Resources

Hive Mind:

One of the most valuable resources you have for researching a tour is the Cycle Touring Hive Mind.  There are vibrant discussion groups in a variety of places, but I find the most active, and helpful, ones to be on Facebook.  Some good ones are:

• Bicycle Travelers
• Bicycle Touring and Bikepacking
• Bicycle Touring for Beginners
• Bicycle Camping

Accommodation:

• OpenCamping (find campgrounds)
• Archies (find campgrounds)
• Welcome to my Garden (people willing to host slow travelers camping in their yard)
• 1Nite Tent (people willing to host slow travelers camping in their yard)

Routes:

• Cycle.Travel (plan routes, find campgrounds)
• Waymarked Trails (high-level route planner, campground finder)
• Maps.Me (follow route, find amenities such as restaurants and grocery stores)
• EuroVelo (information for all EuroVelo routes)
• Switzerland Mobility (route info with photos)

Books and Maps:

• Esterbauer (Bikeline) Maps: All,  English
• Kompass Karte (Maps)

Sharing/Blogging:

• PolarSteps (comments and photos, with map/timeline)

Travel:

• Rome2rio
• Bahn (Germany trains)
• SNCF (France trains)
• Bikepacking - Train (Europe) Info for train travel in Europe
• Train Travel Guide from The Man in Seat 61
• Romantic Road Coach

Internet:

• KeepGo: Provides both physical SIM cards and eSIMs.  I use both (a physical World SIM in my partner's phone, which doesn't support eSIM, and an eSIM in mine so that I can keep my phone SIM in place).  The World SIM seems to work a little more reliably.  The eSIMs, especially the Pisces eSIM for Europe, don't work as well.  In 2023 I found that the newer Auriga eSIM for Europe worked better.  I use a Sagittarius eSIM at home in Canada rather than paying for a data plan with my cellphone.  

Communication:

• WhatsApp (in Europe, Mexico and the Caribbean... and likely a lot of other places outside of Canada... most people have this.  It's free and your home SIM card doesn't need to be working for WhatsApp to work for messaging and "phone" calls)
• Skype (I keep a small amount of credit in my Skype account for when I have to actually dial someone on the "phone")
• TextNow (free local phone number for "texting".  their FAQs indicate that you can use them to message Europe, but not that you can actually use it while you're IN Europe.  I discovered that it definitely does work for that.  You can "text" when you're on the internet without needing a phone SIM card)

Bike Rental:

• Bike Hire Direct
• Spinlister

Have a link you'd like to suggest for this page?  Please send your suggestion to faintofheartcycletouring@gmail.com.