When planning your next U.S.-based bike adventure or your next trip home for the holidays, you may have to make a tough decision: should you take your standard bike or your e-bike? Thanks to a recent e-bike shipping program update, you can now more easily ship your e-bike within the contiguous U.S. using BikeFlights’ bike shipping service.

Shipping an e-bike is similar to shipping a standard bike with a few key exceptions. The biggest difference is that e-bikes have a battery that is dangerous if damaged. E-bikes also tend to be heavier and more difficult to pack due to their wiring, so they typically require bigger, sturdier boxes like the BikeFlights Bike Box Large.

“As more people have purchased e-bikes, the desire to travel with e-bikes has grown,” said William Alcorn, President of BikeFlights. “Our simple, new program helps cyclists pack and ship their e-bikes safely and with more confidence.”

When I became a member of the Warmshowers cycling hospitality platform in 2015, I hoped to get a “2 for 1”. Being hosted while touring on my bicycle and making sure my Dad, a good host, gets some visitors. In fact, this platform brought my family and me much more than expected: we could say I got a “3 for 1”!

I was going on a career break which included touring by bike. But I needed an address to locate myself for Warmshowers, so my Dad offered me his in France. Despite his liking for having guests, he does not usually get many. I thought it would do him good to have some visitors once in a while. I knew it would be a challenge for him, most of the tourists in our area of Dordogne are foreigners, and he barely speaks English. Also, he is still renovating his house. But Warmshowers hosting being free, I assumed guests would not care.

Check out the latest episodes of our top-rated Bike Life podcast! Tahverlee shares stories from touring cyclists and hosts in our community around the globe.

You can find Bike Life on all of your favorite listening apps.

Thank you to our partner BikeFlights for sponsoring the Bike Life Podcast!

• Days: 409
• Countries: 22
• Kilometres: 14700
• Tip: If you’re lonely when alone then you’re in the wrong company.

I’ll start this update again with a insight into the life of a solo long distance long term cycle tourer, then move on with an update from Germany to Serbia and the next plan.

I’ve had many people tell me that I’m living a dream, this maybe true but to living this dream it takes an awful lot of dedication, self-discipline and determination to carry living the so call dream I started many days ago. You see we are not always happy people, I for one can’t really say I’ve been happy for a few weeks now and in the last few days my mind keeps thinking of home.

I can’t really put my finger on why I’m feeling this way, I love doing what I do and cycling clears my mind. I think of nothing when cycling it’s just me and a road, listening to the rhythmic beat of my heart, the gentle sound of my drivetrain working around my gears, the hum of my tyres resonating of the different surfaces, the sounds a nature passing by. This concussion of sound creates music and brings internal peace, an understanding of the world around me, yet I’m not truly that happy.