Colleague Dries gives his tips for a successful nearby holiday
Nothing is more fun than being a tourist in your own country. So forget that overseas plane trip, shelve those plans for dangerously hot Sicily and opt confidently for an active, green holiday. Dries shows the way!
Plot a route
Plotting the route is half the fun. At least if you use the right tools. On RouteYou you can create your own route for free or view and download existing routes by other adventurers (also on your GPS). The site is also ideal for finding slow roads. Other route planners are Komoot, BRouter and OSMAnd (app on your smartphone) and for those who do want to look across the border, there is the new Hexplo for France. Of course, our world-famous junction network cannot be missing either. Many route planners (such as RouteYou) have integrated it, by the way.
Unmissable gems
9 icoonroutes door heel Vlaanderen
Elke icoonfietsroute haakt de mooiste stukjes van het Vlaamse landschap aan elkaar via aantrekkelijke fietswegen rond een centraal thema. Alle icoonroutes zijn volledig en in twee richtingen bewegwijzerd.
50 mooie wandelingen in Vlaanderen
Als je deze routes, samengesteld door Pasar vzw, allemaal hebt gewandeld tegen september, ben je een absolute pro.
Vijf bestemmingen op minder dan een halve dag van Brussel
Iets verder maar nog altijd duurzaam te bereiken.
Fietsvakantie combineren met de trein
5 routes die starten en eindigen in de buurt treinstations.
Sleep well
Being on the road is fun but knowing you can arrive somewhere fine only increases the pleasure of travelling. For slow holidaymakers, there are several initiatives. So if friends and family don't give in, you can always turn here:
- Friends on Bikes. Works like it sounds: great & cosy
- Welcome to my Garden and Campspace: micro-camping in someone else's garden. Nice to know: colleague Els' garden is among them at Welcome to my Garden ;-)
- Bivakzone.be: 60 resting places in nature where hikers or cyclists can camp for a night
- Youth hostels in Flanders and Wallonia
- www.letsvakantieland.be: platform to promote travel in your own country. You can value your holiday via LETS points.
- Hiker's huts: for the adventurer looking for a little more comfort: hiker's huts in the Netherlands
Expert advice
Even a seasoned holiday cyclist or holiday stepper appreciates good advice from other experience experts. There are dozens of forums where you can go with any question. Ask Google and you will be amazed at how quickly you will be helped. Because cyclists and hikers are cool people anyway, you often get quick answers.
So be sure to check out Cycling holidays with children, The holiday cyclist, The Trip, Cycling holiday checklist, Bikepacking and Bikepacking,. And to replenish all those burnt calories at the end of the day, holiday cyclists share lots of recipes for the road even for those who only have one burner to cook on. To finish off, here are these 10 special walks in Belgium.
For all other tourist info we refer to Vlaanderen Vakantieland, Visit Flanders, Wallonia.be and Visit Brussels.
Arrange transport
In summer, SNCB will get you to your destination at the weekend for half the price anyway with the Weekend Ticket. And don't forget the Discovery Tickets. They take you stress-free and at a special rate to the best places in our country.
If you don't have your own bike, renting is a smart option. Google is your best friend with the search terms bike + hire + name of your destination 😊
So, the planning can begin. And remember: The adventure starts at the end of the streets we know! Anyway, we are curious to hear about your nearby experiences, so feel free to post some photos, stories and extra tips on our Facebook page.
Do you have a question for Dries after reading this article?
Let him know by using the form below, and he'll get back to you soon with an answer.
Related insights
Rome toont de weg naar inclusieve deelmobiliteit
Hoe kan deelmobiliteit bijdragen tot een veerkrachtigere en meer op mensen gerichte mobiliteit? Op die vraag zochten professionals en politici uit meer dan 12 EU-landen naar antwoorden op de CIVINET 2-daagse in Rome. Wij zetten de belangrijkste bevindingen op een rijtje.
Holidays by Train: the easy, affordable way
Our new colleague Bram is an avid train traveler. He’s journeyed from Rome to Abisko by train himself. He’s sharing his best tips and favorite tools so that you, too, can travel easily and affordably by train throughout Europe. Check out his golden travel tips now!
Creating people-friendly streets
Streets should prioritise people over cars. Through creative campaigns, temporary interventions and experiments, we show how cities and towns can reclaim space for walking, cycling and community life.