Cycling

The active travel company with the funny name, Pedalers Pub & Grille (PP&G), calculates that a 7-day bike tour of Thailand is so much more reasonable than a comparable tour in France that there’s money enough left over for an extended stopover in Bangkok or Hong Kong plus a few beers and souvenirs.

“Contrary to popular belief, a bike tour in Thailand is far more economical than one in Europe,” says Tom Sheehan, PP&G founder and general manager. “Our seven-day Thailand cycle tour including the airfare from North America actually costs less than a similar bike tour in France before you even factor in the airfare.”

Sheehan is quick to point out, “You can also throw in the costs for a few ice cold Thai beers at dinner each night, some local handicrafts for souvenirs, plus a decent tip for your guides and still come out way ahead.”

Based on pricing for September 2008 departures, a comparable week long tour through the Dordogne or Loire regions of France begins at $3,055 plus air. A PP&G tour in Thailand starts at just $1,595 plus air. These rates reflect similar quality for hotels, meals and support services.

“And with the money you’ll save by not going to Europe, you can enjoy a weekend bike tour back home or perhaps explore more of Asia’s wonders with an extended stopover in Bangkok or Hong Kong or perhaps an add-on sea kayaking adventure in Ha Long Bay in Vietnam,” adds Sheehan.

PP&G has developed a web page detailing their price study and comparison. Please visit: www.pedalerspubandgrille.com/extras/thai-france.htm

PP&G offers its Thailand – Northern Highlights tour at $1,595 per person, double occupancy with departures scheduled the 1st and 3rd Sunday, monthly from September thru March. A single supplement is $375. Tours begin and end in Chiang Mai. See: www.pedalerspubandgrille.com/bike_tours/thailand/Northern_Highlights.htm

The rate includes accommodations in luxury hotels, guesthouses and resorts, all meals, bilingual guides, ground transportation, daily route directions and maps, sightseeing and cultural activities, plus airport transfers.

Tour highlights feature Wiang Kum Kam, ancient ruins from the first settlement of Chiang Mai; the expansive temple complex of Wat Baan Den; the towering limestone outcroppings of Chiang Dao; and the villages of the Paduang tribe (long neck women).

The PP&G website features a variety of similarly valued cycle tours of Thailand, including a week long multisport adventure exploring the Andaman Coast and a two-week Ancient Kingdoms Ride that takes in the ‘best’ of Thailand from Bangkok to Chiang Mai.

The active travel company with the funny name, Pedalers Pub & Grille (PP&G), announces a line of culturally rich, family-friendly, multi-sport adventures in Asia for 2009. Programs coincide with spring break, summer vacation and late year holidays.

Traveling at the speed of a bike, this is a great way for kids to learn about other cultures outside the classroom while having fun at the same time, says Tom Sheehan, founder and general manager.

“We get off the main tourist paths and invite more spontaneous interaction with the local people we meet. We’re as curious a sight to them as they are to us,” he says.

There’s paddling and hiking mixed in with the primary activity of cycling. The trips are:

Discover Bhutan, July 1 and Aug. 5 departures, 8 days, $3,395 adults, $2,995 ages 13 to 18 and college students up to age 25, $2,795 ages 8 to 12. Cycling is on small paved roads with little traffic, Class 2&3 whitewater rafting. Trips span 122 miles and average 31 miles daily.
www.pedalerspubandgrille.com/bike_tours/bhutan/Bhutan_Multisport.htm

Thailand Land & Sea, Mar. 23, Apr. 6 and Dec. 21 departures, 7 days, $1,795 adults, $1,625 ages 8 to 18, $1,525 ages 16 and under sharing room with 2 parents. Cycling is on paved roads with moderate traffic. Trips span 186 miles and average 46 miles daily.
www.pedalerspubandgrille.com/bike_tours/thailand/Thailand_Land_Sea.htm

Vietnam Highlights, Mar. 9, Apr. 13 and Dec. 23 departures, 10 days, $2,095 adults, $1,895 ages 8 to 18, $1,795 ages 16 and under sharing room with 2 parents. Cycling is on small paved roads with moderate traffic, some hills. Trips span 108 miles and average 27 miles daily. A junk cruise on Ha Long Bay and sea kayaking are part of adventure.
www.pedalerspubandgrille.com/bike_tours/vietnam/Highlights_Multisport.htm

Age 8 is the minimum to participate; younger children are accepted, but a parent must travel in the sag wagon with them and/or bring a trailer from home for the cycling.

The active travel company with the funny name, Pedalers Pub & Grille (PP&G), inaugurates “India – A Royal Odyssey” with its first-ever foray into this diverse and exotic land. Departing on Nov. 24, 2008, the 12-day trip will take you pedaling across the southern tip of India to explore the temple complexes and villages of Tamil Nadu before moving to the wildlife and tea/spice plantations of Munnar Hills, the waterways of western Kerala and the trading seaport of Cochin.

The active cycling adventure will be repeated on Nov. 23, 2009. Except for international air, the program is all-inclusive at $3,450 (double) with a single supplement of $690. The tour begins in Madras and ends in Trivandrum.

The rate includes accommodations in luxury hotels, guesthouses and resorts, all meals, bilingual guides, full van support, daily route directions and maps, sightseeing and cultural activities, plus airport transfers. Personal departures may be scheduled year round for private groups and bike clubs with the most popular season running from November to March when the days are typically sunny and warm.

Over the course of the trip, which is rated moderate in level of difficulty, cyclists will roll inn to inn covering 439 miles (712 km), averaging 44 miles (71 km) per day.

Highlights include lunching with tea pluckers; a night at Cochin’s Bolgatty Palace, the one-time residence of the British Governor in the early 1900s; dolphin-spotting from Kerala’s palm-fringed beaches and visiting India’s Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary that is home to elephants, tigers (Periyar is part of Project Tiger), wild dogs, macaque monkeys, sambar deer and a variety of birds. More details can be found on the company website at:
http://www.pedalerspubandgrille.com/bike_tours/india/Royal_Odyssey.htm

“We chose this route and region due to its incredible scenery and cultural diversity.” says Tom Sheehan, founder and general manager. “This is not your typical, mass market tour of India. We take time to visit unusual sites and witness local life and ancient traditions mostly overlooked by larger, packaged tours.”

For more details you can visit them online at For more details you can visit them online at www.pedalerspubandgrille.com or send an Email to tours@pedalerspubandgrille.com.