The New Trips Issue, September 2009

Dear Traveler,

Resting – on our laurels or otherwise – isn’t something that comes easy to us here at Backroads. Our trip planners are passionate about finding new destinations for you to explore, and our 2010 lineup showcases a collection of our all-time best itineraries, plus new trips in Dordogne & Bordeaux, Spain, Portugal, Arizona and Crater Lake. Read more about these great new trips below.

When you travel with us you benefit from our three decades of experience and expertise. We take great pride in bringing you the very best—from our behind-the-scenes planning, engaging Trip Leaders and vast local connections to our distinctive accommodations and unparalleled routes. As always, wherever your Backroads travels should lead, you can count on us to weave the most extraordinary elements of your destination into an experience you’ll treasure forever.

After traveling with us to Peru this year, guest Carol Waldo said: “When thinking about the value of the trip, I could not have put together the number and range of activities for a single week on my own. Not even close. So really, it is like having three weeks of vacation seamlessly organized into a single week. All I had to do was show up. My favorite aspect of the trip is how the activities fit together like a story across the week as opposed to a random collection of activities. Wow.” Read more guest quotes.

Our 2010 Biking & Multisport and Walking & Insider trip catalogs are now available. To request one, please call 800-462-2848 or visit www.backroads.com/catalog. Or view the catalogs online at http://www.backroads.com/BikeMulti and http://www.backroads.com/WalkInsider.

I hope to see you out there!


Tom Hale
Founder and President

P.S. Travel with us internationally and save—thanks in large part to a brief strengthening of the U.S. dollar this past spring and wise (lucky!) forward purchasing of foreign currency, we’re able to offer substantial savings on most of our international trips. Learn More

PREMIERING IN 2010

New Classic Trips

Our new Dordogne & Bordeaux Biking trip is a perfect duo of France’s colorful history and renowned viticulture. Among the highlights: prehistoric cave paintings at Font du Gaume, exploring St-Émilion, whose history dates back to the 2nd century, and pedaling by world-famous Grand Cru vineyards.

On our new Spain Biking trip, we journey from the vibrant city of Barcelona to the Pyrénées and on to Costa Brava. Exploring the heart of Catalonia with Backroads, you’ll see why the Catalans are so proud of their land, identity, language, culture and gastronomy.

Portugal Biking reveals the country’s old-world charm as you pedal from the region’s pastoral heartland to the terraced hillsides of the Douro Valley, famed for its port wine. Discover Roman ruins, bike through stunning Peneda-Gerês National Park and explore Guimarães, the birthplace of Portugal.

Sure to be a favorite, our Arizona Biking trip combines incredible riding through the Sonoran Desert, forests of giant saguaro cactus, tiny ranch towns, a Spanish-Colonial mission and an authentic dude ranch—it's the real Arizona experience.

New Family Trips

Bring the family to Europe and pedal through the Dordogne & Bordeaux, where spelunking, a “market challenge,” macaroon-making and 20,000-year-old cave paintings will intrigue the kids while spas, wine tastings and Michelin-starred cuisine will have parents raising a glass to the good life.

On our Spain Biking trip, the kids will be thrilled with the bike rides, pottery making, beach time, train ride and more, and adults will enjoy pedaling scenic routes in the foothills of the Pyrénées, seeing landscapes that inspired some of Salvador Dalí's first paintings and savoring sun-kissed Catalan wines.

Is your family up for big-time fun in the Pacific Northwest? On our new Crater Lake Multisport trip, your gang will bike, hike and raft through untouched Oregon, playing in a national park that many wish to see, but relatively few do.

Our family Arizona Multisport trip is pretty irresistible: perfect temps for biking in the desert, a dude ranch with horseback riding and cattle herding, pools at every hotel, and more!