If you are anything like me then you will probably go on a holiday such as a bike tour only to find that you have forgotten something vital once you have already landed in your destination country.

Once you are they of course there is not much you can do about it, so it is always a good idea to have a checklist of two main areas;

1. Thing you need to do before going on the tour.

2. Items that you should bring with you on the tour.

All of these are not completely vital but I have included them anyway as I think they are quite useful.

Things You Should Do

Look below for the main thing you should do before leaving for the holiday.

Check Your Bicycle

Do a complete checkup of your bike including checking the tire pressure, the brakes, all the lights etc.

Check you have a working pump and tire repair kit.

I’m often surprised when I go on a cycling tour with my friends and find they don’t do this and they usually end up asking to borrow my kit.

Check the chain is well oiled and at the correct pull.

Check Your Vaccines

Different countries require different vaccines. So talk to your medical practitioner or check the Internet to find out which vaccines you need to take for that country.

Learn About the Culture

This is very much optional but I think you owe it to the people of the country that you are visiting to at least learn something about their culture and language.

And ironically this bit of work will usually enhance your cycling holiday as you will be able to interact with the local people in a much closer way.

Items You Should Bring

Here is a list of what I think are the important items you should bring on your tour.

Safety Helmet

This should go without saying but I have unfortunately seen people not wear their safety helmet when going on their tour.

Even if the country does not have a law making your wear a helmet, just think about how easy it is to have an accident and how will your head injury be without any form of protection?

Water and Wind Proof Clothing

I know, you are visiting some wonderfully hot country and it never rains there, right?

Well it doesn’t matter!

Even the hottest country can have freak weather conditions which make your riding experience very uncomfortable indeed.

Modern water and wind proof clothing is extremely light now and can be folded into a very small space.

Backup Lighting

As well as your main bike lamps, always bring a backup light source. I personally like to bring an all in one torch, radio and alarm. You can find various types of these and I recommend the ones which you can power via solar and wind up.

Compass

Having a compass is not only for off road riding but can also help with on road navigation.

I have saved myself from making a silly wrong move quite often by checking my compass direction and realizing I should have turned left instead of right!