Originally Posted by
dgasmd
I find it funny you mentioned the $2000 and 2 week trip because I came back from almost a month in Italy with the family and I quoted the same numbers to friends here if 3 or more of us went together just to ride. The only difference is
I wasn't talking about roughing it, but rather renting an apartment in a central location like Bormio, renting a car, and going to the rides from there. It is very doable and far more enjoyable in my mind than staying in a hotel and eating in restaurants 3 times a day. That gets old sooner than most think.
Add me to your list ( seriously
). I have been trying to get some people I know to go for 2 weeks next year and nobody has jump in yet. They all want to go, get all excited, day dream, but nobody wants to get their ass in gear. Put $50/week away from now until then and you have $2600 in a year. That is more than doable to anyone even with a low end income. It takes discipline and making that a priority, but unfortunately we are all too used to having the cake and eating it too.
About your trip. Fantastic pictures!
Although I have never taken an organized tour, and I am likely not to in the future due to personal preferences, I can see the serious benefits of it. Having done this once already solo in the French Alps and recently with my family in Italy,
I would say doing it on your own is simply the best way to go about it for many many reasons. Again, personal preference. Also, I found Italy to be far nicer than France, not only the scenery but the people, the language, food, and wine (hey, we need to hydrate, right?). The climbs are not as long as in France, but they are far more brutal in grade. And for someone like myself that does no climbing at all most of the year, it is a nice challenge, extremely difficult to train for, but a nice treat. It is all in planning ahead and knowing exactly what you want to get out of the trip, being realistic in that you will not be able to do as much as you think you will, and making some compromises. Planning does become far easier when you are spreading the expense with other people though.
I would love to be able to do the Maratona dles Dolomites at the end of a 2 week trip there, but realistically it is not likely to happen anytime soon. Other rides there, most definitely!!!
For most U.S. travelers, renting an apartment, driving your own car, assembling your own bike, taking trains, taking buses, cooking your own pasta, is roughing it.
Also, renting a car is very expensive and a total PITA (at least from my experience). I'll stick to trains and buses from now on. It's better to save the €1000 and use to for private Italian language lessons IMO.
If I were older, wiser, and/or had more financial resources, I'd only go on guided tours exclusively. The Hampsten Tour I went on was just really organized and well executed. I had trouble executing a trip for 3, although it was my first time trying to do something like this.
Originally Posted by
aham23
^^^^this is something we should explore for sure. perhaps in January we can talk. the trip has been on my radar since 2009. typically i would just pay the premium price for a tour (Hampsten) to ensure a successful trip. however, if i have planning partners and/or experienced Italy travelers i am game for doing our own thing. later.
If I had to choose, I'd go on the Hampsten trip, especially if I knew I had no support car. Assuming I am in good health, I will be in Bormio regardless of whether or not I go on the Hampsten trip. I'm really bummed that he is not going to be in the Alps next year but I know why he chose to stay in the Dolomites.
Whether or not I go on the Hampsten trip is largely dependent upon the size of the group. If it is something like 30+ people, I will probably
not go.