EXCLUSIVE: Vietnam Cycling for Families this Winter
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Exclusively for 2009, Ciclismo Classico will be running a very special family departure of our popular Vietnam trip.
Take your kids on a vacation this winter they'll never forget. It's guaranteed to be full of exciting activities everyone can enjoy!
December 28, 2009 - January 7, 2010
Adults: $4,295
8-16 years less 15%
4-7 years less 25%
up to 3 year $750
Vietnam Family
Trip Info | Detailed Itinerary
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Open House News
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A big THANK YOU to all who attended our open houses held at Via Vanti in Mt. Kisco, NY and at our office in Arlington, Mass!
Each event included lots of great social time, mixing Ciclismo staff, alumni, and prospective travelers.
At the New York event, attendees were treated to a gelato tasting, and in Arlington, it was all about olive oil - we even had a professional taster on hand!
Email and tell us if you'd like to host an open house in your area and earn travel credit for each person who attends.!
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Save 15% off a Customized Training Program from Fit for Trips
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Sign up for your 2010 trip by November 25 and you'll save 15% on a
customized training program from Fit for Trips. Developed for Ciclismo
by fitness experts, these training programs will help you get ready for
the best bike tour you'll ever take! Click here for details.
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Make a Special Occasion Absolutely Unforgettable
 Special occasions in our lives only come so often, so why not do
everything you can to make these occasions not just special but
absolutely unforgettable? Once-in-a-lifetime. Completely unique.
Transformational. Couldn't be better. Magical. Unforgettable. These are
the sorts of terms we hear all the time from clients who choose to
combine milestone events with our cycling trips. Here are some ideas
for adding our Ciclismo magic to your next special occasion. It's your trip - you ought to have it your way!
Honeymoon on wheels
Wait a minute! Isn't a honeymoon supposed to be all about "alone time"
for the newlyweds? The couples who choose honeymoon on a Ciclismo trip
wouldn't disagree. Even though they're traveling with a group of 10 or
more in most cases, newlyweds find that they get plenty of romantic
time on their own during the trip. As on every Ciclismo tour, everyone
is encouraged to ride at his or her own pace, and everyone can choose
who to ride with during the day. And since one or two dinners on most
tours are on your own anyway, honeymooners can choose the most intimate
spot in town - and we're always happy to help find the ideal spot!
Ciclismo's trips already cover some of the most romantic destinations
in the world: The scenic Amalfi Coast, charming Tuscany, dramatic
Sicily, picturesque Provence.... The only challenge for the couple is
choosing where to go.
One idea: You've already been swept off your feet by your new spouse - for your honeymoon, you can be Swept Away in Sardegna.
Wonderfully unique Sardo cuisine, dramatic mountain landscapes, and
pristine beaches leading to crystal clear waters - who could ask for
more on a honeymoon? Of course, the cycling is unparalleled! During
this 10-day tour, you'll also spot rare wildlife, tour ancient
architecture, and discover remote villages. And if you want some pure
relaxation off the bike afterwards, we'll be happy to help you find a
romantic hotel right on the Costa Smeralda (Emerald Coast). That's what
we call starting off your marriage with style.
Sardegna trip info | Request detailed itinerary
Wedding on wheels
A honeymoon on wheels isn't enough for you? Then why not do a
destination wedding on wheels? Choose one of our existing tours or work
with us to create the custom itinerary of your dreams. You can combine
your rehearsal dinner, wedding ceremony, reception, and honeymoon into
the most distinctive and utterly enjoyable trip you, your family, and
your friends have ever experienced. Our team abroad will work directly
with you to design every aspect of the experience, leaving no stone
unturned. Imagine taking your vows overlooking Tuscan hills, then
pedaling away on your new matching Tommassinis. Every night would be a
new celebration of your union, and every day a celebration of your
passion for cycling and your close circle of family and friends. Now
that's a dream wedding for everyone!
One idea: Create a custom itinerary based on our Venice to Bologna
tour. Start with an arrival dinner in Venice for everyone in the party,
then have your ceremony the next day at an out-of-the-way chapel. Since
there aren't many cycling opportunities in Venice, maybe your wedding
cake depicts a peloton ascending a Dolomite mountain pass? And at
reception, you can give each of your guests a tiny Murano glass
bicycle. Then the cycling begins, leaving the city on pristine roads
along the Venitian lagoons. Spend the next 8 days riding toward
beautiful Bologna, stopping in towns like Ferrara, Ravenna, and
charming spa town Castrocaro Terme. The route is flat and the cycling
is easy, so all of your friends and family will have a great time,
regardless of the quantities of prosecco consumed each evening!
Venice to Bologna trip info | Request detailed itinerary
Milestone Birthday
Turning 50? 60? 80? Milestone birthdays are extra-special on a
Ciclismo tour. Most often, a birthday trip is done one of two ways.
Sometimes we work with directly with the person having the birthday. This is a great way to do it since we can really ensure that
we're doing everything to suit him or her, whether it's a private or
custom trip, or just a group doing one of our scheduled departures. We
also frequently work with a spouse or friend to plan the trip as a
surprise - which is a little trickier, but still tons of fun! The staff
at Ciclismo are great at keeping secrets too, so there's no chance of
letting the birthday cat out of the bag unexpectedly. Either way, there
are lots of options, and the group can be very small (birthday boy or
girl and partner) to much larger (a group of 14 friends on a private
trip). Everyone who's celebrated a milestone birthday on a Ciclismo
tour is in agreement that it's the best birthday ever, especially when
accompanied by family and friends.
One idea: Our European trips
begin each year in April and go through October. But if you were born
in a wintry month, we've still got you covered! If you're a Aquarius,
for example, we have trips to Chile & Argentina, Vietnam, and New
Zealand between January 20 and Februrary 19 that would allow you to
celebrate your special birthday on tour. If you're a fan of New World
wines and always wanted to pedal among the lush mountains and valleys
you remember from the Lord of the Rings films, then New Zealand on
January 24th, 2010 would be the perfect trip for you. Happy birthday!
New Zealand trip info | Request detailed itinerary
Family Reunion
As anyone who's ever organized a family reunion can tell you, it's a
big deal! It can be tough to coordinate schedules, plan activities, and
find a suitable venue. Often, the venue is chosen as a matter of
convenience: what location can everyone make it to with the least
trouble? That can be a big missed opportunity! If a family can trace
its routes to a specific region, the experience of bringing everyone
together where its origins are can be profound. Not long after we
launched our Olive Harvest tour to the Molise region in Italy, started
getting calls from people whose families are from that area. Molise is
a little-visited region, so none of the people we spoke with had ever
been there before - though they'd heard all about it from parents and
grandparents. What a wonderful place to plan a family reunion for any
of these folks! Older generations will revisit the places of their
birth, and younger generations will see where they came from. And as
any veteran Ciclismo traveler knows, the best way to experience a
region is by bike! We feel honored to help bring together families and
their ancestral homelands. Our experience working with
multigenerational groups ensures that we can create an itinerary that
works for everyone, regardless of age or ability.
One idea: If you've got roots in Italy, start
planning your family reunion now! Our Tuscan Fantasy trip has all the
makings for a wonderful multigenerational get-together with something
for everyone. If you've got 14 people or more, we'll guarantee a
private trip for your reunion, and you can have the run of the Fattoria degli Usignoli,
the beautifully and tastefully modernized 14th century villa where this
tour is based. Each day, Ciclismo guides will lead bike rides to suit
the ability and interest of the group. They'll also lead walks and
hikes, organize tastings and architectural tours. Because you're based
at the same location each day, everyone can choose whatever activities
suit them best. And since our guides are all local to the region,
they'll be able to work with you to arrange visits to local spots that
have meaning for your family. Doesn't this sound better than renting
out a local function hall for your once-in-a-lifetime family reunion?
Tuscan Fantasy trip info | Request detailed itinerary
Other ideas? The possibilities are endless, take what or who you love combine it
with cycling and travel and we can come up with a travel
experience that you will never forget. We love to brainstorm custom tours
and have lots resources to share. Call Director Lauren Hefferon to personally discuss your
ideas!
Photo provided by: Powerhouse Studios Photography
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Take your Cycling Club Further Afield
Just like cyclists, cycling clubs come in
all shapes and sizes. Whether a club is focused on training for races,
touring the countryside, advocating for cyclists rights, or just going
for a ride now and then, all these clubs have one thing in common: a
love of cycling. And of course, that's a love that we share at Ciclismo
Classico!
Most cycling clubs have a local focus, which makes
it easy for members to meet and ride regularly. This also makes it easy
to develop tried and tested routes that the club can do over and over.
And this is also why lots of clubs organize trips further afield - it's
a great way to vacation with friends who share your passion for cycling
and see some wonderful places.
At Ciclismo, we work with
cycling clubs regularly to organize exciting trips for their members.
Here's how it usually works: One of our experienced trip specialists
spends time exploring travel options with one or more representatives
of the club. What's the club all about? What sort of riding? What
destinations look good? How many days? Based on what we discover
together, we can either create a custom itinerary for a private group,
or recommend a scheduled departure. If there are fewer than 14 club
members taking the trip, it's usually best to include them on a
scheduled departure, but we'll guarantee a private trip with 14 or
more. Pricing is based on the group size and itinerary, but we'll work
hard to make sure that your club gets a great value!
Most clubs
have an email list and a website, and these are great ways to spread
the word about a trip. But we can also send information directly to
club members, create a custom webpage on our site, and answer questions
over the phone. Our trip specialists seek to make the experience as
trouble-free for the group organizer as possible! Then, of course, we
register everyone on the trip and provide all of our inimitable
customer service as only Ciclismo can!
Here's a a recent example. The Crack O' Dawn Riders
is a local Boston group that does a brisk early-morning ride every day.
Crack O' Dawn stalwart (and Ciclismo alumnus) Andrew Steinhouse
approached Ciclismo to develop a springtime tour for the group. The
resulting itinerary was a modified version of our Piedmont More Miles for Less
tour, with a few more miles thrown in specially for this group. We used
a combination of email, a custom web page, and personal outreach to
create enthusiasm and build the group. With three Ciclismo tours
already under his belt, Andrew Steinhouse was confident about the trip:
"I knew what my fellow Crack O' Dawn riders would want, and I've
experienced what Ciclismo Classico can do first-hand. It was just a
matter of putting the two together, and the team at Ciclismo made that
really easy. We can't wait to do the trip!"
Please Tell Us About your Club
 If you ride with a cycling club, we'd love to hear more about it! Please complete this brief survey about your club. By completing the survey, your group will automatically receive a 10% discount on custom wool cycling wear from Earth, Wind, & Rider
(35 piece minimum). For more information about private tours for
cycling clubs, please call us on 800-866-7314 or email
andrew@ciclismoclassico.com.
Go to cycling club survey now.
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Does Adventure Travel Matter?
Reflections on the 2009 Adventure Travel World Summit by Lauren Hefferon, Ciclismo Classico Founder & Director
As
I was walking my 6-year old to school down very busy Massachusetts
Avenue he remarked at the car fumes and quietly said "You know mom, I
don't think there is much we can do about global warming." Whoaaa!
Simultaneously I was concerned yet curious that a young child could
already sense the precarious state of the world and feel so hopeless. Later
that day I had the same concerns expressed to me by an elderly woman
who was similarly concerned about the demise of the planet she had seen
in her lifetime and the serious environmental issues that her 20
grandchildren would face.
My retort to these two voices
representing a complete generational spectrum was the same: We cannot
be optimistic or pessimistic, we must be determined to make a
difference. I heard this powerful nugget of wisdom at the conclusion of
a troubling yet call-to-action talk about biodiversity, erosion,and
climate change by Astrophysicist Hubert Reeves at the annual Adventure Travel World Summit held in Quebec this October. Hosted annually by the Adventure Travel Trade Association,
the Summit is a powerful, creative, exciting, productive gathering.
The Summit brings together diverse facets of the industry to network,
collaborate, and learn. Attendees are enabled to effectively and
readily tap into the burgeoning potential of adventure travel.
Dr.
Reeves was one of many inspiring keynote scholars, environmentalists,
and business gurus addressing 500 delegates from the adventure travel
industry. Their collective message really hit home for each of us:
Adventure Travel Matters.
This was the main point of Adventure Travel Trade Association President Shannon Stowell's
"state of the industry" address. Adventure travel companies like
Ciclismo Classico create situations in which travelers experience
transformation, discovery, cultural engagement and the miraculous web
of life. We share with our clients our passion, wisdom, and experiences
that can change beliefs and the way we all interact with the planet.
But Shannon asked, do we as an industry matter? How would it be
different if we were absent? His answer was a resounding yes, adventure
travel matters now more now than ever before for three major reasons:
- We are one of the few industries that intrinsically can achieve the "triple bottom line" goal of people, planet and profit
- Because we are one of the few industries that deals in transformation - we create advocates not just repeat customers
- More than ever, travelers are interested in the authentic and real; and interest in adventure travel is surging worldwide
Having
attended many of these summits and adventure conferences over the
years, at this year's summit I felt more empowered than ever. Whether
it was Jeff Dossett, CEO of Adventurelink.com sharing
his midlife Mt. Climbing epiphany which lead to him becoming the 3rd
Canadian in history to complete the "Seven Summits," or Dr. Wallace Nichols from the California Academy of Sciences
whose life long love of turtles and the sea led him to passionately
promote his (r)evolution that is helping save the planet and is making
a difference; the message rang loud and clear: as leaders in adventure
travel interacting with literally millions of travelers annually, we
are making a difference in the way people are experiencing the world's
most precious resources.
Adventure travel companies (and their
guests and stakeholders) have an crucial role to play and we at
Ciclismo Classico hope you play it boldly. Together we represent
millions and millions of consumers worldwide. Bicycle tour companies,
eco-lodges, adventure operators, outfitters, safari companies, rafting
companies, diving companies, walking tours... the list goes on and on.
But we know instinctively that as a group we do impact millions of
people in nearly every region on the planet with what we do.
We
whole-heartedly embrace the clear vision of the Adventure Travel Trade
Association. Ciclismo Classico is proud to be a part of a thriving
community of responsible organizations who transform customers and
businesses alike into advocates for sustainability and justice
worldwide. And like Dr. Reeves said convincingly, "Let us not be
optimistic or pessimistic, but to be determined to make a change."
As
you make your travel plans for next year, we applaud your decision to
tread more lightly on the planet and to take a bicycle tour with
Ciclismo Classico or a fellow member of the Adventure Travel Trade Association. While
the economics of the time might dictate otherwise, simplifying our
lives by leaving all our stuff behind and interacting with the world by
bike might just be the panacea many of us need to grow and create a new
reality. As a tribe of travelers let's be determined together to make difference.
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