These marvelous personal reports from the staff at ExperiencePlus! are loaded with insight from our tour leaders about the tours they lead. You’ll also find some entertaining travel journals written by our customers, in which they describe their adventures on tour.
- Expeditions in Two Hemispheres
To those of us with normal jobs, it might seem surprising that somebody who designs and sells bicycle tours for a living would have frustrated dreams about big trips. But that's just how our first ExpeditionPlus! got its start....
- Bicycle Touring "a la Carte"
Our new BikeRentalsPlus! division offers an array of options for any budget and cycling appetite.
- Two Epic Bike Journeys
These two bicycle tours - one crossing Spain east to west, the other crossing France north to south - offer an unforgettable journey that will provide you with memories for a lifetime.
- Three of the Many Faces of Italy
As many times as we go back, we always find Italy ready to show us more -- a fact underscored by the three distinct regions highlighted by this month's featured bicycle tours: Tuscany, the Po Valley, and Puglia.
- Cycling the Danube - Europe's Longest River
Featuring our ExpeditionPlus! Cycling the Danube from Germany's Black Forest to Romania's Black Sea Coast.
- History and Geography of the Danube River
The Danube River has been one of the most significant cultural and historic boundaries in Europe.
- Private Tours
- Island Tours: Sicily, Corsica & Greece
The islands of Sicily, Corsica and Greece are some of the most beautiful places to bike (or hike) in the world.
- Giro d'Italia 2008
- Helping with the Olive Harvest
A group of tour leaders met during Thanksgiving week in Kalamata, Greece at the home of tour leader Yorgos Paraskevopoulos to pick olives and ride bikes. And what a week it was! Check out their photo essay on their two days picking olives.
- Rick's First Bicycle Ride
As he prepares for a 2400-mile bike expedition, Rick thinks back to his humble beginnings with cycling, as a child in a small logging town in Oregon.
- Walls, Wine, and More!
Our two newest tours in Italy promise fascinating medieval walled cities, famous local wines, and scenic rides you won’t forget.
- Fifteen Years of Costa Rica
Rick reflects on his trips to Costa Rica, when he planned our first tours there fifteen years ago!
- Spring Train in Europe's Stunning Countryside
Long winters welcome active springs and there is no better motivation for staying in shape during the cold months than planning a spring training trip with ExperiencePlus!
- Bicycling Italy with Joseph and Elizabeth Robins Pennell
In late June of 1884 Joseph Pennell and his bride, Elizabeth Robins, set sail from New York City on the Steamship Oregon bound for Liverpool on the greatest adventure of their lives. . . .
- Announcing the Arrival of the 2008 ExperiencePlus! Catalog!
As the weather cools this fall, curl up in your favorite armchair and take a trip without leaving your living room. Browse through our catalog and imagine your next adventure.
- Pedaling the Andes, With Gears to Spare!
“I’d never been on a bike tour before, I’d never been to South America before, and I’d hardly biked at all since it had gotten icy in October, so I really had no clue what to expect of the tour, the place or even my own body.” Staff member Sarah Babbitt recounts her unexpected experiences on our Pedaling the Andes from Argentina to Chile Plus! the Island of Chiloé tour.
- Routes on the Open Road
The saying goes, “It’s the journey, not the destination.” But who says it's got the be one or the other? Join this month’s featured tour, the ExpeditionPlus! Coast to Coast: Across Chile & Argentina, and you get both.
- Cataclysms, Cliffs, and Canyons
This month’s three featured tours will have you hiking through some of the most unique topography you’ll ever see. Walk with us and witness the remains of devastating volcanoes, the weather's slow shaping of stone, and the exceptional products of human ingenuity.
- Emilia Romagna at 19 Km Per Hour
Customer Chris Wesely describes how her recent Venice to Pisa bicycling tour made her a "cycle-touring convert."
- The Shapes of Puglia
Some of us might not be able to point out every European country on a map, but Italy’s distinctive contours make it easy to spot. When we imagine traveling there, we often think of Tuscany, Venice, Rome, or other famous locations in the north, while the southern regions are forgotten. Making up the "heel" of Italy’s famed boot, the lesser-known agricultural region of Puglia is an area full of mysterious and unique shapes, and it's definitely worth a visit.
- History, Romance, Revenge: The Loire Valley has it All
Tour leader Jonathan Hancock says of our Loire Valley tour:
This tour has all the elements of a best-seller: romance, liaisons, murder, revenge, forced weddings, and charismatic historical figures.
A little digging into the history of the area, which was a favorite playground of royalty for centuries, shows that he's not kidding! On this 101 level tour you'll enjoy leisurely rides through rolling hills and still have energy to stroll the halls where kings and queens once roamed.
- Bicycling Turkey – A Bridge to the Ancient World
No other tour offered by ExperiencePlus! provides the wealth of classical history that this tour does. Add excellent food gathered among ingredients from throughout the Middle East and the world, bicycling along one of the world’s most beautiful coastlines, and the exotic architectural traditions of Ottoman Turkey and the Islamic world and you have a tour unmatched anywhere.
- From the Road: New Zealand - Bicycling the South Island
Annie Apgar of ExperiencePlus! reviews her tour of New Zealand's South Island.
- Date With the Devil Down Under! - Julie Tours Tasmania
Julie Horton, ExperiencePlus! Director of Operations, describes her tour in Tasmania.
- Friendly Kilometers: Active Travel with Friends
Recently, four sets of friends chose our Butterflies, Bicycles, and Beaches tour for their 2005 year-end travel and spent eight days cycling the diverse ecosystems of Costa Rica.
- Julie Horton Tours Greece
Julie Horton, Director of Operations at ExperiencePlus!, explains why the "Bicycling through Classical Greece" tour was her most memorable tour experience so far.
- Turkey on the Eastern Horizon
A reflective essay by Rick Price, Ph.D., owner of ExperiencePlus!
Rick will accompany our new cycling tour in Turkey in May. Read about his previous travels in Turkey and why he is excited to go back.
- A Cycling Journal From Eastern Europe
- Tour Report: Cycling Andalucia
Joeann Gutowski recounts her recent adventure on our October 2006 Cycling Andalucia tour.
- Hiking Utah's Arches and Canyonlands National Parks
Julie Horton recounts her recent adventure leading our May 2006 hiking tour to Utah's Arches and Canyonlands National Parks.
- Renaissance Cuisine in France and Italy
Italy’s Tuscany and France’s Loire Valley don’t have much in common as far as geography or climate are concerned, but they share a special place in the history of the European Renaissance.
The cuisine of the Renaissance was based, like the art and the literature, on the revaluation of antiquity and banquet organizers applied ancient ideals of proportion, harmony and order to the culinary arts.
- Bicycling Burgundy - it's not about the wine - its about the cycling, history and friends
Ian Wells returned from the Bicycling Burgundy Vineyards tour where he found that the roads, friendship and history are even better than the wine.
- Living Art History on the Camino de Santiago
Maria Elena describes her favorite tour - the Camino de Santiago. Why? Because the Camino de Santiago is an art and history lesson in European art styles, from the beginning in Roncesvalles to the entrance into the Praza de Obradoiro in Santiago de Compostela.
- Learning to See
Whether pedaling through the countryside on a bicycle or walking a trail in a natural area, you can enrich your experience by practicing Rick's simple principles of observation.
- “Merci Beau Coup” Means “Thank You” in Italian, Too
On her last day of the Little Tour in Tuscany bike tour, Lois Moss discovers magic, flowers and a mystery to be remembered.
- My Six pilgrimages to Spain and France
There were at least 6 different heroic pilgrimages that staffer Katie Erslev experienced on the Pamplona to Pyrenees Tour. The cyclist's pilgrimage to The Race, the running of the bulls in Pamplona, the Camino de Santiago, the history of the Basque peoples in the region, and a pilgrimage to the healing waters of Lourdes, as well as the pilgrimage of personal journey and adventure.
- Why Women-Only Tours?
Regardless of age or career path, women-only tours offer women a chance to be on vacation and a time to be free of the responsibilities of home, work, and caregiving. These tours appeal equally to women traveling solo and to groups of family members and friends.
- Hannibal & the ExperiencePlus! European Headquarters
Hannibal ravaged Italy for 14 years from 217 to 203 B.C., shook the Roman Republic to its foundation and launched a series of events that had a lasting impact on the geography and landscapes of Italy. The ExperiencePlus! headquarters in Emilia Romagna sits in the middle of a small family farm that would have been settled after the Hannibalic wars around 190 B.C. Join us for a tour of "the farm" and a look at how that landscape has evolved over the last 2200 years.
- From the Road: Bicycling Umbria
What I found on the Umbria bike tour was a place beyond anything I could have imagined. Wonderful, friendly people willing to help me as I stumbled through my phrase book, incredible food and wine with a freshness that felt like the chef had spent hours at the market that morning selecting the day's ingredients, and absolutely incredible cycling!
- Living Art History on the Camino de Santiago
Maria Elena says its hard to pick her favorite tour, but "if I had to combine all of my different "favorite parts" into one tour, in order to choose one Favorite (with a capital F), I would choose the Camino de Santiago in northern Spain. The "Way of St. James" has history, art, scenery, food and best of all, the feeling that your journey has purpose, you are a pilgrim no matter the reason for your pilgrimage."
- A Brief History and Geography of The Race
The first Race in 1903 had only six stages but they averaged 405 km in length! That's just over 250 miles each. Because the goal was to sell papers and because of the Herculean effort the race required, the six stages were stretched out over three weeks.
- Experiencing Brittany by Bicycle
Brittany is a mysterious place made of legends inspired by stories and people such as King Arthur, the Druids, and the fearless Corsairs. Sacred places like the Mont St Michel, a thousand-year-old abbey transformed into an island everyday, add to the spectacular allure of the area.
- How ExperiencePlus customers met Aldo Ronconi, 1947 TdF Stage Winner, in a Bike Shop in Faenza, Italy
ExperiencePlus customers Marco and Leigh Bianco pose with 1947 Tour de France stage winner Aldo Ronconi outside his Bike Shop in Faenza, Italy. Marco and Leigh were on the ExperiencePlus Pisa to Venice 2004 bicycle tour
- Bike Tour Renews Family Spirit
Ian discusses how 'sometimes family life gets busy and routine. Then something happens that makes life interesting again.' An ExperiencePlus! bike tour across Italy with two of our children, Emma (16) and Todd (12) was an experience that brought them closer and made life interesting.
- How We Saw Lance on the Alpe d'Huez
One of the most frequent compliments we receive at ExperiencePlus!, is how well planned and organized our tours are. Customers often applaud us for the fluidity of tours and our attention to detail. Just as the lighting technicians and the stage director are behind the scenes in a theater production, we have 'backstage' staff at ExperiencePlus! who tend to all the details so that you can experience a region or country to the fullest. Our customers' phenomenal experiences at the Alpe d'Huez during the 2004 Race exemplify the ultimate in challenges we face in delivering quality experiences to our customers.
In this article, Rick reveals the behind-the-scenes work that went into creating what several customers came to call 'the best bicycling day of my life.'
- Dave sees Lance Win 6 in a Row! Race 2004 Customer Report
Experience Plus was an awesome organization that handled everything for me. They provided the bike, handled bike repairs as needed, handled the complicated logistics of supporting riders with a wide variety of abilities, arranged for good meals as part of the package (and I eat a lot), and best of all, took care of the even more complicated logistics of seeing the TdF as it wound through the Alps.
- Savoring Provence
Sabrina Mariconi writes about how walking through Provence she absorbs and tastes "the countryside whose language was my first tongue. I feast on the mix of unique sights and rich flavors of this region. Traveling through Provence heightens my awareness of my ties to France and my connections to the world. But most of all, I love sharing the nuances of Provence that I continue to discover."
- Bicycling Through Classical Greece
Patricia and Manolis highlight the experiences on our Athens to Olympia bicycle tour through classical Greece.
- History and Geography of the Olympic Games in Ancient Greece
The Olympics came to us as one of the oldest institutions of Classical Greece. Although the first written record of the games dates to 776 B.C., their origins go back at least five hundred years earlier and are linked to religious events well before that.
- History and Geography of the Camino de Santiago in Spain
The history and myth of this pilgrimage is one of the most fascinating stories in Christendom.
- Bicycling Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna
Claudio writes of this tour that is about cultural experiences too. Riding through the Emilia-Romagnan countryside we gain an understanding of the connection between the regions' farmlands, so rich in fruit orchards and vineyards, and its country towns, where people after work sit outside cafés sipping espresso and enjoying gelato, all the while speaking and gesturing with a glass of red wine.
- Tour Down Under
Rick Price, owner and founder of ExperiencePlus! was one of two US tour operators invited to see the Tour down Under January 20 - 25, 2004 as a guest of the South Australia Tourism Commission. The race, sponsored by Jacob's Creek, the wine producer, just completed a successful 6th run. Here is Rick's report.
- Why not a Custom or Private Tour?
We annually design and operate dozens of private or customized tours for people.
- Warblers Wintering in Costa Rica
Mario Cordero explores warblers and their travels south.
- How Bike Across Italy Began in 1972
"To celebrate Paola's graduation from the University of Pisa in July 1971, we pedaled our clunker three-speed bikes from Pisa to Florence and then over the Apennine Mountains to Forlì, Paola's home...Six months later, we missed Italy so much we lay awake at night brainstorming how we might get back."
- Bicycling Costa Rica
Staff member Chris Lukesic describes the biodiversity and tropical beauty he experienced on the Butterflies, Bicycles and Beaches bicycle tour in Costa Rica.
- History and Geography of the French and Italian Riviera
What's so special about Italy's Cinque Terre? In this essay, Rick writes on the geography and history of Italy's famous 'Five Lands.' There's also resources to help you find hotels or other lodging in the event you want to just stop by for a day or two on your own. We then include a brief reading list to help you get started on anticipating your journey.
- Cycling Southern Italy and Puglia
Rick details the classical Greek heritage and unique architectural history that are part of ExperiencePlus! Puglia Cycling Southern Italy tour.
- Greek Islands: History and Geography
The Greek islands draw us for a number of reasons: Crete, of course, was the homeland of the Minoans. The Cyclades and the Dodecanese were home to a series of Bronze age cultures to which we tie our earliest knowledge of the idea of Europe.
- Bicycling the Heart of Provence in France
France: John Giebler, our France Country Coordinator, talks about our Heart of Provence bicycle tour as an easier, shorter way of experiencing a lot of the great sites, food, wine, and beauty of Provence than our longer 11-day Provence & the South of France tour.
- Tuscany: An Introduction to the History and Geography
If you begin to make a list of historic regions in the history of Western European Civilization where events converge, Tuscany looms large.
- Bicycling Tuscany
James Pippin reflects on the fine foods, panoramas, medieval cities, and bicycle rides on the ExperiencePlus! Little Tour of Tuscany and the "funniest, most interesting people around" that they met on tour.
- Bicycling Ireland
Jan Rastall talks about the quiet roads, green pastures, stone fences and grazing sheep that illustrate our routes through some of the most beautiful country in Ireland.
- The Dordogne River Valley: Paola's Travels with the Queen of France
Eleonor of Aquitaine is one of my heroines and I feel her presence in the towns we visit on our Dordogne bicycle tour.
- Greece: Travels with Benjamin, the Donkey
I was reading Stevenson's Travels with a Donkey in the Cevennes. Three times during that train ride I visualized us walking through the olive groves and along the dirt roads of Greece with our own donkey. Three times I mentioned my visions to Paola. Finally, she said, 'Well, let's do it!'
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