Backroads Celebrates Legendary Trip Leader Paul Smith on His 400th Trip

Backroads, the leader in active travel, today celebrates its most tenured Trip Leader, Paul Smith, as he accomplishes a professional milestone. Smith was hired in 1990, and since then he’s taken more than 6,352 guests on vacations in 18 regions in the U.S. plus 15 countries worldwide. What started as a part-time job turned into a lifelong passion and a storied career with the company, culminating in him becoming the first Backroads Trip Leader to lead 400 active adventures.

Smith met his wife, Jo Zulaica—who was also a Backroads Trip Leader—leading his very first trip. They married two years later and led Backroads trips around the world together from Asia to New Zealand to the Puget Sound for 15 years. “It has been the biggest honor and privilege of my life to work here, lead trips here—just be at Backroads,” said Smith. “It’s amazing to recognize just how lucky I’ve been.” Smith has spent the majority of his years at Backroads leading trips in the San Juan Islands (109), New Zealand (63), China (41) and Bali (36), along with the California Wine Country, Alaska, Hawaii and the Canyons. His 400th will be a Biking Trip in California’s Death Valley in November.

Over 34 years, Smith has honed his skills and resourcefulness and developed deep regional knowledge that has made him an invaluable asset to the company and to the Backroads Trip Leaders who he’s trained and worked alongside. Exemplifying the leadership that Backroads is known for, Smith is a mentor to new Trip Leaders, who at once must be exceptional problem solvers, multi-taskers, cultural ambassadors and more. The company is currently looking to fill more than 200 Trip Leader and Trip Prep positions for the 2025 season.

“Paul Smith is a rock star at Backroads,” said Backroads Founder, President and CEO, Tom Hale. “He’s the model for what excellence in a Backroads Trip Leader looks like, and it’s been an honor knowing him and having him represent our company for over three decades. His passion for people and places, outgoing personality and commitment to high quality are the attributes that drive Backroads as a company, and we’re more than thrilled to celebrate his incredible achievement of 400 trips led.”

Backroads Trip Leaders are highly regarded as the best in the business with guests consistently rating their performance at 9.8 out of 10. For more information on what it takes to be a Backroads Trip Leader or to apply, visit here. To learn more about Backroads active tours, visit backroads.com or call 800-462-2848.

About Backroads

Backroads was founded in 1979 by Tom Hale and has been a leading innovator in active and adventure travel for over 45 years. Guests join Backroads to bike, hike and so much more—on expertly planned active adventures highlighting the unique character of each destination. The company offers multiple ways to go active: Biking, Walking & Hiking and Multi-Adventure tours; Private Trips, Women’s Adventures and Family Trips designed for three distinct age groups: Families with Kids & Teens (best for ages 7–17; all kids 4+ welcome); Families with Teens & 20s (for ages 16+; younger siblings 14+ welcome); and Families with Young Adults 20s & Beyond (for ages 20+; younger siblings 17+ welcome), plus Active Ocean & River Cruises, Unplugged Bike Tours and Dolce Tempo trips for travel at a more relaxed pace but still decidedly active. Backroads also offers Safari, Culinary, Home Base and Snow Adventures. Repeat guests and referrals from past guests make up many of the travelers that Backroads hosts each year in hundreds of locations across the globe. For more information, please visit backroads.com or call 800-462-2848.

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Backroads Media Contact     
Liz Einbinder     
liz_einbinder@backroads.com     
510-292-2753