Originally Posted by
Scotty0424
Lots of thoughts and ideas here. That's why I asked. But, in general, I'm all for going it alone. Tours are expensive - most use B&Bs and inns and that drives up the price. And true, the planning done for you, but it's somebody else's plan, and there are limited options for deviation. I prefer to go alone. Getting stuck with people who are annoyances or ego freaks is the worst. There are some exotic tours I'd consider, but I probably couldn't afford them anyway. If I'm going to ride the GAP or Erie Canal, I'll do it alone. But that's not to say I wouldn't enjoy meeting up with youse somewhere on the trail. Thanks everybody for your thoughts!
don't know if you have ever done any bike touring before, why don't you elaborate. On your own certainly is the cheapest way to go, which is why I'm sure why probably all of us started out this way, plus you can choose how far you want to go depending on how you are feeling.
I've only done the French Canadian Velo Quebec supported trips (sleeping in our tent) , but like I said, only because my wife was keen on it due to her needing to feel shepherded. Also, these trips were waaaaay less expensive than most I have read about. I can't really fathom the costs of some of them.
Even when I was starting out touring, even with trips to Europe, once the flight was paid, camping and eating store bought food was pretty much the same cost as being at home, almost, so easy to do multi week trips even on a lowish budget.