How do I book a tour?

1. Contact us by phone or fill out this form for a call back, email or text response.

2. We will take your requested dates and put together a quote based on availability of accommodations, and add-ons such as bike rentals, bike unboxing & boxing, etc. 

3. We will make any desired adjustments to dates, accommodations, add-ons etc. 

4. You will sign off on our terms and conditions.

5. We will send you an invoice for a 50% deposit for payment. The remaining payment is due 30 days before the tour starts.

6. We will book your tour and send you a confirmation with itinerary details.

7. You will fill out a out rider information form with details on each rider in your group.

What if I have questions about a tour?

You can call us or fill out this form for a call back, email or text response.

How do I get to Charlottetown?

Drive

• You can drive to Charlottetown by taking the Confederation Bridge (toll bridge) from New Brunswick to PEI. Then take the Trans Canada Highway to Charlottetown.

• You can also take the ferry from Nova Scotia to PEI. Then follow the Trans Canada Highway to Charlottetown

Fly

• Fly into the Charlottetown Airport

• Fly into the Halifax Airport and take a rental car or the Maritime Bus to PEI

My group has a few people that want to ride a shorter or longer distance than the rest of us. Can we make this work?

Each of our Tip to Tip Tours stop at the same hotels each night. This way, a group of friends with varying abilities or goals can ride separate routes during the day, and still hang out post-ride.

Each of our Day Tours can also be shortened while maintaining the same nutrition stops.

I want to do the longest Tip to Tip Tour but I don't want to miss out on Cavendish. What should I do?

Each of our Tip to Tip Tours stop at the same hotels each night. Therefore, you can swap in a day's route from another tour. If you want to ride the Five-Forty but still visit Cavendish Beach, we can substitute in the 3rd riding day's route from the Four-Thirty while keeping the remaining riding days from the Five-Forty.

Contact us for more tour customization options!

How do I determine what tour I'm ready to do?

Check out our descriptions of Gravel Experience Levels to help you choose your tour.

Do I have to ride a gravel bike?

We strongly recommend gravel bikes for all of our tours. The drop bars offer more hand positions, which increases comfort for longer distances of more than 20 km (12 mi). They can also accommodate wider 40 mm tires, which allow for more comfort and better handling on the gravel and clay roads.

A hybrid bicycle with a tires a minimum of 34 mm wide could handle the shorter Tip to Tip Tour: The Three-Ten. 

We also have gravel bikes available for rent if you want to try one!

Contact us with any questions about your bicycle.

How wide should my gravel tires be?

Your tires should be a minimum of 34 mm wide, although we recommend 38 mm for a better ride. We also recommend 40+ mm tires for tours in the Brookvale region (Day Tour 2 - Brookvale, and  The Five-Forty Tip to Tip Tour Day 4 - Summerside to Charlottetown).

Tell me more about PEI's famous red clay roads

Many of PEI's gravel roads are actually compacted red clay with minimal stones. This results in a smooth ride when dry and a slippery adventure when wet.

What are Heritage Roads?

Characterized by red clay and a canopy of trees, P.E.I. has 16 designated Heritage Roads across the Island that are protected from asphalt, logging and snowplows. These beautiful roads look much like they did 100 years ago. For gravel biking, they offer a quiet narrow lane through the woods often heavily shaded and sometimes quite hilly.

What if it rains?

Unless conditions are unsafe for riding, our tours run rain or shine. Check the forecast before your tour and bring rain gear if required. Alternate routes will be provided if excess rain makes riding on clay roads unsafe.

For example, our Three-Ten Tip to Tip Tour is 95% rideable in rain. If it rains, its route for the day can be easily swapped in on our longer Tip to Tip Tours. In this way, you still get to accomplish your goal of riding across PEI from Tip to Tip.

What is your cancellation policy?

• A cancellation made 30 days or more before the start of the tour will result in a 100% refund on your deposit minus a 10% admin fee if the tour spot can be filled. If the tour spot cannot be filled this will result in a 50% refund on your deposit.

• No refunds will be made between 1-30 days before the start of the tour.

• No refunds will be made for no-shows, cancelling 1 or more in your group, change of plans due to illness, weather or other reasons not in the control of Tailwind Cycling Tours.

Should I get travel insurance?

Yes, we highly recommend securing travel insurance that covers trip cancelation due to unforseen circumstances as well as emergency medical costs.