There’s not a lot of people who would argue that travel DOESN’T make you happy. Choosing to explore a new part of the world, cycle and be open to learning from local experts can add value in your travel experience AND set those endorphins flying sky high. Here are 5 ways a trip with Social Cycles will make you (and others) happier.
Social Cycles has a great deal on now where you can take a mate for half price.
1. They will take you along back roads, off the beaten track (and away from the chaos)
Both Cambodia and Vietnam are beautiful to cycle through but you can’t ignore the chaos that occurs on the roads when you enter the major cities. Social Cycles will try and avoid as much of that as they can by taking you through the back roads, often along the Mekong Delta and through local villages to get you into the next town. This is often the biggest highlights for the riders because they (and indeed you) will have experienced the country in it’s truest form - as vast and vibrant as it is.
2. You will learn first-hand from local NGOs
As part of this journey, Social Cycles will connect you with local NGOs who facilitate presentations and field visits to demonstrate who the NGOs are, what they do, their long term goals and the challenges that they face. With this information, you’re in a position to ask the questions, see first-hand what happens on the ground and develop an internal dialogue which will in turn assist you to make a positive impact.
3. Get involved in a community project
We suspect that this internal thinking won’t just stop here. At the end of your journey with Social Cycles, they will give you an opportunity to debate with your fellow cyclists and choose a local project that you may want to help fund or get involved in. This is much easier said than done. When you’re there, you might be in two minds about whether donating to a community well holds more value than buying bicycles for a small village so that the kids can attend school and vice versa. At this stage, they want to be able to foster these conversations and encourage you to be open minded so that you, as a traveller are able to make better decisions based on what you’ve learnt.
4. The food is amazing
Not only is food a vital part for fueling our bodies pre and post ride, Social Cycles will/can appreciate how good food brings people together AND makes us happier in general. They’ve spent a lot of time sourcing the best restaurants in town so that your experience of a country is hugely complemented by the food that these countries provide. Often some of the best dishes come out from selected social enterprise restaurants and other times, the street stall of a local Khmer. [Note: You will get an opportunity to participate in a local cooking class in the Cambodia Tour].
5. You’ve cycled over 500kms on an X-Trail 26 Reid Bike
You’ve been training for months and you’re now confident that you can cycle across Cambodia or along the border of South Vietnam. It’s been a huge achievement AND you didn’t even get into the support van when the days got too hot. Achieving this challenge and going through some incredibly remote regions of a country is both empowering and rewarding. You’ve just accepted your challenge. You’ve cycled over 500kms.
If you're inspired to ride with purpose and take the trip of a lifetime.