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.

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.

Written by Backroads Team Leader Dave Schifrin on his trip up the Alaskan highway to prepare to lead Alaska based tours.

Day 1:  Salt Lake City – Great Falls, Mont.
Returning Leader Training is always fun. I get to meet other Backroads Trip Leaders whom I haven’t met before and re-connect with others whom I haven’t seen for a while.  A handful of us reported to the Backroads Operations headquarters in Salt Lake City  this past Monday to learn about some new Backroads initiatives (including the new specialized bikes and Backroads cycling jerseys available to guests!). But it was the end of the week that excited me the most… the start of my journey to Alaska for the season where I’ll be leading walking/hiking tours and multisport trips for the summer.

I’m bringing a van and bikes from Salt Lake City to Anchorage, which is the hub for our three different types of trips in Alaska (hiking trips, multisport tours, biking tours).  It’s an epic drive from Salt Lake City to Anchorage, and I’m hoping to share some of that crazy experience with you.  My journey takes me from Salt Lake City to Canmore, Alberta, Canada, to drop off a trailer and bikes at our Canadian hub. From Canmore I’ll head north across the expanses of Canadian wilderness through northern Alberta and British Columbia and across the corner of Yukon Territory before driving into Alaska in a week or so.  Yep… that’s a nine-day solo drive through North American awesomeness. Just another epic Backroads journey…

Day 1 was a drive from Salt Lake City to Great Falls, Mont., for much needed sleep. I left Salt Lake in pouring rain, but the rain subsided as I entered Idaho on I-15. Idaho and Montana are just so beautiful and vast. You can just imagine buffalo herds numbering in the thousands lumbering across the prairies. While the scenery is incredible, I think my favorite part of driving the Backroads van is that everyone who passes is interested in the van and bikes. The stories that are told on the images on the van’s sides (and the bikes racked on the roof) are intriguing to everyone, and I usually get a wave or sometimes a tap of the horn from people who must be thinking something along the lines of “I want to be doing that.”

Day 2 takes me into Canada. I’m really excited to get to Canmore and meet up with some of the Backroads crew there. Hopefully I’ll get to explore Banff National Park a little bit before I continue the journey north. It’s been a must-see for me for a long time.  I’ll check in soon. Hopefully with photos and undoubtedly with interesting stories ….