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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
ON LINE: Go to the SIGN UP page on this website for instant and easy reservations.| Accommodation Luxury Inns :Tours with Canadian Trails offer accommodations in the best country inns in Canada. Members of Relaise & Chateaux., the Independent Innkeepers Association, and other select groups, most of our host inns would be considered four and five star establishments. All offer private baths, unique decor, comfort, and warm hospitality. Most have a variety of indoor and outdoor recreational facilities available, although quiet relaxation is also abundantly available.Wherever possible, our accommodation reflects the character of the area we are touring (e.g. ranches, mountain lodges, working farms). Each tour page has links to the inns websites, so you can see for yourself. |
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| Camping This is not pup-tent, sleep-on-the-ground, eat-cold-beans roughing it! We provide the tents, and the tents we provide to accommodate two people are designed by the manufacturer to accommodate three, so there’s lots of room for you, your partner, and your "stuff". We provide thick mattresses to ease your aching bones. (If you like, we’ll rent you a sleeping bag.) We prepare great meals for breakfast and dinner. The gear is all carried in the support van, to keep your bike light. Except where otherwise specifically noted, all campgrounds have running water and hot showers. The exceptions are wilderness back-country experiences, and that can be fun too. If you’d like to camp some nights and stay in inns on others, we can mix and match to meet your preference. |  |
| Road, offroad, or
wilderness adventure? Road Tours: Touring that we classify as "Road" is suitable for narrow-wheeled touring or sport bicycles. Usually it is paved surface, and most often it is quiet secondary roads. Occasionally we will use a paved or firmly packed path as part of a "road" route. Mountain bikes or hybrids can be used on "road" tours, and when they are we recommend that tires with relatively smooth treads be used (non-nobbies, often referred to as "slicks"). Van support is continuously available on all road tours. Offroad Tours: Touring that we classify as "off-road" requires fatter tires with more tread and sometimes lower gearing. This would include at least heavy-treaded hybrid or touring models. Ask about the requirements of the particular off-road tour you’re interested in. Unless specifically noted, off-road routes intersect roads frequently enough that van support is readily at hand. Wilderness Adventures: In the few cases specifically noted in the tour descriptions, wilderness tours take us out of touch with the van for stretches of time. They traverse back country, away from settlement and away from regularly traveled roads. Riding may be on railtrail, forest service roads, or undeveloped single-track, sometimes steep and /or narrow. In most instances, only mountain bikes will be suitable. |
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| STILL UNDECIDED? Not sure which tour is best for you? Let’s talk about it. CALL 1-800-668-BIKE (2453) |
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The basic answer is that if your lifestyle includes some regular physical activity, you’re in good enough condition to do a bike tour. The daily distances are set to be comfortable for the average recreational rider, and the support vehicle is intended to make the tour enjoyable for any level of riding strength by providing an option if a particular day gets to be too long.
However, if you would like to do some preparation to make the tour that much more manageable and enjoyable, here are some suggestions:
-the best conditioning for cycling is cycling.-ride at least three times per week, building up to at least an hour per ride .
-for times when you can’t ride outside, try to arrange access to a stationary bike indoors.
-ride at a pace that feels like exertion (sweating and puffing a little)
-gear down until you can maintain a cadence (pedal speed) of at least 75 revolutions per minute.If you don’t have a bike computer that measures cadence, gear up until the pedaling feels heavy, then gear back down one gear so you can spin at a good pace. -if your tour will include hills, include hills in your conditioning rides. Practice shifting gears on the hills to maintain an even pedal speed as long as you can.-in the month before your tour, do at least two full day rides in addition to the half-hour rides.
-practice drinking water regularly as you ride to avoid dehydration.
-for change of pace and added power, exercises like squats,
box steps, quadricep and hamstring curls, and leg presses; or crosstraining with jogging
or a stairmaster can help.
-don’t overdo or obsess about it. Touring is meant to be
enjoyable!
Currency: How do you handle currency exchange? All
prices are quoted in Canadian dollars. Full exchange rates
applicable when each payment is made will be granted. At time of publication,
$1 CDN = $.85 US.
Taxes: Federal GST of 7% applies to all charges for Canadian guests. Visitors from outside Canada are charged only the 3.5% that applies, so no refund process is necessary.
What does the tour fee cover?
Accommodations: . All rates quoted are double
occupancy. If you come by yourself, we will assign you a roommate of the same gender if
available. Otherwise a single supplement fee applies. See the Partners Page for sharing
opportunities.
All Meals: We like to eat well, and we like our guests to do the same. Some meals are gourmet, and others are just nutritious, but you’ll never go hungry. Even between meals, you’ll find us by the side of the trail or road, offering a snack.
Van Transport: In cases where the tour is
not a circuit, the tour fee includes transportation back to the starting point. Exception
is the Total Mountain Madness Tour where return transport is the guest's
responsibility/
Equipment: Loaned helmets, water bottles, gelseat covers, handlebar bags - if you
want it, we try to provide it.
Tour Guidance and Support: Route maps and written directions, tour guides who bicycle with the group , and an accompanying van, are provided. The van carries your luggage, cool water and, when the weather dictates, hot drinks, along with a sumptuous picnic lunch when the weather allows that. The van is also equipped for minor bike repairs, and carries first aid supplies. Both the van and the tour guides are equipped with cellular phones(but we won’t take messages from your boss unless you want us to). Whatever we can do to help make your tour enjoyable - let us know!
Gratuities:Gratuities for the inns and the meals are paid by Canadian Trails. Normal tipping applies for any bar service you might encounter outside of mealtimes. Gratuities for tour staff are at your discretion. A rough industry guideline for tipping the guide crew would be 10% of the tour fee for satisfactory service on an inn-to-inn trip, and a somewhat higher percentage for excellent service and/or for the extra work involved in a camping trip. Your tip can be given to the senior guide for distribution among the crew.
Parking: parking is provided for your
vehicle at the inn or campground where your tour starts and ends, unless otherwise noted
in the tour description.
Camping: We provide tents, sleeping mats, and all cooking and eating equipment. We
do camp setup and takedown. we prepare meals and do cleanup. It's pampered camping :)
Group Discounts: Groups of five or more people making reservations together will receive a 5% discount on tour fees.
Welcome Back Discounts: If you have
toured with us before, we welcome you back with a 5% discount for each prior
tour.
Bike Club Discounts: If your club newsletter or website carried a
Canadian Trails promotion piece, you are eligible for a 10% discount.
Discounts can be combined to a maximum of
20%.
DEPOSITS AND CANCELLATIONS
What deposit is required to secure the reservation?
$250 per person for each tour.
$20 per bicycle rental per tour.
When is the full tour fee due?
Due 60 days prior to the start of the tour.
What if I have to cancel?
Travel insurance is included in your tour fee, and you are covered as soon as you register
and pay your deposit. If you cancel for almost any reason other than "I changed my
mind", full refund will be made through this insurance. See further details on the Travel Insurance page.
This insurance also covers refund of the unused portion of your tour fee if
cancellation during the tour is due to personal illness or injury or family emergency
(Policy terms govern coverage). Coverage for air fare can be added to this basic
coverage at very reasonable rates. Tell us the cost and cancellation terms of your airline
tickets and we can quickly quote the cost of insurance on that.
Can I transfer to another tour?
How do I get there?
Do I need a helmet ?
Helmet's are mandatory on Canadian Trails tours. Bring your own , or if it’s more
convenient we will supply one free of charge.
What weather should I expect?
We generally have great touring conditions. We schedule our tours tom meet the best
weather conditions in each area. However this is an outdoor activity and we’re
subject to weather variations. Each day’s ride proceeds regardless of weather, except
in the most extreme circumstances. Coping with weather conditions is part of the
adventure. And the van is always available to get you to the comforts of the next stop.
What kind of bicycles do you rent?
Check out all the specs at bicycles. They are solid
bikes!
Our tour routes are planned to avoid heavy and high speed vehicle traffic. We use primarily quiet paved county roads or off-road trails, and avoid peak season in tourist areas. It's been our experience that Canadian drivers are courteous and considerate with cyclists. The most important safety consideration in traffic is to ensure the visibility of the cyclist. We use safety flags on the bikes, and where traffic is heavier the support van trails the cycling group with caution lights and a warning sign to alert drivers to the presence of the tour group. Over many thousands of miles of touring, we have never had a traffic accident. Canadian Trails Tour Hosts are experienced road tourers and mountain bikers. They have CPR and first-aid certificates, and carry first aid equipment in the vans. The vans and the guides’ bikes both carry cellular phones. Warning: Prolonged exposure to outdoor adventure may cause happiness :)
Who is Canadian Trails?
Check us out at Meet The Crew.