In October of 2009, the Silbersteins will travel on their 50th European biking adventure.

How did you first hear of Euro-Bike (now Austin-Lehman)?

We first heard about Euro-Bike 20 years ago through a friend. Interestingly enough, we didn’t really like our first trip. We chose Denmark, and it was windy and rainy the entire week. But we really liked the people, and the concept of a biking vacation. It’s much less expensive than trying to do it all on your own, and you really get what you pay for…so we gave it another shot. Our second trip was to Italy along the Roman Road, which we’ve now done three times.

What keeps you coming back to Euro-Bike?

The guides, and the personalized treatment. Our guides are always going out of their way – like the time on one of our trips after leaving Bordeaux, when a guest discovered they’d left some belongings back at the hotel…one of the guides drove all the way back to retrieve it. It’s that extra effort with everything they do that we appreciate the most. It’s the van that approaches just as you approach a big hill, asking if you need a lift. It’s the fresh water, fruit and snacks at every rest stop. It’s the fact that we know that at any time if we have a problem, all we have to do is call. Even before cell phones, guides would pop up just when you needed them.

EB guides also speak all of the local languages, which makes us feel safe, at ease. When you sit down at a café, there’s someone there to translate the menu. Our friends would always try to convince us to change outfitters, but we’ve stuck with Euro-Bike. Why change what’s not broken? We get catalogs from other companies and every year there are new faces throughout…but not for Euro-Bike. The same guides keep coming back, year after year. They do these trips over and over and over and know the hidden treasures, the good restaurants, the little nuances of every region. Some guides have been with Euro-Bike for 20 years!

Finally, Euro-Bike wouldn’t be what it is without Ron (owner/founder). He is so capable. We have become very close over the past 20 years. He reminds us of our older son who’s a pediatric neurosurgeon. Did you know he was born on the exact same day and year we were married? December 14, 1957. The stars were obviously aligned for all of us!

Why do you choose Euro-Bike over another outfitter, or traveling on your own?

We travel a lot on our own…but doing something like a bike trip…how could you possibly strike out on a path – even from point A to B – on a bike in a foreign country and not take into account what happens if you get into trouble? Where do you turn, who’s there to help you? What if you hit a detour? You need guidance when it comes to cycling. There’s a sense of comfort and professionalism that comes with traveling with Euro-Bike. These folks really know what they’re doing.

We love getting to know the other guests, as well. It’s so nice at the end of the day to sit down with other travelers and compare notes. Once we all got caught in a huge thunderstorm – at the end of they day we all sat around with a beer and talked about where we were when we got caught. Us? We were rescued by two Czech lumberjacks in a VW truck. Others were welcomed by a farmer who gave them coffee, cake and shelter in his home. Sharing experiences broadens your whole social outlook.

We love the flexibility of the trips, too. The mornings start with a briefing, highlighting which sites to see. We always have options: long, short, hilly, flat. Guides review where the pickup points are, and recommend places for lunch. There’s always the option to picnic with the group, or eat on your own. When you get to your next hotel, you check in. If you get there early, you sit by the pool, have a drink, get a massage. Everybody’s at their own pace. And we always have fun at the group dinners.

Finally, one word: luggage! Each morning, you simply leave your bags by the front door of hotel. It’s delivered for you, waiting for you in your room when you get to your next destination. Doesn’t get any better than that!

What was your favorite Euro-Bike trip?

Gosh that’s a tough question. Probably Provence, for the spectacular scenery and the great wine and food. We also loved Normandy, hiking in Switzerland…oh, and we can’t forget the trip to Spain when one of the guides by the name of Loek (Luke) hopped over a barrier in Pamplona at the San Fermin Festival, and actually ran with the bulls! It was a scene to be remembered, to say the least.

Anything else you’d like to add re: your experience traveling with Euro-Bike?

We should mention how wonderful the bikes are. They’re all 27-speed with lots of bells and whistles…odometers, bells, rear-view mirrors, cushy seats, front/rear bags/racks, so you can bring whatever you need. They’re very lightweight and the guides (all expert mechanics) at the beginning of the trip will fit/customize all of the bikes for each guest, to make sure we’re comfortable.

Al has traveled on nearly 20 European biking adventures.

How did you first hear of Euro-Bike (now Austin-Lehman)?

I was at a party with my friends Chuck and Judy Silberstein and they happened to be talking about an upcoming trip to the Dordogne – they invited me to join and I decided to tag along.

What keeps you coming back to Euro-Bike?

It’s simple – there’s no reason not to. I’ve always been satisfied – the guides, the service, the trips, the way things are planned. I have no desire to deal with another company. Plus, I’ve developed a relationship with Ron. I can ask him anything and he often joins us on our trips. He’s a great travel partner.

Why do you choose Euro-Bike over traveling on your own?

I love traveling to Europe and I love biking, but I’d never do it on my own! I’m not going to ship my bike over there, for one. EB provides routes, small trails, little places to stop along the way – everything is very well thought out and researched. You just don’t get that on your own.

What was your favorite Euro-Bike trip?

They’re all great! There hasn’t been one trip that I didn’t like. The Italian trips are probably my favorite, but really they’re all nice – there’s nothing not to enjoy. I love the flexibility. It’s not the army, you know – if you get tired, you call the van; if at lunch you have a couple of glasses of wine and decide you’ve had enough riding for one day, you call the van, go to hotel and sit by the pool. It’s a relaxing thing. There are always some on every trip who like to bike every mile, and some who don’t. The flexibility is great. I bike with Chuck and Judy most of the time.

Ken Lyons has travel with Austin-Lehman on over 20 separate adventures.

How did you first hear of Austin-Lehman Adventures?

I heard about ALA from an old boss who knew I loved anything to do with the outdoors.  His sister had gone on a trip with ALA (then Backcountry) and she said it was the best vacation she’d ever taken. I called to request a catalog and as soon as it arrived, my mind began racing…where to go first? The tee shirt they give you on the trip reads, “The toughest part is going home.” Picking a destination is the second toughest part! After much deliberation, I chose Glacier National Park.

What keeps you coming back to ALA?

First, it’s the wonderful destinations. We have some nice areas to explore on the east coast but as a child, I remember seeing pictures of the “great West” through a viewfinder. The seed was planted and I knew as soon as I had the opportunity, I would someday visit those places. When I received my first ALA catalogue, I scanned it with great excitement. My first Glacier trip included all the things I loved to do: hiking, biking, white water rafting and horseback riding, and was all that I could have asked for and more.

Second, I like ALA’s 6:1 guest-to-guide ratio and small group size tremendously. With only 10-12 guests on each trip, you really have a chance to get to know the folks you travel with. I’ve kept in touch with several ALA alumni. In fact, on my second trip to Bryce/Zion National Parks, I met a couple from New Jersey who have become good friends. We’ve done three trips together since and we go hiking back east together whenever we get the chance.

With a small guest-to-guide ratio, ALA guides tailor each trip so everyone has a great experience. I like to see as much as I can in a week, so I’m always given options to explore (even if other guests don’t want to). Guides are also happy to provide options for guests who want to take it easy for the day. This opportunity to push yourself as much or as little as you want to really makes for the perfect vacation.

The Adventurer’s Club is another reason to come back to ALA. The perks are great (First Ascent trips, special gifts, etc.).

Accommodations are great as well. Always interesting. I find them to be anywhere from rustic and charming to posh. Dinners are always memorable, sharing the day’s experience with the guides and guests before getting into wide ranging conversations.

Lastly, booking a trip is easy! The office is very helpful if questions arise. ALA puts me at ease right from the beginning with an in-depth knowledge of the travel industry and the destinations they offer. One year, a trip was cancelled due to forest fires in the Yellowstone/Big Sky area. ALA offered to send us on a Glacier trip a week later. I couldn’t get to Bozeman until noon on Sunday, the day the trip started. ALA made special arrangements to get me to Glacier. Needless to say, I had a great time, and even managed to earn an ALA nickname. My friends, Jim and Marg Simpson were on that trip. On the early hike on Sunday (which I missed), Jim made it sound like I was like six foot five inches tall and weighed about 280 pounds. When I met the group, they had already dubbed me “Crusher” – and even though I am only five feet seven inches tall and weigh about 142 pounds, the name stuck!

Why do you choose ALA over traveling on your own?

Largely because of the guides. I’m a big backpacker and I can tell you there’s a big difference between traveling on your own and with a guide. In the last two years I’ve backpacked the Wonderland Trail (a 92 mile trail that goes around Mount Rainier in Washington) and the Land of Enchantments in the Central Cascade Mountains of Washington. Backpacking is pretty strenuous and it entails sleeping in a tent and eating freeze-dried food. There is a lot of planning that goes into those trips…things like getting permits, securing rental cars, buying equipment (like gas canisters that you already have but can’t bring on an airplane). ALA provides me an opportunity to learn, explore, try new things and then come back to a nice room, great food and great company. You can’t beat that.  I can’t think of any need that didn’t get met on any of my trips.

Also, all ALA trips are all pre-scouted and they include visits to lesser-known areas – often just as magnificent if not more so than the better-known touristy spots. Traveling with ALA allows you to experience with more solitude and beauty, to enjoy each region in a more pristine setting. ALA guides are all accomplished people who enjoy what they do tremendously. Their knowledge of the area, enthusiasm, energy and personality really make ALA trips special. They are always prepared for any situation, which is reassuring. ALA will also often bring in local experts to share their expertise with guests, which also adds to the whole experience.

What was your favorite ALA trip?

I get asked that question frequently on trips, especially when other guests find out that I’ve been on so many ALA adventures. My answer is always the trip that I’m on right now! The point is, I really can’t choose a favorite. A flood of memories come back to me when I think of where I have been, people I have met, guides who I admire for their multi-faceted abilities. That said, I thought I’d share a few of my most memorable experiences:

Glacier National Park

One of my favorite parts of this trip was my roommate, Ted, a fun loving guy from Philadelphia. We hit it off so quickly that other guests thought we were long time friends. My favorite activity was our bike ride along the “Going to the Sun” Road. There was very little traffic at seven in the morning when we set off and the temperature was comfortably cool. I felt like a young child with enormous energy and enthusiasm. It was the first time ever on a bicycle that I couldn’t tell whether the road was level, uphill or downhill. I simply charge on, changing gears based on whether pedaling got easier or harder.

The next day we rode horseback into the wilderness alongside some local cowboys. The flowers in Glacier were in full bloom and it was spectacular to see. A guest asked what kind of flowers some of them were. The head cowboy looked real serious as he pointed to the ground and said “Them there is wildflowers.” Everyone nearly fell off their horses laughing because the ALA guides could recite the common name, family name and often genus of each of the flowers we stumbled across, without batting an eyelash!

Bryce/Zion

I have a fear of heights, so I was reluctant on this trip to make the hike to Angel’s Landing. Annie, our guide, gently encouraged me to try it, ensuring that if I became uncomfortable with the 1,300 drop, I could turn around. I made it to Angel’s Landing and I can’t tell you how exhilarating it felt to have overcome my fear. On the switchbacks on our decent, I was singing rather loudly with a bounce in my step and smile on my face.

I’ll also never forget our hike into the Narrows of the Virgin River on my last day. Some outdoor magazines have stated that this is the best hike in America, and rightfully so. You just have to see it to believe it.

Where are you headed next?

I will be on the Yellowstone trip starting on September 13^th.  I spent a few days in Yellowstone on the Big Sky/Yellowstone/Paradise Valley trip five years ago and have been dying to get back since. It is an amazing place with all the geothermal activity, wildlife and forest regeneration (forest fires burned over 700,000 acres of the park in 1988).

Anything else you’d like to ad?

What I really enjoy about multi-sport vacations is that they enable me to see great destinations in different ways. To float down a river on raft and experience white water from a wide river narrowing into a gorge gives you a whole different experience than say, a hike to a summit to look down on a glacier fed lake. I get a different sense and perspective of places by doing it differently each day. ALA guides scout out each destination and find places of interest that are relatively unknown and away from the crowds…and then they figure out the most fun, rewarding way to experience them – be it on foot or by bike, raft or horseback. Simply put, there’s just no better way to travel!

Family vacations always involve a lot of taking. We take plane trips and tons of pictures. We take excursions and take in all the sights.

Taking a family vacation to an interesting destination is exciting, but it’s often more rewarding when we give back as well. As my mother always said, “It’s better to give than receive.”

Traveling with a purpose adds meaning to trips, provides opportunities for personal development, and offers new perspectives and real-life insights about the world around us. Many families would like to help others when they travel, but don’t have the time or money to take a separate vacation focused exclusively on volunteer travel. Doing good while on vacation is easy, you just have to know where to look. Our family has made giving back an integral part of many of our vacations in the Caribbean, Mexico and Central America, and these unique experiences have often been one of the most memorable parts of our trips.

Giving back on your next family vacation requires a little pre-trip planning, but the rewards are well worth the effort. Just bring along a backpack of school supplies or take some extra clothes in your suitcase when you go on a cruise or travel to a resort location. There are schools and orphanages that desperately need your help in many locations throughout the world. Just make sure to check out the customs laws for the countries you will be visiting to see what is permissible to bring. Detailed information on country customs requirements is available on the U.S. State Department website.

Numerous resorts and cruise ports in the Caribbean, Mexico and Central America are located near schools, orphanages and other community organizations that urgently need in-kind donations of school supplies, books, clothing, shoes, and other personal items. Some resorts, such as Casa de Campo, Barceló Punta Cana and the Sun Village Resorts in the Dominican Republic, have established formal volunteer and in-kind donation programs to support organizations in their areas. Still others have established U.S. non-profit funds to support their local communities, such as the Old Road Fund at Curtain Bluff in Antigua. At many resorts, informed concierges may help you achieve your goals. If you are vacationing at a resort and would like to make a difference while in the area, see the related article on helping others on resort vacations for detailed tips and suggestions.

Cruise vacations are some of the easiest vacations to combine with giving back, as independent shore excursions can often make a stop at a school or orphanage along the way. In some ports such as Cozumel, a number of attractions and beach clubs serve as convenient drop-off points for donations of school supplies for local charities. In other locations, a few organizations will come to the cruise port to pick up items. In Jamaica and the Dominican Republic, the interest in social responsibility and giving back has become so significant that local tour operators have added pages on their websites to provide detailed information on giving back to local schools and other organizations. See our article on helping others on cruise vacations for tips on combining cruise vacations with giving back to others.

If you are going on vacation to the Caribbean, Mexico or Central America and would like to make a difference, take a look at the country links on the right-hand sidebar of this article to locate just a few of the many organizations that can use your help. Through our research, the Family Travel Network has located schools, orphanages, charities and organizations that welcome in-kind donations to assist in their endeavors. A number of these organizations have been visited. In many cases, we have relied on the information provided by volunteers, directors, and other individuals involved with these groups and we do not guarantee the completeness or accuracy of the information provided. We encourage you to use the information you find here as a starting point for doing your own independent research on these organizations and determining which, if any, you would like to help on your travels.

Nancy Schretter is the Managing Editor at Family Travel Network
www.familytravelnetwork.com

Today is the final day of our trip. Our guests decided to opt out of our planned hike for the morning, due to soggy conditions. However, they were able to indulge in spa treatments from the on-site day spa here at Chico Resort. The kids also enjoyed the hot spring pool one final time, as well as a couple of rousing games of shuffleboard and pool.

The trip has been exciting and action packed and it’s sad to see it come to an end. I’ve formed some great relationships with our guides and guests and hopefully we’ll be able to keep in touch. Matty K. was an outstanding guide and excellent “facilitator of fun”. His knowledge of the area was remarkable and his interaction with the guests was uncanny. I was able to learn a lot about Montana and Yellowstone Park, but I think my greatest lesson learned was that on an ALA trip, you’ll never have to worry about being bored or going hungry.