A Note from Tom: Looking Ahead to 2022
The last year has been transformative for Backroads, but after welcoming more than 25,000 guests on trip in 2021, it’s clear that some things—like the desire to travel—never change.
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Savoring the Journey: The Art of Slow Food and Slow Travel in Italy
They say that the memory of tastes and smells is the strongest and longest-lasting of them all. Well, if I had to describe what my childhood tasted and smelled like, I would say olive oil and warm bread.
From Busy Mom to Explorer: How Travel Rekindled Debra Hurt’s Sense of Self
Debra Hurt never saw herself as the adventure-travel type. Between raising two kids and managing the demands of everyday life, an active vacation seemed reserved for those with more time and more interest in sleeping in a sleeping bag. Until one day when she wandered through the immaculate grounds of a five-star hotel and unexpectedly crossed paths with a Backroads group. Suddenly, her perception of adventure travel shifted.
Tag Games for Kids
Backroads Family Trips are packed with fresh air and outdoor activity sure to keep even the most energetic kids entertained. Our on-trip Kid Coordinators love to get kids playing with these fun variations on the classic game of Tag.
Changes in East Germany
In late December, my wife, son and I went for a walk to mark the 25th anniversary of the fall of the wall just outside our village. I grew up here, right along the border between East and West Germany. You might be thinking, "But the Wall fell on November 9th, 1989." And so it did, in Berlin. However, I lived along the further westward inner German border--the 870-mile double-barrier of steel mesh fencing, anti-personnel mines, barbed wire, watchtowers and dog runs. The opening here began on December 22nd 1989, with just pedestrian access and only in specific towns.
Two Backroads Leaders in Love
Lauran and I met on a school bus. She was wearing a propeller hat and fake glasses with tape on the bridge and rainbow suspenders to hold the outfit together. It was love at first sight. Ok, not really, but we did meet on the school bus during the Backroads California Staff Ride in 2010 and the theme was "Back to School."
Best Five Hikes in Banff National Park, Canada
Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada is a hiker's paradise. Backroads offers spectacular hiking trips there—walking and hiking through Banff, Yoho and Kootenay National Parks or taking it to the next level and hiking by helicopter! If you'd rather explore the park on your own, here are our top five, not-to-be-missed hikes in Banff. So let's tie up our boots and get going!
Incredible India
If I could describe India in one word, it would be just that... Incredible. I was recently gifted the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience our India Multisport Tour. Journeying through the northern state of Rajasthan in Backroads fashion is more than just an active vacation--it's an experience. India truly is a place to live and to learn.
Discovering History along the Danube
Read how the Danube has retained an aura of historic wonder that flows like a gateway into the past for all travelers who journey here.
Eat Local: San Francisco
Welcome to one of the most fabulous cities on the planet and one with darn good food. San Francisco is a wonderland of exceptional restaurants and artisanal foodie delights. Good thing most of our California trips begin or end around this beloved city–a perfect excuse to stay a few days and explore!
Agriturismos
If you’re lucky enough to visit Italy, then you undoubtedly need to experience one of Italy’s great initiatives, agriturismos. If you’re lucky enough to travel to Italy with Backroads, we’ll take you there. For lunch! Agriturismos are farms with lodging for travelers.
Leader life in Spain
Awaken to the smell of mountains–a mix of cold morning air, dew-laden grass and the faint, earthy smell of livestock. Tuck into your slippers and shuffle across the chilled tile floor, opening the shutters to look out onto a valley still encased in early-morning fog.
Alpine Kandersteg
Traditional, yet modern. Buzzing with activity, but filled with peaceful pockets of relaxation. Where the Kloster Dhammapala (a serene Buddhist monastery) huddles in the shadow of the Klettersteig (a heart-pumping level-4 climbing path). Whatever paradox you're looking for can be found in Kandersteg, your Backroads gateway to a spectacular alpine adventure.
How to Speak with an Irishman: An Ireland Adventure
Like many first-time travelers to Ireland, I had a vision of what lay ahead as my flight cruised towards the Emerald Isle. Lush hills and the rugged coastline, sheep and their shepherds, whiskey and Guinness, the melodic Irish lilt. What I didn't yet realize was that, while the landscape and natural beauty of Ireland are majestic, it's the Irish people who make the country truly captivating. It's the Irish spirit—a magnetic, almost irresistible pull—that drives visitors to return again and again.
Wild and Precious Wanaka, New Zealand
“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” You may have heard this question before; it’s borrowed from the poem The Summer Day by American poet Mary Oliver. It’s a simple enough question, but it does speak to the core of those of us who are soul searchers and explorers in our own way. But, 31 years on this planet and I still don’t know the answer. I do know, however, that two weeks in remote Wanaka, New Zealand brought me closer to finding out.
Discovering Provence's Luberon Wine Regions
There are days when you might not appreciate your home as much as you once did. Waking up in the same place every day, you become so familiar with the light of the sunrise, the sunset, and what the sky looks like throughout the seasons. You even know for a fact when it will rain, or when birds will start to sing in the springtime. In our busy lives, it can be easy to take these things for granted.
On a Winter's Day in Copenhagen
It's the second winter that I'm spending in Copenhagen, the city that also happens to be the destination of Backroads' Stockholm to Copenhagen cycling voyage. Up here in the North, the winter days are short, sunrise is late and counting the hours to sunset does not require all fingers of both hands. Sometimes it seems as if the cold is not only freezing the lakes and ponds in the countless parks and city gardens, but it is also freezing time. The hands of the watch slow their pace, as if they want to save energy for the long awaited summer, when suddenly music festivals, foodie fairs and street galleries pop up at every corner as if they were tulips and Copenhagen was not a city, but a large, fertile field. While summer is the perfect time to explore Copenhagen's art and food scene, the slow winter is well-suited to chat up the locals and engage in some philosophizing, especially when a few sun rays manage to break through the cloudy sky.
History of the Bicycle: The Evolution of Biking
Happy 200th birthday to the bicycle! While today we rely on bikes for exercise, commuting and touring the wine country, the bicycle originated in difficult times. It all began in 1815 after a large volcano erupted in Indonesia. So much debris was ejected into the atmosphere that global temperatures cooled and crops around the world were ruined. This also meant starvation for animals, and in a pre-automobile era, left the problem of how to transport people without horses.
A Message from Tom Hale: Inspiration in the Outdoors
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 people thought I was crazy. But I knew that something special happens when you combine physical activity with exploring new and inspiring places.
Tom's Favorite Trip Improvements
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 evolution, I’ll narrow it down to a brief(ish) list of my favorite improvements in recent years.
My Favorite Jasper Restaurants
Oh, Canada...such a beautiful landscape, which we get to ride our bikes through! While the land of the maple leaf is known for its incredible scenery, what you don't often hear about is the fantastic cuisine that can be found here.
Guest Profile: Collier & Kate
It was pure serendipity that allowed Collier Lumpkin and me to be here together, enjoying an enormous fish stew at Ristorante Belforte overlooking the tiny harbor of Vernazza in Italy's Cinque Terre. Our lives had been running parallel paths for some time, but it wasn't until a year before that our worlds finally collided on a Backroads trip in Puglia.
Discovering Ancient and Mystical Bali in Ubud
Nestled deep within lush tropical foothills sits a cluster of over a dozen tiny villages that comprise the tranquil town of Ubud--the artistic and cultural center of Bali. The jungle-covered hills and terraced rice paddies surrounding this laid-back locale are dotted with ancient temples and palaces that still play a central role in the country's complex culture.
What Is Curry and Where Did it Come From?
If you've spent any time traveling internationally you've undoubtedly encountered some form of curry on menus and local tables in just about any region of the world, and especially in South Asia. So what exactly is curry, and why does it seem to be everywhere? With a little bit of knowledge about this delicious culinary tradition, your traveling adventures (and your palate!) will be enriched as you learn to appreciate all that curry has to offer. I'm here to help you out!
The Makings of a Great Swiss Hike
There's nothing quite like hiking in the Swiss Alps. Over the years, I've thought about what makes hiking in Switzerland unique and I've come to the conclusion that it's not merely the perfect signage. Here are a few of the elements that make the land of cheese and chocolate an exceptional place to hike.