What To Pack On Your Bike Tour In Europe -

As part of your preparation to join us on one of our bike tours in Europe, we send out various bits of pre-trip information. Part of this includes: what to pack on your bike tour. Here are the details:

When packing, keep in mind that you may experience weather ranging from hot and sunny to cold and rainy. You will want layers for biking, comfortable clothes for the afternoons and casual attire for dinners at restaurants. For casual dinner attire, a guideline would be: khakis/nice jeans with polo shirts, or similar for men and summer skirts/nice jeans with casual tops for women. Nice T-shirts are ok as well. Europeans, as a general rule, still tend to “dress up” for dinner, so shorts at dinner are typically not the norm.

Following is a suggested packing list:

Luggage

Only 1 suitcase (in addition to your bike) and 1 carry- on per person. The bike is large, so you don’t want to weigh yourself down with unnecessary bags.

Absolutely Necessary!

Passport (with visa, if required)
Airline Ticket Information
In Situ Trip Itinerary

Biking Clothes and Gear

Bike Shorts
Short and Long-sleeved Jerseys (or short jerseys with arm warmers)
Arm Warmers and Knee Warmers
Cycling Vest or Light Jacket
Bike Shoes and Pedals
Bike Gloves
Warm Full-finger Gloves
Helmet
Wind/Rain Jacket and Pants
Warm Jacket (such as fleece)
Sunglasses
Any specific brand name cycling nutrition that you absolutely must have (In Situ will provide a variety of local brand sports bars, drinks, water and other snacks on a daily basis)

Afternoon and Evening Clothes

Bathing suit
Sweater/Jacket For Cool Evenings
Casual Clothes for Dinners and Activities in Town
Comfortable Walking Shoes/Sandals

Other Travel Items

Sunscreen and Lip Balm with SPF
Personal Items and Toiletries
Required medications and their prescriptions (packed in your carry-on luggage)

Optional Items

Hat (for sun or rain)
Camera
Books About the Area
Travel Alarm Clock
Power Plug Adapter (converts North American plug to fit into European outlet)
Power Voltage Adapter (Converts European 220-volt, to 120-volt North American power. Check before you buy/bring this, many modern electronics will run on both 220V & 120V, so all you might need is a plug adapter. This includes mobile phones, laptops, ipods, etc.)