded Cyclodyssées in early 2022.

A sector with the wind at its back

The bicycle travel sector is growing rapidly and has a number of trends supporting it. First of all, there is the desire for freedom and the outdoors after months of confinement. Cycling is, along with hiking, probably the most flexible way to travel, which also maximizes time outdoors.

Then there is the rediscovery of our countrysides. Most of us have been prevented from travelling far for the last two years. “Many of us have realized that we don’t know our own country or that of our neighbours very well. You realize that if you take the train or the car for a few tens or hundreds of kilometers, you can find yourself in beautiful regions. Regions full of unsuspected treasures,” comments Joseph. Here again, the bicycle is a winner, as it is easy to carry with you. It is moreover possible to take it on the train or with a bike rack attached to a car, or to rent locally.

The infrastructure has also experienced a huge boom, thanks to substantial investments in most European countries. For example, no less than 2954 km of cycle routes have been inaugurated in France since 2020.

Finally, it should be noted that the latest technological developments have opened up numerous itinerary possibilities. In particular the rise of electric bicycles and their improved range. They have enabled a much more varied public to take an interest in bicycle travel. “Historically, cycle tour operators have focused on flat routes, often along rivers and canals. For example along the Loire and the Danube. Today, the routes and the public are much more varied, there are many more possibilities,” comments Joseph.

Projects in the pipeline

The team is entering its first season with optimism and plans to also translate its website into Dutch. They will also diversify the offer by creating new tours for 2023. “It’s a fairly cyclical business: in late autumn and winter, there is less activity. This allows us to work on new tours and explore new regions in depth,” says Joseph, already excited about the idea of getting back on his bike in a few months.