Top Ten Adventures on a Shoestring

Thailand Photos: Biking Bangkok

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10. Inn-to-Inn Biking, France and Vermont
It's hard not be enticed by the allure of an inn-to-inn bike trip. Days are spent pedaling through the country at a relaxed pace, seeing many sites that only locals know about. In the evening hours, you gather for a feast of food and drink at country inns and estates, only to reenergize for the next day's ride. But these trips can be costly, especially if you sign up with one of the more exclusive outfitters like Butterfield and Robinson. So why not try the latest trend, self-guided inn-to-inn bike tours that often charge less than $1,000 for an entire week of riding. Based in Brittany, France, Breton Bikes offers one-week guided tours to some of the owner's favorite haunts. With small rural towns, exquisite coastline views, and very few tough climbs (the highest point in Brittany is just over 1,000 feet), this region of France is ideal for biking. The owners supply bikes, routes, and maps, and they will transport luggage from one inn to the next. Then there's Bike Tours Direct, which offers ten self-guided trips to Europe this summer, including jaunts into France's Loire Valley and along the Danube River in Austria. Back in the States, New England is your best bet for these trips. In Vermont, Country Inns Along the Trail offers the same services, significantly reducing the price from a guided trip.