Advice on cycling from Amsterdam to Istanbul?

Question

I'm coordinating a group cycling trip from Amsterdam to Istanbul and would love to hear from anyone with specific route, camping, food or other advice. We expect to head through Germany, connect with the Danube through the mountains, before heading for Istanbul.

Its a youth leadership tour, 25 youth from all over the world and we rely on the kindness of host communities for accommodation and food (this is our first in Europe, we run one annually on the Pacific Coast of North America). We realize we may need to camp more on this trip...etc.

Thanks! The organization link is here if that helps - www.globalafc.org

Answer 1

Are you aware that in western Europe you can use bike routes?

These will use bike lanes and quiet roads making the start of your long tours a bit easier.

This site can be helpful for you, as you can use it to find long distance bike routes through the busy parts of western Europe.

You likely need to 'break' your long journey into smaller parts so the site can handle the amount of info.

http://www.fietsrouteplanner.eu/content/...

Having been a part of an church organized group/exchange at times I am fairly sure you can find a lot of places to sleep with your group, if you find the right kind of groups to contact.

You can try with scouting, churches, sport clubs, youth centers and so on along your intended route.

And see what help you can find on the couch surfing websites.

These websites are not just for people searching one night of sleep but also connect people for other reasons:

http://www.couchsurfing.com/

http://www.hospitalityclub.org/

If you contact someone in each country or town you would like to stay, ask them for advice.

I also found that hospitality is easier to get in the poor parts of town or country.

If a house has 2 guest bedrooms often you can send two or only one person to come to sleep, if there is only about 4 square meter on the floor you can send 3 people with sleeping bags.