Backroads Leader Profiles

From the first day of training, I knew I was going to love working for Backroads. I can remember having this sense of belonging. Listening to and meeting the other leaders was like hearing and seeing myself. They too had traveled the world, taken risks and were living a life outside the "norm". It may be one of the first times I felt surrounded by people who understood my desire for a job that facilitated inspiration and excitement.

Since I have had so many experiences working for various employers, I can appreciate when a company genuinely cares for their employees. From my immediate manager to the accounting department, it's obvious Backroads truly values their employees.

As a Trip Leader, I now utilize every aspect of my varied experiences from customer service to my wine and food knowledge on a daily basis and am truly happy.

The morning after my last day on the job I was sipping coffee, reading back issues of Outside magazine, and entertaining thoughts of mountain biking the continental divide from Canada to Mexico when I came across a job listing for the Backroads Trip Leader position. My interest was piqued.

Later that month, I attended an open house in Berkeley that literally changed my life. There I was, sitting in a small room with other interested candidates, listening to the staff of the Leader Development Department at Backroads talk about the leader position. Each one of them was convinced that s/he had the best job in the world, and it showed. They exuded positive, vibrant energy from every pore; just sitting in that room felt amazingly good. I knew instantly that these were the type of people that I would like to call colleagues, so I launched myself into the hiring process. It turned out to be the most interesting and challenging hiring process I have ever encountered (which revealed a great deal of good things about the company itself and the people who compose it). The day that Backroads offered me a job now stands on my list of hard-won achievements, right next to graduating from Duke with my Masters degree. After being hired and trained in the spring of '99, I looked forward to spending a summer leading trips, and then was planning on returning to physical therapy in the fall. Well, that was eleven years ago—and eleven states, and eleven countries ago! I have found a job that suits more of my desires and values than I thought possible, and I find the challenges of leading trips to be the kind that make life interesting.

I attribute my career as a Backroads Trip Leader to the encouragement that Christopher Carey (a leader since 1999) provided me, a perfect stranger, when I met him while biking through the Loire Valley in France. The hiring process was rigorous, but I came to realize that working for Backroads really let me harness the skills and attributes most relevant to who I am at my core.

Born to international and multi-ethnic parents, and raised in California speaking both French and English at home, I grew up to be a bit of a cultural chameleon. As an adult I hold my cross-cultural capabilities as my most prized personal asset, and being a Backroads Trip Leader gives me the platform from which I can share it with others. As a Trip Leader I get to share the intricacies of history, food, language, and life in a myriad of diverse countries with my groups of travelers; an experience I find deeply rewarding.

Backroads has given me a decade of stimulating balance. While my winter months are spent in Asia and Africa, the rest of the year I jump between various European destinations and the American National Parks. And in the midst of all this—thanks to Backroads' flexible and seasonal scheduling—I have been able to complete my Masters in Education, work as a French and English teacher, and cultivate the numerous friendships I have made along the way. Ten years after leaving archaeology for a career with Backroads, I am still creating memories that I will hold on to for a lifetime.

Fast forward many years spent relatively sedentary, the travel bug worked its way back into my head. Having spent a number of years acquiring degrees in physics and mechanical engineering, I thought it best to put that effort to use. Before jumping into that career, though, I knew I had to journey beyond my home in Minnesota. Off to the wilds of Peru and Bolivia I went for a month of exploration followed by several months in Europe. Upon return, I packed what I could on my motorcycle and headed off to San Francisco, my new home.

After five satisfying years working as a laser design engineer, the thirst for adventure and social outlet returned. It was at this time that I discovered Backroads; a natural fit for me since I loved both riding my bike and craved the interaction with new people. After a hiring process that was almost as involved as getting my national security clearance, I was off on a new career.

Being a Trip Leader has been everything I could have wanted and more; fantastic opportunities to travel, being outdoors, but mostly engaging with new and interesting people every day. I have been able to explore career opportunities within Backroads as well, and served as the Alaska Regional Expert for 2½ years, allowing me to delve even deeper into a region that really speaks to me. With both guests and other Backroads leaders providing a constant influx of ideas and interests, combined with a zest for travel and adventure, I know I've found my home. It's also evident that the Traveling Travis moniker rings as true today as it did so many years ago.

One of the most important milestones in my life was when I went to study for a semester in Florence, Italy. I had the chance to travel around much of Europe, on my own and with friends. This experience enriched my life and made me grow and learn so much about myself and what I was capable of. For me, this became a deep and permanent change inside of me and I knew I was hooked.

I graduated from the University of California at Davis with a degree in International Relations. Truthfully, I didn't have a clue what I was going to do after graduation. All I knew was that I wanted to find a job that would offer me excitement, challenges, and travel possibilities. Better yet, I wanted to work outdoors and with interesting people. I thought, where does a job like this even exist?

As luck would have it, I met another Backroads leader one day who told me all about her job and the lifestyle that went along with it. I didn't bother looking for any other job after my graduation.

Since then, I have enjoyed working in some of the most amazing places in the world: like all over Italy, in Patagonia and Costa Rica... it's been so fun! Sometimes I move to new places, other times I stay put. For a while I oversaw the smooth operation of our regional base in Tuscany as the Regional Support Specialist. The hardest part of living this life is that my wish list keeps getting longer—I want to go to new places but also return to my favorites as well. I look forward to the upcoming season, and whatever it brings.

Following my coast to coast excursion for college and getting my BA from Boston University, I moved back to the Bay Area to be close to the sun, the sand and the snow. I worked in the food and wine business, did research for a global software company and consulted with clients about their wine cellars and investments. But when I read the ideal qualities of a Backroads leader in an online job posting, it was as if I was reading a completely accurate description of myself and I knew I had to apply.

My experience with Backroads has lived up to and exceeded all my expectations and proven to be incredibly rewarding. Working as a Trip Leader, as well as hiring and training new leaders, have introduced me to an exciting, eclectic, and outgoing staff and allowed me to continue branching out and meeting people while traveling to some of the most beautiful places in the world. As a result, I have the rare and wonderful opportunity to speak and practice five languages and share my knowledge and passion with our guests. Additionally, my participation on the Responsible Travel Team at Backroads has been the catalyst for me to pursue a graduate education in sustainable business. I continue to balance Backroads with my education and maintain my commitment to this amazing company.

Working for Backroads has lived up to and exceeded all my expectations and proven to be an incredibly rewarding experience. Being a Trip Leader has introduced me to an exciting, eclectic, and outgoing staff and allowed me to continue branching out and meeting people while traveling to some of the most beautiful places in the world.

For my 40th birthday I wanted to do a bike trip in Vermont in the fall. My husband wasn't a cyclist and my friends that biked couldn't go. So I set about to find a company to go with as a solo traveler. I had an amazing time and I remember thinking "What a cool job the leaders had!" Unknowingly that trip planted a seed in my mind. Sadly, several years later, cancer got the best of my husband. With both of my kids away at college and working away from home during the summers, I recalled that "cool job" that my trip leaders had in Vermont. I wanted to travel and have a fun job, too.

I looked into several companies but Backroads seemed to be the obvious first choice. I could see from the catalog that the many of the leaders were younger than me, but...lots of the guests were my age. Hmmm... Well, seven years later, here I am; still loving the opportunity to travel to amazing places and meet amazing people all along the way. I loved the opportunity to learn a new language so that I could work in another country; to be able to work outside being active and doing what I love; and to share the wonders of nature and travel alongside other people who share that interest. I feel so fortunate to be able to make lemonade out of lemons!

When I finally had my degree, I decided it was the right time to move across country to San Francisco. I didn’t have a job or an apartment and the only things I owned were in the back of the car I was driving. I held two sales positions with Fortune 1000 companies before I knew that my life needed a drastic change once again. This time, that meant taking an around the world trip for four months. To this day, it has been the greatest thing I have accomplished in my life. I returned with more knowledge about the world and myself than I ever thought possible.

So many people helped me in some of the simplest but most meaningful ways while traveling that I wanted to be the person helping others see the world. I remember finding Backroads online and knowing immediately that it was the place for me. The Trip Leader position with Backroads is undoubtedly the best job I have ever had. It affords me the opportunity to not only meet new people all the time, but to have an impact on their lives while educating them and giving them memories they will never forget. I sincerely look forward to many more trips around the world with Backroads and being able to share my passions while experiencing the passions of others.

I studied French language and culture in college at Middlebury, and I hoped that someday I would find a way to use it in my career. I became a leader in 2001 and came to France in 2002. I have worked in many different regions and countries, but I have come to call Provence my home. I've learned countless lessons from my coworkers, my guests, and the people we meet along the way. And I can't believe that I'm actually using my liberal arts major in my career!

When I first came to know Backroads leaders through my office work, I realized that many different personalities can be successful at this job. A few of the common qualities that I found in leaders were warmth, intelligence, joyfulness and open-mindedness. It is now comforting and inspiring to call these people my coworkers. I can't imagine finding a better work environment elsewhere. I also learned that traveling with Backroads was a means of gaining appreciation for all kinds of people (both our guests and the local people with whom we connect them), gaining love for different natural landscapes, and gaining great personal growth through the challenges to which we rise.

A chance encounter with a Backroads leader eleven years ago opened my eyes to the Trip Leader opportunity and the answer to the question seemed clear. The trip leader position is a lot of hard work. It is an exercise in flexibility, problem solving, efficiency, and unending customer service. Early in my leading career, I led trips in Scotland and France. Being in Europe was all that I had hoped it would be, and when a position in our French hub became available I leapt at the chance to live abroad. The position has exceeded all of my expectations and has left me with lasting friendships, incredible memories and fantastic experiences. Using my foreign languages, surrounding myself with different customs and cultures, and making sure everyone on each trip has the time of his/her life is very rewarding. Seeing their smiles grow larger throughout a trip and knowing that they are going home happy gives me an incredible sense of joy and accomplishment. The opportunities for growth that Backroads provides will keep me around for years to come.

I continued working in the insurance business, studying Engineering and Computer Science after which I went on to work in the technology field. Opportunity came knocking at my door when I met the owner of a local outdoor outfitter who gave me the chance to start training as a river guide. I did not speak English and the instructors were from West Virginia and Canada, so I learned English quickly! Months later I was guiding river trips throughout Costa Rica and meeting people from all over the world. I guided river trips for 15 years and I had the opportunity to experience many different countries and create lifelong memories.

Along with river guiding, I always had a great love for biking (I still don’t own a car and I bike everywhere). One day I saw several bikes being transported on a mini bus and the company name stuck in my head: Backroads. I did some research and saw the world of possibilities with the company. I went through a very extensive hiring and training process, which was challenging but worthwhile. Now I am thankful and happy to be working for a company that has exceeded all my expectations, and I look forward to new adventures and meeting new people every season.

As a trip leader we have many roles and every day is different. We have a rewarding and complex opportunity to bring together people from all over, with many different backgrounds, to experience the unforgettable places we explore. I am lucky to not only be able to travel to the places I love, but to also share the excitement of others seeing these places for the first time. And while I do enjoy travelling to new places to lead trips, I also treasure the opportunity to work locally, near my family and friends. As a resident of New Mexico, it's amazing to be able to introduce guests to a region that feels like home. The Trip Specialist position has allowed me to work more in depth in trip design and develop other business skills.

Since becoming a part of the Backroads family, every day is inspiring, and each co-leader has taught me something new. There is never a day that goes by where I question if this is the right job for me, I only thank Backroads for the irreplaceable experiences they have afforded me!