A weekly newsletter with four quick bites, edited by Tim Leffel, author of A Better Life for Half the Price and The World’s Cheapest Destinations. See past editions here, where your like-minded friends can subscribe and join you.

E-bike Tours on the Rise

The Adventure Travel Trade Association polls tour operators each year to gauge the state of the industry and to spot trends. Turns out that electric bikes (e-bikes) for cycling are surging in popularity, especially in Europe. Culinary/gastronomy activities have also been consistently increasing over the past few years. On a more somber note, "Last Chance Travel" appears in the top motivations for adventure travel this year, again showing an awareness of the effects of climate change. And in case you wondered, the median price of an 8-day adventure tour is $2,813 per person. See the full study here.

Sun Hats Guaranteed for Life

I like to recommend companies that produce products made well enough that they can offer a lifetime warranty. Some (not all) of the Tilley Hats have this guarantee sewn in on the label. I just had them honor it with me. It involved a several-step process of sending them photos, getting approved, destroying my hat, then sending those photos with $20 for shipping. After that though, I got a brand new ventilated sun hat of my choice in the mail a week later. I'm getting older, so I think I'm more likely to lose this second Airflo one than wear it out in my lifetime. See the full selection here.

Riding the Maya Train in Mexico

A few months ago I boarded the new Mexican Maya Train in Palenque, Chiapas and rode it all the way to near the Cancun airport, overnighting in Campeche, Merida, and Valladolid on the way. I finally got the video footage organized and put my report together, so you can see the full Maya Train article here (with a video embed) or go straight to the YouTube video here. The train route is not fully finished yet: eventually it will reach past the current endpoint at Playa del Carmen and finish at Lake Bacalar and Chetumal, near Belize.

A Free Ticket to Bansko Nomad Fest

I ran into the nomadic blogger couple that runs RedWhiteAdventures.com when I was in Spain a couple of weeks ago after meeting them the past two years at the Bansko Nomad Fest. I'm not going this year but they are and they're giving away a free ticket to the event (Starts June 23) to someone through their IG account. Details here.