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A One Week Bike Trip in Holland

Preparations

Planning for this 1998 bike trip started with choosing where and when to go. I had expiring frequent flyer miles that had to be used, or lost, and had a desire to return to Europe. So, in 1997, almost a year before the trip, I started searching the web for information on possible places to bike for a week. Based on my research (see some of the sites listed below), I chose Holland because 1)it was flat, and I'm no spring chicken, 2)English was almost universally spoken, and 3)Holland was reported to have an extensive bike trail/pathway system for roadies like me.

When to go was the next decision. I picked the last week in May of 1998 since it included a holiday (which meant less vacation time I had to use), it was, based on historical data, less rainy at that time of the year, the temperatures were reasonably warm, it was less crowded, and it was close to the Vernal Equinox, giving more daylight hours. The downside was that I would probably miss most, if not all, of the tulip season.

To take my bike or rent one at my destination was another choice I agonized over. I contacted, via fax and phone, several rental places in Amsterdam, and United Airlines about baggage allowances. United said that transporting the bike would cost $60 each way [Note: I was told by one United representative that the Amsterdam flights are big money makers, since they fly back with their holds full of flowers - maybe they don't want anything that would subtract from that cargo space?]

The only place in Amsterdam I found that rented "touring" or more than 3-speed bikes was MacBike. They faxed me a picture of that type of bike, with upright handlebars, 21 speeds, 28-inch tires, a rear pannier rack, lock, bell, etc. that didn't look too bad. I eventually decided that renting this bike was cheaper and easier than hauling my road bike over to Holland, and reserved one (later two.)

The internet also gave me information on what to bring/pack. I picked up some mountain bike shoes that would hopefully be better than tennis shoes for cycling, yet be good for walking when sightseeing. Instead of bike shorts, I opted for padded briefs that could be easily washed, and pants where the legs could be zipped off if the days were warm. My shirts were of the mountain bike type, and I took a Polartec jacket with a light nylon windbreaker, and of course a rain suit.

Besides the personal stuff, I took a camera, with case, filters, etc. that proved to be overkill - I should have taken just a simple point-and-shoot. I think it would have done as well, and weighed a lot less. I also took a heavy U-lock for the bike after reading all the stories about bike theft in Amsterdam. The stories may be true, but the bike was always left in a storage shed at the hostel while in Amsterdam, and theft never seemed to be a big worry with people outside of the city, assuming a reasonable amount of care. I also took sheets and pillow cases after reading that many hostels charge for renting them for a night.

The obvious question remained - how to carry all this stuff. Using the web again, I found a place in Canada, Brule Mt. Gear, that made large panniers that could double as a backpack. This seemed useful, since I thought that I might be carrying the pack in train stations, airports, possibly even while sightseeing. After trading e-mails, I bought the pack (using some coins I had left over from a trip to Canada) which turned out to be as advertised, and seemingly well made. However, it turned out I never used it as a backpack - I stuffed the panniers in an army-surplus duffel bag which was lockable and had carrying straps of its own.

Now to find places to stay. Since I had decided beforehand that this trip would involve minimal cost and new experiences I opted to try to stay in hostels. I obtained a Hostelling International membership card, and gathered information on various hostels in Amsterdam and in Holland in general. As a backup, I also looked at some hotels in Amsterdam for the first nights stay. By the time I tried to make reservations, a couple of months before departure, my first choice, the Flying Pig hostel, was booked, so I went with my second choice, the hostel at Vondel Park (both of these hostels are close to major museums.) I made reservations for my arrival night, one following night and night before departure from Amsterdam. I planned to find places to stay on the other nights as I went.

I had asked my son, Matt, if he wanted to go with me, and after thinking it over, he agreed to join me. I went ahead and made duplicate reservations - plane, hostel and bike- for him, but as I found out later I should have added him to my United itinerary rather than booking as if he was traveling alone (see Day 8 - To Schiphol and the US.)

One final note on preparation: I found using earplugs and night shades really helped me get some rest on the airplane. I also took an antihistamine before departure from Washington D.C., which made me drowsy, but the effect didn't last all that long. From previous trips I found taking Melatonin had no noticeable effect in helping my body rhythms adjust to a new schedule, but I may not have been taking it at the right time.

I tried to give an idea of costs involved in such a trip, and have include the prices that we paid for various items. At the time, the US dollar was worth two Dutch guilders (f), so divide by two to convert to US dollars.

The two most common used acronyms are VVV and ANWB. The VVV is the local tourist board office where one can, in addition to maps, make reservations at hotels, etc. The ANWB also has tourist information and maps. I bought some Michelin maps before I left, but the scale (1:250,000) was much too large for anything but the most general route planning. The ANWB/VVV maps, at a scale of 1:100,000, were much better, but the best were the 1:50,000 maps, sold in many bookstores.

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