Healthy Travel: The World on a Bike, 5-Star Style

The vineyard at La Bastide de Marie, near Menerbes, France, part of a picturesque in-the-picture cyclist's experience. (Jan Jekielek/The Epoch Times)

Healthy travel, despite what some would have you believe, can be done in style. I would know—over last four years, I’ve had the opportunity to work for Butterfield & Robinson, taking small groups of cyclists to beautiful lands, all the while making sure that comfort doesn’t take a back seat.

Years ago I read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, in which Robert Pirsig explored a different sort of healthy travel, focusing on health of the mind. I remember being fascinated by the concept of “being in the picture” when traveling by motorbike. Pirsig extolled the virtue of exploring the roadways of the world in a vehicle without walls, and with my first motorcycle, I found he was exactly right—I sensed a much stronger connection with the land then I ever had before in a car.

But it was cycling, for me that brought even more immersion and connectedness into that experience. Recalling traveling to Europe right out of high school, I had rented a bicycle in Belgium to follow a historic trail, exploring the different war memorials in the country. I will never forget riding through the fields of high grass peppered with poppies, and coming upon The Brooding Soldier that graces the Saint Julien Memorial. I remember the wind in my hair, and the fresh, floral smell of the place … and the sense I had of what my country, Canada, had sacrificed during The Great War.

Yet most people, even those who want healthy travel options, want to travel in comfort, not living out of a backpack. For those with a decent-sized pocket book, I can attest that bike travel with a company like Butterfield & Robinson taking care of all the details is an excellent way to go. It is also possible to do variants of this on a much smaller budget, but you will have to do a lot more legwork yourself.

Imagine—you wake up in the morning to fresh orange juice, homemade yogurt, cheese and pastries, in the picturesque cycling mecca of Provence, France. As you dine I introduce you to the suggested route you can ride today, the hills and the valleys, and the difficult moments. You cycle past vineyards and olive groves, all bathed in the amazing golden Provence light that inspired Vincent Van Gogh in so many of his paintings. As lunch approaches, you ride past the ruins of the Roman city of Glanum into the medieval town of St. Remy, the birthplace of Nostradamus, where you dine enjoying the finest of French wines and charcuteries.

After lunch, after you pay a brief visit to the Saint-Paul de Mausole hospital where Van Gogh stayed and see some of the very olive trees and scenes that he painted, you head back into the countryside. Down a tiny path alongside a babbling brook, a small table awaits you with Cavaillon melons—a specialty of the region, something like an extra-delicious cantaloupe.

Energized, you make your way over the top of the Pont-de-Garde, a 2000-year-old Roman aqueduct that has withstood the test of time, marveling at history. In the final approach of the day you ride up the ramparts of the fortress town of Castillon-de-Garde, the castle of which is your hotel—beaming in its full 5-star Relais & Chateaux splendor. All your personals have conveniently arrived in your room before you step in, and after sleeping, taking a swim, or enjoying a game of boules, you settle in a dinner of the finest Provencal cuisine and of course, wine.

On this sort of cycling tour, you have all of the benefits of active, healthy travel: moving lots, eating the freshest of food, experiencing the world slowly and in-the-picture, and clearing your mind, with all the logistics left to a guide like yours truly. Try it sometime!