I absolutely agree that bike touring is one of the best ways to travel. I do short 4-6 day monthly trips across Florida and beyond. I use bikepacking bags because panniers are too bulky for me. Usually mix up with motels and campgrounds. Great video. Thanks 👍
thanks, appreciate the kind words. i've been trying to be an advocate for this type of touring because i think it has the lowest barrier to entry (besides a little extra cost and planning) and the more people there are out bike touring the better.
Also, credit card touring may actually be a necessity for ebikes so that you can recharge the battery every night. Thanks for this video, I haven't heard the term credit card touring before, but I think I'll will try it out sometime.
glad it was helpful. it's a term i've seen used here and there though it's not super common. i definitely didn't make it up though. hope you get to try it out.
Saying why is pretty obvious, I do both and depends on season, country and terrain, The issue with credit card is you have to plan ahead for rooms and distances. You don't want to arrive at lodging too early, nor too late. Camping leaves your schedule are more open ended
yes and no, some places don't make it easy to camp anywhere so you may still need to do a bit of searching/planning to get to a usable spot. if you're in a pretty wild area then definitely camping would be the way to go.
well presented. When I was young and broke, lugging 40 lbs of gear for camping was really my only option. As I get older, with less strength and a bit more cash, credit card touring is a better option.
thanks, i still think camping is the best way to do a long, round the world-style tour. as long as i'm working full time and taking a week or two here and there credit card touring is the way to go.
Another "con" for traditional bike touring with camping every night is "sleep depravation", especially for anyone not used to sleeping on the ground outside and in possible bad weather, which is mostly everyone. This can really be a breaking point and can result in many tours being abandoned because the rider is so miserable. A roof over ones head, comfy bed, and a hot shower every night all go a long way to insuring you enjoy your tour much more and make it to your intended destination. I biked across the US 3 times camping only 1 night and that is the #1 reason I made it to my destination every time.
I have definitely found this to be true. I think some people do eventually get used to it out of necessity but I found myself having trouble sleeping in tents.
@@biking-places I will just be travelling along the west coast in Sweden, from Gothenburg to Falkenberg perhaps. Or I might head north and stay at a hostel or two just to see what kind of people I meet.
nice, seems like a good short ride with plenty of accommodations options. hostels are great on solo trips. you can get lots of great intel on where to go.
Try credit card touring in Switzerland or Scandinavia! I would in the Balkans where the money goes much further ...little choice when in counties where a minimal cost per night is over €100
It's going to be expensive traveling in those places regardless. Having a bike you can always go a little further to a cheaper hotel or stay in a private room in a hostel which tend to be a good value.
@@biking-places Hostel sucks these days with Covid-19 virus, tent with proper camping bed is the best, air mattresses do not work for me (stealth camping). I know I am bit heavy while on bike, bit it's okay.
i prefer mountains to cities so the point about having more time is backwards for me. i find it a massive faff to descend to a city just for sleeping only to have to climb back up the next day, so simply sleeping high up saves many hours
This is a good point. If you like waking up on beautiful mountain ridges camping is definitely the way to go. That said, I've seen some charming little hotels with amazing views near the top of mountains too.
One thing about hotels is bike storage overnight. I find many don’t allow bikes in rooms. So it always makes me nervous to leave my bike in some shared storage facility.
Yeah, I usually bring mine in unless they specifically tell me I can't. Many places don't have an explicit policy so the person checking me in often will just let me do it. I have run into that issue a few times and agree it's a bit annoying to have to worry about it. I find it helps if you try not to let the bike get too crusty so they don't see you lugging a giant mud ball into the place.
For me I love to visit the local tourist attractions wherever I am and be able to spend time visiting many places during the day or evening if possible. If you have everything on your bike then even if the bike itself is well locked up, everything else is going to be partially or entirely stolen sooner or later if you are away from the bike for hours every day. That's the downside of having everything with you. You take a big chance everytime you walk away from your bike even for just a few minutes. My options are to take my bike and stay in a b&b or cheap hotel as in credit card touring and spend a day exploring around the area on just the bike. Or take the car and use it as a base to camp from and head off every day on the bike unencumbered. Neither are for purists but the latter is very good for getting there and having plenty of time to explore a specific area.
It's true that you have to be careful and it would really ruin your trip if things were stolen. That said, besides my bike I have almost nothing valuable with me when I tour. As long as I still have 1 credit card in my pocket I can replace the toothbrush and little bit of clothes I'm typically carrying.
@@biking-places I'm thinking in particular of the people who are bike touring and have all of their camping and cooking equipment plus personal belongings, bike equipment and electronics and anything else probably in quite expensive pannier bags or perhaps a trailer which may all total well into four figures excluding the bike itself. When you have all of that, you are pretty much tied to your bike. You can tour all over the world on a bike but it's really difficult to be a tourist. Perhaps you can carry all of your most expensive items with you continuously. If you are directly outside the greatest museum or cathedral or temple or whatever, if you leave your bike repeatedly for hours to be an actual tourist and look at these places eventually everything on your bike will be gone if not the bike as well and that will be a major chunk out of your credit card.
Good video. I am cycling 3 weeks through France and doing split of 2 nights camping then one night hotel which is ok compromise for me. Bike is heavier but 100% camping would make it a grind.
i think having dinner and breakfast in a town rather than a beautiful but secluded campsite offers more opportunities to meet and chat with locals. it still depends on the effort you put in to be social though.
@@biking-places I agree with you. I am pre-planning for my credit card tour next spring in Europe (6weeks?) and I hope to meet and greet with people from all over the world similar to what I did on my 2 Camino walks
Not sure l understand the diff. between traditional touring and bike packing. Does one mean you even make more effort to pack lite? It seems to me one is either using a tent or one is not. As a car camper now, sleeping in a tent often is problematic for me, but when l did backpacking and traditional bike touring, slept like a baby. Being tired does wonders for sleeping. Lastly the initial cost of camping gear is going to be infinitely cheaper than the cost of lodging in a very short period.
Yes, you will tend to need to pack lighter for bikepacking though there are loads of new products out there to make it easier. You would use a tent in both methods (or hammock, etc if that's your style). It has to do more with being off road, traditional touring is mostly on road so the gear more/less stays put in a set of panniers whereas bikepacking bags make it easier to ride much rougher trails without constantly picking your stuff up off the floor. They're not mutually exclusive though, the difference is pretty subtle in the types of bags you use and the roads/trails you take. As for the price point- generally yes but a nice lightweight tent can set you back over $300 and you can stay in hostels in SE Asia for as little as $5 per night so it's all relative. Worth also mentioning if you're staying at camp sites and not wild camping some of those cost a lot in richer countries. One campsite near me is $60/night and I've stayed in many hotels where the room rate was half of that. Wild camping is not legal everywhere and not always the safe/best choice.
My preferred method is the one you didn't mention. Camp but don't cook. I call it living off the land, if you're going away for 1 week in the UK as i normally do, i cant see the point of carrying pots, pans and a stove. You then have to debate whether to take food with you? all that freeze dried oh so tasty malarky, or to buy food on the go, you then have to decide whether to take washing up equipment too? And when you have taken all of the above, you have the constant dilemma of, am i actually gonna use it today? or will i get tempted by the barrage of pubs, cafes, takeaways, and roadside coffee outlets? As the tend to be of 'Slightly' higher quality than the Freeze dried stuff.
this is a great method too, you're not as heavy nor busy with cooking but still save loads of money and can lay your head wherever you want (that's safe, legal).
And there's partial credit card camping. Like, sleeping in a tent, but eating food while out. This is a lot more flexible and you don't need as much stuff with you.
@@robrob9050 For sure, but if you are on a budget, but not a super tight budget you can decide to spend it on food (which is part of experiencing the culture) instead of a bed.
Yes. Much more my style. I wonder if one could plan out a credit card bike tour along a bike path or trail type route? So as to avoid cars as much as possible.
In the US I have credit card toured on the C&O/GAP Trail and the Empire State Trail among other mixed road/trail routes. In Europe Eurovelo is the way to go,
Ah, a hater is amongst the viewers. In your hatred of those with financial means to credit card tour, did it occur to you that some folks out there may have back/neck issues that are made worse by sleeping on the ground or air mattress? Or that they may have reached an age in life where having a warm shower, soft mattress, and indoor plumbing is something they wish to enjoy while on their bike tour? Of course you didn't think that because you're too busy being an arse...
i went with snark instead of going into the fact that credit card bike touring is way cheaper than most forms of regular travel but yeah, internet is full of people with opinions.
My perfect method of bike touring is similar to professional bike racers travel. All your luggage is packed in cars that get it to luxury hotels. So no bags on your bike, only two water bottles, a phone and an energy bar in your jersey pocket. Need a gilet, extra watter bottles or food, have any trouble with your bike on the go? Radio the car and the mechanic will be right there for you! Get to the hotel at night, have a shower, get a massage, a nice three-course meal, get a good-night sleep and be ready for the next epic multiple legendary mountain pass stage the next day.
I absolutely agree that bike touring is one of the best ways to travel. I do short 4-6 day monthly trips across Florida and beyond. I use bikepacking bags because panniers are too bulky for me. Usually mix up with motels and campgrounds. Great video. Thanks 👍
thanks for the kind words, definitely appreciate seeing how folks make bike travel work for them
Brilliant presentation. I was thinking about such a concept but could not articulate it so succinctly.
thanks, appreciate the kind words. i've been trying to be an advocate for this type of touring because i think it has the lowest barrier to entry (besides a little extra cost and planning) and the more people there are out bike touring the better.
Also, credit card touring may actually be a necessity for ebikes so that you can recharge the battery every night.
Thanks for this video, I haven't heard the term credit card touring before, but I think I'll will try it out sometime.
glad it was helpful. it's a term i've seen used here and there though it's not super common. i definitely didn't make it up though. hope you get to try it out.
Saying why is pretty obvious, I do both and depends on season, country and terrain, The issue with credit card is you have to plan ahead for rooms and distances. You don't want to arrive at lodging too early, nor too late. Camping leaves your schedule are more open ended
yes and no, some places don't make it easy to camp anywhere so you may still need to do a bit of searching/planning to get to a usable spot. if you're in a pretty wild area then definitely camping would be the way to go.
Your title grabbed my attention because that’s exactly how I travel…I love credit card bike touring…Do it as much as I can…
glad to hear it, it's definitely a great option between easy fully supported rides and full on touring with all the gear and experience that requires
well presented. When I was young and broke, lugging 40 lbs of gear for camping was really my only option. As I get older, with less strength and a bit more cash, credit card touring is a better option.
thanks, i still think camping is the best way to do a long, round the world-style tour. as long as i'm working full time and taking a week or two here and there credit card touring is the way to go.
When I was young Albania was equivalent to North Korea in Europe, the times are changing ;-)
Yes, they were completely behind the iron curtain. Let's hope N. Korea opens up the same way in our lifetimes.
Another "con" for traditional bike touring with camping every night is "sleep depravation", especially for anyone not used to sleeping on the ground outside and in possible bad weather, which is mostly everyone. This can really be a breaking point and can result in many tours being abandoned because the rider is so miserable. A roof over ones head, comfy bed, and a hot shower every night all go a long way to insuring you enjoy your tour much more and make it to your intended destination. I biked across the US 3 times camping only 1 night and that is the #1 reason I made it to my destination every time.
I have definitely found this to be true. I think some people do eventually get used to it out of necessity but I found myself having trouble sleeping in tents.
@John you paid fortune for Motel6 rooms? ;-)
If you have been cycling all day you will go to sleep out of exhaustion
For me camping is actually one of the reasons i love bikepacking. I looove sleeping in tents and cooking food every nignt at the campsite
Good video. I agree with your points.
thanks for watching
Great video! I’m preparing for a credit card tour weekend this summer.
thanks and enjoy it! what kind of route are you planning?
@@biking-places I will just be travelling along the west coast in Sweden, from Gothenburg to Falkenberg perhaps. Or I might head north and stay at a hostel or two just to see what kind of people I meet.
nice, seems like a good short ride with plenty of accommodations options. hostels are great on solo trips. you can get lots of great intel on where to go.
Try credit card touring in Switzerland or Scandinavia! I would in the Balkans where the money goes much further ...little choice when in counties where a minimal cost per night is over €100
It's going to be expensive traveling in those places regardless. Having a bike you can always go a little further to a cheaper hotel or stay in a private room in a hostel which tend to be a good value.
@@biking-places Hostel sucks these days with Covid-19 virus, tent with proper camping bed is the best, air mattresses do not work for me (stealth camping). I know I am bit heavy while on bike, bit it's okay.
i prefer mountains to cities so the point about having more time is backwards for me. i find it a massive faff to descend to a city just for sleeping only to have to climb back up the next day, so simply sleeping high up saves many hours
This is a good point. If you like waking up on beautiful mountain ridges camping is definitely the way to go. That said, I've seen some charming little hotels with amazing views near the top of mountains too.
Nice video..very informative.. 👍
Thanks, hope you give it a try if you haven't already
One thing about hotels is bike storage overnight. I find many don’t allow bikes in rooms. So it always makes me nervous to leave my bike in some shared storage facility.
Yeah, I usually bring mine in unless they specifically tell me I can't. Many places don't have an explicit policy so the person checking me in often will just let me do it. I have run into that issue a few times and agree it's a bit annoying to have to worry about it. I find it helps if you try not to let the bike get too crusty so they don't see you lugging a giant mud ball into the place.
For me I love to visit the local tourist attractions wherever I am and be able to spend time visiting many places during the day or evening if possible.
If you have everything on your bike then even if the bike itself is well locked up, everything else is going to be partially or entirely stolen sooner or later if you are away from the bike for hours every day.
That's the downside of having everything with you. You take a big chance everytime you walk away from your bike even for just a few minutes.
My options are to take my bike and stay in a b&b or cheap hotel as in credit card touring and spend a day exploring around the area on just the bike.
Or take the car and use it as a base to camp from and head off every day on the bike unencumbered.
Neither are for purists but the latter is very good for getting there and having plenty of time to explore a specific area.
It's true that you have to be careful and it would really ruin your trip if things were stolen. That said, besides my bike I have almost nothing valuable with me when I tour. As long as I still have 1 credit card in my pocket I can replace the toothbrush and little bit of clothes I'm typically carrying.
@@biking-places I'm thinking in particular of the people who are bike touring and have all of their camping and cooking equipment plus personal belongings, bike equipment and electronics and anything else probably in quite expensive pannier bags or perhaps a trailer which may all total well into four figures excluding the bike itself.
When you have all of that, you are pretty much tied to your bike. You can tour all over the world on a bike but it's really difficult to be a tourist.
Perhaps you can carry all of your most expensive items with you continuously.
If you are directly outside the greatest museum or cathedral or temple or whatever, if you leave your bike repeatedly for hours to be an actual tourist and look at these places eventually everything on your bike will be gone if not the bike as well and that will be a major chunk out of your credit card.
Good video. I am cycling 3 weeks through France and doing split of 2 nights camping then one night hotel which is ok compromise for me. Bike is heavier but 100% camping would make it a grind.
It's definitely nice to have the flexibility to camp when you want to, enjoy your trip.
I prefer credit card touring too
maybe i'll see you lugging your bike into a hotel elevator one day
Good information, thanks. (p.s. it's "PANyers")
That's just my thick foreign accent
Question for you. Which touring style did you find best for connecting with locals along the way?
i think having dinner and breakfast in a town rather than a beautiful but secluded campsite offers more opportunities to meet and chat with locals. it still depends on the effort you put in to be social though.
@@biking-places I agree with you. I am pre-planning for my credit card tour next spring in Europe (6weeks?) and I hope to meet and greet with people from all over the world similar to what I did on my 2 Camino walks
Not sure l understand the diff. between traditional touring and bike packing. Does one mean you even make more effort to pack lite? It seems to me one is either using a tent or one is not. As a car camper now, sleeping in a tent often is problematic for me, but when l did backpacking and traditional bike touring, slept like a baby. Being tired does wonders for sleeping. Lastly the initial cost of camping gear is going to be infinitely cheaper than the cost of lodging in a very short period.
Yes, you will tend to need to pack lighter for bikepacking though there are loads of new products out there to make it easier. You would use a tent in both methods (or hammock, etc if that's your style). It has to do more with being off road, traditional touring is mostly on road so the gear more/less stays put in a set of panniers whereas bikepacking bags make it easier to ride much rougher trails without constantly picking your stuff up off the floor. They're not mutually exclusive though, the difference is pretty subtle in the types of bags you use and the roads/trails you take. As for the price point- generally yes but a nice lightweight tent can set you back over $300 and you can stay in hostels in SE Asia for as little as $5 per night so it's all relative. Worth also mentioning if you're staying at camp sites and not wild camping some of those cost a lot in richer countries. One campsite near me is $60/night and I've stayed in many hotels where the room rate was half of that. Wild camping is not legal everywhere and not always the safe/best choice.
My preferred method is the one you didn't mention.
Camp but don't cook.
I call it living off the land, if you're going away for 1 week in the UK as i normally do, i cant see the point of carrying pots, pans and a stove. You then have to debate whether to take food with you? all that freeze dried oh so tasty malarky, or to buy food on the go, you then have to decide whether to take washing up equipment too? And when you have taken all of the above, you have the constant dilemma of, am i actually gonna use it today? or will i get tempted by the barrage of pubs, cafes, takeaways, and roadside coffee outlets? As the tend to be of 'Slightly' higher quality than the Freeze dried stuff.
this is a great method too, you're not as heavy nor busy with cooking but still save loads of money and can lay your head wherever you want (that's safe, legal).
I like having everything I need with me, but having the option of staying indoors if it's cold or pouring rain.
on the flip side it's rough to carry a lot more stuff if you're not primarily camping.
And there's partial credit card camping. Like, sleeping in a tent, but eating food while out. This is a lot more flexible and you don't need as much stuff with you.
That's a decent idea though mornings would be pretty rough for me without coffee
@@biking-places Eh... I'm not addicted to coffee. Plus, there other ways to get caffeine without coffee. :)
In Western countries eating out every day is costly
@@robrob9050 For sure, but if you are on a budget, but not a super tight budget you can decide to spend it on food (which is part of experiencing the culture) instead of a bed.
@@melissasinclair9303 good point.
Yes. Much more my style. I wonder if one could plan out a credit card bike tour along a bike path or trail type route?
So as to avoid cars as much as possible.
Definitely worth a try. Check b+bs and warm showers if you don't find hotels you like.
@@biking-places good idea. Thanjs
In the US I have credit card toured on the C&O/GAP Trail and the Empire State Trail among other mixed road/trail routes. In Europe Eurovelo is the way to go,
@@pbrown239 Eurovelo. Thanks
How to bike touring while been rich, genius!!
you'll know when you get older
Ah, a hater is amongst the viewers. In your hatred of those with financial means to credit card tour, did it occur to you that some folks out there may have back/neck issues that are made worse by sleeping on the ground or air mattress? Or that they may have reached an age in life where having a warm shower, soft mattress, and indoor plumbing is something they wish to enjoy while on their bike tour?
Of course you didn't think that because you're too busy being an arse...
i went with snark instead of going into the fact that credit card bike touring is way cheaper than most forms of regular travel but yeah, internet is full of people with opinions.
What are pin ears ?
Panniers are bike bags that have rack attachments
@@biking-places Yes that is what they are. Why are you referring to them as Pin ears ?
You're going to need to mess with the 90hz and maybe 160hz bands of your pre-amp equalizer til you hear it right.
@@petermarshall7775 How sad are you that you watch this lovely post and the only thing you take from it is a criticism. So so sad.
My perfect method of bike touring is similar to professional bike racers travel. All your luggage is packed in cars that get it to luxury hotels. So no bags on your bike, only two water bottles, a phone and an energy bar in your jersey pocket. Need a gilet, extra watter bottles or food, have any trouble with your bike on the go? Radio the car and the mechanic will be right there for you! Get to the hotel at night, have a shower, get a massage, a nice three-course meal, get a good-night sleep and be ready for the next epic multiple legendary mountain pass stage the next day.
And here I am carrying my mechanic in my pannier all over the place like a sucker.
Just because you are rich doesn't mean everyone are
It's ok, they can all just eat cake