Slovenia has been gaining a lot of attention in the press lately, and with good reason. In recent years, Slovenia has hosted hundreds of journalists to discover all that they have to offer, with millions of euros dedicated to growing and supporting a sustainable tourism program. In addition to jaw-dropping landscapes, Slovenia’s highlights include a world-class wine and food culture and numerous boutique hotels that are internationally green certified — designations earned as sustainable destinations and responsible-travel stewards. So, not only is Slovenia a country with literally everything you could hope to see and experience on a self-guided bike tour and vacation, but it’s also leading the way with its environmentally-rooted tourism efforts. Now that’s something to feel good about!

But here’s why we love Slovenia…

In just one vacation, you can travel from Dolomites-like high-alpine landscapes in the Julian Alpes, to the “Tuscany of Slovenia,” with vineyards and delicious wines, finishing at the sparkling Adriatic Sea. Can you imagine? It’s literally all of the best landscapes in one trip! Well, our Self-Guided Bike Tour in Slovenia does just that, ticking all of the boxes for your Slovenia dream trip!
Click here to learn more, or keep reading!

Slovenia Self-Guided Bike Tour
Alpes to Wine Country to the Sea – 8 Days

Slovenia Self-Guided Bike Tour: Experience Slovenia in a way like no other – cycle from the Julian Alpes to Slovenia’s Tuscany to the Mediterranean Sea, visiting lakes and cycling alongside gently-flowing rivers. Slovenia is one of Europe’s most exquisite hidden treasures. Thanks to its sustainable tourism, perfectly-preserved landmarks, Michelin-starred restaurants, and world-class wine, Slovenia is emerging as one of the top bucket-list holiday destinations, per recent features in Nat Geo, Forbes, Lonely Planet, and Condé Nast. Anyone who wants a taste of Europe’s natural beauty only needs to visit Slovenia to see how it exceeds all expectations. Known to be the third most forested area in Europe, it is a mixture of heavily forested landscapes juxtaposed with rolling, cultured hills, which creates a country of lush greenery. Among the greenery, the adventuring cyclist will also enjoy staying in Ljubljana, seeing castles, vineyards, lakes, and rivers, that would rival any “top” European destination. One of our most highly-rated destinations, this self-guided bike tour through Slovenia was rated the best trip winner by Active Times in 2014. From the Slovenian Alpes to the shores of the Adriatic, you won’t want to miss this handcrafted self-guided Slovenia bike tour – only with Pure Adventures!
Click here for the full Slovenia Self-Guided Bike Tour itinerary.

Have more time?

• We recommend adding extra days in any or all of the stops along the route: Bled, Bohinj, Brda, and Piran, especially!
• Istria extension options exist; please inquire!

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“My husband and I have done 3 self-guided tours (Cordoba-Granada, Puglia, and Normandy) and we convinced another couple to join us for 2 of them. We’re now planning 3 more! Every trip was perfect beyond expectations – great routes, charming hotels, excellent staff support both before and during the trips. It’s honestly the only time in my life that I feel 100% care free. Riding a bike all day with friends and then ending at a lovely spot where your bags are waiting – there’s nothing like it. That little voice in the back of your head, constantly reminding you of things you have to do, simply stops. If I’m not ON a ride, I’ll be planning the next one.”

~ John and Sue B., Aspen, Colorado

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Many of you have probably never heard of the Roaring Fork Valley. To be honest, until I moved here 12 years ago, neither had I. I can remember the exact moment I arrived in the valley. I’d been living in Denver and was familiar with the many nearby ski areas such as Breck, Vail, A-Basin, etc.; these are all located off of the beast of a highway known as I-70. When I turned off that highway and started winding my way up towards Aspen, it was then that I had a real Aha moment. So these are the mountains, I thought to myself. I was in complete awe; I may have even been drooling. I watched the sparkling Roaring Fork River as it followed me through canyons and valleys until I finally arrived at the small town of Aspen. It was June 21, 2008, and summer was in full swing. Everything was bright green, with rainbow-colored wildflowers blooming everywhere I looked, snow-capped mountains greeting me in the distance, and all of this was set against the perfect backdrop of a typical Colorado “bluebird sky.”

Twelve years later and I’m still here. I’ll admit, I’m completely hooked. We have a saying here: “You come for the winters but you stay for the summers.” This couldn’t be more spot on. The activities are endless, and I’ve grown to love them all. Hiking and mountain biking on miles of trails, road biking, the Rio Grande bike path, kayaking, SUP’ing, whitewater rafting, rock climbing, camping, wildflowers, golden fall leaves, fly fishing, diverse wildlife – bear, moose & elk, free Snowmass concerts, rodeos, culture & arts…it’s endless! Not to mention, the weather in summer is perfectly divine. Imagine summer temperatures where the hottest day is 88 degrees, but most days you’re sitting in the low to mid-80’s. Evening temperatures are typically in the 50’s and 60’s. The air is dry, not humid, so you won’t find mosquitoes up here. And by up, I mean the fact that we sit at an altitude: of 8,000+ ft. For those of you looking to do a little high-altitude cycling training, you’ve come to the right place. There’s a reason that Lance Armstrong and so many other athletes choose to make this place their home.

And sure, Aspen is known for its celebrities, glam, and swankiness, but that’s not what this area really is. For us locals, it’s the Roaring Fork Valley. It’s two perfect playgrounds consisting of two adjacent villages: Aspen and Snowmass Village. Here, you have access to nature at its finest, located conveniently outside your doorstep. Here, the evening skies sparkle with stars that only when you leave the valley, do you take for granted. Here, nature offers you everything.

So as I share this with you, things are slowly beginning to open and COVID-19 restrictions are being lifted. I would like to personally invite you to escape to the Roaring Fork Valley this summer/fall. Take a look at our Aspen Snowmass self-guided bike tour, family-friendly multi-sport tour, hut to hut hiking tour, or even a guided bike tour. Summer through fall is the perfect time to be out here. With the most amazing resources at hand and our local expertise, we can design the perfect Aspen Snowmass getaway for you. Getting away this summer or fall might still seem like a dream but maybe, just maybe, it can become a reality. Let us hope!

Local Resources:  https://www.gosnowmass.com/

https://www.aspenchamber.org/

https://www.rfta.com/trail-information/ – trail info and free transit info

The post My Colorado: The Real Aspen & Snowmass – The Roaring Fork Valley appeared first on Pure Adventures.

Self-guided travel after covid: Today we received a bit of good news and confirmation, in an e-newsletter from our industry peers at the Travel & Adventure Show group. This indicated that self guided travel will be the most sought after type of travel when people return to travel in the post COVID-19 era. As we have specialized and focused on self guided bike tours and self guided hiking tours for over 25 years, that is great news for us! And it makes sense, of course. When you think about the exact opposite of self-guided travel, it is something like a cruise ship, which has come to symbolize virus and transmission of illnesses. While small group travel also shows to be appealing to some, we know that any type of travel will be some time in coming.

From a survey by the Travel & Adventure Show group:

• 1700 people who have attended these shows and are identified as “Travel Enthusiasts”; Over Half will Still Travel in 2020
• Over 56% stated they would not make changes to their current travel plans for 2020 (24.7%) or are re-booking for later in 2020 (31.5%).
• In reference to what types of travel options will they be looking for in the future, approximately 60% are planning on both self-managed international and domestic vacations.

The hard to read text is:

• Small Group International
• Small Group Domestic
• Self Managed Domestic
• Self Managed International
• Cruise
• Other

The gold/yellow (3rd)  and turquoise/aqua (4th) colored bars are showing interest in self guided travel. As it is called here, ‘self managed’, we take it to mean the same as self guided travel. This is a huge jump in a way of traveling that was virtually unknown when we first started selling self guided bike tours in the late 90’s. If you are not familiar with self guided travel, have a look at that link which describes it in detail. But in brief, a self guided trip is kind what it sounds like – travel without a guide. You are the pseudo guide and you manage your day to day itinerary. This is about the only common denominator because after that, you can find all kinds of self guided offers, which vary greatly from one another.

Pure Adventures has been offering upscale and customizable self guided adventures as hallmark and with a unique market position for 20 years. We know better than anyone how this works. But important to note, there are many more stripped down versions out there, where few services are included, thus bringing down the price. In turn, this increases the amount of work that the traveler must manage. Regardless, more people will come to experience self guided in the new travel environment and this is good not just for us tour specialists but also, for many others.

New destinations where there are fewer crowds will be sought after, which will bring more awareness of many amazing travel-worthy destinations. Money will flow into these lesser known destinations and create new micro economic opportunities. Self guided travel puts travelers in direct contact with local people – typically a good thing in normal times, as travel is meant to create learning, understanding, and culture exchange. Self guided travel is less expensive, leaving room for possibly more trips or more spending in destination, or both. Self guided travel also levels the playing field for local services and outfitters, to supply travelers with experiences that they find on their own.

As all self guided adventures are not created equal or meant to be the same, it is important for a traveler to ask questions, compare what is included, and evaluate the service provider. Do you want to do it all yourself? If so, you can and just make arrangements directly with in destination services. If you want some help but wish to retain certain things for your own effort, there are companies who sell slimmer versions of a trip for more DIY travel. Lastly, there are all inclusive self guided trips, where you can leave all of the logistics of organization up to the tour company. Then, all you have to do is show up and enjoy your time as you like each day, just you and your traveling party, the people you know.

Self guided travel typically keeps you in your own private party – alone, as a couple, as a family, or as a small group of friends – always the people you know. This level of limited exposure is what is attracting people most to self guided, as they think about travel in the post COVID-19 era. We are ready and waiting, and we hope the be a leader in helping people return to travel when they are ready!

(Photo credit Mads Pihl & Visit Greenland)

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Is it too soon?  Here, at my desk in my home office, I hear the landscapers at the neighboring homes running leaf blowers and chain saws, and I hear the construction of home improvements in the neighborhood. I see the delivery vans going by. In a way, it seems that some things haven’t changed. But, here in the business of travel, much has changed, and we know that as of this writing we have a long way to go still.

Here is what we are wondering:

Will the cruise industry and smaller versions of cruising come back?   

Will group travel be interesting or will the idea of being in close quarters with people you don’t know be an undesirable experience?

How about airplanes and hotels, or any kind of small lodging experience?

We are thinking that everyone who is cooped up at home and without financial stress, will want to return to some form of travel experiences as soon as possible.  But, what we expect is that many travelers will take to short haul destinations and limit exposure in airplanes, boats, and many other group environments. International travel may take a little longer to come back. This is only a perception at this point, but it is based on customer comments and on travel industry commentary and surveys.  Frankly, the media will drive perception of risk in travel, and as tourism is so important to so many economies, we can be sure to see some propaganda.

Here is the result of a survey shared with us from the Adventure Travel Shows: “More than 60% of travelers said they haven’t yet adjusted their summer vacation plans due to the COVID-19 outbreak. As for the milestone that would trigger them to travel again, nearly half stated a decline in COVID-19 cases or a lifting of shelter in place order. Only 9% would wait for a vaccine for COVID-19 to travel again.”   This is fairly close to our observations as well.  So much can change however.

We have been in touch with our local partners in hard-hit destinations like Italy, and we are hearing about new procedures for hotel cleaning and the overall hotel experience.  Examples include having breakfast in your room (instead of a buffet style dining room), limited front desk access (1 customer at a time), and front desks with protective glass between the staff and customers.  If this is the way forward and the new hotel/lodging experience is going to be like this, I think the travel experience is going to change somewhat.

We at Pure Adventures have always been focused on Self Guided Adventures and Private Guided Adventures. As such, we think we are well positioned for the return to travel when it comes. We expect and are preparing for more private experiences. Anyone not interested in being in a group setting with strangers but eager to travel, should find comfort in our formula. Saying that, it is important to add that while not being with a group of strangers on a fixed agenda is great, it would be a shame not to mix and interact with locals wherever you go. Travel is for us, about experiencing the destination which includes the culture, traditions, and the people. Visiting sites is great, but meeting locals is wonderful, too.

Do you have thoughts about this, how will you go back to traveling?

Here are some articles that have been shared with us:

Forbes – Where do we go from here?

Going Places in Time of Pandemic…

April 23, 2020 – some new information shared with us today by the Travel & Adventure Show group

From a survey of 1700 people who have attended these shows and are identified as “Travel Enthusiasts”; Over Half will Still Travel in 2020

over 56% stated they would not make changes to their current travel plans for 2020 (24.7%) or are re-booking for later in 2020 (31.5%).

In reference to what types of travel options will they be looking for in the future, approximately 60% are planning on both self-managed international and domestic vacations.

The hard to read text is:

Small Group International
Small Group Domestic
Self Managed domestic,
Self Managed International,
Cruise
and other

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