The first time I saw Italy was by bike. As it turned out, taking it slow, savoring the details, connecting more personally with the destination is all deeply embedded in the very nature of traveling by bike.

The dark, cold waters of Scotland's Loch Ness stretch 23 miles in length and plunge to depths of nearly 800 feet, making it the largest body of water (by volume) in all of Great Britain. And so, it's no wonder that for centuries, people have wondered what strange creatures may live beneath the lake's inscrutable surface... perhaps beasts like the infamous Loch Ness Monster.

Venture with Backroads to el fin del mundo – the end of the world. Patagonia is spectacularly remote and truly a place like no other… where glaciers calve into a pristine landscape, endangered condors soar the open skies, intrepid hikers venture along windy trails to mountain summits and gauchos traverse the sparsely populated pamas on horseback.

Utah is a magical place of diverse landscapes with enchanting geologic features. With over 70 percent of the land in the state in public hands, easily-accessible opportunities to hit your stride on the hiking trail are almost endless. Lace up your boots…Utah here we come!

Backroads Leaders in Central Oregon reveal six insider reasons why you should visit the city of Bend as soon as possible!

South America is home to an impressive array of animals living in nearly every type of environment from cactus-filled deserts to glaciated mountain peaks. Here are five of our favorites!

The view from a mountaintop is always worth it and always inspires us. But the strange thing is, the view from the top seems to obscure the actual, physical toil it took to get there. Inevitably, we find ourselves lacing up our hiking boots again or putting our cycling shoes back on to climb yet another peak, seemingly oblivious to the incredible challenges ahead. Of course, climb a mountain–including the world’s most iconic ranges–with Backroads and the joy multiplies: logistics, gear, route-planning, lunch stops and guides will all be taken care of so that you can focus simply on finding your stride or cadence and achieving your best day, whatever that means for you.

Writing about the "why" of picnics at Backroads in a recent blog post got me thinking about the "how..." I certainly wasn't born knowing how to create a bountiful spread for 20+ people in the middle of nowhere, and our guests are always curious where this seemingly magical skill comes from when they roll up to an overflowing lunch table. So here are a few tips and tricks I use when creating some of my favorite dishes. Try them the next time you're tasked with pleasing a throng of long-lost relatives or picky eaters and bring some Backroads organization, aesthetics and deliciousness to the table!

Game hunters in Africa originally coined the phrase "Big Five" to describe the five animals deemed hardest and most dangerous to hunt on foot: the elephant, lion, rhinoceros, leopard and buffalo. Because of their size, aggression, intelligence and speed, these animals were trophies that came with significant risk, and were therefore prized above all others. Safari operators now use that same phrase to describe the animals they know their clients hope to "shoot" with their cameras.

As Backroads leaders, we wear many hats in a given day: concierge, mechanic, translator, chauffeur, navigator, motivator… the list is infinite. One of my favorites to don, however, has to be that of “chef,” because that’s when we get to perform the magic that results in the famous Backroads picnic lunch!