Backroads Announces Unprecedented Growth; Company Positioned for Record Sales in 2022

Avery Hale Joins Family Business as Director of Sales
July 28, 2021
— Berkeley, CA

Backroads, the leader in active travel, today announced that the company is experiencing a boom with record sales slated for 2022, along with a strong rebound for US and European travel in 2021. Business is up more than 100 percent when comparing 2022 to 2019 numbers, the last full year of travel before the global pandemic. In response to the demand, Backroads has increased office staff by 43 percent since January for a total of 160 global office employees. Among the new team members is Avery Hale, the daughter of Founder and President Tom Hale, who has recently joined the family business as Director of Sales. In this role, Avery leads a 45-person department that manages customer service and guest bookings. Prior to joining Backroads, Avery was Regional Director of Sales at EVERFI, an education technology company based in Washington DC. As a past guest on 29 trips herself, she brings a deep familiarity with Backroads’ values and is the same age that her father was when he started Backroads in 1979.

Backroads office staff have returned to work at the corporate headquarters in Berkeley, along with more than 200 field staff running trips across the United States in the national parks, California Wine Country, Oregon, Maine, Vermont and more. Internationally, the company made its return to Europe this summer with trips in Iceland, followed by Croatia, Greece and France. Backroads will be running trips in over a dozen European countries including Italy, Slovenia, Spain, Portugal and Switzerland this summer and fall and has added additional departures to meet demand. Holiday travel is also proving to be extremely popular, with guests booking trips in Peru, Ecuador and Costa Rica, and in early 2022 Chile and Argentina are shaping up to be in-demand destinations as well.

“It’s so refreshing to see our wonderful Backroads staff back together working in our offices and helping guests plan their next vacation. After a tough year, we’ve turned the page and are looking forward to an amazing 2022,” said Tom Hale, Backroads Founder and President. “I’m thrilled to welcome my daughter Avery to the family business. Backroads has been part of her DNA since before she could walk, and she has seen the company evolve into the leader in adventure travel it is today. I’m sure I’ll learn a thing or two from her business acumen and sharp decision-making, and I’m looking forward to seeing where she leads Backroads in the coming months and years.”

In 2022, Backroads expects to take tens of thousands of guests on vacation in more than 60 countries across the globe. Europe is poised to be the most popular travel destination next year followed by Central and South America and the US.For more information and to book trips go to www.backroads.com.

Backroads also just announced a new guest travel protection plan with Arch RoamRight. The new plan offered through Arch RoamRight can be purchased up until the day before departure (restrictions apply) and may protect up to 100% of a guest’s vacation investment when unforeseen covered issues arise, a feature that’s particularly helpful when planning travel during these changing times.

About Backroads
Backroads was founded in 1979 by Tom Hale and has been a leading innovator in active and adventure travel for over 40 years. The company offers biking, walking & hiking and multi-adventure tours, small ship active cruises, private trips and family trips designed for three distinct age groups: Teens & Kids (typically 9-16), Older Teens & 20s (17+) and 20s & Beyond (adult kids through their late 20s). Backroads hosts thousands of guests each year—75% of whom are repeat guests or referrals from past guests—in hundreds of locations across the globe. For more information, please visit backroads.com, or call 800-462-2848.

Backroads Media Contact