Thoughts on Moto-Charlie Tours
In this blog, I will share my thoughts about my decision to tour with Moto-Charlie (alps-tours.com) both from before the tour and now that the tour is over.
When I did my first motorcycle tour in Italy several years ago, I found 5 or 6 companies that I was interested in doing a tour with. For that trip I used Edelweiss Bike Travels because they had a tour that matched up perfectly with my business trip and it had one remaining spot available. The Edelweiss tour seemed like a good first trip. It was 5 days long and was all inclusive (except lunches and fuel) and it was based from one hotel so no need to worry about carrying luggage. I reviewed the information from Moto-Charlie at that time and I liked his riding approach and his pay-as-you-go approach. Even though I did not select Moto-Charlie for that trip, I always kept it in the back of mind IF I did another trip.
When Cathy and I agreed I could do another trip this year, I went back to my list of possible tour companies and looked at the various options for tours, costs, and dates. I put all the information in a spreadsheet to compare and I kept coming up with selecting Moto-Charlie. Initially I was a little concerned that Moto-Charlie is really a one person operation. Charlie does these tours during the slow time for his other business, He does it because he really enjoys riding the Alps and he knows them very well. Charlie looks at these tours as the opportunity to ride motorcycle in a beautiful area with some friends that enjoy riding motorcycles as much as he does. After exchanging some e-mails with Charlie and also a phone conversation, I felt comfortable that Charlie really knew what he was doing and that this was the right tour for me this time. Sign me up!
This is how the financial piece of the tour happens. You basically are paying Charlie a fee-per-day for him to make all the bike rental arrangements, hotel reservations, and then to guide the tour each day. You make a down payment to secure your spot when you sign up and to also put a deposit on the motorcycle rental. About 30 days before the tour begins, you pay Charlie the remainder of his fee. All the remaining expenses are pay-as-you-go once you arrive. You pay for the remainder of the bike rental at the rates Charlie has negotiated. You pay for your hotels and meals as you go. Again, Charlie has negotiated group rates at all the hotels. You pay for your fuel and any other expenses you wish to incur. I have yet to total up my expenses for the trip but I have no reason to believe they will be any different than what Charlie provides as guidance in his information based on his many years of experience.
From the beginning, I knew Charlie was very well organized and a good communicator. He provided regular e-mails on various topics to help us prepare for the trip. He provided details about what to pack, how and where to get the required train tickets, the hotel list and many other pieces of information. There were no surprises. Charlie went out of his way to ensure I had a motorcycle that I was happy with for this trip when at first I was hesitant about the availability. Everything went just as Charlie said it would.
During the tour, Charlie's many years of riding in the Alps was obvious. He knew the roads like he lives there. How he even found some of the roads we drove I don't know. He credits it to his 20+ years of riding there and the time he has spent exploring the area and continually looking for better and different options. Every day he had a great route planned. When plans needed to change (like when the bike crash happened on Stelvio), he provided a new route option without a second thought. Only a few times did I see Charlie need to pull out a map or use some navigation assistance via his phone. His ability to remember places, roads, and routes was amazing.
If anyone is considering touring in the Alps, I would highly recommend you check out Moto-Charlie. Review his website, send him an e-mail and get some information. You need to sign up early as he strictly limits the number of bikes on each tour and he sells out early. You won't be disappointed; I wasn't!
When I did my first motorcycle tour in Italy several years ago, I found 5 or 6 companies that I was interested in doing a tour with. For that trip I used Edelweiss Bike Travels because they had a tour that matched up perfectly with my business trip and it had one remaining spot available. The Edelweiss tour seemed like a good first trip. It was 5 days long and was all inclusive (except lunches and fuel) and it was based from one hotel so no need to worry about carrying luggage. I reviewed the information from Moto-Charlie at that time and I liked his riding approach and his pay-as-you-go approach. Even though I did not select Moto-Charlie for that trip, I always kept it in the back of mind IF I did another trip.
When Cathy and I agreed I could do another trip this year, I went back to my list of possible tour companies and looked at the various options for tours, costs, and dates. I put all the information in a spreadsheet to compare and I kept coming up with selecting Moto-Charlie. Initially I was a little concerned that Moto-Charlie is really a one person operation. Charlie does these tours during the slow time for his other business, He does it because he really enjoys riding the Alps and he knows them very well. Charlie looks at these tours as the opportunity to ride motorcycle in a beautiful area with some friends that enjoy riding motorcycles as much as he does. After exchanging some e-mails with Charlie and also a phone conversation, I felt comfortable that Charlie really knew what he was doing and that this was the right tour for me this time. Sign me up!
This is how the financial piece of the tour happens. You basically are paying Charlie a fee-per-day for him to make all the bike rental arrangements, hotel reservations, and then to guide the tour each day. You make a down payment to secure your spot when you sign up and to also put a deposit on the motorcycle rental. About 30 days before the tour begins, you pay Charlie the remainder of his fee. All the remaining expenses are pay-as-you-go once you arrive. You pay for the remainder of the bike rental at the rates Charlie has negotiated. You pay for your hotels and meals as you go. Again, Charlie has negotiated group rates at all the hotels. You pay for your fuel and any other expenses you wish to incur. I have yet to total up my expenses for the trip but I have no reason to believe they will be any different than what Charlie provides as guidance in his information based on his many years of experience.
From the beginning, I knew Charlie was very well organized and a good communicator. He provided regular e-mails on various topics to help us prepare for the trip. He provided details about what to pack, how and where to get the required train tickets, the hotel list and many other pieces of information. There were no surprises. Charlie went out of his way to ensure I had a motorcycle that I was happy with for this trip when at first I was hesitant about the availability. Everything went just as Charlie said it would.
During the tour, Charlie's many years of riding in the Alps was obvious. He knew the roads like he lives there. How he even found some of the roads we drove I don't know. He credits it to his 20+ years of riding there and the time he has spent exploring the area and continually looking for better and different options. Every day he had a great route planned. When plans needed to change (like when the bike crash happened on Stelvio), he provided a new route option without a second thought. Only a few times did I see Charlie need to pull out a map or use some navigation assistance via his phone. His ability to remember places, roads, and routes was amazing.
If anyone is considering touring in the Alps, I would highly recommend you check out Moto-Charlie. Review his website, send him an e-mail and get some information. You need to sign up early as he strictly limits the number of bikes on each tour and he sells out early. You won't be disappointed; I wasn't!
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