Tour Preparation Checklist

Once you have had your interview and been accepted on tour you enter into the Pre-Tour Preparation Period.  We know that there is tons of information, so we’ll try and keep things as clear as possible. If there are ever questions call 613-237-6065, your personal Otesha Help Line.

The Basics. Make sure you're familiar with the Bike Tour Resources, including the Tour Prep Pack and Fabulous Fundraising Guide. The Bike Tours FAQ is handy, too. Most of your questions will be answered here.

The Great Welcome.  Once you are accepted we will provide you an email package of information to help you prepare for your tour. It will give you directions for your next steps!

Send in your deposit of $375. Pay online through your personal Canada Helps Giving Page or send a cheque (with "Deposit (Your Name)" on the memo line) to:

The Otesha Project
153 Chapel St.
Ottawa, ON
K1N 1H5.

Send us an original criminal record check.  We require that all tour members provide us with an original criminal records check no older than December 2011 from their local police department.  It will be up to you to figure out this process, as it varies from community to community. If necessary, we can provide a letter certifying that you are a volunteer.

Start fundraising.  Order order ten copies of The Otesha Book: From Junk to Funk at $10 each as a fundraising starter (they generally sell for about $20 each). The Fabulous Fundraising Guide is your resource for gathering the support of your community as you set out on a journey that will promote sustainable living by practicing it. Staff provide email and telephone support as needed. If you face financial barriers, apply for a bursary.

Meet your buddy. We’ll hook you up with a past Otesha tour member to get the inside scoop on what his or her tour was like.  They’ll give you tips and you can share fears and expectations. Who knows, maybe you’ll even go out for fair trade vegan frozen treats together!

Link up. Friend us on Facebook and follow us @oteshaproject

Get ready.  Now is the time to start making sure your body can handle the multiple days of cycle touring in your future.  It also the time to make sure that you have the right personal gear, too.  Check out information on the Bike Tour Resources page for both of these things.

Sign some things.  Important things.  We will send you a medical waiver, documents of rules and guidelines, abuse prevention policy and media release waiver so that we can plaster your beautiful face all over our website.  You will need to print them out, sign them and mail them to our office. 

Fill out the Medical Information Form.  You will fill out a confidential online form for us to know really important things about your health and emergency contacts.  You know, just in case. 

Keep Fundraising. Yep. Do it.

Introduce yourself to the world.  You send us a short bio and photo to put on your tour's web page. 

Get ready to engage "The Public". Get familiar with The Otesha Book - it's a great resource for dialoguing with students and hosts and others you'll meet on the road. If your tour is focused on a particular set of issues (e.g. water or food), start asking questions, reading and talking about them. We'll send you an on-line survey that will get you thinking about the conversations you're likely to have on the road. Read over your copy of the play script a few times (for Performing and Cycling Tour members) to get the structure, characters and dialogue into your head.

Meet your team online.  You and your teammates will be in touch with each other through your own Google Group to share ideas on fundraising, figure out how many tents you will need and who is going to bring the communal team snorkel. 

Research your tour’s communities. Each tour member will be assigned one to three communities on their route. We’ll be asking people to do an hour’s worth of research on these places to find out who lives there, who the potential audiences are, who is doing local sustainability work, finding media contacts, and how to find the farmers' market.

The Great Road Test. Take your steel friend and all your gear out for a 50km ride. Find out what gear works and what you still need to do.

Send us your arrival details. Six weeks before tour, you should have your travel details confirmed.  If you’re coming in from out of town, send us your arrival time and method so we can make sure that everyone arrives at the rendevous point in plenty of time.

Meet your team – phone time. We will set up a conference call one month before tour so that we can all hear the sound of each other's beautiful voices and answer any last minute questions you have. We will also give you a run-down of Training Week and important tour details.

Come together. You are finally finished fundraising and sent in all your documents ages ago.  You've got all the right gear and you are ready to hit the road.  You will meet everyone in your departure community and Training Week will begin!