Tom Hale's Straight Talk

We just got back from Mallorca and Menorca, where, as you can see in these photos shot by Liz, I had a smile on my face for the whole week. ...

When I first decided more than 40 years ago that I was going to start an active travel company leading bike tours around the country, a lot of peo...

While the world has been transformed in big ways, I can confidently say that when this is all said and done, the essence of a Backroads trip will ...

There's no doubt about it - these are difficult times. As I write this, I'm at my home in the Bay Area with my wife Liz and the kids. Like everyon...

As the founder and owner of Backroads, people often expect me to have some special insight into how our trips run. It's true that I was a Trip Lea...

I’m not a fan of buzzwords, especially when it comes to travel. “Experiential,” “curated,” “transformational…” Labels like these often dictate wha...

Since very early in the Backroads days, we have run annual staff rides that gather our employees in one place for a multi-day adventure. These tri...

Expanding Backroads internationally is a tale of necessity, entrepreneurialism, and of course, adventure! My bet is that many of you will relate, ...

Over the decades, we’ve learned a thing or two from our guests, our own excursions and our intrepid leaders. While I could write a book on our evo...

How do you narrow down days of hiking with your favorite people--amid some of the most beautiful scenery imaginable--into a "top 3" list? It's not...

At the end of a typical Backroads day, I find myself well fed, happily tired and awe-inspired by what I just experienced. I drafted this blog from...

I just returned from a biking trip through Brittany and Normandy and hiking trip in the Alps with extended family and was once again reminded of t...