9 reasons why cycling is the safest way to travel during and after the pandemic

No, we are not advocating that you should go out there and ride if there are local and national restrictions imposed, nor we are saying that you should travel if you don't feel safe or aren't allowed to. What we are saying is what all seasoned adventure travelers already know: that cycling is the best way to travel and, specifically during and after this pandemic, it might just be one of the safest ways to do so.

Why should you be looking into a bike tour as a safe option to travel? Here are nine reasons why:

.1 Ride bikes, not tour buses: Bike tours are self-guided adventures or guided small, private tours.

The scale of most bike tours is relatively small. Most bike tours often consist of a group from anywhere between two to eight riders and in most cases these are either a couple or a small group that already knows each other -  it is, by definition, not a event that gathers many people. While out by yourself or your group, you shouldn't skip practicing standard safety and health practices, but most of the time you will be sheltered from interaction with a large number of people. The few occasions in which you'll be in a crowd will likely be at the start or end of a tour, while at  an airport or train station, situations in which you'll be in contact with more people.

.2 Cycling is a self-isolated activity by nature - it only requires contact with nature.

If you are not considering cycling in sportives, big group rides or cycling events, the very act of riding a bike is, by definition, self-isolated. You are not sharing your vehicle with anyone else and are not in direct contact with anyone else while out riding - just with nature. Naturally, we do suggest you keep safe by washing your hands thoroughly, disinfecting your bike and gear, not share your bike with others and respect social distancing norms while out riding by yourself, in your small group or family.

.3 World Health Organization suggests cycling for physical activity during the pandemic.

WHO has suggested cycling as one of the best ways to keep active during the Covid-19 pandemic, as a way to exercise and boost your immune system. And cycling has been considered one of the safest ways to travel during the pandemic by the World Health Organization, because while riding you are transporting yourself in an isolated manner ( maybe skip tandem riding for a while ;)).

.4 Going outdoors is vital for your mental health.

A simple stay in the outdoors can do wonders for relieving anxiety, stress, and depression. Countless studies have proven that nature has a positive effect on your mental health. What you see, hear, and experience in nature can improve your mood rapidly. And what better way to unwind after all this has passed than surrounding yourself with nature?

.5 Ride away from major cities - less (cars) is more

Most - if not all - bike tours are not held in big cities because, let's face it, cars can't go where bikes go. While out on a bike tour in Portugal, you'll most likely be riding by a small backroad, a macadam trail, roman pathway or a designated cycle path, which means you'll avoid most agglomerations, staying and smaller hotels, sharing meals at smaller restaurants.

.6 Choose countries and destinations which have been less affected by the pandemic.

The Covid-19 virus has spread in different manner throughout the globe. The situation is dramatic, as the pandemic is everywhere, but it has affected regions and countries differently. Choosing a destination that has been less impacted or has been quicker to address new safety resolutions might be a good option. In Portugal, for instance, the Alentejo region has had fewer cases diagnosed, as it is a large, but sparsely populated region.

.7 Choose providers with strict safety and health procedures.

While choosing a travel agent or suppliers like hotels or restaurants to plan your tour, choose a provider that offers best practices regarding safety and health standards. Make sure they have in place safety policies for their teams and guests, that their bikes and vehicles are clean and safe, and that they source out hotels, restaurants and other providers that operate under the same standards, to keep you safe at all times. Click here to check our health and safety policy - Live Love Ride operates under strict standards, and is a "Clean and Safe" establishment, following rules layed out by the Portuguese National Tourism Board, "Turismo de Portugal".

.8 Choose providers that offer flexible bookings and postponement options

Check to see your travel agent's flexibility policy before booking. At Live Love Ride, you can postpone your tour to a future date up to 30 days of the starting date of your tour, with no extra costs and no questions asked. Booking with a company that offers a postponement option to a future date makes it safer and more reliable to book ahead.

.9 Book now and take advantage of special deals

If your provider offers you the flexibility and safety to start planning a tour, you might want to book now and benefit from special offers and discounts they might be offering. At Live Love Ride, we are offering new bookings an additional night in Lisbon or Porto at the end or start of any of our self-guided or guided bike tours for any new bookings, as well as a 5% discount for all bookings for 2021 on our group tour calendar, which has been revised to make sure we receive a maximum of 8 participants on all our group tours.

So even though you are not traveling at the moment, here are our nine reasons on why you should consider booking a bike tour for the near future and take up cycling as the best and safest way to travel! Hope you enjoyed reading - leave us your comments and thoughts on these!

Not not sure of where to ride in Portugal? Browse our list of Portugal Bike tours, or you can have free access to our "Best of Portugal on a bike" routes by downloading our mobile app, available for iOS and Android ( just search for "Live Love Ride" on your apple or google play stores), select "new tour" and click on "demo tour" to access our demo, in which we'll are be presenting our favorite rides in regions like the Douro valley, Alentejo, Azores, Serra da Estrela, Camino de Santiago and others, with suggested restaurants, points of interest and others insights.

Download our app in the links below:

Live Love Ride on Google Play ( android)

Live Love Ride on Apple Store ( iOs)

Instructions: Open the app on your smart phone, select "new tour", then click on "demo tour" to enjoy the routes we chose as the "Best of Portugal on a bike".