The Insider Preview Issue, September 2007

Dear Traveler,

Fall is here, and as usual, Backroads has trips under way around the globe. We're looking forward to next year's great lineup of adventures - including a brand-new kind of travel experience that has all of us here very excited.

After decades of discovery, and a year of creative development, research and planning, we've added a further dimension to our world of travel - vacations that take you deep into the life of a region while shifting the focus away from physical activity. We call them Insider Trips.

All the ingredients of our classic active trips - talented leaders, superb lodgings, engaging experts, exceptional service - naturally carry over to Insider Trips. We've simply redefined active to reflect what we've known all along - that the real inspiration behind even our most physically challenging trips is a basic, vital curiosity about the world. We're not just about active bodies, but also active minds. (Read more about the creation of Insider Trips.)

Does this mean Backroads is easing the pace across our entire lineup of trips? Quite the contrary. Media articles occasionally take the angle that active/adventure travel may be lightening up as baby boomers supposedly slow down. Frankly, we've found the opposite to be true. We're happily enjoying another record year, with an increase of more than 10 percent in the number of travelers joining our biking, hiking and multisport trips. So from our perspective, active travel is alive and well at Backroads - as are the people who increasingly embrace our philosophy.

That said, we also hear from travelers who love what we're all about - the total immersion in a particular region, our enthusiastic and insightful Trip Leaders, the exclusive local connections we've made around the globe - but wonder whether they're really up for traveling by bike or on foot. They still want those in-depth Backroads adventures, with all the incredible moments they couldn't orchestrate on their own. And they appreciate our uncompromisingly high standards for accommodations and cuisine, and of course our legendary service. Well, now less-active travelers can book an Insider Trip and enjoy all of that and more.

For full details on our inaugural Insider Trips and the authentic journeys we've created in a dozen regions worldwide, click here.

At the same time, I'm pleased to update you on a whole array of other biking, walking and multisport trips for the coming year. Read more about our new Backroads active adventures in Slovenia, Turkey, South Africa, Peru, Argentina, Utah and the Canadian Rockies.

Best regards,

Tom Hale
Founder and President

What inspired us to create Insider Trips?

For 29 years, Backroads has been at the forefront of active travel, creating vacations that invite you to explore the world's most fascinating places up close and at your own pace. As we've evolved, we've added more and more exciting destinations and extended the vacation possibilities: Multisport Trips combining several activities; Family Trips for all ages; Private Trips customized for your special group; and so on. At each new step, we've been guided by the people we trust most - our guests.

We know that Backroads travelers are inquisitive, energetic individuals who don't want to spend their vacations in a rental car or on a train or looking through the windows of a tour bus. Recently, though, a number of people have suggested to us, for all kinds of reasons, that they don't necessarily want to devote several hours a day to biking or hiking. And because they know how much more there is to a Backroads vacation - that it's not just about activity, but also exploring culture, cuisine, art, natural history, wildlife and more - why not offer trips that put this part of the experience front and center?

That suggestion echoed some of the interesting ideas that were already percolating here at Backroads. Inspired by the positive feedback, our senior management and development teams devoted many more months of brainstorming, research and detailed planning to this promising new direction. The result of our enthusiastic group effort is a whole array of Backroads travel experiences that take guests deep into a region while placing less focus on physical activity. We call them Insider Trips.

NEW TRIPS FOR 2008 - Biking, Walking/Hiking and Multisport

Italy & Slovenia

Biking from Venice to Ljubljana
We've found the perfect European biking trip in a corner of the continent that's still remarkably unexplored: the Friuli wine region of northeastern Italy and, just across the Julian Alps, the peaceful mountain valleys of Slovenia. Winding through spectacular landscapes on lightly traveled roads, you ride from the Adriatic coast through acclaimed Collio vineyards, then cross the former Yugoslav border to explore tidy alpine villages by pristine lakes. A treat for seasoned cyclists but with shorter options for a range of abilities, this unique Backroads journey bridges two countries and shares insights into a pair of proud, vibrant and intriguing cultures.

Turkey

Walking in Cappadocia and Sailing along the Turquoise Coast
At the crossroads where East meets West, this remarkable new walking trip blends fascinating history with spectacular natural beauty. Beginning among the surreal, erosion-sculpted rock formations of Cappadocia, explore underground cities, cliffside churches, even a troglodyte "high-rise" hewn from a giant monolith. Then head south to board our beautiful private yachts - or gulets - and sail the sun-drenched Turquoise Coast. Adventures ashore include hiking into the mountains to a village feast and investigating ruins left behind by ancient empires. You also have plenty of chances to swim or kayak in hidden coves - and simply take in endless gorgeous vistas of the glittering Mediterranean.

South Africa & Botswana

Walking and Big Game on a Unique Active Safari
This unique active adventure uses private flights to link areas renowned for abundant wildlife: Cape Point, Bushmans Kloof Wilderness Reserve, and Mashatu and Londolozi game reserves. Journeying on foot and in open-topped Land Rovers, you'll have plenty of chances to spot lions, leopards, buffalos and rhinos, as well as African penguins and other rare species. Hike hillside trails and ancient elephant paths on a historic plantation. View centuries-old Bushman rock art and visit a tribal village with a local guide. Tour the famed Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden. And enjoy elegant outdoor dining, spa treatments and relaxing nights at four Relais & Châteaux lodges and a luxury camp set amidst one of southern Africa's largest elephant herds.

Argentina

Biking the Undiscovered Northwest
Mountain biking on spectacular roads at the base of the snowcapped Andes. Riding through cloud forests and cactus-filled canyon lands. Tasting acclaimed wines from the world's highest vineyards. Argentina's northwest offers a remarkable range of landscapes and experiences - and this new Backroads biking adventure embraces them all. If you're hoping for a lot of variety on your first South American trip, or if you've traveled to the continent before and want to journey even deeper, join us as we actively explore a remarkable region while it's still largely undiscovered by outsiders.

Peru

Peru Lodge-to-Lodge Trekking
This extraordinary lodge-to-lodge trek follows ancient paths through the Andes to the legendary mountaintop sanctuary of Machu Picchu. From Cusco, capital of the Inca Empire, follow a little-known route through the misty foothills and snow-covered peaks of the Vilcabamba range. Crossing a pass at nearly 15,000 feet, explore hidden ruins and visit isolated villages where pre-Columbian traditions still thrive. Then at Machu Picchu, spend an entire day exploring - hiking to the Gate of the Sun or climbing the Huayna Picchu steps to gain an unforgettable perspective on the citadel. Lodgings include the acclaimed Monasterio del Cusco and the Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel, as well as four stylish trekking lodges, all with bars, hot tubs and incredible views.

Bryce & Zion

Five-Day Biking in Utah's Red Rock Canyons
This new biking getaway explores the magnificent scenery of Bryce Canyon and Zion National Parks in trademark Backroads style. Ride among towering red rock formations, oddly shaped hoodoos and sheer sandstone walls rising 2,000 feet. Hike through Wall Street, a dramatic slot canyon with overhanging walls as little as three yards apart. Follow the trail up to Angel's Landing for spectacular views, then through the Narrows, where you may find yourself knee-deep in the river. Cut across meadows filled with wildflowers and through groves of manzanita, sage and piñon trees. And in the evenings, watch the sun set over vast desert landscapes, as hues of amber, red and orange play over cooling sandstone and the first of a trillion stars appear overhead.

Canadian Rockies

Hiking and Heli-Hiking in Banff, Lake Louise and the Bugaboos
For 28 years Backroads has set the benchmark for active adventure in the Canadian Rockies. From our permanent base in Canmore, Alberta, we've developed a team of highly experienced Trip Leaders, all of them certified mountain parks interpreters. That cumulative expertise is reflected in this remarkable new adventure combining hikes among the mountains with exhilarating helicopter lifts deep into untouched wilderness. Explore Banff, Kootenay and Yoho National Parks, enjoying incredible views of Stanley Glacier, Takakkaw Falls, Lake Louise, the Wapta Icefields and Yoho Lake. Then fly into the Bugaboos, reaching areas so remote it would be an epic challenge - or simply impossible - to discover them on your own. And each evening, relax in acclaimed mountain lodges, reflecting on a Rockies experience unlike any other.