FAQ

Right now! The three websites are live already. Take a look at www.theoutdoors.nl, www.thehike.nl and www.thebike.nl. Of course this transition has been a longer process which we thought through very well. Behind the scenes we have been working on the platforms for quite a while now. Not only changing the website itself but also the birth of two new company names: ‘The Outdoors’ and ‘The Bike’. All of our previous content is carefully restructured and redirected into the new platform and we designed a new look for all three of them. The goal: to make this transition as smooth as possible without losing any visitor counts. 

Last years ‘The Hike’ changed from a hiking-only platform to a broad platform for all aspects of the outdoors. And outdoor contains way more than hiking, which means it’s time for a change. Because we want to serve the outdoor community in The Netherlands and Flanders with the best possible content, it all will take shape in a new platform: ‘The Outdoors’. The Hike will still exist as you know it, but now going back to its roots; just hiking content. Next to ‘The Hike’ we will launch ‘The Bike, the spin-off for all content around biking. 

We are going from one to three websites, but with the look and feel of one. Luckily they are all easily linked to each other which makes it easy to switch between the three. The two niche sites ‘The Hike’ and ‘The Bike’ will present niche specific articles that are also launched on ‘The Outdoors’. ‘The Outdoors’ will present its own outdoor related articles + The Hike and The Bike content. This means ‘The Outdoors’ will become a gathering place for a broader public.

Our goal will still be the same, to make outdoor a responsible lifestyle for young minded people in the Netherlands and Flanders (25-45 years old). We want to inspire our readers, take them on the best adventures and activities possible and learn them the skills they need for it. All with the same enthusiasm and passion like when we started, but in a new way of implementation. 

• The Outdoors

‘The Outdoors’ is THE online outdoor and adventure magazine in The Netherlands and Flanders. Inspiring all outdoor fans and enthusiasts about the best outdoor activities, products and destinations. Thinking about wintersport, watersports, climbing, (trail)running, camping, road trips and (responsible) travel in general. Also, all articles on ‘The Hike’ and ‘The Bike’ will be published on this platform. 

• The Hike

‘The Hike’ is the original platform, founded by Mechteld and Kaz. Starting with dedicated niche content about hiking, this platform will go back to its roots. Here you can find everything you want to know about hiking trips, the best trails, hut to hut tours, trekking, hiking gear, experiences and reviews from our fellow hiking enthusiasts. Every article that will be published on ‘The Hike’ will also be shown on ‘The Outdoors’. This is how we will both reach a niche market as well as a broad audience of outdoor fans.

• The Bike

‘The Bike’ is the new spin-off for ‘The Hike’, a platform founded by and dedicated to cycling lovers. An online cycling magazine about bikepacking, mountain biking, racebiking, (e)biking, gravelbiking, the best itineraries and trails, cycle gear and inspiring stories from the cycle-community. Every article that will be published on ‘The Bike’ will also be shown on ‘The Outdoors’. This is how we will both reach a niche market as well as a broad audience of outdoor fans.

Our socials will, for now, all transfer to @theoutdoors.nl. Changing just the name of our previous platform, we can keep our original follower count and redirect the @thehike.nl and @thebike.nl accounts to @theoutdoors.nl. To keep things clear and easy to understand we will share all of our content on this one overarching account. 

As you may understand, we don’t like to lose track. Neither in the mountains nor online. That’s why all platforms are linked to each other. At the top of the page you can easily switch between them. When visiting ‘The Hike’ it’s easy to switch to ‘The Bike and ‘The Outdoors and vice versa. When visiting ‘The Outdoors’ you will not only see the outdoor content, but also every article form ‘The Hike’ and ‘The Bike’. 

Being the founders, Kaz and Mechteld will still be the familiar faces. This means the contact will stay the same. But growing in size also means growing in tasks, which resulted in two new team members. Piet Penninx will be our companion for ‘The Bike’. He is a cycling specialist and knows how to inspire all the cycling fans. Willemijn Louws joined the team in January 2023. She will mostly work on content for ‘The Hike’ and ‘The Outdoors’ being an outdoor fan herself as well. Together we will work on all three platforms, each of us with our own specialization.

P.S. Mechteld will be on maternity leave from March until the 1th of July, but of course will be back after that. 

Changing from one to three platforms will, in our case, only have advantages. The reach we have for ‘The Hike’ will stay the same, but now also attracting a much broader niche audience, which will eventually result in growth of the websites. Your product will reach its niche audience on the right platform, but also the bigger audience on ‘The Outdoors’.

Good to know: from now on we communicate mainly from ‘The Outdoors’, also when you are interested in ‘The Hike’. Want to reach out to Piet? He is the exception. Just email him at piet@thebike.nl. 

‘The Outdoors’ will be an overarching platform dedicated to everything outdoors in the most literal sense. Climbing, skiing, kayaking, horseback riding, but also hiking and biking are to be found on ‘The Outdoors’. ‘The Hike’ and ‘The Bike’ will become niche-specific websites. Easier for our readers, this way they will find specific content tailored to their interests. And better for you, because we can show your product to a more specific persona. 

The way we collaborate will stay the same, but now with an upgrade. This means not only publications on ‘The Hike’ are possible like you are used to, but also to a broader audience on ‘The Outdoors’. This way you will both reach a niche audience as well as a broader audience for your product, service or destination.

If you want to collaborate about biking, then ‘The Bike’ will be your go-to platform, including the niche audience. Just like ‘The Hike’, this content will also be visible on ‘The Outdoors’ including a bigger reach.

Curious about a collaboration? You can read all about it in our new mediakit. Just reach out to Kaz in order to receive it.

Of course this is something we wanted to tackle in the best way possible. We build our new websites in a way that they will only strengthen each other. All of the existing link building will be covered by redirects. This way we will not lose any reach and even better, in the future only grow a bigger reach. Keeping SEO in mind, now targeting a niche will result in even better Google rankings. Curious about the power of our platforms? We are happy to discuss KPI’s tailored to your campaign to achieve the best results. 

Being creative and enthusiastic minds, we never lack ideas for the future. So also after this change in scenery we have an eye on growth. Our mission will stay the same, making the outdoors an accessible lifestyle for young minded people in The Netherlands and Flanders (25-45 years old). Why? Because we believe that a responsible outdoor lifestyle contributes to a healthy and happy world. In the future we will keep on gathering all outdoor enthusiasts to gain inspiration, share experiences and discover this world in a responsible and accessible way. How will this happen? Only time will tell 🙂