This varies slightly from tour to tour but as a rule a high level of accommodation and breakfast is provided on all the tours. A slight distinction is made between Local and Epic accommodation but as a rule all rooms have en-suite facilities and are selected for their comfort and personality. We provide all evening meals with the exception of one ‘Dinner on your Own’ when you are sent forth alone on your own culinary journey. Also included are two or more first class guides, van support, all shuttles, private tours and tastings, 2 picnic lunches, original itineraries on the road less travelled, trip literature, super snacks during the day and luggage transfers. Each itinerary also includes highlights specific to that particular tour from wine tastings to cultural site visits. The specifics for these are included in the detailed itineraries for each respective tour. Since most things are included perhaps an easier way to answer this question is to look at what is not included.

• Airfares
• Insurance
• Bike Hire on Epic Adventures
• Personal items when you are on the tour
• Wine (we run an optional wine kitty on tour)

Pre & Post Tour Accommodation
If you require help with pre and post hotel bookings in the hotels we use on tour, please contact us at office@rideandseek.com and we can get these booked for you. Our booking agent charges a €10 per night fee for the service but as part of this we provide our own favourable group booking rates, a preferential cancellation policy and a guarantee that you’ll be able to stay in the same room as when you are on the tour.

The answer is YES, on all Ride & Seek tours you will need to ensure you have sufficient coverage. Below are reasons you need travel insurance:
• Health or Medical Insurance is NOT Travel insurance – you may be covered for certain things while overseas but Health cover does not cover trip cancellation, disruption to any part of your trip, lost baggage etc.
• As we travel to many remote areas, you may require Medical Evacuation to get you to the nearest suitable hospital for treatment – good coverage will also cover transportation of a visitor to stay with you or arrange for you to be transported home if necessary.
• Travel insurance will cover your personal belongings (and possibly bike hire) in the event of loss, damage or theft.

As is standard with bike tours, we also require you to sign a risk waiver and fill out a medical questionnaire before the tour starts. This is an important acknowledgement of the risks that are involved with going on a bike tour. It is fundamental to us that we run a safe tour but it is also important that all participants are aware of what is involved and have sufficient insurance cover in place.
We strongly recommend that you take out travel insurance as soon as you have booked your tour (paid the deposit) to cover any costs that you may incur should you have to cancel your trip. Here are some travel insurance providers commonly used by riders on our tours; Tin Leg, AXA, Travel Guard, Covermore, Allianz

One of the benefits of keeping the group size small is that it enables us to stay in the smaller, family run establishments that add to the authenticity of the travel experience we hope to provide. We have carefully selected the places we stay in based on their ‘personality’ and the hospitality of the hosts and regularly stay in castles, monasterys and unique properties. Be it Parador’s in Spain, Manoir’s in France or Agriturismi in Italy, we seek to connect you with the places we travel in, through the accommodations we choose. As a rule all rooms have en-suite facilities.

In terms of the graded level of these accommodations we do make a distinction between our tour categories though. This doesn’t necessarily reflect the quality on offer but rather relates to the type of the accommodation we choose. To keep it simple we refer to this distinction in the same terms as the tours themselves – Local and Epic.

Local – Since our Local Adventures usually involve shorter days in the saddle, 2 and 3 day stays in one place, and are designed to cater for non riders as well, we select accommodations with an eye on the amenities and a touch of luxury. On these tours you get chance to settle into the accommodation and enjoy the facilities on offer so we choose the accommodations accordingly.

Epic – By their nature our Epic tours involve daily changes of accommodation which can make choices sometimes limited. However we strive for interesting, unique accommodation and you will not be disappointed – some of the places we stay are truly epic!

We suggest that you arrive at least one day prior to the tour start, which will enable you to adjust to the time zone and minimize the risk of missing the trip start due to flight related delays.

We have a lot riders who come back and ride with us year after year and we really appreciate this. We also want you to feel valued as a Ride and Seek returning rider. This is why we have setup our ‘fideli’ loyalty program.

Our grading system is designed to act as a guide to help participants choose the tour best suited to their cycling abilities. Please be aware that a certain degree of subjectivity is inherent in attempts to classify difficulty levels and therefore we generally suggest that you underestimate rather than overestimate your capabilities. That said our van support is second to none and there is no shame in hitching a lift if you need to.

The cut off point for paying the balance on all tours is 90 days. Prior to this, in order to secure your place on a tour you simply need to fill out the booking form and pay the deposit. 90 days marks the point at which the balance needs to be paid in full though and hence tours booked within this period require full payment at the time of booking. Our full Terms and Conditions can be read here.

We are more than happy to provide advice on travel arrangements to and from the tour as well as offering tips on where to go both before and after the tour itself.

Once you have paid the deposit for your chosen tour, you will receive our Tour Essentials PDF with your payment confirmation. This document will help with your pre tour preparations. The Tour Overview lists the Meeting and Finish points for each stage as well as the gateway airports. We will send the hotel information along with the balance invoice email which includes a survey form and medical declaration which need to be completed at least 6 weeks before the tour.