At Pure Adventures we are so lucky to have bike rental connections all over the world, who supply our clients with top quality bikes perfect for the diverse tours that we offer.

However, if you just can’t bring yourself to leave your bike at home, here are some excellent infographics by the folks over at Yellow Jersey  that display bike luggage charges from one end of the planet to the other.

Which will you choose after crunching the numbers?

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We would love to reward you for referrals! If you’ve been on at least 1 trip in the last 10 years with Pure Adventures, you can earn $50 per person referred and booked. Simply use the Contact Us form on our website to submit each referral with their contact info. From this we will keep track of your bank!

Get excited – spread the word & get free money towards your next Pure Adventures experience!

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Did you know that Pure Adventures has added a new 8 day self-guided cycling Switzerland vacation to our list of European cycling tours? The Geneva to Interlaken tour features a fabulous ride from glitzy Geneva around gorgeous Lake Geneva/Lac Leman to Lausanne and then through the green valleys between majestic peaks to Interlaken! Typical Swiss charm and ambiance throughout; you choose your travel dates! With a finish in Interlaken, you get the chance to arrive in one of the most picturesque alpine settings anywhere. The riding on this tour is moderate and accessible to lots of people and for those seeking a few extra challenges, they exist! We include a selection of typical Swiss style chalets and lodges and give you some excellent rides to make this journey the most enjoyable it can be! This bicycle tour of Switzerland has a relatively short season from May through October with the best months from June-September.

With Interlaken, Switzerland being your final destination on the Geneva to Interlaken self-guided cycling tour, we made sure to give you a full day off to explore this outdoor adventurer’s playground. Thrilling activities are too numerous to mention in just one blog post, so keep coming back to learn about all the fantastic ways to be active in the outdoors in Interlaken.

This week we take a look at 5 free-fall adventures in Interlaken. Do you have what it takes to try any of these?

Skydiving

Jumping out of a perfectly sound airplane from a height of up to 4600m. Parachutes are self-inflating.

Helicopter jumping

Similar to sky diving, but your adventure includes a helicopter flight to closer to Switzerland’s famous mountain peaks and jump heights tend to be lower than skydiving (if you consider 4000m to be low!). Tandem jumps are an option.

Hang gliding

No experience required to go hang gliding in Interlaken. A few running steps off of a tall building and away you go for your 25 minute adventure. Hang Gliding Interlaken offers customized flights depending on your preferences, boasts eco-friendly business practices and jump heights up to 2970m.

Bungee jumping

Bungee jump into glacier gorges or towards a pristine mountain lake from up to 150m – bungee jumping in Interlaken is perfect for thrill seekers. If free falling isn’t on your bucket list, but an adrenaline charged vacation is, try bungee jumping.

Canyon jumping

With the assurance to a zipline or rappelling harness tethering you to Interlaken’s mystical gorges and canyons, canyon jumping from heights up to 85m is the perfect adventure for travellers who want to keep their feet closer to the ground.

Be sure to visit our friends at Interlaken Tourism offices for recommendations on local outfitters as well as activity times, costs, etc. Or visit their site in advance: www.interlaken.ch

* Note that these are excursions not sold by Pure Adventures. Be sure to read all tour operator guidelines before booking your excursion, book only with reputable businesses and ensure that you are physically fit enough for the excursion you choose. This blog post provides an overview of the adventures available and is not an endorsement.

Featured image source: Interlaken Tourism

The post 5 crazy things to try on your day off in Interlaken appeared first on Pure Adventures.

As Europe’s active travel leader, Pure Adventures Self Guided Travel is excited to announce two new-for-2013 itineraries in Switzerland.

The first is a guided opportunity for a maximum of 20 VIP guests who will partake of the festivities surrounding Tour de Suisse (Switzerland), a less-frenzied event than Tour de France but, according to Loren Siekman, founder of Pure Adventures, “more accessible and equally exciting.”

Watch behind the scenes footage from a Tour De Suisse tour!

Tour de Suisse (Switzerland) 2013 wraps around the June 8-16 race itself with the guided tour June 9-15. Pure Adventures has an exclusive partnership with Bike Switzerland to be the only VIP Operator to the Tour de Suisse for 2013 and it is the exclusive partner in North America for this professional UCI event considered the last important warm up to the Tour de France.

The per person double rate of 3200 CHF (Swiss Francs – approx $3,480 USD) includes six nights lodging, all breakfasts and lunches, five dinners, cell phones, GPS, maps, professional Swiss guides, luggage transfers, van support, train transfers and bicycle transfers during TdS program, exclusive VIP pass and access benefits and use of a new BMC Racing bike for rent.

This tour begins in Interlaken, with a tough ascent up Grosse Scheidegg (1,962 m) enroute to Meiringen and the Tour de Suisse VIP tent to watch riders cross the finish line. On day three is a boat ride across Brienz to begin a Brunig pass climb of 67 km enroute to Lucerne. Day four witnesses from the roadside contenders hauling themselves over the hills between Lucerne and Leuggern. Day five covers 80 km on car-free bike paths enroute to Meilen in time for the finish and festivities.

Guests will have easy access to the team buses, mechanic stations and former Swiss pros. Local celebrities such as Beat Zberg (Swiss National Champion) and Alex Zulle are just a few of the riders guests may meet in the VIP tent. On day six guests return by train to Meilin and a last pass by bike on a Swiss mountain before departure on day seven. This tour challenges with lots of climbing including some big mountain climbing of category 1 and HC category routes. Guests cycle on average 80 km over four hours a day.

Pure Adventures’ second new tour in Switzerland is a self-guided cycling program from Geneva to Interlaken.

The May through October, self-guided, eight-day tour travels from Geneva to Interlaken. Pure Adventures developed this trip with emphasis on local expertise and employed the famous Swiss national cycling routes. In Geneva, where the cycling tour starts, travelers get fitted up at a local bike shop with late-model BMC hybrids and road bikes for use throughout. Among the destinations are Lausanne, Lac Leman for a boat trip, Montreux and wine country, Bulle (the entire old town is a Swiss National Heritage Site), Gruyeres and Gstaad in the Bernese Alps.

The per person double rate of 1780 CHF (Swiss Francs) includes seven nights lodging, daily breakfast, one dinner, arrival orientation, bike set up, GPSnavigation, route book with maps and cue sheets with notes about sites and recommendations along the way, bike rental return handling by train from Interlaken, emergency support during riding hours, and all luggage transfers between hotels.

Photo Credits: Tour de Suisse and Bike Switzerland

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