Tour Europe by Bike with Teen Treks!

This summer, see Britain, France, Belgium and Holland the best way -- by bike!

 

On this incredible 4-country European Phantom tour, you’ll bike through major cities and quaint villages in Britain, France, Belgium, and Holland in 28 days.  If you've never been to Europe, this is a wonderful introduction, and if you're an old hand at international travel, it's still a jam-packed trip you'll never forget.

 

Spend 3 days each in London, Paris, and Amsterdam, plus visit beautiful Bruges and Ghent.

Get to know the music, history, landscape, traditions and food in each of these fantastic, bike-friendly countries.  You'll visit world-famous museums like the Louvre and monuments like Stonehenge, eat at great pubs and local restaurants, stay in hostels and hotels, and do a little camping out between the cities.

On your first day, you'll visit Windsor Castle and head out toward Stonehenge. After your first taste of the English countryside, a ferry will take you to France.

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 You'll see the Notre Dame Cathedral in Rouen, and then bike along the Seine, visiting Monet's house and gardens at Giverny, touring the spectacular Palace of Versailles, and continuing on into Paris.

The Eiffel Tower is only the beginning of your adventures in Paris!  You'll also see the Arc de Triomphe and the rest of the Champs-Elysees, breathtaking architecture at Montmartre, and much, much more.  You'll dine in charming sidewalk cafes and immerse yourself in Paris' one-of-a-kind culture.

A train will carry you to Belgium, where you’ll bike between the beautiful cities of Bruges and Ghent, seeing more stunning medieval architecture, enjoying more delicious food -- including Belgian chocolate! -- and traveling alongside the canals that run through these cities. 

Then it’s on to the Netherlands to bike through Amsterdam, a city with centuries of history and culture, plenty of quirk, and, believe it or not, the occasional bicycle traffic jam. You’ll visit the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum, and the Anne Frank House here. 

Another ferry will bring you back to Great Britain to cycle through green, rolling East Anglia, with a stop in Cambridge, and finally you’ll spend 3 days exploring cosmopolitan London before your flight home. 

Our European Phantom Trek features moderate biking (30-50 miles per day) and camping as well as stays in hostels and hotels.  Teenagers entering grades 10-12 can enjoy this amazing tour, which is loaded beginning to end with things to see and do.  We’re running two European Phantom treks this summer:

• June 25 - July 24 (trip code EP-JN25)
• July 2 - July 31 (trip code EP-J2)

Slots are filling quickly on these popular trips, so reserve your spot now!

Visit TeenTreks.com to apply to bike the European Phantom with us, or sign up for one of our other super trips: Across America, New York City – Montreal, Pacific Northwest, California Coast, New England Shore, Amsterdam-Paris, Maine Coast -- and more!

Farewell European Phantom Trekkers!

It has been a fantastic 28 days for our European Trekkers.  And today, the Trek returned to London's Heathrow airport to bid farewell to out well traveled Trekkers.  From castles to beaches, city streets and quiet pastures the Trekkers have toured England, France, the Netherlands and Belgium in two wheeled style.  We wish all of the Trekkers the best as they safely Travel to the countries of Canada, Germany and the USA.

London

Stonehenge in Wiltshire, England

Normandy region, France

Rouen, France

Paris

Bruges, NL

Ghent, Belgium

Ghent,Belgium

Amsterdam

Rural Holland

Rural England

Along the River Cam, England

European Phantom 2013

Oh, the places you've gone!  Teen Treks hopes the rest of your summer is as exciting as the past five weeks.  Bon voyage, merci and cheers!

European Phantom Dutch Photo Blast

Here are some photos of the group's travels in the Netherlands...

Boat tour view

Boat tour

The Anne Frank Museum and Annex

Pancakes for dinner, why of course!

in the Torture Museum

Dinner time!

a well deserved afternoon at the beach in Den Haag...

The main beach area.  And that majestic building? It's a hotel-the famous Kurhaus Hotel to be exact.

The living to fine and easy in the Netherlands!...

Amsterdam and The Netherlands are Home to Bikers on the European Phantom Trek

The European Phantomers are having a great time in The Netherlands so far. After arriving to Amsterdam by train on Thursday night, we went out for a delicious pancake dinner. The restaurant had over 100 choices of pancake toppings and fillings, both sweet and savory. Yummm.

We spent Thursday exploring the city and visiting two museums: the Anne Frank House and the Torture Museum.
The Anne Frank House was really neat to see. The museum was made around the actual building where Anne and her family hid for two years during the Nazi occupation. We saw the rooms they lived in, read excerpts from her famous diary, and saw video clips of people who had known her. The museum finished with a collection of short videos about modern human rights issues, and asked the visitors to press buttons to vote about their opinion on the issue. It was a neat way to engage people and encourage them to connect the past with the present.

The Torture Museum, on the other hand, was what you'd probably imagine: a gallery of replicas of medieval torture devices, accompanied by descriptions and etchings. The whole place felt kind of spooky, so the trekkers took the opportunity to scare each other by jumping out of dark corners and making mysterious noises.

On Saturday we spent the afternoon on a boat tour of some of the city's many canals. The recorded audio-tour taught us about the city's architectural history, from the middle ages to the present. The boat provided a great view of the tall, narrow houses, the many houseboats, and the bike-lined cobblestone streets. In the evening, we went out for a tasty pasta dinner.

Today, Sunday, we got up early and rode to the city of Haarlem, where we toured an old windmill, built almost 250 years ago. With the aid of wooden model windmills, our guide explained the mechanics of the milling process. (They had to lug ALL of the grain up five flights of steep stairs in order to mill it! ...Yet we complained about having to haul our stuff up four flights at the hostel! ) After a quick picnic lunch, we headed to the beach in Zandvoort Zee, for an afternoon in the sun on this warm Dutch day. It feels good to be back on our bikes, and we're looking forward to a few more cycling days here before heading back to England.

European Phantomers Ready to Move to Belgium, by Jordan

It is safe to say that Jordan's view of Belgium is shared by the whole group:

A note from Jordan, Trekker:

"As we leave the greatest country in the world and venture to a country known for its tulips, it is a proper time to reminisce and remember the glory and beauty that is encapsulated in brave little Belgium.

While we only stayed in Ghent and Brugges for two nights total I can 100% say that I'm hooked. We got into Ghent on the 16th and I was astounded by the center of Ghent, which surrounds a river.  ALL the people that we spoke to in Ghent seemed friendly and laid back, even the natives, who are called called "free boaters" or Ghentians(?). This fact, multiplied by the amount of bikers, waffles, chocolates, french fries, castle in the center of the city, amazing hostel, and lack of *bike thieves, made the medieval-looking Ghent one of my favorite places on the trip. It was a bittersweet departure from Ghent, but I was able to contain my tears.

I was skeptical that anything could live up to the paradise of Ghent, but after a confusing and easy bike ride, we arrived to the just-as-medieval-looking city of Brugges and I was pleasantly surprised. While Brugges is a little more touristy, it is just as awe-inspiring and has even higher cathedrals. The city seemed out and about the whole night, but it still maintained a quaint placid feel that was cool. (The only critique I had was that the restaurant we ate at made us pay for water.) The departure from Brugges was even harder as this was our last day in the beauty of Belgium.

Goodbye, Belgium. Cya soon.

Love,
Jordan

PS. Sean snuck out during the night to stay in Belgium. We don't know where he is now, but it is rumored he married a nice Belgian woman and has 6 chubby babies. Good luck Sean. May the odds be in your favor.

PPS. Don't worry, Mom of Sean, I'm just kidding."

*Jordan has the immense misfortune of having his bike nicked in Paris.

Summer in Ghent, simply amazing!

Bruges, Ghent's more popular big sister

Off to the Netherlands!

We can confirm that the group has safely arrived to their hostel in Amsterdam.  Dinner and exploring await!

Kicking of 2013

Teen Treks is Gearing up for our 2013 Season!

Welcome to all of our Trekkers joining us on this year’s adventures.

And for those who are thinking about a Trek, but holding off, please know that 2013 trips are filling up faster than previous years.  This year is shaping up to be a full one, so please, sign up now and avoid the disappointment of the dreaded “SOLD OUT” label on that trip you were eying up.
Please visit our Trips Tables for up to date information.

Teen Treks has some news to share with you all:

New Teen Treks Staff

Our veteran Trekkers probably remember Ben, spent two years as the Program Coordinator.  Ben has parted with Teen Treks so that he could pursue something exciting, frightening and tiring (but with far less biking): His MBA!  Go Ben!

Taking his desk and title is Alexa, who joins Teen Treks after spending a few years living in England and completing her master’s in management (University of Manchester/Manchester Business School), and working at an international art festival.  You will most likely be speaking with her as you prepare for your Trek.

And for all of you wondering about Trip Leaders: we are in the hiring process at this very moment.  We have a number of returning Leaders, as well as some great new leaders who have experience with youth as Fulbright Scholars, AmeriCorps members, teachers, camp counselors and are all around outdoor lovers!   Leader bios will be posted soon on this blog and on our Facebook page. 

Brand Spankin’ New Trips for This Summer

Yep, we have two new trips!  One in Europe: Amsterdam-Paris and one in America’s North East: D&R Canal.  Here are the details:

Amsterdam-Paris

Paris, the city of light, love, culture and food.

Do you dream about waffles and croissants in the lunch line?  Do you wish you had Marie Antoinette's indulgent wardrobe when you learn about the French Revolution?  Is your ideal wood shop project making a pair of wooden clogs?  Do you want to see the classic art that inspires your art projects?  Want to practice your French, or dare to learn Flemish or Dutch?

French pastries, from my own travels to Paris!

Our Amsterdam-Paris Trek travels the most bike-friendly part of the world, and starts in the world’s most bike friendly city, good old Amsterdam (http://tinyurl.com/amsterdambikefriendly).  This Trek is great for high school students, and has low/moderate daily mileage, making for a more casual ride.

Amsterdam glowing the evening away

The Breakdown

Starts in Amsterdam and ends in Paris over 16 days

Countries: Netherlands, Belgium and France. 

Cities/Towns: Bruges, Ghent, Amsterdam, Paris, Versailles

Places: Palace of Versailles, Eiffel Tower, Anne Frank’s house, Vincent Van Gough Museum, the Rijksmuseum, country villages, canal sides and small medieval towns sprinkled on the route.

Everyone bikes in Holland!

D&R Canal

 Calling all history lovers! Calling all outdoors lovers!  Calling all new riders!

The canal is it's summer glory

Ride along the historic D&R Canal, checking out farmhouses, granaries, and barns, groups travel between New Jersey and Pennsylvania.  As a First Time Explorers trek, this adventure has been designed as an introductory course to the great sport of bicycle touring.

The D&R Canal Ride is our new trip for younger riders in grades 6-8. 

Visit farmers markets along the way!

So many great ways to experience the canal: land or water!

The Breakdown

Starts and ends in NYC over 6 days

Travel through Pennsylvania and New Jersey

Visit Princeton, Easton, Bethlehem and Trenton

Ride almost entirely on a bike path 

Trenton, NJ

For trip dates, prices and more info, check out the Trips Table at http://teentreks.com/tripstable.html or give us a call!  
 That's all for now, I'm off to interview a potential Leader.  Enjoy your day!