Tuscany bike vacation that involves family – Let me focus your attention on 3 key factors to be assessed during the planning phase.
Tuscany is a great region for outdoor activities. In particular, I really love family bike tour vacations; I think that this kind of experience is really an amazing opportunity to connect in a new way, in a new environment, in a new fun way that involves the entire group. Tuscany bike tour – like many others of course – should be carefully planned, taking into consideration several important dimensions.
2 positive aspects and 1 point of attention to consider before starting a bike tour in Tuscany with the family.
1 – The bike tour in Tuscany with the family creates lasting memories.
When we are in a hurry, sometimes we lose out on opportunities to connect and relate to others. While we bike, we are not in a rush; start chatting becomes spontaneous. While you are immersed in a wonderful and inspiring environment you can perceive the sense of freedom, of the simple things. Our mind is open, and we are more inclined to listen and share. Those conversations are becoming unforgettable moments. Bike riding is also giving a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction that is absolutely rewarding.
2 – A Tuscany family bike tour is a slow tour.
Someone said that the traveler may arrive at mental relaxation state through temporal deceleration and spatial distance from the pace and complexity of modern life. I truly believe that bike tours are a great enabler for the “temporal deceleration“. The slow travel approach of a bike tour – in fact – forces you to slow down, to feel your body, allows you to perceive and learn the harmony among the environment, to take time to explore local history and culture. Your approach with small towns, local people is more profound, giving you also the true feelings of the region that you are exploring.
3 – Tuscany family bike tour – Different ability levels could prevent to ride together.
You can have a strong riding partner or the kids or grandparents that are may not able to go the same speed or distance as the rest of the family. It is not infrequent having someone to take a separate itinerary or take public transportation or van to meet at the day’s destination. This is not the “family vacation” that you have in mind, right? Therefore my strong recommendation is to use electric bikes (e-bikes). E-bikes are allowing everyone to participate and maintain an enjoyable level of speed removing the anxiety over their ability to keep up with the rest of the group. The renting cost of an e-bike is a bit higher vs. standard bike but the investment pays off. Definitively there are many other factors that are relevant to the success of your Tuscany outdoor experience. Just to mention a few:
- experience of the local tour leader;
- quality of the bikes;
- no just biking: it is important to have additional activities to do like cooking classes, wine tasting, and relaxing… like a SPA.
I still have a nice memory of the cycling holiday I had with my family in 2013.
My kids were very young at that time, but they were absolutely engaged. Biking was very fun for them, and they still remember that vacation with a certain sense of proudness for being able to accomplish such a challenge.
With careful planning, we did pay attention to not overstretch them in terms of overall distance, elevation gain and complexity of the roads. If you are not an expert of the region, it is easy to underestimate this “elevation gain” dimension. For this reason – and several others like a great place to rest, panoramic views etc. – a knowledgeable bike tour leader makes the difference.
We also managed to alternate biking days with no-bike days (a day in the SPA, at the zoo etc.) to ensure the right mix of experiences for the kids and for us as well.
Based on experience, our Tuscany bike tours are designed to combine bike adventures with incredible opportunities like art & history, nature, food, and wellness. In Tuscany, you can find thousands of opportunities to satisfy your desire for a great vacation with your family.
Please, take a moment to review the page of our Tuscany bike tour; those proposals have been designed to create a once in a lifetime experience to enjoy Tuscany outside the “tourist main roads“.
