Since 2004, Vermont-based Sojourn Bicycling and Active Vacations has been offering custom bike trips and active vacations to a number of bucket-list destinations for individuals, couples, families (with adult kids 18 plus) and groups of up to 20 people. Currently, the company runs bike trips and multi-adventure tours to 20+ destinations in the U.S., Canada, Europe and Asia including Vietnam and Cambodia. Trips can include visits to national parks, wine regions, and designated corridors of history, while themes might focus on the exploration of fall colors, sea shores or rustic locales for culinary and cultural expeditions. Beyond cycling itself, the brand is also focused on incorporating elements such as wellness activities, learning about local cultures, and other forms of outdoor adventures; meals are also local farm to table.
Points of Distinction
The routes and the trips at Sojourn are hand-crafted by a team of highly experienced trip designers in collaboration with local experts. The design focuses on finding the hidden gems based on local feedback, sampling the local cuisine, selecting the less traveled roads, plus allowing time for restorative relaxation. For those not particularly into cycling but wanting to join a friend or family member on a tour, Sojourn recently added electric-assist bikes (a.k.a. e-bikes) to its fleet. E-bikes act as a great equalizer for riders and are extremely popular among couples with different cycling skills.
As a welcome gift, each traveler booking for the first time receives $150 off the price of their inaugural Sojourn experience, and all guests are automatically enrolled in their Compass Club. The loyalty Compass Club awards every return traveler with a discount of 5 percent of the cost of their last trip to use towards any future travels with the company. Sojourn also celebrates special milestone trips (5th, 10th, 15th etc.) with special gifts and offers.
Types of Tours and What’s Included
Most Sojourn trips are six days/five nights but some tend to be slightly longer including the 9-day Vietnam and Cambodia Bike Tour. For those short on time, Sojourn also offers weekend and extended weekend trips to Montreal’s Tour de Lile in May, and a Vermont Bike and Brew in August.
Depending on the tour, participants are accommodated in a mix of upscale historic inns, boutique hotels, wine country estates and five-star properties. All breakfasts, most lunches and some dinners are also included.
Every Sojourn guest also has access to custom-fitted, high-end carbon frame road bikes or lightweight aluminum hybrid bikes, plus helmets, branded water bottles, downloadable GPS routes and a Sojourn bike jersey. All trips are fully supported by a Sojourn van, a trailer with support gears and two professional tour leaders.
What types of clients do they typically cater to and what types of clients would feel most comfortable with Sojourn?
Sojourn guests come from all spheres of life, are active, high net worth individuals with an average age of 40+ and increasingly trending towards multi-generational travel. On average, tour guests tend to maintain an active daily lifestyle (for instance they are skiers, cyclists, hikers, tennis players and horseback riders), enjoy luxury active travel and appreciate the finer elements of life. Sojourn tours tend to be best for clients who prefer to travel in a small groups social setting, and are either traveling solo, as a couple.
What client goals/intentions might be achieved by selecting a particular tour? And, can programs/tours be customize for small groups?
Trips range from Easy, Easier-Intermediate to Avid with varying range of distances covered per tour, and riding options. Generally, the easier trips are on flatter terrains with limited mileage for guests looking to have more of a vacation experience that encompasses activities beyond just biking or adventure sports. For individual clients or small groups of avid cyclists, every Sojourn trip includes the option of an EPIC (Extra Pedal If Crazy) specifically suited to those who really want to explore the full route and extend their daily riding mileage. Then there is almost always the option for an electric assist bike or e-Bike. Since 2018, the e-bike hasbeen the biggest equalizer in terms of lending every level of riders an option.
For more information on Sojourn Bicycling & Active Vacations visit, gosojourn.com.
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