I have become an aficionado of Piedmont wines, which surprisingly are quite varied. Guests on the trips that I lead in Piedmont can expect to leave with a heavy dose of wine knowledge and encouragement to swirl, sniff and taste the different varietals. Although there are many to choose from, I like to encourage visitors to taste the three main reds: Barbera, Dolcetto and Nebbiolo.

The North Atlantic waters off the coast of Iceland are frigid, rough and can turn on a dime, yet within them live some of the region’s most precious resources: fish and crustaceans. Each year more and more visitors are being exposed to the region's marine cuisine, from pickled herring to dried fish. Eating Icelandic seafood can take a bit of an open mind and an adventurous palate, but when you find your preferred taste it's pure glory.

Backroads pioneered the active river trip, partnering with AmaWaterways, the leader in river cruising, to create a new kind of travel experience featuring biking and walking explorations from an elegant floating hotel. Our Danube River Cruise Bike Tour takes you through the heart of this culturally diverse region from Prague to Passau, Vienna to Bratislava and on to Budapest. Pedal through the Bavarian forest, stroll among baroque architecture, sample local beers and discover tucked-away hamlets. Then luxuriate on board the ship as it carries you to your next adventure.

On our Dalmatian Coast Family Multisport Tour, you're are invited to walk the plank! After a day of biking by the sparkling waters of the Adriatic, at some point you and your family will likely want to plunge in. We recommend waiting until you're back on board our private trabakul, the double-masted sailing coaster unique to this region, as the crew will drop anchor and suggest that you walk the plank - in a good way. And once you've enjoyed a refreshing swim in the sea, it's time to relax on deck with a cold drink and watch the coastline slip by.

We're outfitting our bikes with the top-of-the-line Wahoo Elemnt Roam devices on biking, hiking and multi-adventure trips around the world--included in your trip at no additional cost! How does it work? You simply show up and your Backroads bike will be set up with a Wahoo Elemnt Roam, pre-loaded with all the routes on your trip.

I don't think that I fully understood Vincent van Gogh's paintings until I stood in an olive grove in St-Rémy de Provence, France. This particular olive grove sits outside the walls of St. Paul de Mausole, a 12th-century Augustine monastery that became a psychiatric hospital in the 1800s...

Drawing on more than 37 years of experience riding in our own backyard, we've created a range of Wine Country itineraries, all designed to ensure you fully enjoy your time here. This California Wine Country Bike Tour, created by an expert who's lived in the area for years, avoids most of the traffic while weaving together the best scenery and a selection of acclaimed vineyards. Whether you opt to challenge yourself with an epic hill or simply cruise to the next winery, our routes are all about choice.

We're all familiar with the Seven Natural Wonders of the World... but what about the seven EDIBLE wonders? Which world-renowned delicacies are worth 4,000 miles of travel and 2,000 calories? And where did these delicious dishes originate from? This list illuminates some of the best (and surprisingly simple) dishes this planet has to offer.

Among the Mayan gems hidden in the jungles of Central America, the crown jewel is Tikal, a must-see archaeological site that lives up to all those Hollywood stereotypes of the Lost City. (It actually had a cameo in the first Star Wars movie.) Many active travel itineraries in Belize opt for less dramatic sites or squeeze in a rushed one-day visit. We spend two nights at Francis Ford Coppola's nearby rainforest retreat, giving you and your family plenty of time to explore Tikal properly.

If you've been a guest on a Backroads trip, you probably remember how bright, friendly, hard-working and extremely energetic your Trip Leaders were. Well, it's safe to say that most Backroads employees, across the board, share similar traits. So what happens when 350 of us set aside our day-to-day work and embark on a trip of our own? A veritable explosion of epic biking, hiking, laughing, bonding, eating, toasting, costumes and dancing known as the Staff Ride!