PRE-TRIP PLANNING

We know! we know! you are incredibly excited to come to Taiwan and the day of your flight can´t come quickly enough but, before you leave for the vacation of your dreams there is a lot you need to do first. You need to take care of your health, your family and friends, pets, plants, equipment and more. But worry not, we have prepared a quick, handy guide that will take you through the most important steps.

LIFE BACK HOME

If you have pets it is good to ask a friend to take care of them, or if you have the luck of having a pet hotel nearby maybe even book their stay there while you are away (be sure to check reviews and recommendations before entrusting your beloved pets to someone else).The same goes for plants, ask a friend to water them regularly while you are away.

Make sure your family and close ones know where you´re going and even share your itinerary with them once we share it with the group, that way they´ll be able to keep track of you as you move around the country and different hotels. If you have designated someone as your emergency contact please notify them and give them clear instructions on how they want to proceed if an emergency arises.

This one is a no brainer but, notify your boss that you will be going away for a week or more and do the same for your clients if you are an independent worker. You don´t want your client base shifting to someone else because they thought you had closed shop without warning. If you have a database be sure to send your clients an email explaining where you´re going and that you will soon be back to help them, and also set up automated responses on your email account so anyone with a new inquiry can automatically learn about your trip and upcoming availability.

Last but not least, pay your bills (water, electricity, gas, internet, etc). You don´t want to come back home to find out that you´re now missing a basic service because the company cut it while you were away. So make sure that all bills are paid and on that same vein, disconnect all electric non essential appliances before you leave.

TRAINING

Before booking a Taiwan Cycling Tour you should be aware that cycling is a demanding activity. Unless you are an avid cyclist in tip-top shape you should consider training at least a bit, just enough so you can enjoy the landscape instead of spending the whole trip wheezing and trying to determine how many more miles before you either get to rest or die, LOL!

For starters, you could follow this sample training routine to strengthen your legs as a whole, bones, muscles, ligaments and all. If you are already in good enough shape but are not a regular biker then you should consider that riding a bike around Taiwan presents its own set of challenges. You will be sitting upon a narrow seat for hours at a time, so getting your derrière used to the seat might be a good idea. If you plan on using new (waterproof) shoes on the trip then maybe try to break them in at least 2 weeks before the trip; if there is a time to get some calluses and hurt your toes it is back at home and not in the middle of a 70-mile stretch.

If you are planning on taking the more challenging east coast/mountain biking tour then we seriously recommend a long period of training or that you are an avid and experienced rider. This route is quite challenging, it includes several days of mostly steep climbing up to an altitude of 2500m above sea level at its highest points. The good news is that the final days of the trip will reward you with some exciting downhill riding stretches, so it may be worth the effort to train for it.

In conclusion, realize that as scenic and relaxing as a biking trip of Taiwan can be, biking for long stretches is still a physically demanding thing, you should try to be in the best shape possible to enjoy it the most. And while we´re on that, pay attention to your...

HEALTH

Even though you may be in top physical shape it is entirely possible that you may be suffering from conditions that would make a strenuous cycling trip a bad idea. Be sure to have a medical check-up before booking a package and make sure you don't have any heart condition, diabetes, knee injuries, back injuries or any other incapacitating conditions that may prevent you from joining the cycling tour or that may be aggravated by joining.

If you have any condition that requires medication be sure to read up on the laws governing the transit of said medicine between countries. Be sure that if your medication is controlled you get the appropriate permits to bring them into Taiwan or that you get a recipe from your physician that you may fill up while in Taiwan, and remember that while you may find the same active principle there is no guarantee that you will find the exact brand or dosage needed, so please plan ahead.

On that same vein, if you have allergies to food, medicine, dairy or anything at all be sure to tell us well in advance so we can help you enjoy the trip and plan it around your needs.

PACKING

Try to pack your bags at least 4 days before your trip. Packing in advance will afford you time to double check what you´re carrying and more time to find something essential that you may have forgotten about. When it comes to technique everyone has a different opinion but we´ve found a couple of guides that might help you when the time for packing comes around. Check them out at Adventure Cycling and Bike Tours.

Remember to make copies of your passport´s Bio page and Visa page, print your E-visa if you got one and include some form of national ID that could help people in case of emergency, ID that shows your blood type, hometown and donor status would be good. Before you come on the tour we will ask you to fill out some forms where all that information is included, but it may be wise for you to print an additional reduced copy and carry it in your wallet.