Marriage itself is an adventure, so why not start it off with an adventure for your honeymoon? Backroads gives honeymooners the ultimate adventure with a chance to travel to one of hundreds of destinations around the world while biking, hiking, kayaking and more. Plus, you can burn off some of that wedding cake and avoid the potential newly-married 15-pound gain J.

Here are some of our favorite active travel honeymoon destinations:

A French Biking Getaway

Say Oui to a French honeymoon and get ready to pedal through a storybook land. Our Loire Valley Biking Tour takes you past castle after castle where you can dream of knights in shining armor and realize you have your very own knight cycling right beside you! Bike France and see perfectly groomed gardens, visit chateaus and sample French wine, tour historic castles and spend some time at a romantic French café. Before it’s all over, you might just give in to the idea that your life is indeed a fairy tale!

An Italian Honeymoon with Hiking

Who wouldn’t want to go to Italy on their honeymoon? Rolling hills, farmhouses and tiny villages all scream romance! On our Cinque Terre and Tuscany Walking Tour, you can view all the sites in the great outdoors, holding hands, strolling along at your own pace. Visit wineries, tour a World Heritage site, soak in views of the deep blue Mediterranean and meander along historic Greve. Any great honeymoon should include fantastic food, and this Italy walking tour gives you plenty from fresh seafood to Tuscan delicacies. You’ll also enjoy your share of Italian wine to toast your new life together!

California Lovin’

If you’d prefer to stay a little closer to home on your honeymoon, look no further than an adventure into California’s wine country. One of our most popular bike tours, Wine Country Biking lets you enjoy the beauty of this majestic region while tasting some of the best wines the U.S. has to offer. This California bike trip will take you through five valleys of world-famous vineyards, each day allowing you to sample a variety of vintages. Oh, did we mention the food? Your honeymoon days will end with nightly gourmet meals where you can celebrate your nuptials.

What’s on your dream honeymoon list? Have you considered making it an active honeymoon? We find that the newlywed couples who travel with us list our trips as remarkable and they come back again and again for anniversaries and active family trips. Here’s what one couple had to say:

“This was our honeymoon and I cannot think of a better way to have spent it. The leaders were among the best I have ever encountered and they managed to enhance what would have in itself been a magnificent trip. From the educational aspects to the food to the hiking, everything was perfection!” Read what more honeymooners had to say.

To book your active honeymoon with us or for more information, please call us 7 a.m.- 5 p.m. Pacific daily at 800-462-2848.

Are you thinking of traveling with us on an active vacation this year or next? Many people ask us: How far in advance should I reserve my trip with Backroads? That’s a great question and one for which you want to be sure you have the right information, as it would be disappointing to call to reserve your trip only to learn that it’s full.

Our best recommendation is to book as far an advance as your timing allows. The further ahead you reserve your spot, the more availability you’ll find. When you’re planning a major getaway like a European bike tour or hiking tour through the US National Parks, you’ll want to be sure the dates work best for your family’s schedule.

Many families travel with us during the summer months, for example, so those dates fill quickly, along with holidays. To make sure you can choose your top destination and date, try to contact us at least four to six months ahead of time.

There are also several tours that are very popular and tend to book quickly. They include Yellowstone & Tetons Walking Tour, San Juan Islands Biking, all of our Italy hiking tours and Italy biking tours as well as our France hiking tours and France biking tours. If any of those locales are on your list, call us early.

To reserve your active trip, please call us at 800-462-2848 7 a.m.- 5 p.m. Pacific daily or use our secure online reservation form by clicking Reserve This Trip! on any trip page on our website. We request a $600 deposit per person made by check or major credit card. The balance of your trip cost is due 95 days prior to departure in most instances. In a few Special Departure           cases we request the balance due 125 days prior to departure.

So pick your destination, choose your dates and give us a ring! Before you know it, you’ll be on your way to an active vacation of a lifetime…

Can you smell the fresh mountain air, hear the bubbling brooks, imagine mountains as far as the eyes can see and million dollar views? That’s what you’ll find in the Alps this summer. Backroads offers multiple Alps vacations that let you hike the Alps, bike the Alps (if you dare!) and be outdoors to enjoy this beautiful section of the world that we like to call “the rooftop of Europe.” Be it the Swiss Alps, French Alps or Italian Alps, we’ve got an alpine getaway that’s calling you.

Here are a few of our Alps adventures:

Swiss Alps Walking & Hiking Tour – On this 6-day, 5-night hiking tour of Switzerland, you’ll get the full alpine treatment. Taste Swiss cheese at a local farm, climb by cable car to an amazing hike, take a dip in healing thermal waters, travel via train to the town of Zermatt, enjoy local fare like strudel, fondue and plenty of wine, and relax at the luxurious Riffelalp Resort. The stress is already melting away, isn’t it?

French & Italian Alps Walking & Hiking Tour – As you hike the French Alps and the Italian Alps, you’ll be treated to the reward of a gorgeous turquoise lake, visit chic Chamonix, take in view of rock spires, saw-edged peaks and woodland valleys, take a breathtaking glacier walk, enjoy local flavors of wine and visit the Italian side of Mont Blanc. This 6-day, 5-night Alps hiking tour will have you saying bonjour and arrivederci.

Italy’s Dolomites Walking & Hiking Tour – We like to call the Dolomites “Italy’s best kept alpine playground” so get ready to do plenty of “playing”! The Dolomites are full of fairytale villages, grassy meadows and majestic mountains, along with the chamois, eagles and marmots if you keep a sharp eye. On this 6-day, 5-night Dolomites hike, you’ll picnic at a 13^th century Gothic castle, ride chairlifts, hike through wildflowers, taste wines at a local wine cellar and visit a natural park.

Italy’s Dolomites Biking Tour – Dare you bike the Dolomites? We think you should! On this 6-day, 5-night Dolomites biking trip, you’ll get to bike the Sella Ronda Loop, one of the most spectacular rides you may ever experience, pedal through storybook villages, conquer 14 alpine passes in 6 days (including epic Passo Giau with a 9% grade over 6 miles!) and participate in wine tastings as your reward.

Which mountain adventure will you choose? No matter your choice, you’ll be glad you settled on the Alps for your summer vacation. For more information or to book your Alps getaway, call us at 800-462-2848 7 a.m.- 5 p.m. Pacific time daily.

We take thousands of families on active trips around the globe every year; in fact, it’s one of our most popular programs! Many of our families have a lot of questions, because they want to ensure their multisport trip or biking trip will be fun for both kids and adults and will hold their children’s attention.

A common question families ask is: Is childcare available during the trip and will there be other children my kids’ ages?

Childcare is not included as part of Backroads’ family adventures; however, that doesn’t mean that we can’t help you find childcare if that’s a need for your family. Many of our hotels on family trips do offer childcare services or we can explore other English-speaking options in the area. We do not book the care for you but can direct you to the appropriate contacts.

Remember, our Trip Leaders are not charged with childcare, but on active family trips there is a Trip Leader dedicated just to the children to create age-appropriate opportunities wherever we’re traveling.

Second, you’re certainly welcome to ask your Trip Consultant about other children’s ages who have booked the trip. Just keep in mind it could change prior to departure. One of the best parts of a Backroads active family vacation is the friendships that kids develop with each other. You may find a new “pen pal” that your child can stay in touch with for years to come.

We have lots of fun family trips available this summer from bike tours and hiking tours of the US National Parks to multisport adventures in Hawaii, Costa Rica, Panama and more. Take a look at our Family Trip Advisor to get customized trip recommendation for your family.

For more information about our family adventures, please visit www.backroads.com/family-trips or call us at 800-462-2848 daily from 7 a.m.- 5 p.m. Pacific time.

With summer on its way, we’ll be leading hundreds of families to destinations around the world in the coming months and we thought it would be a great time to introduce you to some of our family trip leaders. They are responsible for making sure adults AND kids have fun (not an easy job!), learn a lot and have an opportunity to get an authentic view of the culture they’re visiting.

In today’s post, we’d like you to meet Rebecca Sorensen. Rebecca left her job as a film/TV production coordinator in LA to travel the world! After spending four months traveling, including biking in Thailand and biking in Italy, she decided she didn’t want travel to be a hobby but a lifestyle. Enter Backroads!

These days You can find Rebecca leading families on a variety of Backroads family bike trips and family hiking trips, including our Yosemite Multisport Tour in California. On that tour, she’ll take you rock climbing, walking through the giant sequoias, hiking past waterfalls and alpine meadows, and to a visit of the Ansel Adams Gallery. You can even enjoy a family game of bocce ball or ping pong!

Rebecca also leads the Hawaii Big Island Multisport trip where families get to walk through a rain forest, ride horses, snorkel, visit a coffee plantation and bike part of the Kona Ironman Triathlon course. Of course, we work in plenty of swimming and beach time, as well.

“I think families really bond on an active vacation, because they are out there every day experiencing new things together. There’s nothing like biking and hiking together as a family—exploring a national park, being able to smell the trees, pick up rocks and pine cones, and really appreciate the nature that surrounds you,” says Rebecca. “It’s beautiful, challenging, and in the end, it’s something you’ve accomplished together.”

Want to travel with Rebecca? Give us a call daily 7 a.m.-5 p.m. Pacific at 800-462-2848 and we’ll answer any questions you have and get you booked!

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.

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.