Help for a New Travel Agency Bicycle

[Asturpedal]

Hi everyone!

First I´m new to the fórum and would like to introduce myself. I´m Spanish and I live in the North, in a coastal región called Asturias. For those who like Fórmula One is the same place were Fernando Alonso was born.

Asturias is a beautiful place, has it all, great weather, nature, beaches, mountains, history, gastronomy and… unemployment, high unemployment.

So, it won´t be a big surprise if I tell you, at this time, I´m unemployed.

A friend of mine and myself have thought to solve this problem by creating a travel agency bicycle. We would organize trips, in small groups, and with a guide. The trips would be in Asturias for six days and five nights, breakfast and dinner included, the agency would take the luggage from hotel to hotel, there would be a vehicle just in case someone would be tired and wouldn´t want to keep cycling and the bicycles would belong to the travel agency bicycle. Each stage will have a length between 25 -40 miles or 40 and 60 km The only thing our clients would have to do is cycling and enjoy.

I would like, that you who are reading this, please, tell me:

1. Do you think that it might be a good way to visit Spain?

2. Do you think that you or someone that you know could do use of this travel agency bicycle to visit Spain?

3. We know you don´t have all the information but, What price would be reasonable for a trip as we have mentioned? (price excluding flight)

4. Anything you want to add is welcome

Thank you for your help and attencion.

Greetings from Spain.

 

[Onyer]

Hi and welcome. First of all the very best of good fortune to you in your new endeavour. This concept works very well and it would be a great way to visit Spain. Maybe not for the people on this site as we seem to be independent travellers. However have a look at companies such as https://www.freedomtreks.co.uk/ who will sell tours on behalf of operators such as yourselves. You will have to pay them a commission - usually 20% - but it would be a very good start for you. No problem not including flights in the prices. The main consideration is ease of getting to the first hotel. If you were to include a collection/delivery from/to the airport to the first/last hotel to make it easier for clients that would be a bonus.
Of course you will have competition, so do your market research first. Have a look at http://iberocycle.com/our-cycling-tours/
I hope that this helps

 

[Hill Wimp]

Hello and welcome.

Yes that is an excellent idea. I can echo all the points that @Onyer made. Guided cycle tours are very popular and you can also offer self cycle tours wherby you provide the route and arrange everything else just let people do it themselves.

Having done several guided and non guided tours around the globe by bike the best guided ones are the ones done by those who are actually from the area you are touring. The intimate local knowledge can be priceless.

One of our members @BigonaBianchi runs cycle tours in Cyprus. He may be able to assist you more.

Keep in touch and let us know how it goes.

 

[Spiderweb]

Hello from the UK.
Good look with your proposed business venture. Your idea sounds great, it may be good to offer an option of both a longer and shorter stay. Some clients may want to bring their own bikes, some may hire them so that should be factored into your pricing.
Keep us posted.

 

[rugby bloke]

Hello and welcome ! This sounds like an excellent idea. Having not done any touring this is exactly the sort of trip I would be looking for, especially to an area of Spain that I have not visited before. My observations:

1, I would want to drive to the location and bring my own bike.
2. On a couple of days I may fancy a longer ride.

All the very best with your business venture.

 

[steveindenmark]

I think it is a great idea.

What is the nearest airport?

 

[JtB]

Hola and welcone to the forum. Asturias is a lovely part of Spain, I have driven through there many times on my way from Santander to Galicia. One day when I have more time on my hands, I would love to cycle "El Camino" from the French border to Santiago de Compostela, especially during "un año jacobeo". I'm still several years away from my retirement, but I'm already starting to contemplate the logistics of such a ride. I wish you luck with your venture and I very much look forward to seeing photos from some of the rides you organise.

 

[The_Weekend_Report_Guy]

I think is a great idea..!!!

And mentioning what others said you could also offer:

- Option of longer rides.
- Transport from airports.. (you might charge more for this service)
- Bring your own bike... Bikes are like clothes.. Use the wrong one and will take all the fun of the ride.
- Someone mention the option of you just providing the route.. Add to this the support of a vehicle for peace of mind to the person riding..
- You could be a local contact in case of emergency for those wanting to do their own thing?
- Add MTB routes?

Wishing you all the best from Coín, Malaga and I am sharing a lot of your ideas... You are ahead of me.. I am planning to start a B&B next year or when the time is correct and offer everything listed up there... Of course the catch for me will be that I will be offering local tours around my area.. (road and looking into MTB as well now)

Saludos desde Coín y buena suerte..!

P.S: if anyone want to add anything to my future B&B idea feel free to do it..!

 

[Asturpedal]

Hi and welcome. First of all the very best of good fortune to you in your new endeavour. This concept works very well and it would be a great way to visit Spain. Maybe not for the people on this site as we seem to be independent travellers. However have a look at companies such as https://www.freedomtreks.co.uk/ who will sell tours on behalf of operators such as yourselves. You will have to pay them a commission - usually 20% - but it would be a very good start for you. No problem not including flights in the prices. The main consideration is ease of getting to the first hotel. If you were to include a collection/delivery from/to the airport to the first/last hotel to make it easier for clients that would be a bonus.
Of course you will have competition, so do your market research first. Have a look at http://iberocycle.com/our-cycling-tours/
I hope that this helps

Hi Onyer!


Yes, probably most of people on this site are independent travellers, but at least, I am sure that all of them enjoy cycling and probably have an opinion about the thread I have started. This is very important for us because we don´t have another way to Know the opinion of people beyond of our frontiers.

I haven´t heard about the two adresses you have shown us before. Both are very interesting but the one I like the most is iberopedal where I could find a few tours in the called Green Spain (where I live) and see what they offer and how their tours are.

We have to consider about a collection/delivery from the airport to the meeting point to start the tours (Oviedo, the capital of Asturias) and from Oviedo to the airport but It is going to be difficult that we could do it cheaper or even better, because there is a good public transportation. I think there is a bus each hour, and it will carry you to Oviedo for 6,50 pounds or 11,14 pounds with a bicycle. The length of the trip is about half an hour and 35 kms.

Thank you for your help. Regards!

 

[Asturpedal]

Hello and welcome.

Yes that is an excellent idea. I can echo all the points that @Onyer made. Guided cycle tours are very popular and you can also offer self cycle tours wherby you provide the route and arrange everything else just let people do it themselves.

Having done several guided and non guided tours around the globe by bike the best guided ones are the ones done by those who are actually from the area you are touring. The intimate local knowledge can be priceless.

One of our members @BigonaBianchi runs cycle tours in Cyprus. He may be able to assist you more.

Keep in touch and let us know how it goes.

Hello Hill Wimp


I am glad to read things like “guided cycle tours are very popular” but, as usual in Spain we are out of step and it is not exactly as you say, but anyway I wish you were right and so, our proyect wiil have a good welcome.

And, yes, we are thinking to offer self cycle tours too where we provide the route and arrange everything else, as you have said. To begin we will offer five self cycle tours. Of course, I will keep you informed about this adventure


Thank you for your comments, Greetings from Asturias.

 

[Hill Wimp]

Good luck with it all

 

[Asturpedal]

Hello from the UK.
Good look with your proposed business venture. Your idea sounds great, it may be good to offer an option of both a longer and shorter stay. Some clients may want to bring their own bikes, some may hire them so that should be factored into your pricing.
Keep us posted.

Hello Spiderweb


Yes, we have thought in offer an option of both a longer and shorter stay. I will try to explain myself because it is a little difficult for me. There we go.

We will have three Guided cycle tours of six days each one. First one in the East of Asturias, after this another in the center of Asturias and then one in the west of Asturias to start again in the East and so on. We will be doing this in July, August and September. So U can take as many days as you want, we have done tours of six days each and so we divide our región in three different parts But U can stay as many days as you want. It takes 18 days to cros our región from east to west.

We have thought that to bring your own bycicle from a foreign Country it was going to be too expensive for the client, but of course, if someone wants to do it, no problem at all, so in that case, the final price will not include the hire of a bicycle.


Regards from Spain!

 

[Asturpedal]

Hello and welcome ! This sounds like an excellent idea. Having not done any touring this is exactly the sort of trip I would be looking for, especially to an area of Spain that I have not visited before. My observations:

1, I would want to drive to the location and bring my own bike.
2. On a couple of days I may fancy a longer ride.

All the very best with your business venture.

Hello rugby bloke!


As you can read in the comment I have written to Spiderweb, you can do both things, to bring your bike and make a longer ride so… Hopefully I see you soon in Asturias . Everybody is welcome and of course, you too.

Thanks for letting me know your point of view. Regards!

 

[JtB]

I think is a great idea..!!!

And mentioning what others said you could also offer:

- Option of longer rides.
- Transport from airports.. (you might charge more for this service)
- Bring your own bike... Bikes are like clothes.. Use the wrong one and will take all the fun of the ride.
- Someone mention the option of you just providing the route.. Add to this the support of a vehicle for peace of mind to the person riding..
- You could be a local contact in case of emergency for those wanting to do their own thing?
- Add MTB routes?

Wishing you all the best from Coín, Malaga and I am sharing a lot of your ideas... You are ahead of me.. I am planning to start a B&B next year or when the time is correct and offer everything listed up there... Of course the catch for me will be that I will be offering local tours around my area.. (road and looking into MTB as well now)

Saludos desde Coín y buena suerte..!

P.S: if anyone want to add anything to my future B&B idea feel free to do it..!

I've seen some of your photos, they look fantastic rides.

 

[Asturpedal]

I think it is a great idea.

What is the nearest airport?

Hi Steveindenmark!


The nearest airport is the International Airport of Asturias, it is a small airport, now There are low cost flights with London and not bad price from/to Denmark


Regards