So you have made it to your destination for your cycling holiday whats next. Do you get you bike out and cycle off into the distance, or do you get into a car/mini bus and drive to the final destination. You still have to consider where you are going to store your bike box.
Options for bike transport Box
- The bike box follows you in a van as you travel to new destinations (you have a designated driver)
- You store it in your hotel room and you do different rides each day from the same starting point
- You store it somewhere locally at your first destination and then ride to a new destination each day eventually returning to your first destination.
Whichever you decide you have to think about the storage of the bike transport case your cycle traveled in on the airplane. It all comes down to your choice and probably your budget needs to be considered as well. We will look at the scenario of 6 people travelling to Lisbon, Portugal for 2 weeks. Considering the costs and possible options of what to do with your bike transport case. Probably the best time to travel is in Spring or Autumn because the summer in Portugal can get very hot. A handy guide to flying with your bike.
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Keep Them With You
So if you have decided to keep your bike box with you then you need to consider van hire. Do you have that one enthusiastic friend who is quite happy to drive the whole 2 weeks? Usually the driver sets off and enjoys the destination once they are there and waits for the riders to get there. If you don’t have a sole volunteer to drive the van and equipment then it could always be shared between 2 or 3 driver/riders. Be aware having more than one driver could affect the cost of the insurance of the van so do check.
Typical costs of a Van Hire in Portugal
Do consider the amount of space you will need for the cycling equipment for 6 people. Ideally you would need to hire a passenger van to carry 9 people and remove the back seats. Check with the hire company if this can be arranged before you pick up the van, another consideration if possible get a van with roof storage. Storage of equipment is always underestimated so the more you have the enjoyable the experience it will be.
Van hire in Portugal can range from £1650 to £2000 for a 9 seater passenger van. That comes in at an additional cost per person of £270 – £340. Of course you need to consider the costs of diesel for your trips. The cost of diesel in Portugal is around £1.50 per litre, it stays around the same as the UK price but because of the exchange rate it is slightly cheaper. You need to consider where you will be sleeping, hotels or camping.
Pros Of Hiring A Van On a Cycling Holiday
- You can have all your equipment with you
- A full set of clothes to change into each day
- Cycle without any extra weight on the bike
- Transport your tents if you are camping
- Any emergency and the driver can pick up a cyclist
- You can increase the range of the places you want to cycle
Cons Of Hiring A Van On a Cycling Holiday
- Additional costs
- Need at least 1 driver
- May have to pay additional parking costs
- A van full of cycling equipment may attract attention when parked up unattended
The conundrum is do you take 5 bikes or 6 bikes ? Probably the best way to hire a passenger van is to use a comparison site rather than using individual hire websites. What do you need to pack for a cycling holiday?
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Store Your Cycle Box
There has probably always been storage facilities in Airports for smaller items. The challenge you have is you need 12.726 ft3 or the dimensions of 120 × 33 × 91 cm. It would be nice if you found 6 spaces all in the same space to store your bike boxes. This is now a big demand to leave items stored whilst in a city so a number of business have sprung up.
They are usually phone app run business, first they advertise to people who have available storage spaces around major cities. They then list this on the app and sell the space to you. These storage facilities can be anywhere, from shops, hostels, hotels and pizza places. I have spotted one place that sells special cakes and tobacco.
Some of the apps do have dedicated storage facilities. Common sense is needed here because obviously there will not be enough room for 6 bike boxes in a small mini mart. When booking be aware of the opening times of these storage facilities. The cost of storage can range from 5 Euros a day to 10 Euros a day, so at the top of the price range this can add another £120 per person to the cost of the cycling holiday.
Pros of Storage Facilities
- Usually found in most places
- Easy to book online
- Easy to search and book from day to day
- The good ones have insurance unto 3 thousand Euros’s
Cons of Storage Facilities
- You don’t know the size of the actual storage until you get there
- No way to know how many spaces are available
- Usually no one to speak to because its just an app
Do check specific sites for details because they all vary, Radical Storage does state on their FAQ that they do take bike case. We advise you to read the small print, ensure that the insurance covers any loses. That the places are actually open at you flight time (minus the checkin time)
Luggage Storage Companies Apps
- Stasher
- Radical storage
- Vertoe
- Luggage hero
- Bounce
- eelway
- nannybag
- BAGSparking
- Stow your bags
- Luggageo
IS PORTUGAL GOOD FOR CYCLING?
Portugal is an incredibly diverse country with lush valleys, rugged mountain ranges, and wild coastlines, which means your cycling experience will largely depend on where you go.
This is a very bike-friendly country, which means there are plenty of well-connected and well-maintained trails and paths for all skill levels. Drivers tend to be friendly towards cyclists, of course you should always take extra precautions if you’re biking through the cities or other areas with high traffic.
Major biking routes in the Algarve
One of the most adventurous ways to discover the Algarve is by bike. The Algarve has four major walking and biking routes that are interconnected:
- Rota Vicentina
- Via Algarviana
- Grande Rota do Guadiana
- Ecovia do Litoral
More of the best cycling destinations in Europe.
