It’s the season of graduations: be it from college, high school or even kindergarten! Sure, they’ll get their share of picture frames and copies of Dr. Seuss’ “Oh the Places You’ll Go,” but why not give them the ultimate graduation gift: a hiking tour or biking tour they’ll never forget.

Many of our guests choose Backroads to celebrate a special occasion like a graduation. Often, one parent – or even grandparent — and a child will travel together as a bonding experience, or sometimes, like our founder Tom Hale, they take a whole group! Tom invited his daughter’s friends and their families to the Czech Republic and Austria to celebrate their high school graduation. Ultimately, a group of 40 guests was formed.

Why a biking trip or walking trip for your new grad?

1)      It’ll open the doors of the world to them and may even inspire a career path or vocation.

2)      It’ll sensitize them to other cultures.

3)      It will boost their confidence by traveling to countries where residents speak another language and where your grad must navigate somewhat on their own.

4)      It’s a memory they’ll never forget. We promise, 30 years from now, you’ll still be looking at the pictures and fondly reminiscing about the graduation trip of a lifetime.

5)      It never fades. That picture frame will be lost, the money spent and the cards scattered before they head off on their new adventure. This active trip to a new country will last forever in their minds.

While we travel to more than 30 countries on five continents, there are a few active tours that are extra memorable that will get you started brainstorming:

Peru Walking & Hiking – See the world-famous Machu Picchu together and enjoy a cooking class with a local.

Active Safari in South Africa and Botswana – Bike among Bike Game in Africa and ride in a 4X4 for wild views of the bush.

Iceland Multisport – Spot glaciers, geysers, volcanoes and more in this incredible geologic landscape.

Would you new grad love a bike tour or walking tour as a graduation gift? Where would you like to take them? For help planning your active vacation gift, give us a call 7 a.m.-5 p.m. Pacific daily at 800-462-2848.

May is National Bike Month, which means it’s time to celebrate all the wonderful reasons to ride a bike! With so many of our trips bike tours, we obviously think bikes are pretty great. In fact, our staff participated in National Bike to Work Day, May 9, but every day is pretty much bike to work day at Backroads!

In honor of National Bike Month, we thought we’d share some of our favorite reasons to hop on a bike – be it on an adventure vacation to another country or just around the neighborhood.

• It’s great exercise! Did you know the average person will lose 13 pounds in their first year of riding their bike to work?
• It’s efficient! It takes less energy to bicycle one mile than it takes to walk a mile.
• It saves on gas and helps the environment. Tired of $4/gallon gas? So are we! Ride your bike some of the time and reduce your monthly expense on gas.
• It makes you appreciate the outdoors. Do you ever take the time to enjoy the beauty around you when driving to work in the car? Can you smell the blooming flowers, feel the breeze in your hair? There’s nothing like a bike ride to get you in touch with nature.
• It’s fun! Remember the joy of first learning to ride a bike? It returns whenever you jump on your bike for a ride. It brings back simple childhood pleasure.
• It’s a great family activity. Riding bikes is a fun way for families to bond. Everyone likes to ride a bike and it’s something all ages can participate in.
• It clears your mind. Riding a bike provides peace and quiet for a few moments in our hectic  lives. Got a problem you need to solve? Take a bike ride! Need some alone time? Take a bike ride!

Did you ride your bike to work on National Bike to Work Day? What are your favorite reasons to ride a bike?

If you’d like to extend your joy of bike riding beyond your daily life, consider a bike tour to a new destination. Riding a bike not only lets you burn some of the calories you consume when enjoying the delicious gourmet cuisine on our tours, it helps you meet the locals and truly see the sites as you’re right there in the middle of the action. Plus, our highly-rated Trip Leaders take care of everything you could possibly need so you can focus on enjoying the journey. Here is a list of our bike tours.

To book a bike tour or for more information, give us a call at 800-462-2848 7 a.m.-5 p.m. Pa

Are you planning to travel with us soon on one of our many bike tours and walking tours we offer around the world? Wondering if you’re in the right shape?

First of all, we want to reassure you that we offer active trips for all fitness levels. Your Trip Leader will always be there to provide shorter or longer routes as you – and your body – desire. We also offer two vans on almost all of our trips to ensure that if you’re tired and ready to head back to the hotel, there’s a van to take you there and one to stay with the remaining bikers or walkers.

That said, we have a few tips to help you get in optimum shape for your upcoming bike trip or hiking trip.

In the weeks before your active vacation, try training like our Trip Leaders. They do a variety of exercises to “cross train” to ensure their bodies don’t just become expert at running, for example, but can handle many different physical activities. Try running, hiking, swimming or some type of aerobic activity for at least 20 minutes three times a week – and mix up the type of activity you do.

We also recommend training by time, not miles. On Backroads’ hiking trips or biking trips, you’ll spend most of the day on the road, but you can go at your own pace. So no need to become the world’s fastest cyclist! Just be sure you can be on a bike for several hours with breaks.

For biking, definitely just get out and ride – in all conditions (rain, wind, etc.) and on all types of roads (flat, winding, hilly, etc.). – several hours a day for several days in a row.

Also, be sure to incorporate some upper body exercises to help strengthen your neck and arms to avoid fatigue.

Overall, the key to getting more physically fit is to choose an exercise you’ll stick with, so pick something you enjoy. If you’ve chosen to bike or hike with us, we’re pretty sure you enjoy the great outdoors, so simply walking or biking gradually increasing distances is a perfect plan. We’ll also send you more specific training tips tailored to your particular trip.

Got tips for training for a Backroads trip? Please share! For more information or to book any of our award-winning tours, please call us 7 a.m.-5 p.m. Pacific daily at 800-462-2848.

Dreaming of an adventure to New Zealand full of dramatic waterfalls, lush valleys and breathtaking vistas at every turn? If you travel to New Zealand with Backroads, the legendary Paul Smith just might be one of your Trip Leaders.

A history major and a former minor league baseball player, Paul recently celebrated leading his 300^th trip to New Zealand and is a true expert on this gorgeous country. With 22 years as a Backroads leader who’s led more adventure tours in Backroads’ history, it’s safe to say he’s seen it all.

Paul didn’t start his Backroads journey in New Zealand, however. His first start was a bit of a rough initiation with a camping trip on the Russian River. He and his co-leader (now his wife and mother of his two sons) forgot their sleeping bags and slept wrapped in tablecloths in their van while it rained outside. He hasn’t forgotten his sleeping bag since!

Paul’s attention to detail, witty humor, knowledge of the local haunts and an uncanny ability to discern the needs of each guest is well-known and celebrated. During his 22 years with Backroads, Paul has fallen in love with Chinese culture and the joy of riding a bike through its sometimes crazy countryside; learned about world religions by leading Bhutan walking tours and Bali bike tours, where he became fascinated with prayer wheels and Hindu gods; and lived each summer in the San Juan islands, knowing the way the light looks on the water at all hours of the day, from all viewpoints, like a local knows it.

Plus, Paul can add to his list of credentials that he’s done more laps around the South Island of New Zealand than anyone in Backroads history! “All it takes is a single visit to fall in love with New Zealand’s extraordinary scenery and down-to-earth welcoming people,” says Paul. “And if you’re like me, you’ll find it’s a destination you dream of returning to again and again.”

Interested in taking a New Zealand walking tour or New Zealand bike tour with Paul? Give us a call at 800-462-2848 7 a.m.-5 p.m. Pacific.

Have you taken a Backroads walking trip or Backroads bike trip with Paul? Give us some firsthand insight to this wonderful Backroads Trip Leader! Here’s to another 300 trips!

Photo Credit: Warren Zelman

When you come along on a Backroads trip, your focus should be your destination and the local experience. We don’t want you to have to worry about anything else! That’s why here at Backroads we have focused on making our service unparalleled in the active travel industry. When you join one of our Backroads adventures, you can rest assured you’ll be taken care of like royalty! Here are just a few examples:

Three Exceptional Trip Leaders

When you travel with Backroads, we provide you with the most experienced trip leaders, who can create a truly life-changing experience for you. We give our trip leaders the most training and the most resources to guide their travelers toward an unforgettable vacation. Never ranking lower than a 9 out of 10 on our guest satisfaction surveys, they are often cited as what truly sets Backroads apart from other active travel companies.

On our Family Adventures, we also provide a dedicated Kid Coordinator, whose sole job is to make sure your children are entertained and having fun. Don’t you wish you could take them home?!

On most trips, we also provide you with three trip leaders to make sure they have ample time to be with all guests on a bike tour or walking tour. Most other bike tour or walking tour companies provide no more than two per departure and often they are subcontracted locals.

Here’s just one of many amazing comments about our trip leaders: “The quality of your guides never ceases to amaze me. They are friendly, have a great sense of humor, roll with the punches and are resourceful and delightful. Thanks for hiring such fantastic people.” — Suellen White – Stockholm, Sweden

Read more comments about our trip leaders.

Two Vans Are Better Than One

On almost all Backroads trips, we provide our guests with two vans to ensure the highest-quality service. The vans ride along the route, whether you’re walking or biking, to help you with anything you might need.

Perhaps you need a snack or your bike needs a tune up. The van is there to help! Or you may have decided you’re ready to hop off the bike and head back to the hotel. No problem. One van can take you back while the other stays with the route. Is your spouse a speed demon while you prefer to take it slow? One van can stay with the faster walkers/riders, while the other stays with the slower group.

Having two vans allows us to be truly flexible and cater to all of our guests. We promise you’ll notice the difference over other companies who send only one van per trip!

Our Guests Agree

Sure, we can talk all day long about our great service, but can we back it up? You bet! HALF of our guests have traveled with us before and choose to travel with us again. AND 30% of people who travel with us have been referred by a past guest. We think that speaks volumes.

Here are a few more comments from some of our guests about our service:

“Over the last 30+ years, I’ve taken 96 biking trips all over the world. Anyone can print a brochure or put up a website promising a great active travel experience. Only Backroads delivers exceptional performance—not just promises—every time.” — Richard Seltzer – Wynnewood, Penn.

“Taking a Backroads trip is like enjoying the sweetest part of the watermelon, the planners and trip leaders trim away everything but the sweetest core of the trip. They worry about the logistics, the problem solving, so that as a guest, the most you worry about is what to order at dinner and how far to go on each daily option.” — Jeff Tanji – Davis, Calif.

“I am so impressed with Backroads – your company is the most customer friendly and supportive travel company I have ever had the opportunity to interact with. You deserve off the chart marks on all levels of your service from calling to sign up to the actual trip quality and quality of leaders…” — Patsy Gleason – Green Valley, AZ

Come try a Backroads vacation and experience our service for yourself. Call us 7 a.m.-5 p.m. Pacific time for more information or to book your next adventure trip. You can also request a catalog from us so you begin dreaming of your getaway.

You’re likely familiar with lavender, the herb, known for its purple-colored flowers and intoxicating fragrance, that’s not only beautiful, but said to reduce stress (lavender sleeping mask, anyone?). In ancient times, lavender was used in bathwater and was often strewn on the floors of homes and castles to keep insects away and mask smells. Today, lavender is used in everything from lotions and perfumes to recipes, and Backroads offers several trips where you’ll not only learn a bit more about this pretty plant, you’ll also see fields and fields of lavender, a sight you’ll never forget.

If you take our France biking tour through Provence in the summer, you’ll be certain to see the flowering herb in bloom. Biking past these fields is like something from a dream, and you’ll get to experience it at least twice on this trip. One day, you’ll explore Ménerbes, where you’ll enjoy a tour and picnic lunch at a lavender distillery! Another day, you’ll bike Provence’s quiet roads through rolling fields of lavender and wheat into the foothills of Mont Ventoux, which will surely be one of the most beautiful places you’ll visit.

Our France walking tour to Provence and Costa Brava lets you meander down the rugged and beautiful Luberon Valley, which is sometimes called the land of honey, lavender and cherries. Lavender is also on display in St-Rémy, a vibrant town that has provided much inspiration for artists from around the world, including van Gogh.

Another Backroads tour where lavender takes the spotlight is our Mallorca biking trip. It’ll be hard to tear your eyes away from the beautiful Mediterranean Sea, but it will be worth it when you ride through seaside Deià with its stone terraces lush with wild lavender and citrus groves.

What’s your favorite use of lavender? Have you ever seen lavender fields in person?