These guys are great. Our son just got back Teen Treks NYC to Montreal and I have never seen him so enthused. The leaders are excellent, and the other kids on the trip seemed like a lot of fun to hang out with. When I was his age, I took bike trips with American Youth Hostels, and Teen Treks shares a lot of that DNA. Bike touring is the best. We are already planning his trip for next summer. read more

My teen trekker returned home sharing fun stories of his biking adventure. This was music to my parental ears! An active kid, he liked motoring under his own power, racking up the miles while picking up some basic bike repair and problem-solving skills. And enjoying lots of ice cream with the other kids along the way. Each night's location was a fun surprise. The group cooking fostered a new interest - who knew? It sounded like the two young leaders were attentive and fun to be around while keeping the group on track. All in all, it was a positive experience with kids his own age - a memorable biking experience. It continues to be fun for me to overhear him reveal little tales of how he spent part of his summer vacation traveling on the road. read more

My 16 year old son just got back from a 16-day trip from New York City to Montreal. It was a fantastic experience. He came home feeling accomplished, self confident, and made friends he hopes to keep in touch with. The two trip leaders were both wonderful and set a great relaxed tone. One of the things I like about the Teen Trek vibe is that there are NO PHONES. Tearing my teen away from his phone was a big deal, but my son said he didn't really miss it. Another thing I like about Teen Treks is that while the riding is demanding, it's not all about getting there, it's about enjoying yourself along the way. They did a lot of miles, and it was challenging but they also had other experiences. They swam at amazing water holes, ate at cool restaurants, went to museums, and the kids had autonomy in choosing how to spend their free time, what to eat, etc. My son does not do well with discomfort, yet he just loved this trip despite heavy rains, the tent getting wet and stinky, and all sorts of other challenges. He had never been on a bike trip before, yet he said he wished it had been longer and is thinking about doing another one next summer. The other night on the way home from his girlfriend's house he got a flat tire, and last night he fixed it on his own. So proud of him and grateful to Teen Treks! read more

My son took part in the Teen Trek Cape Cod trip during the summer of 2021. I am posting this so that other parents can be aware of the problems we experienced with this completely disorganized, and overpriced camp - in case you are considering sending your child on a Teen Trek. Please read this entire post before making such a choice. Cliff, the owner, seemed enthusiastic and helpful in the beginning stages of communication when we signed up in May. (The camp was in early August.) But as we got closer to the dates, he was not available to answer simple questions - including the route the campers would be taking. That was something that they apparently decided "in the moment" on the trip. I should have seen this as a red flag. The counselors - who might have been 22 or 23 - had never been on this trip. Not once. They were completely unfamiliar with the terrain. My son said they were nice, but he described them as being "like one of us." They had no command of the campers, and no familiarity with the route, or the campgrounds. Some days, they rode for miles in the wrong direction because nothing was planned ahead and they were lost. They had no solid plans for meals, and often no clue where to buy the food when they arrived to a new town, When I asked Cliff about this as a serious concern - he said "We like to have our counselors learning and exploring right along with our campers. It keeps it fresh. Otherwise, the counselors get bored." Considering the hefty price tag of this camp, that answer is just not acceptable. My son was told to train for a ride of up to 20 miles, as we were told that was the maximum amount of biking per day. There were times when 40-mile rides were required - and many times in the rain. My son also had a bully in his group who put other campers lives in danger - first by trying to burn holes in one camper's tent (while it rained non-stop, so this created leaks) and then by trying to drown another camper during a swim. This problem child should have been sent home immediately. The counselors had no training to handle such a circumstance. When I asked Cliff about this camper after the fact, he confirmed that there was "a problem kid", but he was told things had "straightened out" over time. That was not true. The counselors were given no tools to handle this very dangerous teen. There was an instance in the Martha's Vineyard Family campground where my son and his friend were victims of a hate crime. The counselors did not let us know until the following day, so our kids remained in a campground where the perpetrator was still camping with his family much longer than they should have. While they did eventually ask the campgrounds to remove the family of concern, that happened a day later, and only at the urging of parents. When it became clear that this camp was not going well, I flew to Boston so I could accompany my son and his friend back to Chicago safely when it came to an end, and was shocked at the haphazard way they were planning to ship the bikes back home. We met at a FedEx facility, and it was clear the counselors had no experience dismantling or packing/shipping a bike. It was severely damaged when it arrived in Chicago, with scratches and bent parts. I called Cliff and even sent photos of the damaged bike. There was no clear plan for the bike return up until the final day (because nobody could reach Cliff, who was on vacation in Europe). The cost for a botched packing/shipping job was another unexpected financial hit. I feel sad for the counselors, who were very nice girls, but not given the support needed to excel. I do feel they did the best they could under the circumstances - but they should never have been put in these situations. An email was sent out recently about taking part in a Zoom with the folks from my son's trip. His horrified reaction was a reminder of just how bad this camp experience was, and what prompted me to write this post. I hope no parent has to go through the kind of stress our family endured. Finding good camps for teens is hard. This is not one of them. read more

I sent my son Peter on the NewYork-Montreal trip and he loved it! The kids got very close and looked out for each other. The leaders were attentive, supportive and responsible. In a time when parents seem to be monitoring every moment of their kid's lives, I think it was nice for my son to get out and gain some independence. On my end I felt secure knowing he was being looked out for and when I did have a question or wanted an update the office worker Howard Snyder was available and responded promptly. This was a very effective way to ensure my son's entire summer would not be monopolized by random devices. He got out, saw some new sites, got some exercise and had a great time. Well worth it. read more

I went on the 1000 mile challenge last summer and it was a great experience. I was with the counselor Katie who had been running trips for years and was extremely knowledgeable about the route we were on. I learned a lot about camping and what it's like to travel the country on a bike. A lot of these lessons I applied to a solo bike trip I am doing now, which would never have been possible without the helpful guidance from my counselor last summer. Overall I couldn't recommend this program enough and would do my trip it again in a heartbeat if given the opportunity. read more

My son participated in a Teen Treks summer biking trip to Cape Cod during the summer of 2021. We selected the trip because it was the only bike tour catering to teenagers. I've decided to post this review so other families can decide whether this establishment will fit their family's and teen's expectations. By way of background, we live in the Midwest and selected a trip on the east coast, requiring us to put our son and his bike on a plane to Boston. In comparison to our experience with other summer tours, the Teen Treks (TT) company is not well organized, so if you're a parent that prefers to have trip details well in advance to purchase lower cost airline tickets, and to make other arrangements, you will need to contact the tour operator multiple times to obtain vital information (e.g., How to ship your teen's bike? When should your child's airplane arrive at the airport?Who will pick up your child at the airport? Where will they stay? How will you get in touch with your child if they prohibit cell phones? and so on). In hindsight, this early experience should have been a warning sign. In terms of the trip itself, TT hires college-age students to lead the trips. According to my son, the leaders were nice, but they did not command respect from the bikers. Consequently, at least one biker endured serious bullying (i.e., one biker tried to burn a hole in another biker's sleeping bag, and later tried to hold the same biker under water during a free swim); this bully should have been sent home, but the leaders did not act. Further, despite expecting that the group would sleep in youth hostels, they mostly slept in TT supplied non-waterproof tents and with summer rains, the bikers endured a good share of water-soaked tents and wet sleeping bags. Certainly, the trip required the teens to rough it and overcome adversity, but even so, TT should have waterproof tents if they are going to use campsites as their form of lodging. We did appreciate that the leaders took my son seriously when he became the victim of a hate crime at a campsite on Martha's Vineyard, but we weren't told until the following day of the incident. We would have preferred to have been informed earlier and to have been able to speak with our son to ensure he felt safe spending the evening at the same campsite with the perpetrator. We were notified about the issue the following day, and spoke to our son, but the leaders hadn't thought to call us when it happened to learn what action we would have wanted to take. We likely would have called the local police ourselves to make sure they were taking the situation and our son's safety seriously. A concern of ours was how to safely pack and protect our son's close-to-new bike to Boston; we opted to have it professionally packed and shipped on our son's flight (belatedly, we were told this was the only option because TT doesn't have any place to receive the bike ahead of time). We were also told TT would call us in advance of the return to arrange shipment home and that they would use bikeflights.com, a professional bike shippingcompany. Hearing nothing from TT 3 days before my son's return, we got in touch and were told they wouldn't be using bikeflights.com, but instead, would use FedEx. We registered our concern and asked if another carrier could be used to ensure the bike was packed correctly and protected. TT staff assured us TT leaders were trained to pack bikes correctly, but they suggested we could use FedEx professional packing service for an extra fee; TT leaders would call us to discuss. Instead, the leaders packed the bike secured only by my son's clothes, sleeping bag, and his biking equipment. Even bubble wrap, available at FedEx, would have been better, but the TT leaders did not call or give us the option to use the FedEx packing service. Suffice to say, the bike returned damaged (a bent disc brake rotor) and with major gouges and scratches on the frame and with his clothes soiled with grease. After seeing the condition of the bike and informing TT, they blamed the carrier, accepting no responsibility, although their staff were responsible for packing the bike. When I asked why they hadn't called us to ask if we would pay the extra FedEx packing fee, their response was that the service was too expensive and families on other trips had chosen not to pay the extra fee. A $700+ bike is now ruined, and TT would not agree to compensate us for the damage caused by their negligence. One more thing, expect to pay more than the fee charged by the operator. The cost of the trip is only part of the expense. If you are a family without existing camping and biking equipment, expect to shell out between $500-$800 on equipment needed for the trip, not including the bike, the cost to ship the bike, the airline ticket, and the cost to repair a damaged bike. While future customers' experiences might be different, based our experience we cannot recommend this tour operator to other families. read more

Some of the most memorable and exciting summers I have ever had were through this company. I was skeptical before going on the trip. But once I met my group and hit the road that melted away. My first trek was from New York City to Montreal. It was memorable from all different accounts. The group I was in was tight-knit where by the end I could tell you all types of different random facts about the other trekkers and leaders. We would play cards almost every time we stopped for a break and had a good time. Every activity we did together outside of biking was fresh and exciting. You could just tell there was a sense of campaign ship between all of us which I had never expressed through any other summer camp. The trip itself was amazing with all of the beautiful rolling hills and lakes that we stopped to swim in along the way. I personally tried many new things along the way like trying all different types of new food and rope swinging for the first time. Once in the city of Montreal, all of us had a blast exploring the city and eating the local cuisine. I personally wrote about this trip for my college essay since it meant so much to me. I loved that trip so much that I went on another the next year--this time going from Boston to Acadia National park. If you asked me which one I enjoyed more I would not give you an answer since both were fantastic experiences and both had unique moments. Once again the group I was with was tight-knit and also had a sense of true campaign ship by the end. The trip was just as lovely as the one before it this time with the added benefit of being on the ocean for parts of it. Like before I had new experiences like kayaking and pier jumping. Also, like before I enjoyed the trip so much that I wanted to go to another one but unfortunately Covid-19 stopped that from happening. I look back at these two trips now that I am in college and remember all of the fun times I had with every part of me. From the biking itself to the leaders. I have had 4 different leaders and have liked 4 different leaders. Each one had a friendly unique personality that made the trip exciting and fun. On the first day of my first trip, I remember being nervous about meeting everyone and worrying about keeping up. The leaders got rid of those fears right away by them doing an excellent job of making all of us feel welcome and part of the group as we got ready to take on the challenge of biking. The leaders were always there for us if we needed support or someone to talk to along the way. The leaders made even the dull moments fun moments as they always thought of activities we could do when we were at the campgrounds or just taking a break from biking. They also generally cared about each one of us getting to know us on a personal level which made the trip that much better as they could strike up a conversation based on our interests at any point. I can't say enough positive things about the leaders I had during my trip. As for the biking part of the Teen treks, I was nervous going into my first Trek. But the leaders were there to help and motivate us and by the end of the second day, I think we all had full confidence in our biking ability. Through my two treks, I met other trekkers who ranged from a literal future pro biker taking a break from his normal training to a New Yorker who rarely got to bike due to being in the city. Both had a good time biking and both completed it. I describe my experience as challenging but rewarding as every hill you climb feels great to conquer. I never felt rushed during my time biking as we all went at our own pace. With a leader in front for the trekkers going with speed and a leader in the back for the ones not going as fast. After the first day, we got to take turns leading the group which was something I wasn't expecting but a welcome surprise as it was fun to navigate. By the end of the trips, I think all of us were confident bikers willing to take on another challenge knowing that we had the ability to do so. Overall My experience with Teen Treks has been nothing but positive and I wish that I knew about the company earlier. If you want something fun, adventurous, and exciting to do over the summer Teen Treks is it. read more

Our family had a wonderful experience sending our child on a Teen Treks trip. My daughter was part of the Pacific Northwest Trek in 2021 and from beginning to end we were very pleased with the experience! The leaders, Sam and Liz, were in contact with us before the trip even began, asking if we had any questions and confirming my daughter's flight itinerary. We felt confident in the leaders, especially after talking to them and hearing more about their experience working with teens. The campers weren't able to bring phones on the trip, which our family really appreciated in this day and age where teenagers are glued to technology. Even so, the leaders made sure that the campers checked in with their parents every 4-5 days using the leader's phones, and we really were glad to get updates from our daughter along way! We also loved keeping up with the blog, which was updated every day and was often written by the kids themselves, so it was really fun to hear about the trip and see pictures from the campers' perspective. My daughter had a lot of great stories to share when she got home, and I could tell she really bonded with her group on the trip. She especially liked being able to see such a beautiful part of the country by bicycle. Our family has taken many road trips over the years but never by bike, I could tell it made an impression on my daughter to be able to carry her own gear and travel from one location to the next while getting to see the Pacific Northwest in an up-close and personal way. I am really glad there is an organization out there doing something like this, and I wish I had done something like this when I was my daughter's age. read more

From other reviews, this organization seems to be a hit-or-miss proposition. Our son's experience was a miss. I responded to a parent survey after the trip pointing out NUMEROUS safety issues encountered - inexperience riders with overloaded bikes, riding on interstate highways (which is not only dangerous but illegal in the states the trip involved), incorrect attention to an injured rider. I was careful to provide the feedback in the spirit of improving the experience, not as a way of blaming. I never heard back. Even after I followed up to indicate my expectation that I would be. I sincerely hope the safety of the riders was improved. I also hope the owner is more carefully vetting the leaders. As a parent, I can't recommend anyone entrust their children to this company. An adult rider may be capable of making their own assessments in the interest of their own safety. Children cannot. read more

Yo teen treks was a blast. I did the NYC-Montreal trip. Biking everyday was long, hard and rewarding. On the trip I learned a descent amount about cooking and navigation (without an iPhone). My trip councalors, Ben and Amanda were super chill and kept the group safe, teaching us about bike safety and all dat good stuff. They made it all the more fun. Montreal a cool place check it out. Jacob Altstein shouts out Ben read more

I had an amazing time. Teen Treks is a fun way to get introduced to the world of bike touring. The leaders were very helpful and friendly and the bike touring was moderate. While on the trip safety was a big priority and the leaders did all they could to insure the route we were taking was safe and are bikes were in working order. On the way we made many stops and did lots of fun activities. I cannot emphasize enough how amazing the experience was. Over all Teen Treks was an amazing experience and I hope more kids have the same opportunity that I did. read more

I first Started with Teen Treks when I was 15 doing their Lake Ontario Trek, followed by Maine Coast, Across America and Pacific Northwest. I have now aged out of the program so I can no longer be a trekker, but I will carry these experiences for the rest of my life. Out on the road you learn how to be self sufficient, relying on a paper map and your own two eyes instead of a navigation system. You see the kindness in others, both within your group and as you travel. I once got a flat tire on the side of the road and I was struggling to fix it before 3 members of my group came along and lent a hand, as well as a tow truck driver who just happened to be passing by. When I first started I knew a little bit about cooking, but helping to prepare meals on this trip gave me confidence and skills in the kitchen. I went from cooking pasta to myself, to cooking for 12 people in a campsite, to cooking Thanksgiving dinner for 25 this past year (my mom was really happy about that one.) I did Across America the summer before my senior year of high school. When I returned to school in September I was a new person. I had teachers who had known me for three years tell me how I was more confident, I carried myself a little taller, I was no longer afraid of failure, I was ready to succeed. It was a tough journey, with an immense sense of pride at the end. I will never say that it was easy, but I will always say that it was worth it. I also have to give Teen Treks significant credit in earning my Eagle Scout award. I was faltering out of the program and Teen Treks renewed my interest in outdoor adventures. These trips also instilled in me a sense of adventure and a learned skill of being flexible. I remember on my Lake Ontario trip we were supposed to do 35 miles 2 days in a row to get from a town just outside of Rochester to Buffalo, but the whole group decided to do 70 in one day and we all had an amazing time seeing Buffalo for the day. Cliff himself is available basically day or night to answer any questions and he does his best to accommodate everyone, parents and trekkers alike. He's been doing these trips for over 30 years and throughout that time he has done his best to keep the best parts of all of them alive. The kids learn real responsibility and skills, and most of all independence. The leaders are there for support but they are trained to let the kids take the lead often as well. read more

I went on the European Grand tour in 2018. While I had many good experiences, I would recommend bikers to go with another company. Here are the most important issues: -Many of the routes were dangerous. In Europe it is legal to bike on roads which are equivalent to highways, this does not mean they are safe. On multiple days we were sent on these routes. -The leaders were rude and on their phones constantly (which was especially obnoxious because they confiscated ours immediately citing that we would be on our phones too much). -I was left behind on multiple occasions with no way of contacting anyone (In Gent for three hours and on the side of a highway for over an hour) -one of the leaders decided to fast (no water or food) for three days in the middle of the journey. He started on our first day in France and during Europe's worst heat wave of recent years. He would take naps without telling us and we would be waiting at drop points for over an hour. -Cliff, the owner, is rude and dishonest. After signing up early for the first session, Cliff contacted my family asking to move me to the second session. Then a few weeks before the trip he sends out an email saying he'll probably cancel the second trip. Also, he led me to believe there would be 5 other kids on the trip. But he really meant 5, including myself and the two leaders. -Not all of the campsites/hostels we're booked beforehand. Biking is amazing, Europe is amazing, but all of the positives of this trip can be found with a better company. Hope this was helpful! read more

My daughter Cokie went on the Teen Treks Europe trip and it was a truly life changing experience for her. Cokie has always been outgoing and athletic but she was never particularly into biking before the trip, we just thought it would be a unique way for her to see Europe. Her leaders were outstanding, taking the group to unique out of the way places like an unassuming but delicious neighborhood cafe in Rouen. The group seemed to stop frequently to try other local foods, it almost seemed more like a food tour than a bike tour! I was worried about not being able to keep in touch with her during the trip but the daily blog updates from the group always let me know how the group was doing. We followed the group through their sightseeing in Paris and when Cokie's bike broke down and her leaders were able to make the repairs on the side of the canal bike path in Belgium. Despite the bike breakdown and the 2 days of rain in the Netherlands, Cokie is now eagerly awaiting her next bicycle adventure this summer! read more

This was an awful experience for my otherwise easy going teen daughter and the other kids on her trip. The leader, who I see has returned, was openly hostile to the kids. She belittled them, complained when they were hungry. They only got to visit sites she was interested in. I was able to see them mid-way through the European phantom trip as I was in the Netherlands on a fellowship. I thought my daughter had a bag of garbage in her hand when I saw her, I was told it was their food. They begged not to eat at McDonald's in Paris, instead they wanted to get sandwiches from a bakery and were told they were spoiled brats!! My daughter came home NEVER wanting to bike again! read more

I have done three treks with Teen Treks so far. The Cape Cod Trek, NYC to Montreal and Pittsburgh to Washington DC. It is undeniable that the experiences gained on these trips were life changing and would stick with me for the rest of my life. I truly enjoyed all of the trips, and the bonds created over these trips are exceptionally special. The only complaints I have had over the trips is the sense of sometimes everyone is just "winging it", and things that could have and should have been planned were not. The leaders are sometimes unprepared for some issues people encounter during the ride, and sometimes, they are a bit careless. Nonetheless, I believe that Teen Treks is an experience that everyone should experience during their lifetime. I would recommend signing up for for any trek, and probably an easier one to start with. Just make sure that you are okay with getting dirty, not showering for days, wearing dirty laundry, camping for days in a row, being exhausted, and sleeping 6 hour nights. But also be prepared for the bonding moments, the fun rides, the maturity of cooking for yourself, being without your phone, and much more. read more

This is a great camp for teens who like to take on a challenge. You are camping every day and carrying all of your gear. You will make many friends and keep many experiences. I strongly encourage other teens to try to take one of these amazing treks. read more

Our experience with Teen Treks was a nightmare. We believe it was a case of "bait and switch," where the trip proposed was not what what materialized. Cliff Madell, the owner, was aware in advance that he couldn't produce the trip he promised and never informed us. We found out about the situation inadvertantly when the day before our daughter was to fly out to Seattle, her tour leader, who had never even visited the tour area before and was leading a trip for the first time, mentioned that there would only be one other girl, an older girl, on the trip with our 15 year old daughter. An email I wrote to Cliff best describe the circumstances around our disappointment with Teen Treks. As a post script, we had to pay to have her bike sent back to New York and replace the box we sent it in since they left it outside and it was drenched from a storm. All around, it was a horrible experience after over a decade of successfully sending our three children to summer programs without a hitch. We were out thousands of dollars in the bike tour fees, bike equipment, place tickets, which were cancelled to late to be refunded, bike shipping costs, etc. Cliff did not offer us a single penny back on our costs for a this unacceptable bike tour. Main portion of my email to Teen Treks owner, Cliff Madell. "After thoughtful consideration and consultation, we are not sending [our daughter] on the bike tour. We are incredibly concerned with your lack of accurate representation as to the male-female composition of this trip and your failure to keep us apprised when you realized that only one other girl would be on the bike tour (you said you knew for at least a week that another girl intending to go was not going to make it on the tour) and added yet another boy. We feel that twice there was a "bait and switch" in terms of the bike tour. First, [our daughter] was to go on a trip to California, which was cancelled without notifying us that this was likely until I called you to discuss the purchase of bikes. Then, you represented that there would be a balanced group in terms of gender on the Pacific Northwest tour, which is unequivocally not the case with only one other girl touring and seven boys going. This is not the trip that you represented or that we envisioned for [our daughter] from looking at your website. We would never have enrolled [our daughter] is an almost all male bike tour had this been known to us from the outset. This is not an arrangement with which are comfortable. We were not given an opportunity to make a decision earlier and avoid or recoup some of our considerable cash outlays for this trip. We absolutely believe that a refund is in order given that [our daughter] is not participating because the trip you sold us is not the trip that has materialized. It leaves us feeling uneasy and concerned about other aspects of the tour and the representations made about the trip." read more

Teen Treks is a great organization, and the numerous trips I have taken with them has influenced my life in such a way that I am now in college, majoring in Urban Transportation Planning to help encourage alternative transportation. I started with Teen Treks in 2007, on a trip that went from Albany NY to Cape Cod. In 2008, I took two trips, one from Buffalo to NYC, and then NYC to Montreal. There are people from every trip that I still keep in contact with on a regular basis. In 2010, I took the Across America trek, which was really a life changing experience. It is definitely a challenging ride, but worth it! The nine others that were on the trip I pretty much consider family now, and we even got together last August for a reunion ride that we organized together. Teen Treks offers an experience like no other, and I definitely learned many value able life experiences throughout these trips. Learning how to budget meals, get along with group members, and being able to collaborate on routes that the group wants to take for a day helped me a great deal, especially since i was just a freshman in high school on my first trip. I would definitely recommend Teen Treks to my friends and family, and hopefully they are still trekin when I have little ones of my own. read more