A different kind of ride planning...Europe

This trip is going to be EPIC and I'm thrilled for the both of you! Sure wish that Karen could still ride.

Looks like you did book with Edelweiss and that is GREAT. Everything with them is first class. Loved how they'd move everything from hotel to hotel for us, plus you'll undoubtedly make some really good new friends to invite for riding here. The one thing I've mentioned to you but for the others was that about half our group was Brazilian and they loved to go fast all day which made Karen anxious. After a day or so of this we found that we could get the days' route from our guides then go at our own pace separate from the group, take side trips or stops, and then hook up with them at lunch or the evening hotel. Oh and never ever EVER try to keep up with drinking Brazilians. damhik

My experience in that area is somewhat between Eric and Boris but I've not been back for a few years. Fortunately, the area is local for Edelweiss so that alone will get you past most issues. If you are on your own, agreed about the speed cameras, I keep at least several hundred Euros in cash from the old days when you could pay a fine on the spot (mostly France and probably not needed anymore) or some shop has something D_M just HAS to have, Dutch people are really warm but get past the slow Dutch RV campers and vans when you can because they crawl around curves, when you do come across those f-ing bicycles going down hills they go insanely too fast for spandex and might use the whole lane very suddenly, busses are an issue when they are around but the Edelweiss guides will probably have you less on their routes, always visually clear your corner line before committing and watch the road both way above and way below, better to have the heated gear and not need it, it's Europe so it rains, nearly everybody speaks at least a little English so no worries, have Apple Pay on your phones and at least a couple of separate credit cards (duhh).

REALLY looking forward to hearing how it goes!

Boris said:

Have you had a bad experience in the Alps? I’ve ridden the Alps, and lots& lots of it, many many times, probably comfortably in excess of 20 trips. Your experiences are not the same as mine.

Crap traffic - yep, at times on the most popular passes, particularly those made “must do” by TV shows. However, there’s dozens and dozens of other passes that are at least as good as the more famous ones, that have very little traffic on them. And it’s likely any good tour company will include many of these.

<snippage occured>
The Alps cover a very large area and the scenery is spectacular, as are the roads. All the countries you’re visiting, drive on the same side of the road as you. There’s absolutely no need to be apprehensive or nervous about riding there, it’s fine and straightforward, especially so if you’re an experienced motorcyclist, which I’m guessing you are.


Always good to be a little cautious, but don’t be put off by nonsense. I can almost guarantee that when you’re heading back home you’ll say, I really can’t see what all the worry was for.

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Glad there are still some enjoyable areas left. As you said, the popular tourist passes like Stevlio are atypical. But, we are tourists! A couple of tour companies I have direct experience with on this side of the pond that do Alps tours would prefer to take their tours over the recognizable named passes. (That's what many customers ask for) After working with them and talking to, listening to them about what they expected & experienced, it became clear to me that what they considered a good experience in the Alps would be something I hated doing.

It's like the tail of the dragon in the US. On a sunny weekend day it can be very unpleasant. And there are many other roads in the area that are equally fun, if not more so, with far less traffic, LEO presence, etc.

I have not traveled to Europe but it's on my to do list so I'm looking forward to hearing about your experience riding the Alps. Have you considered using something like the Google Translate app to help you read signs, and menus and ask for directions?

gunner said:

I have not traveled to Europe but it's on my to do list so I'm looking forward to hearing about your experience riding the Alps. Have you considered using something like the Google Translate app to help you read signs, and menus and ask for directions?

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No need. The signs are all in symbols because Europe has so many languages. Besides, most speak some English. Navigation was tough before GPS because it was mostly lots of small unrecognizable town names, but now it's a breeze. Let's talk in Arkansas in April.

Checkswrecks said:

Let's talk in Arkansas in April.

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Looking forward to it!

Checkswrecks said:

This trip is going to be EPIC and I'm thrilled for the both of you! Sure wish that Karen could still ride.

Looks like you did book with Edelweiss and that is GREAT. Everything with them is first class.

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Actually I reviewed a lot of companies and went with Ayres. The timing, the reputation, and most importantly, returning to the same hotel every night. No packing up and setting up again. Jumping hotels most every night on a North America ride is normal for us. But not moving seemed like a real luxury. I've been corresponding with the owner of the company for a few months. Very responsive and helpful.

Dirt_Dad said:

Actually I reviewed a lot of companies and went with Ayres. The timing, the reputation, and most importantly, returning to the same hotel every night. No packing up and setting up again. Jumping hotels most every night on a North America ride is normal for us. But not moving seemed like a real luxury. I've been corresponding with the owner of the company for a few months. Very responsive and helpful.

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I considered Ayres but they weren't going where we wanted. Still sounds AWESOME!!!

Dirt_Dad said:

Actually I reviewed a lot of companies and went with Ayres. The timing, the reputation, and most importantly, returning to the same hotel every night. No packing up and setting up again. Jumping hotels most every night on a North America ride is normal for us. But not moving seemed like a real luxury. I've been corresponding with the owner of the company for a few months. Very responsive and helpful.

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I know exactly how you feel about having a "base camp". Pretty much every big ride I do I figure out where I want to go then find a centralized place to stay for most of the trip.

We did two weeks in Europe this past summer, but stayed at a different hotel each night. I definitely see the appeal of having a base camp, as doing laundry each night and packing each morning got old at the end. But it was fun to drive 4-6 hours each day and check out a new place.

Switzerland was by far the best place we visited. Furka Pass:

Checkswrecks said:

I considered Ayres but they weren't going where we wanted. Still sounds AWESOME!!!

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We first talked to them at the DC Motorcycle Show in 2019. It's what got us talking about it. They had a very humble setup at the show. Just one rider standing behind a table, giving out their tour book. The more polished looking tour company setup next to them was busy so we talked to their rider. Nothing special, just rider to rider stuff. But if 90% of life is just showing up, their showing up got them at least two sales this year.

Looks like Ayres trip; far too brief though, but gives you a taster ............. https://www.ayresadventures.com/switchback-challenge/

Most groups use the Hotel Traube in Pfunds - not a bad base, as it's close to the Italian & Swiss Border, with a Garage & cleaning gear. The clear benefit of using a central hotel is that you can leave the bulk of your kit back in your room rather than riding high alpine roads fully loaded. Pack light anyway; it's only a short trip & most anything can be laundered overnight.

Whilst many of us have been offering up advice, frankly you will both need to fit in with the tour group plans, which I am sure will be briefed carefully each day - my only suggestion is to keep things well within your own comfort zone & don't get pushed into riding faster/harder than your personal capabilities. These high Alpine roads are dangerous places at the best of times, sometimes infested with idiots with a death wish so take care.

Have a great trip

As pointed out before here, travelling in Eurpoe is very, very easy and no need to engage touring companies or do any prebookings for accommodation. I have done many trips around Eastern and Western Europe as well as in Alps. Never booked any hotel beforehand. Typically we would start off early morning to some direction we find interesting, then at noon we estimate where we will be by say 5-6 p.m. and then just book what is available in the area via Booking.com. Never-ever had a problem to find a suitable accommodation, in all price categories the offer is great. And as you have wheels under you, you can be pretty flexible about the exact location. Often the accommodations out of the town or village centres are cheaper for the better quality, with very nice views and firendly service. Language is never a problem, with a bit of English knowledge you will do just fine. If possible, avoid August, as this is the major holiday month in Western Europe and then the most popular alpine roads can be a bit busy. https://www.bestbikingroads.com is a good source to find specific routs, you can download them to your Garmin gps. And yes, watch out for speed cameras! I've been unfortunate to get tickets by mail after returning home. You can of course ingore them, but one of my firends was briefly arrested at Frankfurt airport passport controll because he had unpaid ticket from couple of years back and he was close to miss his flight over Atlantic.

EnnK said:

Typically we would start off early morning to some direction we find interesting, then at noon we estimate where we will be by say 5-6 p.m. and then just book what is available in the area via Booking.com.

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This is exactly what we did. At breakfast, we would find a town 4-6 hours away (with "Avoid Highways" off on the GPS) in the general direction we wanted to go, book a hotel that morning, and head off. Booking.com was great for us.

COVID-19 cancels another one.

Received official word yesterday the Alps ride is off because of you know who.

Sucks, but the writing was on the wall last week when the EU said no Americans.

So now we're down to seeing what United Airlines will do. I'd prefer not to hold a flight credit on an airline that has a real chance of declaring bankruptcy. So I need to wait for them to officially cancel the flight. From what I hear United is the most customer challenging airline out there and I should expect them to hold out until the very last moment. So, if the world opens up, and there are no longer any quarantines on either side of the Atlantic, and United has resumed flights, we'll still go over and rent a car. I suspect that will not happen.

On the positive side, I definitely know what ride company to work with whenever we get a chance to go back. Ayres Adventures has been the epitome of professionalism and a pleasure to deal with. I've had numerous email exchanges with the president/CEO and he is quick to respond, answers every question, and wants to know how else he can help. He just inspired a lot of confidence with every interaction. If we get to try again anywhere, I'll start with Ayres. They are everywhere, and hopefully next time we'll get to ride with them.

Am sorry to hear that DD, I know how much us bikers look forward to theses trips. Hopefully things will improve before summer comes to a close, and you’ll manage something to tide yourself over until better times.
Nice to hear that the company you were using have been professional. All to often we hear of shite customer service, your comments make a refreshing change.

good luck chap!

Thanks, Boris.

Having to shift gears now to be flexible enough, to a) go to Germany and drive a car if the world opens up by then and the airline does not cancel the flight, or b) figure out a ride to do around the continental US that stays within all the various restrictions imposed by different states. I doubt I'll have more than a day or two notice before knowing which one is going to happen.

2020 is a challenging ride year.

Dirt_Dad said:

...

2020 is a challenging ride year to do anything.

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Fixed it for ya

So true. I would love to think the worst of 2020 is behind us. But I've already been surprised a couple of times. Should probably retire from the prognostication game.

If you do get to Germany with a bike, head for the Eifel region and be sure to ride the B500.


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MattR said:

If you do get to Germany with a bike, head for the Eifel region and be sure to ride the B500.


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The Eifel Region certainly is a beautiful part of Germany, with some cracking roads and proper olde world villages and town. Well worth a visit. Oh, and the Nurburgring is in this region and well worth a visit and a lap, or two. The B500 is in the Black Forest, which is is a lot further south in Germany, with some truly epic roads and stunning scenery.