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.

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!