In this series of blog posts, we thought we’d tackle some of the most common questions we hear from guests who are considering taking a Backroads active bike tour or walking tour.

Many of our guests worry and wonder if they will be in the right physical condition to enjoy a bike trip or walking trip. So we’ll answer this common question: What kind of shape do I need to be in for the best bike tour or best walking tour experience?

We’ve got good news! Backroads’ active trips are designed for all levels of fitness. There are some trips that are more challenging than others, however, so be sure to check the Activity Level of the trip on our website or ask our Backroads’ Trip Consultants when you call.

We categorize bike trips and hiking trips from levels 1-5. A level 1 activity level on any given leg or day means an average time of 2-3 hours, 10-20 miles on a road bike, 10-15 miles on a mountain bike or 2-5 miles walking or hiking. Contrast that with a level 5 activity level which means 5-7+ hours, 56-75+ miles on a road bike, 31+ miles on a mountain bike or 11-13 miles walking or hiking.

Also, keep in mind that our Trip Leaders are often able to customize a trip for guests. So if you’d prefer to get in more activity, they may be able to provide you with a longer route. Or if you’re more tired than you expected after a leg, hop on one of our two support vans that accompany most trips and head back to the hotel for a rest.

To prepare for a Backroads trip, we recommend following an exercise regimen to improve your fitness and enhance your experience prior to your trip. Try working up to biking or hiking the distances you’ll be covering on your trip. We also recommend cross training, which combines different aerobic activities with weight training and stretching exercises. This is the exercise of choice for many of our Trip Leaders. The better conditioned you are, the more fun you’ll have!

Got questions? Our Trip Planners are happy to answer them 7 a.m.-5 p.m. Pacific time at 800-462-2848.

Part of what makes Backroads so special is our emphasis on introducing our guests to the local culture of the region where they’re traveling. We often employ local guides who live in the area to give you an authentic look at what it’s like to live there and our Trip Leaders are also incredibly knowledgeable about the areas where they travel.

From the design of the trip to our Trip Leaders, we’ll guide you along the way to explore the local culture, but here are a few tips in advance to help you get the most out of your active trip.

• Stop – You are on a bike tour or walking tour, after all, so you have the option to stop and take in the world around you. Hop off the bike and browse the local food market or walk into a café and strike up a conversation. You’ll be amazed at the rich interactions you’ll remember for years to come.
• Know Your No-No’s – Following the proper etiquette in other countries can be an important way to demonstrate respect for another culture and increase the likelihood of engaging interactions.  For specific regional customs, ask your Trip Planner before you leave or check with your culturally-savvy Trip Leader as to the correct “do’s” and “don’ts.”
• Be Chatty – Learn a few basic phrases and practice them with the locals. Don’t be shy. Ask questions and share your excitement and you’ll be surprised by the enthusiastic response! Check with your Trip Planner for a list of commonly used words and phrases.
• Get Educated – Read up on the region before you get there. Backroads provides a list of travel-inspiring books for recommended reading for each of our bike trips and hiking trips.
• Take a Picture – Photographing new places is one of travel’s most rewarding gifts. Be sensitive when shooting local peoples and religious or ceremonial sites by asking permission first. Show your appreciation by thanking them. You could also ask for their name and address and sending them a copy of the photograph.

What tips do you have for immersing yourself in the local culture? How did you strike up a conversation with a local on an active vacation? We’d love to hear!

For more advice on how to enhance your cultural experience before you depart, check with our Trip Planners 7 a.m.-5 p.m. Pacific daily at 800-462-2848.

In [Part One] of our blog series about the Backroads’ Quality Index, we shared with you 6 reasons why Backroads delivers the best service in active travel, ranging from our two support vans on every trip to local expertise and thoughtful trip design. We developed the Backroads’  Quality Index as a way to show you the differences that set Backroads’ active vacations apart from other providers.

In Part Two of our series, we’ll share with you 7 more reasons why you should choose Backroads as your active travel provider.

Mixed Abilities — Not everyone is a competitive cyclist or a marathon runner, and Backroads trips are designed to cater to all fitness levels, even if you’re a beginner. By providing two vans on every trip and three Trip Leaders, we’re able to accommodate everyone’s needs. Each trip also comes with multiple route options to help you choose if you’d like to bike or hike more or less on any given day. We also strive to match you with riding/walking companions who enjoy a similar pace.

Multiple Daily Routes – Our trip planning experts design several different routes each day so you can enjoy the best of a region at your individual pace. All routes have directions and are described in detail.

The Right Trip Size – We believe the number of travelers on our active tours in “just right” … not too many and not too few. Our trips host groups that are small enough to remain flexible but big enough to provide interesting dynamics. Optimum size also varies based on the type of trip, whether it’s a Singles Adventure, a family adventure tour or a classic bike tour.

Authentic Hotels – Backroads offers two levels of accommodations: Premiere or Casual. This distinction helps you understand clearly what to expect and what you’re paying for. No matter the type of accommodations you choose, you can be sure Backroads selects lodging that balances high quality and demonstrable value.

Family Trip Expertise – We love families here at Backroads and consider ourselves the experts in active family travel! Since 2000, we’ve run more than 2400 dedicated family trips around the world. View our selection of active family trips.

Singles-Solos — For more than two decades we’ve led the way in active trips for single and solo travelers. Read about our single room policy, early booking deals, singles Facebook community—plus more dates and destinations than ever. Our popular Bikefest tour is back for 2013 with TWO dates due to popular demand.

Smart, Invaluable Extras – We think of all the details here at Backroads! Items like cyclometers, elevation profiles, daily regional snapshots, downloadable GPS directions available on biking trips in the U.S. and Europe, telescoping walking sticks, cold beer and drinks at the end of each day, custom-built kids bikes and so much more make a Backroads tour truly special.

What do you think is the best part about traveling with Backroads? What “extra” that we provide is your favorite?

To join us on an active tour for 2013 or beyond, please call us 7 a.m.- 5 p.m. Pacific daily at 800-462-2848. Happy travels!

We think food and active travel go perfectly together. For one, you can burn off most of the calories you consume dining on delicious local cuisine and two, there’s no better way to experience the true flavor of a region than through its local fare.

Backroads offers several hiking tours and biking tours that have a big food focus whether it’s taking a cooking class, shopping the local market or dining with locals. Here are some of our favorite active tours for foodies:

Puglia Biking Tour

Tour the Puglia region of Italy by bike and experience all of its gastronomic delights! On our 6-day, 5-night Puglia Bike Tour, you’ll travel the Italian Adriatic Coast, which brings to mind the whitewashed coastal villages of Greece. Olive trees and fennel stretch as far as the eye can see interspersed with age-old farmhouses. You’ll sample a full-bodied primitivo and other notable vini Pugliesi, cook with local Pugliese chefs during a culinary lesson, learn how mozzarella is made and enjoy organic homemade Pugliese dishes. The Puglia Biking tour runs April-June and August-October.

Peru Walking & Hiking Tour

You may be surprised to hear that our 7-day, 6-night Peru hiking tour also has a food focus in addition to the amazing Machu Picchu ruins and active Andes activities.  Some of the culinary experiences in which you’ll indulge in Peru include sipping a pisco sour at the Cusco Museum, shopping the lively Pisac market and take a cooking class with a local Peruvian chef from Sol y Luna. Then get ready to burn all the calories you’ve consumed during two days of hiking to Machu Picchu. The Peru walking tour runs March-October, as well as some dates in December.

Tuscany Walking & Cooking Tour

New for 2013 is our Tuscany Walking and Cooking Tour. Tuscany has always been a popular destination for us and guests are always asking for recipes and techniques to recreate the mouth-watering Tuscan dishes at home, so we’ve created a Tuscany tour focused around one of everyone’s favorite highlights of the area: its glorious food! On our Tuscany cooking & walking tour, you’ll have the opportunity to cook side by side with Italian “le nonne” (grandmas),  chat up a Tuscan butcher about meats, have lunch under the grape vines, enjoy a private wine talk, sample honey made by monks at Monte Oliveto Maggiore, visit a working cheese farm and much more! The 6-day, 5-night trip runs May-July, September and October.

Did we make you hungry?! Go ahead and reserve your spot on one of these fantastic food-focused tours for 2013. You’ll come home full of culinary inspiration and stories to share with family and friends. Call us today at 800-462-2848 7 a.m.- 5 p.m. Pacific.

Hiking Peru is a once-in-a-lifetime, bucket list experience. We’ve seen people celebrate major milestones like graduations and birthdays by gifting this amazing hiking tour. Strap on your hiking boots and get ready to turn back time hundreds of years to step inside the remains of an ancient civilization.

If you choose to check this item off your bucket list with Backroads, we think you’ve chosen wisely! We’ll handle all the details, making sure you see everything you should, that you stay in amazing lodging, ensure delicious food to refuel you for hiking and provide three Trip Leaders on every hiking trip to guide you for the ultimate trip to Peru.

On our Peru Hiking Tour, you’ll start at Cusco, once the center of the Pre-Columbian empire; journey through Puca Pucara, Q’enko, Temple of the Moon and Sacsayhuamán; and learn the meaning of an indigenous “Pago a la Tierra” ceremony from a longtime Backroads friend and local shaman. Next up, walk among the Inca salt pans’ honeycomb of pools, visit Pisac’s vibrant market and view the Pisac ruins.

Day 4 gives you a chance to meet the Peruvian locals, interacting with kids at a local school, shopping for local ceramics and taking a Peruvian cooking class with a local chef. On the last three days of your Peruvian journey, you’ll venture toward the mysterious Machu Picchu, the Lost City of the Incas. Hike the Inca Trail to reach the Gate of the Sun and a stunning view of this ancient site. Then explore the Lost City itself with a local expert and learn more about the area’s flora and fauna from a Peruvian naturalist.

Our Peru Walking Tour is a 7-day, 6-night adventure that runs March-October and December.

One note, permits to hike the Inca Trail are extremely limited. We recommend booking a minimum of 4-6 months prior to your departure date to significantly increase your chance of securing a permit. If permits are unavailable during some seasons, you will take a train to Aguas Calientes, bus to the entrance and hike into Machu Picchu.

So don’t delay to schedule this life-changing trip! Why not go ahead and schedule your daughter’s 16th birthday trip now or plan your son’s graduation gift in plenty of time? Call us at 800-462-2848 7 a.m.-5 p.m. Pacific daily and we’ll get you all set up!

Red or white, many of us agree there is little better than a great glass of wine. On these bike tours and hiking tours, wine takes center stage right next to the fantastic scenery. Whether you’re swirling a glass on an Italy bike tour or sipping a burgundy on a France walking tour, these 5 active tours give you the best of vino and adventure:

Piedmont Biking

Tuscany isn’t the only fantastic region of Italy! We’ve added this 6-day, 5-night Piedmont Biking tour for 2013 to showcase the beauty of this area of Italy. While you’ll enjoy plenty of biking through the Italian countryside past villages, castles and hot sulphur springs, wine is definitely front and center. You’ll pedal past beautiful vineyards and farmland day after day, stopping in Nizza Monferrato, a town known for its wine production, and Monforte d’Alba, a storybook wine village with views of the Alps. You’ll pass over “the underground cathedrals” in Canelli, which are passages underneath town that store hundreds of bottles for area wineries. Finally, explore 1,000-year-old La Morra, one of the most important Barolo wine-producing towns in Piedmont. Tours run May, June (for singles only) and September.

Alsace Biking

The Alscace region of France is another area of the world known for its wine. On our 6-day, 5-night Alsace & Black Forest Biking trip, we’ll let you see why! Ready to sip perfectly chilled Riesling after climbing the steep hills to Ribeauvillé? This tour is for you. Other highlights include stops at a charming, family-run winery, pedaling across a sea of grape vines that rises and falls gracefully against the Vosges Mountains, crossing the Rhine and delighting in Black Forest cake IN the Black Forest! Tours run May, June and September.

Dordogne & Bordeaux Biking

On this 6-day, 5-night France biking tour, you’ll see everything from prehistoric caves to modern day vineyards and wineries. Enjoy an exclusive Périgordian feast prepared by a Backroads’ friend and served in the garden, bike through the Bordeaux region, get a lesson in wine tasting from an oenologist at the Vignobles & Châteaux wine school, and visit the World Heritage site of St-Émilion. Tours run May-October.

http://www.backroads.com/trips/BDXI/dordogne-bordeaux-france-biking-tour?p=D518

Burgundy Biking

http://www.backroads.com/trips/BBUI/burgundy-france-biking-tour?p=D518

The rich flavors of Burgundy extend beyond its magnificent wine and blend into its friendly people, small villages and lovely architecture. On this 6-day, 5-night Burgundy bike tour, you’ll journey through lush forests, vast farmland, lovely lakes and quaint villages, and stop by the Vézelay World Heritage site. Enjoy delicious French gourmet cuisine paired with wines, and take a private cellar tour with a tasting of artisanal whites and reds at Maison Alex Gambal. Visit Château de La Rochepot and taste its wines and take a private, guided tour of 15th-century Hospices de Beaune. Tours run May, June, August and September.

Wine Country Biking

http://www.backroads.com/trips/BWCI/california-wine-country-biking-tour?p=D518

You don’t have to travel overseas to enjoy world-famous wines. Right here in the USA, California produces its share. On our Wine Country Biking tour, you’ll visit several famous valleys and vineyards in Sonoma, Carneros and Napa. Enjoy plenty of wine tastings interspersed with biking among northern California’s beautiful rolling hills. You’ll also enjoy a stop at the famed redwoods. Tours to wine country run 6 days and 5 nights March-December.

Do you love to combine travel with wine? Let Backroads plan your bike trip for you, handling all the details from meals to hotels to tours so all you have to do is sip and bike! Call us 7 a.m.-5 p.m. Pacific daily at 800-462-2848 to get started.

We had such an awesome time at the 2012 Bikefest, a fall singles tour to Wine Country with 60 other single travelers, that we decided to offer TWO dates in 2013. This year, the Bikefest California Wine Country bike tour will be offered July 21-26 and September 29-October 4. But no matter whether you choose to bike with us in summer or fall, there’s no question it will be a blast!

On our Singles-Solos Wine Country Bikefest, we let you enjoy the best of the single life in the great outdoors while traveling through the beautiful California wine country. We’ll start our singles adventure in Napa Valley, pedaling past famed vineyards and stopping at a host of wineries for a sample, swirl and sip.

Bikefest is a Backroads deluxe camping adventure, which means we sleep in tents under the stars, enjoy gathering with friends around the campfire and dine on delicious gourmet camping meals. Our amazing Trip Leaders get the camp site all ready for you, so all you have to do is arrive, socialize and fall asleep in your comfy sleeping bag on an extra thick pad while breathing in the fresh air. Ahh…

Next head to the Russian River Valley for more wineries and enjoy a group picnic under the giant redwood trees of California. A party awaits back at camp with drinks, food, live music and plenty of fun!

During the next two days, we bike down the California coast, exploring seaside hamlets, visiting the country’s oldest cheese manufacturer (what goes better with wine after all?!), exploring Pointe Reyes National Seashore and enjoying a farm-to-table dinner. Again, a live band with an opportunity for dancing crowns the day.

On our final day of our California Wine Country biking tour, we head to the hilly city of San Francisco, stop in the town of Sausalito and pedal across the Golden Gate Bridge for the finale!

If you choose to go on Bikefest in September, we recommend extending your visit in San Francisco to enjoy a host of local events that take place like Fleet Week.

Hurry and book Bikefest before we fill up. There are only two opportunities for this fantastic singles travel adventure! Call us at 800-462-2848 daily from 7 a.m.-5 p.m. Pacific to get started.

From India and Peru to Bhutan and Morocco, you submitted some fantastic photos of your Backroads journeys for our annual Backroads Photo Contest! You covered walking tours, biking tours, multisport tours, family adventure tours and more, and we must say, your photography skills aren’t too shabby!

Every year, Backroads invites our travelers to submit their best photos from their Backroads trip for a chance at a credit toward their next adventure tour with us! First place receives a $3000 trip credit; second place receives a $2000 trip credit; and third place receives a $1000 trip credit.

We’ve picked the best of the best from all of your submissions and have now opened voting. Anyone is welcome to vote for their favorite picture, and by voting, you’ll be entered to win a $200 Patagonia gift card. Not a bad prize for viewing some jaw-dropping photos!

Here’s just a sampling of the 2012 best Backroads adventure tour photo submissions:

Taken by C. Jennings on our Dalmatian Coast Family Multisport Tour:

Taken by C. Michel on our Bhutan Walking Tour:

Taken by K. Mills on our Loire Valley Biking Tour:

Taken by M. Sloane on our Canadian Rockies Multisport Tour:

Taken by D. Patton on our Death Valley Walking Tour:

This is just a handful of the beautiful and creative photos you submitted to Backroads for 2012! Take a look at all the adventure travel photos from our tours here and vote for your favorite.

Are you inspired yet? We are! We’re ready to strap on our hiking boots, oil up our bike and head to the nearest airport to experience a Backroads adventure.

If we can help you schedule your next Backroads tour please give us a call 7 a.m.-5 p.m. Pacific daily at 800-462-2848. And don’t forget your camera to enter the 2013 photo contest!

We know that our Trip Leaders are the best in the world and that’s why we want to introduce you to them one by one. Nothing makes an adventure tour memorable like an amazing trip leader.

Meet Vincent Soyer, a French trip leader who specializes in Argentina adventure tours and Patagonia adventure tours. Vincent has been with Backroads since 2004 and led our walking tours and biking tours all over the world.

Vincent studied international commerce in Montpellier, France and started his career by selling software all over Europe based out of London. But that job didn’t satisfy his wanderlust…

His travel adventures began at Club Med and several other companies throughout Europe. Vincent has traveled across the world, including Pakistan, Cambodia, Tibet, China, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar and Nepal. He’s also traveled extensively throughout South America and lived in Argentina where he taught managers working at international firms.

Vincent now calls Spain home and began his time with Backroads in 2004 after looking for an active travel company that focused on fewer guests per trip. “I was looking for more individual connections,” he says.

“I have enjoyed the chance to be part of an unbelievably organized team, where each and every in

dividual is a source of help, knowledge, happiness and kindliness,” says Soyer about his time with Backroads.

Want to travel with Vincent? Try our Spain Walking & Hiking Trip or our Pyrenees to Costa Brava Biking Trip. Call us at 800-462-2848 7 a.m.-5 p.m. Pacific to book a Backroads tour today.

Have you ever traveled with Vincent on a Backroads tour? Share your experience about this enthusiastic and knowledgeable Trip Leader.

With St. Paddy’s day only two months away, we thought it would be a great time to highlight Backroads’ Ireland biking tour and Ireland walking tour. Although we don’t travel to the Emerald Isle on St. Patrick’s Day itself, you can head there during the warmer months of June, July, August and September to see Ireland beautiful and green in all its splendor.

On our Ireland Walking & Hiking tour, Backroads’ Trip Leader Mike Murphy (could that sound any more Irish?!) will lead you on an inside tour of County Kerry, Ireland. A local, who’s been with Backroads since the early 90’s, he knows just where to take you for the best fish and chips, and, if you’re lucky, an afternoon pint.

You’ll see the Irish countryside at its finest, strolling down country roads and along coastal cliff walks. We’ll take you hiking around Caragh Lake, and be sure to hold on to your hat at Windy Gap! Then get some culture in Killarney where you can browse local boutiques and craft shops. Hear long-told stories by a local storyteller at 15^th century Ross Castle.

We’ll also take you to Killarney National Park full of lakes, mountains and gorges and through charming Kenmare with its cheerfully painted row houses. Finally, enjoy a private whiskey tasting and trek over Mount Knockagarrane where you’ll find one of the largest stone circles in County Kerry.

If you enjoy biking, try our Ireland bike tour where you can travel a bit further. Start in Moll’s Gap and the Gap of Dunloe where you’ll see emerald hills, small farms, quaint cottages and woolly sheep. Do a five-mile climb (gradually) to Caha Pass, take a ferry to Garinish Island where you’ll hear local songs and legends and ride to Ring, a waterfront hamlet where the famous Irish rebel Michael Collins was born. We’ll also make sure to work in time for a pint or two should you need to wet your whistle J.

Does a bike trip or walking trip to the land of shamrocks, moss and jade strike your fancy? Then give us a ring 7 a.m.-5 p.m. daily Pacific time to set up your guided Ireland tour.