On a Backroads walking trip or biking trip, everyone is anxious to get started on their adventure tour, but you have to get there first! Lots of our travelers want to know: How do I get to the start of a bike tour or walking tour? Well, it may seem complicated but it doesn’t need to be with help from your Backroads team.

We plan our trips so that they begin and end in towns or cities that are accessible by plane, train, bus or a Backroads shuttle for convenience. When you book your trip, we’ll provide you with a Travel Planner, which will include detailed information about starting and ending times and locations, as well as airport and hotel van transfer locations and other transportation options.

You may want to engage or Travel Desk or your travel agent to help support the planning of arrival and departure, including pre- and post-trip hotels, rental cars or rail tickets.

If you haven’t received your Travel Planner and you’re ready to go ahead and book airfare, a Backroads Trip Consultant can help you with all the trip details you’ll need by. Additionally, if you’d like to drive to the starting location, please check with your Trip Consultant about parking options.

Many of our guests like to extend their Backroads hiking tour or bike tour with a few extra days at a destination either before the adventure tour begins or after it concludes. Backroads has negotiated special hotel rates for our guests who want to extend their trip. Here you can find a list of these hotels grouped by location. Please note that you must book the rooms directly with the hotel (not via a third party website, for example) in order to receive the special rates.

What other questions do you have about beginning or ending your Backroads adventure trip? Please call us at 800-462-2848 daily from 7 a.m. – 5 p.m. Pacific and we’ll help!

By the sea, by the sea, by the beautiful sea… When it comes to summer vacation, many of us bring to mind the sparkling seaside, aqua blue waters and white sandy beaches. There’s just something about summer that goes with seaside escapes!

Backroads offers a host of biking trips and hiking trips that take you to gorgeous locales known for their beautiful beaches from the coast of Italy to Spanish islands. Here are some of our top recommendations for active seaside vacations:

Amalfi Coast Walking & Hiking – Seafood lovers, rejoice! You’ll get your fill of delicious local seafood on this Italy hiking trip that takes you down the Amalfi Coast through Italian towns like Sorrento and Ravello and to the lovely Isle of Capri. Delight in the azure waters of the Italian coast, colorful umbrellas dotting pebbly beaches and terraced gardens high above the water. It may feel like a movie, but it’s your Italian vacation!

California Coastal Range Walking & Hiking – This 6-day, 5-night California hiking trip takes you to the Point Reyes National Seashore with its rugged Pacific Ocean beaches and the sparkling waters of the San Francisco Bay. Savor succulent Tomales Bay oysters, ferry to Angel Island with its jaw-dropping views, and walk across the Golden Gate Bridge.

Dalmation Coast Biking – Croatia still remains a bit of an undiscovered seaside jewel, offering sapphire blue waters, whitewashed villages and hidden coves. Get ready to explore the Mediterranean in all its glory on this 6-day, 5-night bike tour of the Adriatic Coast as we visit a variety of islands (including one with more than 2000 hours of yearly sun!), bike jagged limestone cliffs, visit a World Heritage Site and explore medieval villages.

Mallorca Biking – Bike Spain on this tour of the gorgeous island of Mallorca. Stunning turquoise blue seas provide our view for much of this Spain biking tour, along with the dramatic Serra de Tramuntana mountain range. Are you brave enough to bike the road to Sa Calobra with its hairpins turns plunging 3000 feet to the sea?

Is an ocean retreat on your list this summer? Why not make your vacation about more than just lying at the beach and turn it into an active summer getaway with plenty of seaside time, as well. To book any of the above trips or to get more recommendations for other seaside trips, please give us a call 7 a.m.-5 p.m. daily at 800-462-2848.

Traveling with a family can be a bonding experience that your children will remember for the rest of their lives, but choosing the right trip for your family is key to making those happy memories. Backroads, which offers nearly 40 different active family trips around the world, knows how to create the best travel experience for families and we want to share our knowledge with you.

That’s why we created our new Family Trip Advisor, an online tool to help you discover which family vacation is right for your crew.

To use the tool, simply visit our Family Trips page at www.backroads.com/family-trips and select Family Trip Advisor. A box will pop up and begin to ask you a series of question. The process only takes a few minutes, which we know is important for busy families juggling work, sports, school and other activities.

We start by asking the age of your kids. Are they teens, pre-teens, young kids (at least 6) or mixed ages? Once you’ve made your selection, we want to know what time of year you’re planning to travel. Are you looking for an active family summer vacation or perhaps a winter break getaway for families?

Next we’d like to know just how active you’d like your trip to be and then if you’re more interested in exploring nature or culture on your active family vacation.

Once we know all this information, you’ll receive a customized 2-3 minute video with recommendations for destinations that may appeal to your family. You’ll get three specific family trip suggestions with a description of each trip and photos of the sites you’ll see. Once you’ve watched the video, you can even choose to email it to a friend or yourself so you can watch it again!

Try our Family Trip Advisor and let us know what trips we recommended for your family. Do they sound like a good fit?

Please read our blog on 5 Tips for Active Travel With Kids and give us a call 7 a.m.-5 p.m. daily at 800-462-2848 to book your active family trip!

Wow, can you imagine receiving a trip or money toward a trip as your wedding gift? We think that’s one of the best gifts that you can give a newlywed couple and so today we wanted to tackle a question we’re asked frequently: Does Backroads offer a honeymoon registry?

Yes, we do and here’s how it works!

Couples interested in taking a Backroads hiking trip or biking trip for their honeymoon or a later vacation need to first call Backroads to make their reservation. We ask for a $600 deposit per person to hold the reservation.

Then, simply invite friends and family to contribute to this ultimate wedding gift of an active honeymoon getaway. You can have them call Backroads directly at 800-462-2848 to make the contribution to your account, and each contributor will receive a gift card to present to you.

We know you’re going to want to write thank you notes for all the contributions, so at the time of the trip’s departure, we’ll provide you with a final list of all contributors and the amounts of their gifts. May we suggest knocking out those thank you notes on the plane ride to your honeymoon? Then you can mail them from your destination so they’ll see the postmark of the amazing locale they helped you to reach. You might even consider sending “thank you” post cards for a more unique approach!

We do require that all payments are made by the final payment date, which is usually 95-125 days prior to departure (so start asking early!). Any remaining balance will be due at that time. If Grandma or Aunt Susie decides to contribute after that date, we’ll credit you back, no problem!

So where should you choose to travel for your honeymoon? Should you take a honeymoon by bike or a hiking honeymoon? Here are a few of our top active honeymoon selections, ranging from European bike tours to Asian multisport adventures:

France: Dordogne & Bordeaux Biking, Loire Valley Biking, Provence Walking

Italy: Amalfi Coast Walking, Tuscany Biking, Italian Lakes Walking

Africa, Asia & the Pacific: Bali Biking, South Africa/Botswana Active Multisport, Morocco Multisport

Latin America: Costa Rice Multisport, Patagonia Hiking

US & Canada: Vermont Biking, Canadian Rockies Multisport, Martha’s Vineyard Biking, Wine Country Biking

Got questions about our honeymoon travel registry or are you ready to set up your dream honeymoon? Call us 7 a.m.-5 p.m. Pacific daily at 800-462-2848.

Traveling to Cuba is a rare opportunity, but Backroads has worked with the US government to open the doors to this mysterious country. Thanks to a recently approved People-to-People license, we’re excited to offer confirmed trips to Cuba in May and June of 2013, as well as opportunities December 2013 through February 2014.

On this eight-day tour of Cuba, you’ll get to delve deeply into Cuban culture and interact with locals, a hallmark of Backroads’ tours. The itinerary will include visits to museums, art studios, coffee plantations, farms and national parks.

The highlights of our trip to Cuba include:

• Delving into Hemingway’s Cuba during a visit to the Museo Ernest Hemingway
• Discussing Cuba’s rich arts heritage with artists at private studios and a community art project
• Learning about Cuban enterprise from budding entrepreneurs, including owners of private restaurants (paladares) and private room rentals (casa particulares)
• Chatting with local farmers, cowboys and coffee plantation workers
• Talking conservation with local naturalists
• Learning about Afro-Cuban religious traditions with a Santeria priest
• Meeting musicians, dancers and performers from such groups as the Yoruba Association of Cuba and the Spanish Ballet of Cuba

As the primary focus of this Cuba tour is education and an exchange of information about cultures, it will not be nearly as active as the typical Backroads hiking tour or biking tour. There will be opportunities for some walking, however. Additionally, accommodations and food will be simpler than Backroads’ Premiere Inn tours and Classic Inn tours.

To reserve a spot or for more information, please call us at 800-462-2848 daily from 7 a.m.-5 p.m. Pacific time. We anticipate demand will exceed capacity, so don’t wait too long to experience this once-in-a-lifetime travel opportunity! Visit the Backroads’ website at www.backroads.com/trips/ACUQ for a more detailed itinerary and departure dates.

We love kids here at Backroads! It’s a joy to see them biking through the rolling hills of Tuscany with their parents, hiking around a volcano in Hawaii and ziplining through the jungles of Costa Rica. Since we see so many families on our active family vacations each year, it’s only natural that we have a few tips for active travel with kids. We want you and your family to have the best vacation possible and a little preparation can make sure it’s a trip your children will remember for the rest of their lives.

Here are our top 5 tips for the best active travel experience with kids:

1)      Getting home and back can be the least fun parts of your family biking tour or family hiking tour. Make flying fun by bringing games, books, favorite snacks and a surprise for after the flight. Be sure to ask the flight attendant if they have any special packets for kids. Select pre and post hotels that cater to families and offer kid activities and amenities—our Travel Planners can help you with that. Research activities in your gateway city that the whole family can enjoy: aquariums, zoos, parks, children’s museums and theatres.

2)      When packing for kids on an active family trip, be sure to include plastic bags for sticky and dirty clothes, a nightlight to brighten unfamiliar rooms, pediatrician contact information, medications, a comforting toy and addresses of their friends so they can send postcards.

3)      Staying at a hotel can be an exciting experience for children. To make your family’s stay more enjoyable, give kids a tour of the property when you arrive and explain the rules regarding the minibar, in-room movies and telephone.

4)      Practice hiking and biking with your kids before you arrive on your family bike tour or family walking tour. The additional time together on training rides and hikes can make great family bonding days.  And not only that, the kids became familiar with what gear they need, how to layer clothing properly, and what snacks and food they like most on the trail and on the bike.

5)      Have a meeting before your family adventure and agree to rules regarding the use of electronics during your trip. Consider allowing electronics during travel to and from only; a camera as the only electronic item for kids during the tour; or simply leaving phones and Gameboys at home.  If parents also agree to unplug, they’ll likely get more buy-in from the kids. The rewards of real family bonding, full immersion into the culture or nature of a place, disconnecting from the distractions of daily life and home, and creating more opportunity for incredible memories far outweighs the hardship of giving up the electronics.

Come explore the world with your family on a Backroads family adventure vacation. We’re pretty sure the kids will forget about the PlayStation quickly and be ready to send off postcard after postcard to their buddies as they enjoy all our trips have to offer.

For more information about Backroads Family Trips, please visit www.Backroads.com or call us 7 a.m.-5 p.m. daily at 800-462-2848. You can also check out our online Family Trip Advisor to get help finding the perfect adventure for your family.

Sometime in your life, you’ve got to see the American West whether it’s the canyons of Utah or the mountains and hot springs in Wyoming. We happen to think the best way to see this region is on a bike tour or hiking tour of the American West.

Backroads offers active tours to Montana, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming and more, giving you the opportunity to see these glorious vistas in the open air as you pedal through each state or hike on your own two feet. Smell the wildflowers, see the mountains unobstructed and drink in the fresh alpine air.

Here are a few of our top Western vacations that we think you should consider this year:

New Mexico Biking: Santa Fe & Taos – This 6-day, 5-night New Mexico bike tour takes you through the land that inspired artist Georgia O’Keefe, across the fifth highest bridge in the US, a chance to bike the Enchanted Circle around Wheeler Peak and through Spanish and Indian ruins. Runs May, June, September & October.

Wyoming: Yellowstone and Tetons Multisport – This is your chance to see mud pots, spouting geysers and steaming vents, along with the beautiful peaks of the Tetons and the Snake River as you white-water raft  down it. This 6-day 5-night tour screams adventure! Get ready to bike Wyoming, hike Grand Teton National Park and kayak Yellowstone Lake. This Wyoming adventure is offered as a Classic Tour June-September, for Singles-Solos  in July, for families June-August and as a deluxe camping experience June-August.

Montana Biking – Right next door to Wyoming is beautiful Montana where you’ll get to bike the Going-to-the-Sun Road and take in the true alpine beauty of the American West. As you bike Montana, pedal past Lake McDonald, sparkling waterfalls, through glacier-carved valleys and even take a trek into Canada and visit a National Park. As the finale, raft down the Flathead River. This is a 6-day, 5-night trip that runs July-August as a classic tour and June and August for Singles-Solos.

Utah: Bryce & Zion Biking – Red rocks galore are what you’ll find on this bike trip through Utah. You’ll see rocks of all shapes and sizes from whimsically-shaped formations to towers and arches. Get ready to be amazed at what Mother Nature creates! On this Utah bike tour, you’ll also work your way through many canyons, bike through Zion National Park with its colored pinnacles, spires and hoodoos, as well as marvel at Mount Carmel’s white sandstone Elkhard Cliffs. This bike tour of Utah runs 6 days and 5 nights June-September and is also available for Singles and Solos in July.

Where have you always dreamed of heading out West? Don’t forget to bring your cowboy boots and cowboy hat – oh yeah, and your sense of adventure!

To book any of our active trips to the American West, please call us daily 7 a.m.-5 p.m. Pacific time at 800-462-2848.

Backroads offers active travel experiences for single travelers and solo travelers and this is a question we hear quite a lot: Are singles trips and solos trips just for unmarried travelers?

Let us just say we are not the Match.com of travel; however, if you happen to find a love interest on one of our trips, all the better!

The answer to the question is no, our active trips are not just for unmarried travelers. However, many of our singles-solos travelers are unmarried. Those who travel with us who are married sometimes are simply traveling alone without their spouse or with a friend or sibling.

We strive on our active singles trips to put together an engaging group of individuals – married or not – who will make for an interesting active travel experience.  We often hear from our solo travelers that we know how to ignite an amazing chemistry in a comfortable, easygoing atmosphere. Our Trip Leaders are skilled not only in knowledge of their country but in how to encourage a camaraderie and interactive group dynamic.

Wine tastings, meals and other social opportunities we create help everyone to get to know one another, making your bike trip or walking trip about more than just the destination. The people you travel with can be just as wonderful!

You’ll often find that those who choose our bike tours and walking tours are individuals who share a sense of fun and passion for exploring the world and drinking in as many experiences as they can.  That instantly gives you something in common.

Bottom line: We welcome all!

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.