Mottos are fun, tag-lines are catchy, mission statements are vital, and vision statements are in vogue. But to me, bike, eat, drink, sleep is none of these – it is my formula. It is an equation. It is a recipe. It is how I live my life and design my tours. After sixteen seasons of perfecting my formula, just like all great inventors, I must protect it.
A few years back I formally trademarked DuVine Adventures and Bike. Eat. Drink. Sleep. This is our recipe and we are the only company that will offer this style of travel to you. I call it the “DuVine Style.”
So what is DuVine Style? DuVine Style is scenic, safe, and exhilarating biking. Fresh, local, lovingly prepared food. Wine, blended with care, often harvested locally and included with every meal. DuVine Style is like a famous vintage, blended in equal parts with sophisticated and welcoming lodging.
Every day on a DuVine tour exudes this energy and perfect combination of ingredients. When visiting a new destination, developing a new itinerary, or referring a popular tour, these four components are my beacon. If even one component is missing, it doesn’t pass my test.
Travel is serious business. I take the fact that our guests spend valuable time and money with us seriously and I value their trust that we will deliver a quality tour. DuVine guides provide six consecutive days of service, which is made possible by our great local vendors, partners, and friends.
Additionally, I strive everyday to ensure we offer the best value in the industry. Smaller group sizes, the most exclusions (such as wine and road bikes), complimentary pre- and post-travel planning services, and more are all part of every DuVine Adventure.
I stand by our recipe and look forward to sharing it with you. Call me anytime to discuss your next DuVine bike tour.
What an auspicious start to a new year it was, like a lot of companies, we had all hands on deck, ready to face the unknown. Everyone was talking about the financial meltdown. People were losing their jobs, stock portfolios had dropped by 50%, retirement was seen as a far off dream …. so who the heck wanted to travel … especially on a luxury bike tour to Europe or Africa or the Americas?
Trying to figure out what to do I had decided to look very carefully at our operational costs. What could we live without in the office? We had several meetings, and everyone needed to come to the meeting with how they thought they could save money. I did this because the last thing I wanted to do was cut jobs or reduce the quality of our tours. At DuVine what is important to me first and foremost are our travelers and our staff so we needed to remain strong and positive, despite what was going on around us.
January started off slow but once February hit the phones kept on ringing and it did not stop. We worked hard to speak with every potential customer, answering their questions, helping them with special needs and requests so that they would see the value in our product and company. We knew that we had to keep true to our goal of providing each person with the vacation of a life-time.
We were bolstered early on in the year with some National Prestige and Awards including:
Additionally, a very satisfying aspect of 2009, was being able to create jobs in the so called slumping economy. We added 5 great new hires in our main office during the first two quarters (Dede, Deborah, Neshelle, Michelle, Gina) and many new bike tour guides out on the road. I told guides in the beginning of the season, that I was not sure how big our bike tours would be each week, but if they stuck with us, they would be see the rewards at the end of the rainbow. In the end, most of the DuVine bike guides had their best season ever, with sold out tours, big tips and really fun exciting clients who loved the bike, eat, drink, sleep concept. I received tons of wonderful emails from 2009 travelers, who loved their trip with us.
Another highlight of 2009 was the introduction of a number of new bike tours – in particular; Mallorca, Puglia, Piedmont, and Mendoza. I was nervous putting out these new tours… thinking can we fill them? I traveled to each location, created each tour, met with the people and drank the wine… knowing that if we build it… they will come. All of these bike tour regions..Mallorca, Puglia, Piedmont, Mendoza beat our goals and had many satisfied travelers and are a big part of the plan for 2010
As is always fun, we introduced the DuVine Concept to many new travelers and were fortunate enough to be able to protect the travel plans of multiple travelers who were canceled from other companies’ tours due to their low load factors.
Many people traveled with DuVine, because the bigger bike tour operators only run tours with specific “load counts.” Being small and real, we are not just about the bottom line. The customer experience, our travelers vacation time is very important to us… we take that very seriously. Therefore we did not cancel trips, and kept dates open for sale, voila… good karma and not being greedy…they filled. It was good for everyone.
Another amazing thing in 2009 was the creativity of our team in building the first ever ‘hybrid’ brochure which showed our dedication to unique and personalized travel plans. Many people throw away their brochures, which doesn’t fit well with the concept of being green, so we thought, why not produce a marketing tool, in the form of a travel brochure that people can use? So we created our travel planner – which is a calendar, brochure and thank you gift all in one. Our staff did an amazing job from start to finish, making the DuVine travel planner a real winner. The emails I have received have been overwhelming.
With all the amazing growth in 2009, we still need to stay laser focused on being the unique and personalized tour operator that we are known for. Not the big shot, not the impersonal tour mill, but the great boutique shop or restaurant with a few tables that you know and love….where you know the chef, the waiters and people’s names. A company where you can show up wearing what you want and bike how you want…. just be ready to bike, eat, drink, and live the good life.
If a cycling tour of Bordeaux embodies DuVine’s original inspirational vision, a bicycle trip through Provence represents the essence our mission – to engage your senses, nurture your curiosity and pamper your tastes.
Provence – the name itself evokes images of lavender fields, olive trees, the aroma of rosemary and sage, tapanade, goat cheese, pastis, Muscat, the land of Cezanne and Van Gough, the world of Peter Mayle. Life at an easier pace.
May is a wonderful month to spend touring Provence on bike. The sun is out most days, the strong summer heat has yet to arrive, and the Mediterranean spirit fills the air with warmth and an unhurried pace. Slow down and let Provence soak into your soul and reverberate through all of your senses.
Bike through vestiges of ancient Roman settlements, medieval hilltop villages, and miles of lush green vineyards; Eat crispy hot toasts slathered with garlic aioli or an olive and anchovy tapenade; Drink at café to reenergize with a café au lait or a pastis, a traditional anise-flavored liqueur; Sleep at an oasis of peace and quiet, beautifully integrated into the natural splendour of its surroundings.
Engage, nurture and pamper yourself this May on a bicycle tour of Provence.
Our California bike tours are focused on Napa and Sonoma. With great weather, breathtaking scenery and over 500 vineyards, the wine valleys of Napa and Sonoma are a cyclist’s paradise. Leave the streets of San Francisco behind, head up along the rugged Sonoma Coast, inland through redwood forests, and down into these bountiful valleys to experience the world of wine country.
bike the rolling valleys, through vineyards or surrounding mountains…eat some of the best gourmet cuisine in the region… drink at world renown vineyards, private wine tastings, and initmate cellar samplings… sleep in some of the most luxurious and unique properties in the region…
This tour of California is guaranteed to please all – from those seeking family fun to super-fit pros. Come explore Napa and Sonoma the DuVine way.
With more than 14 years of European bike tour experience in delivering award-winning luxury vacations, and a network of proven leaders spread throughout Europe, DuVine Adventures has a guaranteed track record of providing seamless service from arrival to departure. DuVine Adventures is on hand every moment, ensuring that your journey proceeds smoothly, guided by professionals who know and love Europe.
With an average of 8 to 12 guests and a maximum of 16 passengers, DuVine Adventures groups are small enough to facilitate personal contact among group members, and undivided attention from your two tour guides. These smaller numbers also result in access to quaint restaurants off the beaten track, and discerning luxury hotels that refuse large groups. Ask about our private trips.
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