Tag Archives: ecotourism

Benefits of cycling

This is not a novelty that we are fanatics of bicycles. Go walking, take the air, see the city that surrounds us, the landscape, the sea. Mounted on the bike everything seems to have another perspective, we want to tell you the benefits it gives you a walk or to do Bike sport.

image of a blue bike, sea, boat, hotel W

1. A good way to exercise: the bike is a good exercise to work almost all our body and not just the legs. A bike ride makes us do cardio-cardio exercise and strength, especially legs, abdomen, back and arms.

2. Help our posture: Walk or pedal helps improve our posture. People passionate about yoga can go to their bike class. Adopt a sport routine!

3. A transport on time and available immediately: between bottling, pedestrians Parking, everything becomes a chaos and more if you go to the center of Barcelona, ​​which is why the bike is a great allies that facilitates your daily life .

4. Take care of the environment and your leaflet: a car and public transport generate an additional expense per month. You simply move by bike: fast and good for health.

5. A much faster brain: The bike improves the functioning of your brain, influencing cognitive function, mental health and well-being, as has confirmed a study by the University of Oxford. The study, led by Dr. Leyland, investigated the impact of outdoor pedaling. The parameters, the cognitive function and the well-being, were measured before and after the period of use (for 8 weeks, at least three times a week and at least 30 minutes per session) and it was observed that not only The physical impact of cycling improves, but at the level of mental activity, the benefits are more important.

6. Sleeping more, the dream of all: exercise Every day helps to reconcile with sleep, about 20 to 30 minutes of pedal will help you better rest and eliminate the stress of everyday life.

7. Eternal Youth: The increase in blood circulation caused by the pedaling exercise transports the oxygen and nutrients required to epithelial cells more efficiently while eliminating toxins or other waste. Moderate exercise helps to optimize collagen production, reduce the appearance of wrinkles and accelerate the healing process.

8. Take care of your joints: the bike is a less risky sport than run for our joints, and the result is very similar.

9. Improve your performance in any type of sport: many athletes use cycling as a support sport to improve their muscle or respiratory performance. Objective 30 days of bike and see the difference!

10. And finally, the best advantage of cycling is that it will make you happy: Try it because it really works. Stroll, pedal, admire nature, city, beach, beaches, you will see how it changes ideas.

Do you already have your bike ready to travel Barcelona?

To reserve the Tour or rent a bike nothing simpler, contact us
Born Bike Tours Barcelona
📍Carrer de la Marquesa No. 1 08003 Barcelona
50 meters from Barceloneta metro station L (4) Yellow
✉️Info@bornbikebarcelona.com.
🔹www.bornbikebikebarcelona.com.
📲 (+34) 93 319 00 20

Tours of the Tamarita Gardens

The Tamarita gardens belonged to a two-hectare finca of the Craywinckel family, a Belgian aristocratic family that was created in Barcelona in the 18th century. And who at the beginning of the twentieth century was acquired by the entrepreneur Alfredo Mata. There, he built a house surrounded by gardens, whose conception is considered one of the first works of the architect and landscaping Nicolau M. Rubió I Tudurí, who has kept forms and provisions. original.

Une image contenant arbre, extérieur, passage, plante, statue

The gardens are divided into two different areas, one of the most classicism and another one that benefits from the passage of the torrent of the White Fraine to offer a more spontaneous view.

The gardens are full of decorative elements that reinforce their origins of domestic gardens, small ponds with fountain jets, terracotta figures, stone glasses, marble and ceramics converted into fountains, shers ornamental.

When you visit, when you enter, you will see a small pond surrounded by climbing plants. The whole hides one of the garden pavilions which now has social use as headquarters of the neighborhood association and a service building.

In the most classic garden, you will find a parterre (official garden design) of French origin. We find boards and roses, replanted to recover the original appearance of the garden in its last rehabilitation. Then there is a space that makes plazoleta features with an oval source, the place of the four continents, a nymph with the waterfall of the Gruta fountain and the meadow that leads us to the wild part of the garden.

The Tamaite gardens are perfect if you want to visit and admire the different varieties of shapes, statues and flowers.

If you want to know more about the history of Barcelona, follow our social links.
Born Bike Tours Barcelona
📍Carrer de la Marquesa No. 1 08003 Barcelona
50 meters from Barceloneta metro station L (4) Yellow
✉️Info@bornbikebarcelona.com.
🔹www.bornbikebikebarcelona.com.
📲 (+34) 93 319 00 20

Gaudí’s Barcelona

If there is an architect associated with Barcelona, that is, without a doubt, Antoni Gaudí. His mature works, such as La Pedrera, Park Güell and the Sagrada Familia, are internationally known icons that attract thousands of visitors daily. However, in the city there are also several works by this great artist that are not so well known and that often, due to being far from the usual circuits, go unnoticed and make up a little-explored route, but no less spectacular. 

Une image contenant extérieur, arbre, plante, immeuble résidentiel

Like the ones we list here: 

  • The Pavilions of Finca Güell 
  • The gate of Finca Miralles 
  • The pavement of Sant Pacià 
  • The Bellesguard Tower
  • The Vicens House 

If you want to know more about the architectural works of Antoni Gaudí you can do a bike tours with us.
Born Bike Tours Barcelona
📍Carrer de la Marquesa Nº 1 08003 Barcelona
50 meters away from the Barceloneta L (4) yellow metro station
✉️info@bornbikebarcelona.com
🔹www.bornbikebarcelona.com
📲 (+34) 93 319 00 20

In our tour in Spanish we arrive at Plaça Sant Felip Neri

Among the narrow walls of the Gothic Quarter of Barcelona, we are in the Plaza de Sant Felip Neri, where we see holes in the walls, which originate in 1938, caused by a bombardment by the Francoist side during the war, in the middle of the capture of Barcelona. 

image of a building that contain door, lights, windows, born bike tours Barcelona, text

This event caused the death of forty-two people, as can be read on the plaque that commemorates the memory of the victims since 2007. At the time of the bombing, the grounds of the current square were occupied by a medieval cemetery. Little remained after the bomb, which devastated nearby houses and caused some damage, still present, in the church. 

Bicycle repairs and rental in Barcelona

Barcelona is one of the most beautiful cities to travel by bicycle with more than 200 kilometers of bike lanes, where you can enjoy a walk along the Mediterranean coast, through the Gothic streets or enjoy a day on the Collserolla mountain.

If you are still in doubt about repairing that old bicycle, or renting one to enjoy Barcelona on wheels, we leave you five tips that will help you make that decision.

  • Enjoy a safer ride

The bicycle is a safe vehicle, you will walk through the city of Barcelona enjoying great views and places, using the safety of the bike lanes.

  • Easier and simpler

Mobility by bicycle is easier than in other means of transport. Did you know that the bike is faster than the car in short and medium urban distances? Through several door-to-door competitions, with the city center as the destination, it has been found that, in general, the bike is the fastest transport. in addition to being faster in short distances, it is ideal to combine with public transport

  • Be more sustainable and collaborate with the environment

The bicycle is a key factor in reducing the levels of environmental and noise pollution in cities. An, at the same time, it is the most energy efficient means of transport: it uses twelve times less energy than a car, even if it is full, to move a person over a kilometer, and fifty times less than a car occupied by only one person.

  • To enjoy more space

A cyclist occupies five times less space than a motorist, whether he is stationary or in motion. This data has very profound implications for the well-being of residents, who can enjoy peaceful, calmer, safer and noise-free spaces.

  • To always be on the move

Going by bike is one of the most beneficial exercises for health, since during the effort large muscle groups are mobilized. Of practiced regularly it can reduce resting heart and breathing rates.

If you want to know about bike rental or repair you can stop by our store Born Bike Tours Barcelona
📍Carrer de la Marquesa Nº 1 08003 Barcelona
50 meters away from the Barceloneta L (4) yellow metro station
✉️info@bornbikebarcelona.com
🔹www.bornbikebarcelona.com
📲(+34) 93 319 00 20

Barcelona is enjoying a short spring, which is perfect to experience by bicycle

February 20th, 2019

Are you taking advantage of these idyllic days in Barcelona?

Photo by Walkerssk in Pixabay.com

For some weeks now, Barcelona and, obviously, some other parts of the territory are rejoicing in some days of idyllic weather, perfect for enjoying the city by bicycle. This is something that “professionally” we call “not a very cold weather, neither a very warm weather”. You will not need a lot of cloth layers in order to feel the warmth of the bicycle exercise, but, even so you will not feel the sticky weather of the summer.

So, you should take advantage of free afternoons and weekends. Enjoy the parks and gardens of the city: Parc de la Ciutadella, Labyrinth of Horta, Montjuïc, Collserola… Practically every district of the city has a natural space. Although, if you are not looking for the refreshing green, you can take advantage of the fact that there are not so many brave swimmers, and go to ride through the Passeig Marítim. La Barceloneta is a neighborhood where, during weekends, it is difficult not to find some kind of activities. And if there are not any of them, the tapas (appetizers) that you can get there will be a marvelous consolation prize.

Even though, if you are the kind of person who prefers going shopping, our suggestion for you is taking advantage of the big network of bike lanes and visiting the nice and great markets of Barcelona. In addition to the big offer, especially talking about food, they are Modernist works of art, so you shouldn’t miss them if you are interested in the architecture of Barcelona.

This weekend you don’t have any excuse, clean the dust off your bike and go out for pedaling through Barcelona!

Ready for the Great Winter Fiesta in Barcelona?

February 7th, 2019

From the 8th to the 12th of February, one of the greatest fiesta of the city will be celebrated: Santa Eulàlia.

Photo by freestocks.org in Pexels.com

Castellers, correfocs, giants, sardanes, bastoners, concerts… and every kind od activities for elder and young people during the saint and the daughter of the city fiesta: Santa Eulàlia. You can consult all the activities in the official program clicking here.

The Great Winter Fiesta of the city is the perfect opportunity to get to know a great part of the popular culture and tradition of Barcelona, together with all the local people who make it possible.

In addition, most of the activities are going to be celebrated through the old and magic central streets of Barcelona: in Ciutat Vella and the Gótic -where, we can assure you, it is better to circulate by bicycle than by car or motorbike-.

As we always say, the fiestas are the best option to get to know the popular culture of a city. So, you shouldn’t miss that one!

You can avoid the cold weather with the sofa, blanket and a film or… ¡with a bicycle!

January 21st, 2019

Ok, ok… We also like to take a break and collapse ourselves in the sofa. But let’s  never forget that the best way to get rid of the cold from our bodies is riding a bicycle, enjoying the city or some mountain route.

Photo by Luca, Papagnoc in Pixabay

This January has been very “refreshing” in Barcelona, but it hasn’t been serious enough to stop us from keeping pedaling. No matter how much our sofa has been calling us, thanks to the bicycle we have become the heroes of our movies. We have discovered new corners of our incredible, insatiable, traditional and intercultural city. We have pedaled up to our last breath in order to get the best views. And we have met some marvelous people.

Don’t succumb to the trap of falling into the blanket and do this by keeping yourselves active and happy. In addition, it gives to you the break that you need for facing all the daily challenges.

Don’t think more about it. You simply leave the sofa, ride your bicycle and you will suddenly realize that you are having a great time.

This summer, let’s share Barcelona by bicycle

July 3rd, 2018

We have to insist that the best way to travel is by the ecotourism, achieving that our passing through the city be the most sustainable and positive possible, and generating the best memories for us and for the people who live in the city and who turn it into a marvelous place.

Photo by Sergi Larripa

The City Hall of Barcelona has initiated a new campaign this summer: ‘Compartim Barcelona’ -Let’s share Barcelona- where they gather some tips for everyone who visits and lives in the city. We feel very identified with them, because they are something that we try to transmit in many of our mails.

Sharing the public places, taking care of the urban furniture, not obstructing the life’s rhythm of the people who live in the city, not making noise after a celebration and, in general, controlling the volume… these are some basic tips from the web site. It seems very logical, isn’t it? Well, these are annoyances that the people who live in Barcelona are experiencing continuously, and which complicate their day-to-day. For this reason, we are sharing it in our blog, in order to do our part to achieve a more habitable city for everyone.

To all these tips, obviously, we want to add another one: riding a bicycle when you visit the city. This means of transport doesn’t make noise, doesn’t dirty it and, thanks to the extension of the bike lane, we can practically move around the whole city in a safe way for us and for the pedestrians. Of course, in order to make this idea a reality, we need your help by respecting all the traffic sign, the places to stop and park and this rhythm of the people who live in the city that we have talked about. Because, they are sharing their bicycle routes, so try not to obstruct the rhythm of these.

Take these tips with you and enjoy Barcelona by bicycle!

This holidays you can practice the ecotourism in Barcelona by the best means of transport: the bicycle

June 19th, 2018

Summer is very close and we cannot avoid to remember you some tips that will help you to plan an unforgettable trip, respecting the environment and people who you are going to visit.

Born Bike Tours Barcelona are very fans of ecotourism, this combination of activities that allow us to travel respecting the environment and the people who live in this place. But, although this point of view comes from the respect, ecotourism is much more. We are going to sum it up in the 8 tips presented by the International Ecotourism Society:

  1. Minimize physical, social, behavioral, and psychological impacts.
  2. Build environmental and cultural awareness and respect.
  3. Provide positive experiences for both visitors and hosts.
  4. Provide direct financial benefits for conservation.
  5. Generate financial benefits for both local people and private industry.
  6. Deliver memorable interpretative experiences to visitors that help raise sensitivity to host countries’ political, environmental, and social climates.
  7. Design, construct and operate low-impact facilities.
  8. Recognize the rights and spiritual beliefs of the Indigenous People in your community and work in partnership with them to create empowerment.

You are going to see that a lot of these points are easy to resolve if you visit the place by bicycle 😉

Integrate yourself in Barcelona by bicycle

June 14th, 2018

One of the best ways to grade our trip experience is through the integration level.  In order to reach the maximum grade in Barcelona -or anywhere- we suggest you to take a map of the bike lane and to get fit with your bicycle, the best means of transport to enjoy the city at street level.

Photography by Alejandro Lopez

Photography by Alejandro Lopez

June smells summer and, with the arriving of summer, we cannot avoid to start to think about our well-deserved holidays. For this reason, today we want to remember some ideas that we have set out in the blog, because we think that they are very important for achieving the best experience in Barcelona.

Bring us close tot the city people through their culture, their history and their social habits is a basic thing and, for achieving this, to move us at street level is very important, in order to don’t miss any detail.

When we know exactly our means of transport, the next more important thing is the destination. And for this part of the planning is very important to get informed before to leap to our trip. Be informed about the greatest monuments, to explore some more specialized corners and, above all, try to coincide with some popular celebration.

If you achieve getting into the plane, bus or train – whatever it is the means of transport that you use to come to Barcelona- knowing all the lessons, your trip will be incomparable. If you don’t have enough time for that, keep calm, the city is full of services where we can help you sharing all our knowledge.

Spring activities in Barcelona for going by bicycle

April 18th, 2018

This weekend, the  21st and 22nd of April in Barcelona, you shouldn’t miss the great Earth Fair, which is celebrated at the Parc Central de Nou Barris.

Photo by Fran Priestley

In Barcelona, the Earth Day is celebrated with a great street market with handmade, ecological and proximity products and that intends to  report the bad behavior of our society with regard to nature.

A nice initiative, isn’t it?

Join it doing something good for environment, such as going to the great street market by the cleanest means of transport: the bicycle. In this way, you will add some more pedaling to the 30 days of biking, which are still active this month of April in Barcelona.

And, if after walking through this street market, you are still interested in something more, on Monday, the 23rd of April, Barcelona will be full of books and roses in order to celebrate the Sant Jordi’s tradition. Again, we insist that you don’t leave your bike at home. With the bicycle you will be able to move around in a comfortable way and you will avoid streets closed to traffic and the mass of people.

Barcelona doesn’t stop, keep its rhythm pedaling!

Nature for achieving a bit of tranquility

November 10th, 2017

Photo by Iris von Lienen

Barcelona, in spite of being a big city and for this reason extremely edified, it also has some important natural places which allow us to disconnect from the frenetic madness of the city during some hours. Discover which these zones are and go to there by bicycle.

The parks and the gardens

There are for everyone’s tastes. For us, the best park is the Parc de la Ciutadella, where you can pedal on your bike or take a walk. Although this is a very frequented track, due to the fact that is a centric place and within it you can find the Parlament de Catalunya.

For this reason, if you are interested in some more tranquility, you can go pedaling to other proposals: the Laribal’s Gardens. These gardens are situated in the district of Sants-Munjuïc, further away from center, but with a perfect access by bicycle. The park is composed of various terraces that communicate through pathways and stairs, which are flooded over by the vegetation which will allow us to breathe in a little bit of peace. If you go there, please don’t miss the famous Font del Gat and discover its legend if you haven’t done it yet.

In practically the other extreme of Barcelona, we have the Horta’s Labyrinth. If the stress doesn’t allow you to think, lose yourself within the knowledge of the oldest park of Barcelona. Sometimes, disconnecting is the best way of looking for answers.

The Natural Park of Collserola

For the most courageous cyclists, the natural park of Collserola, which protects Barcelona, could be the best option. Take the whole day to pedal through this mountain. In order to take a break. You can use its picnic zones to eat something and, in general, enjoy this jewel so close to your home.

*Remember: please take care of the environment and ride the bicycle only within the indicated zones. We are not the only ones who need these places to disconnect. We hope the next person finds the park in the same or in a better condition.

Don’t forget the keys of the ecotourism at home during these holidays

August 1st, 2017

Among the notes of the trip, remember the keys of the ecotourism is nice in order to achieve that our footprint is always positive in the different places of the world.

Summarized in the 8 points presented by the International Ecotourism Society, these are the keys which we should follow during our holidays:

  1. Minimize physical, social, behavioral, and psychological impacts:

Obviously, at this point we cannot stop insisting on the kind of means of transport that we use. We, of course, prefer the quick, efficient and non-contamination bicycle, always knowing and respecting (the) each city‘s regulations.

  1. Build environmental and cultural awareness and respect:

And an interesting way to do that is moving around the city to the maximum in order to get to know its history, its art and its culture, in addition to its surroundings, especially if they are a source of nature and always leaving a minimum physical trace of our visit.

  1. Provide positive experiences for both visitors and hosts:

Knowing local people and sharing experiences with them will always make our trip so much richer. In order to do that, it is usually enough to be respectful and friendly.

  1. Provide direct financial benefits for conservation:

Collaborating, as far as possible, with these places which we love to visit.

  1. Generate financial benefits for both local people and private industry:

To go and use local shops and services will get us closer to the people of the place and to the way that they live together. So, why do we have to go to the same shops, which, surely, are also in our city?

  1. Deliver memorable interpretative experiences to visitors that help raise sensitivity to host countries’ political, environmental, and social climates:

The present context will indicate much about the place and the people that we are getting to know.

  1. Design, construct and operate low-impact facilities:

Something so basic that we surely will always intend to comply with it in our daily life.

  1. Recognize the rights and spiritual beliefs of the Indigenous People in your community and work in partnership with them to create empowerment:

Something so basic that we surely will always intend to comply with it in our daily life.

The bicycle is the best trip mate, you should not give it up at home during this summer

June 27th, 2017

Haystack-bike-springSports, the reduction of the pollution in our city or the simple and marvelous fresh air on our faces are the reasons that push us to take the bicycle during our daily life. Why are we going to leave it at home during the holidays?

The daily pedaling is one of the best habits that we can achieve, something that the grumpiest people, with regard to the bicycle, cannot deny. Giving it up during the summer months is one of the worst errors that we can commit, especially, because, in the new cities, it is also very beneficial.

Getting to know new corners at the street-level, pedaling together with local people, parking anywhere we prefer, these are the pleasures that we can only achieve by one special means of transport: the bike.

Haven’t you tried it yet?

So, write down in capital letters in your good intentions’ notebook: TURNING THE BICYCLE INTO THE BEST MEANS OF SUMMER TRANSPORT. If you achieve this challenge, you will not be able to stop pedaling during the whole year!

This summer bet on the sustainable tourism

June 6th, 2017

This 2017 has been declared International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations.

Photo by Homestage Multimedia

Although in Barcelona we have noticed the warm weather of summer, this season hasn’t arrived officially until this week and with it the holidays of some people are going to start.

The United Nations has declared this 2017 the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development. So if we are planning a trip it will be nice to be on the ecotourism plan, following the guidelines which have been reminded by this international institution: “The declaration by the UN of 2017 as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development is a unique opportunity to advance the contribution of the tourism sector to the three pillars of sustainability – economic, social and environmental -, while raising awareness of the true dimensions of a sector which is often undervalued” said World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai.

Generate wealth during our trips and don’t destroy a place where people welcome us is a responsibility of every one of us. The best experiences are experienced through the streets join with the local people who share their culture.

Barcelona is going to be dressed up by the Carnival this week

February 21st, 2017

From the 23rd of February to the 1st of March, this fiesta of the popular culture is going to be present in the city, with a great number of performances and activities for all ages.

Carnival is a great date for going to visit other cities, because it is a fiesta which is enjoyed and, at the same time organized, by a lot of entities of the local society. A fact that turns that into a unique piece of popular culture.

From costumes, your Most Gracious Highness the King of the Carnival, to the Catalan sausage -made with egg, which is typical of the “fatty Thursday”, because gastronomy also enjoys this fiesta. All in all, it’s a combination that you will not be able to resist.

Take your bike and take a ride through the different activities of the neighborhoods. Go into the markets and taste the diverse varieties of the Catalan sausages. And, specially, go to one of the two great events of this Thursday: at 6 p.m. at the Palau de la Virreina, the Seven Ambassadors. At the same time, at the Plaça Sant Jaume, the arrival of the King of the Carnival with animation will take place.

Take your bike and pedal through the dressed-up streets of Barcelona!

New Year and a healthy life: our list of intentions for this 2017 with which you will not be able to stop pedaling

December 28th, 2016

If you still don’t have your list of intentions for this New Year, from BornBike Tours we are going to suggest some key points to improve your health and your environment.

  1. Go to work by bicycle in order to improve the environment

We know that. This point has appeared in our blog a lot of times. But, the daily bike displacements in Barcelona continue being a 2% in comparison with the other modalities (car, motorbike or walking) and, although during the last 10 years these displacements have been multiplied 4 times, there is still a long way to go with regard to pedaling.

Moving around by bike with intern displacements through the city, as well as when we go to work, is the key to improve our health and reduce the pollution and the bad mood.

  1. Responsible and sustainable trips, the best ecotourism

Ok, yes, again nothing new. But, did you achieve this intention last year? Because if you have done it, forgetting it now is not right. Share your experience this year and you’ll be sure to go on your trip accompanied.

Remember, the best tourism is the one you do together with locals.

  1. Keeping fit without losing money or time

This is for when you have finished the Christmas holidays. Although the gym is always a basic point in our lists, when we return to the daily reality, we forget it due all the expenses and the little free time. So, we can always take advantage of our daily displacements and take our bike, not only for going to work, we can use it for taking the kids to school or for going shopping and so on. You will enjoy the fresh air, which you cannot breathe in the public transport or in the car. You will share the public space with your neighbors, something very important for feeling integrated in the city. And, at the same time, you will lose the extra kilos gained on Christmas.

Now you know that, if you don’t have a bike for starting the new year, don’t forget to ask the Three Wise Men for one!

If you are going to travel during Christmas, remember some of the main points of ecotourism

December 12th, 2016


During Christmas, there are a lot of people that bet on knowing these dates from other cultural perspectives. For achieving this purpose, it’s essential to keep some main points in mind in order to leave a positive mark at the place  

  1. Minimize the negative impacts on the environment and on the community

Get a bicycle and enjoy the city from the best perspective, helping to not increase pollution and noise.

  1. Respect the environment and the culture

With your bicycle, you will be able to enjoy a lot of places at a street level, something essential for experiencing the culture of a country. If you have never been there, you should look for some information about its traditions in order to avoid slip-ups.

  1. Positive experiences for visitors and hosts

If you are respectful with the environment and culture, you will achieve a better atmosphere with the local people. If the people of a country are happy with you, you will achieve a unique experience and, what are we looking for when we travel, if it’s not this?

  1. Direct financial benefits for the local people

Being Christmas, probably, you will not be able to avoid buying some souvenirs. Try to keep away from the big chain stores, which you can find everywhere. The local commerce is unique. In this way, you will be able to buy the most original presents.

Enjoy your trips during Christmas or during any other time of the year following these basic tips.

What is the best way to enjoy spring’s arrival in Barcelona? Pedaling your bicycle

Haystack-bike-springAlthough the winter has come and passed unnoticed and it has given us nice trips through the city, spring continues being the favorite season for traveling on a bike.

Sunny days without being scorching ones

Hot weather can be an enemy, even worse than cold weather, for everyone who likes to travel on bicycle. Enjoying spring temperature will avoid the tiredness caused by other seasons of the year and, even more, it can give us a short break stretched out on the green of a park.

Colors that make the trip more pleasant

We are talking about the colors of spring, not only the colors from plants and trees which start to flower everywhere, but also the warm color tones of the sun over the buildings. If you like to take good photos of your trips, spring light, without burning landscapes as happens in the summer, will give life to your mementos.

The beginning of the festivities

Even though every season has its festivities and they are always reflected on the big city, during spring, the celebrations in streets with all the community are more common, taking advantage of the warm weather. If you are interested in getting to know new cultures during your trips, these kinds of celebrations are the best chance.

You should not forget that spring comes marked by rain. So, when you are preparing your trip, make sure of taking the correct clothes for possible changes in the weather. Warm and under a raincoat, a rainy city also has its charms.

Some of the intentions which cannot lack in your 2016 New Year list

new-year-s-eve-ceremony-champagne-sparkling-wineIn a few days we will start the new year and, as usually happens, we cannot avoid looking back, reviewing everything that we have achieved this year and prepare a new list of intentions for this next year.

Surely all of the intentions that you have thought of are good and laudable, but, please, ask yourself these three questions:

  1. Are these intentions specific enough? Setting up great goals without some specific steps which we need to achieve in order to arrive at the finish line is a typical error which distances us from our objective.
  2. (¿)Have you deadline dates? Using a deadline date in each one of the steps is also a key tool.
  3. Are these intentions realistic? No one knows us better than we ourselves, so, on the base of this, review your intentions again and convert them into something realistic.

Based on our principles, we want to suggest three intentions to everyone, which cannot be lacking in any list:

  1. Go to work by bicycle… You have a lot of tips about how and why you can do this in our blog. Following the previous questions, you can start achieving some steps, such as: the first weeks I will go by bicycle one day, the next ones two days and, in this manner, increase the number progressively. It’s important for you to mark you the dates of the advances on a calendar so that you can see the quick progress.
  2. During the next holidays put the tips about ecotourism into practice: look for new activities which you haven’t experienced yet, in some place of the world that you don’t know and share them with the people of the place.
  3. Get to know more about your city: How many corners of your city don’t you know? Start with local tourism which brings you closer to your roots. It’s cheap, easy and gratifying.

With these three intentions, which each one has to adapt it to his expectations, we will achieve a lot of other intentions that appear on our list: more exercise, more savings, reducing the pollution, reducing the consumption…

And if you have achieved some of them already, plan on a way to improve them and share them with us 😉 We are in contact through the social networks.

A different Christmas in Barcelona

As we have announced last week, we will inform you about the different activities which will be carried out in the city during the next Christmas’ weeks. This week it’s the turn for the Fira de Consum Responsable (Responsible Consumption Fair) at Catalunya Square.I Fira de Consum Responsable Nadal Barcelona

This year, the center of the city has become a place of reflection and change, but, of course, enjoying games, activities and performances related to Christmas to the maximum.

The Responsible Consumption Fair, which will start this Saturday, 19th of December, and which will be prolonged to the next 4th of January, is the best example. With the objective of making public a lot of companies and associations which work within a supportive and social economy, everyone who gets there will be invited to participate in their activities (in the mornings and in the afternoons) and to buy a Christmas present, because, which is a better present than the one that collaborates with a fairer society?

Again, we want to remind you, that from BornBike we want to strengthen this kind of local market and work in favor of citizens and visitors living together and getting acquainted at places like that, promoting, at the same time, a kind of ecotourism which favors everyone.

We are convinced that we will take our bike and we will go and see what is going on at the Catalunya Square. Will you come with us?

The keys of the ecotourism

Although we have the sensation that an eternity has passed since we were on holidays, surely it has been only a month and a few days, enough time to get away from our experiences and analyze our trip in a critical way.

by Diogo Tavares

by Diogo Tavares

For this analysis, the definition and the seven principles on which The International Ecotourism Society bases itself can be a help for us. So the Ecotourism is not any other thing than: “responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment, sustains the well-being of the local people, and involves interpretation and education”. In order to achieve this we have to:

1. Minimize physical, social, behavioral, and psychological impacts:

Obviously, at this point we cannot stop insisting on the kind of means of transport that we use. We, of course, prefer the quick, efficient and non-contamination bicycle, always knowing and respecting the each city‘s regulations.

2. Build environmental and cultural awareness and respect:

And an interesting way to do that is moving around the city to the maximum in order to get to know its history, its art and it culture, in addition to its surroundings, especially if they are a source of nature and always leaving a minimum physical trace of our visit.

3. Provide positive experiences for both visitors and hosts:

Knowing local people and sharing experiences with them will always make our trip so much richer. In order to do that, it is usually enough to be respectful and friendly.

4. Provide direct financial benefits for conservation:

Collaborating, as well as possible, with these places which we love to visit.

5. Generate financial benefits for both local people and private industry:

To go and use local shops and services will get us closer to the people of the place and to the way that they live together. So, why do we have to go to the same shops, which, surely, are also in our city?

6. Deliver memorable interpretative experiences to visitors that help raise sensitivity to host countries’ political, environmental, and social climates:

The present context will indicate so much about the place and the people that we are getting to know.

7. Design, construct and operate low-impact facilities:

Something so basic that we surely will always intend to comply with it in our daily life.

8. Recognize the rights and spiritual beliefs of the Indigenous People in your community and work in partnership with them to create empowerment:

Something so basic that we surely will always intend to comply with it in our daily life.

So, now we have to ask ourselves: At how many points we have implemented these on the last holidays? And, in this way, trying to improve in each one, our next holidays will be have 10 points!