Awards, Memberships and Reviews
Laundry on Tour
At home or traveling, laundry seems to be the never-ending-story of our adult lives.
Don’t despair while on tour!
Easiest solution – Sink & Soap
We generally recommend you bring some soap* (or use what’s available at the hotel) and use your hotel room’s sink to do laundry. Wring your light-weight bicycle clothes in a towel after washing them and hang them to dry over night. You may want to bring a laundry line or you can use hangers or radiators, if they are available. In Europe, you can even buy travel-specific laundry soap, such as this. (I would never recommend using it for hair and body though, as one of the reviewers suggests – it’s a concentrated laundry detergent paste.)
Laundromats
If self-service laundry facilities are available – likely only in larger towns – Tour Leaders can point you to them. However, I have to admit, I never feel like watching the laundry spin while I could be doing so many more fun activities on my vacation, so I usually go for the sink-option.
Hotel options – but watch your coin and time
If your tour has a two-night stay, you can also have the hotel do your laundry, but remember you will likely be charged by piece, which can come out quite pricey.
Some accommodations have washing machines available for guest use. A fact that surprises many of our travelers is that washer programs in Europe run much longer than, for example, standard washer programs in the US, so it might take an hour or an hour and a half for your laundry to be washed. Some machines have a short program between 30-45 minutes.
Pro-tip – mesh bags and team work
If you do end up locating a washing machine and want to team up with others in your group, consider bringing a laundry mesh bag. This way, the laundry stays separated, and no hunting through the wash load for your own items is necessary.