This varies slightly from tour to tour, but as a rule, all tours include a high level of accommodation and breakfast. 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 ‘Independent Dinner’ 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, 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, an easier way to answer this question is to look at what isn’t included.

• Airfares
• Insurance
• Bike Hire on Epic Adventures
• Personal items when you are on the tour
• Wine and alcoholic beverages

The short answer: YES. Travel insurance is essential for all our tours. Here’s why:

• Travel insurance is more than health insurance: While health insurance may cover medical emergencies abroad, it doesn’t protect you from unexpected travel disruptions. Travel insurance includes coverage for trip cancellations, delays,
  lost luggage, and more.
• Emergency medical evacuation: Many of our tours explore remote areas where advanced medical facilities may not be readily available. Good travel insurance ensures you’re covered for medical evacuation to the nearest suitable hospital and, if necessary, provides support for a companion to travel to you or arranges your transport home.
• Protection for personal belongings: Travel insurance covers valuable items like your bike in case of loss, damage, or theft. Giving you peace of mind on the road.
• Acknowledging tour risks: Before the tour, you’ll be asked to complete a medical questionnaire and sign a risk waiver. These ensure that everyone understands the inherent risks involved in bike tours and reinforces the importance of having comprehensive travel insurance in place.
• Cancellations and unexpected costs: We strongly recommend purchasing travel insurance as soon as you book your tour (after paying your deposit). This way, you’re covered for potential costs if you need to cancel, including airfare and tour expenses.
• Our recommended providers – We’ve found these travel insurance providers are popular among our riders:
  Global Rescue, Tin Leg, AXA, Travel Guard, Covermore, Allianz
• Having the right coverage means you can focus on enjoying the adventure, knowing you’re protected against the unexpected.

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 carefully select where we stay based on the place’s ‘personality’ and the hospitality of the hosts, and we regularly stay in castles, monasteries, and unique properties. Be it Paradores in Spain, Manoirs 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.

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 happy to advise on travel arrangements to and from the tour, as well as offer tips on where to go 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. You’ll find the travel details on each tour page of our website. We will send the balance invoice email, which includes a survey form and medical declaration that need to be completed at least 12 weeks before the tour. We will send the hotel and guest lists before the tour’s departure.