Our Worldwide Team: Berkeley and Beyond

I simply can't imagine a better way to immerse yourself in the life of a region, to explore hidden corners and appreciate nuances while enjoying the benefits and enormous satisfaction of traveling under your own power. These are experiences you cannot have behind the wheel of a car, or on a train or a tour bus, or in a few excursions from a cruise ship or a secluded resort. Active travel is, at its heart, a way of connecting more authentically with the world. Sure, Backroads provides amazing leaders, superb accommodations and meals, and opportunities you could never arrange on your own. But all of our comprehensive planning and support is aimed at something far simpler: bringing you the immediate, highly personal satisfaction of discovering a new world on your own terms.

I invite you to meet the team that makes it all happen.

After 17 years of trip leading, and now in her 22nd year at Backroads, Jo stewards the Leader Development department. Her primary responsibilities are focused on field staff: the hiring of our new leaders, the on-going professional development of our returning leaders, and the in-field management of leaders on trips. "Never in my wildest dreams did I think the Trip Leader job I applied for straight out of college would lead me through the most significant mileposts of my life. In my second season as a Trip Leader I was randomly paired with a guy named Paul. In my third season we eloped on a mountaintop in New Zealand, the day after a Backroads trip finished. Now, 18 years later we reside in Salt Lake City and have two boys and travel extensively to Backroads destinations around the world."

Now in his 18th year at Backroads, Bob Greeneisen, Global Logistics & Transportation Manager, oversees all the "stuff." That's more than 4,000 bikes, nearly 150 vans and trailers (plus all the parts and pieces inside), and over 35,000 square feet of warehouse and office space in three international locations. "With the help of an awesome L&T team, I make sure that every trip has the top-notch equipment it needs from start to finish." Bob, who was once the Concert Tour Manager for pianist George Winston (a job that took him to 48 states), spends his spare time tinkering on his guitar, hiking and skiing the mountains of Utah with his daughter and two sons, woodworking and planning the next family adventure.

Our European General Manager, Stacy Loucks is the daughter of an itinerant military family (i.e. a "military brat") and learned the tools of the travel trade early on (SMILE! Haggle. Be curious. Pack light). Since she missed being born in France like her older brother, she decided to see what all the hype was about and traveled there in high school, which led to her love affair of both France and Europe. She majored in French and spent her 20s living in Nome, Alaska and circumnavigating the globe. Stacy landed her dream job as a Backroads trip leader in 1997 and can currently be found in our Provence hub during the week, and in her free time scouts local swimming holes, pedals around Mt. Ventoux, and haggles for antiques in the local markets.

"As manager of the folks who create our catalogs and help our guests choose the perfect trip, I'm continuously impressed by the energy level of the people I work with - and their passion for quality," says Massimo Prioreschi, Vice President, Sales & Marketing. Massimo has worked, studied and led trips in Italy. In fact, though he was born in Switzerland and raised in Canada, Massimo's heart belongs to Italy. "Tuscany to be specific. It feels like home, because it's where my family is from. It's also the kind of place that gets under your skin—where you find yourself planning your next visit before you've finished the current one."

As our Italy Regional Manager, Jeff draws on a passionate Italian heritage to create unforgettable experiences for our Italy guests: “My father was twice knighted by Italy’s government for his efforts to promote Italian culture in the U.S. And I can show up at the homes of my Italian cousins anytime.” From 1994 when Jeff first led our Tuscan trips, he knew he'd be coming back forever. “And thanks to the local friendships we’ve cultivated over the years, our trips have an authenticity that can’t be matched.”

Our France Regional Manager, Tanya spent a good part of her formative years in Tunisia, Egypt and Syria, before heading north to France and Belgium, with an occasional trip to visit her folks in Switzerland. Aside from the few years when her parents dragged her off to Arkansas, Tanya has never looked back on her love of France and all things European. “What I like best about active travel is the opportunity to enjoy new places at a slow pace, to soak in the sights, sounds and smells that are unique to the area, and delve into the culture at hand, whether it’s chatting with a farmer working in the vineyards or making friends with the local boulangerie, baking croissants.”

A 21-year Backroads veteran, Linda Cassell is our Rockies & Southwest Regional Manager and travels the world pursuing her passion for hiking, biking, telemark and alpine skiing, and photography. But as a Californian who grew up exploring the mountains of her own backyard, she feels a special connection to the great western national parks: “I know exactly how people feel when they get their first glimpse of the Tetons,” she says. “They’ve read the books and seen the photos, but nothing can prepare them for the sheer grandeur of these peaks. At the same time, they rediscover the beauty of minutiae—kneeling down to study a wildflower or feel the warmth of a hot spring. These are places where you feel more physically and emotionally alive—and I love sharing that experience with Backroads guests.”

With an anthropology degree from the University of California, Berkeley, Christian has led trips in 20 countries (including South Africa, China, Bhutan, Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam) and designed trips in 16 countries (from India to Mexico). Now the Asia & Africa Regional Manager, Christian says, “I love my job because it gives me the opportunity to return seasonally to my favorite parts of the world and share them with others.” To Christian, who was born in Germany and “raised all over,” the most rewarding thing about traveling with Backroads is “the opportunity for interaction with the locals—people across the globe readily identify with someone riding a bike or walking down a path so the conversations get started easily.”

Our Canadian Regional Manager, Alison has skied, run, biked, climbed and lived in the Canadian Rockies for two decades. “I feel like I have one of the best jobs at Backroads - if a trip has to do with Canada or Canadians, it's my responsibility. And I'm lucky enough to work my nine-to-five in Banff, Alberta - one of the most beautiful places in the world.” A 21-year Backroads veteran, Alison is also in charge of our Family program: “I'm the mother of two energetic boys, and I can attest that when kids and their families are actively exploring together, they see, experience and learn so much more about the world and themselves.”

Our Regional Manager for Latin America, Michelle has traveled extensively throughout the U.S., Europe and Africa, but “Latin America is a region that I hold dear to my heart,” she says enthusiastically. “Not only does it offer some of the most beautiful destinations on Earth, its people have a warmth and passion for life that I love.” As a Trip Leader in Costa Rica, Argentina, Chile, Patagonia and Peru, Michelle had the joy of introducing Backroads guests to these rich cultures, “so deeply focused on music, dance and family.” Now married to a Costa Rican and the mother of twins, Michelle is our Regional Manager for Latin America and strives to develop trips that offer the most authentic local experience possible while giving guests the trip of a lifetime.