Travel on the cheap: biking Martha's Vineyard

[A bike trail on Martha's Vineyard / Photo Credit: Nicole Cammorata]

I love Martha's Vineyard — the beaches, the seafood, the island charm. But if I'm not careful, it can wear out my wallet faster than you can say "Land 'ho." So on a recent trip with my best friend (and up-for-anything travel buddy extraordinaire) Karla, we tried a new approach. To keep costs to a minimum, we ditched the car on the mainland, loaded all our gear for the weekend on our bikes, and bunked under the stars at the Martha's Vineyard Family Campground in Vineyard Haven.

We biked our way up island from Vineyard Haven to Menemsha (about 14 miles), spent the day at the beach, later grabbed takeout from the nearby Home Port Restaurant, and ate seaside as the sun set. Scores of others also dined on the beach and we sang along to a man strumming some golden oldies on his guitar just a few feet away. We heard rumors that the crowds applaud the end of the sunset, but during our trip the sky was cloudy, and we lost the sun before it got to the horizon. Once it was dark, we hitched a ride back to the campground on the island-wide bus (complete with bike racks!)

Biking with our gear proved to be an exhilarating experience. Were we top-heavy and a bit unsteady at times? Sure. Would I do an encore biking/camping trip on the island? Absolutely. Once we got going it was easy to adjust to the weight on the bikes. The only times we were completely loaded up was on our way from the ferry to the campground (about 2 miles) and then at the end of the weekend on the way back to the ferry. Packing all our gear on our bikes and opting to camp rather than stay somewhere pricier made the trip feel more like an adventure — one that I look forward to doing again.