Backroads in the News
Backroads is regularly featured in local and national publications. Here are some of our favorite articles:
Tour operators say the great outdoors is filling up fast
May 23, 2021
At the adventure company Backroads, summer trips are mostly sold out, with few opportunities to add itineraries because hotels in always-popular places like national parks and other outdoors-focused destinations are booked up.
5 Adventure Companies Welcoming Americans Back To Europe
April 25, 2021
Backroads has trips scheduled for Iceland, Croatia, Greece and the United Kingdom this year. Their Santorini & Crete Multi-Adventure Tour has departures starting as early as July.
So You Want to Plan a Cycling Vacation?
April 14, 2021
Cycling trips take place on custom-built titanium bikes, lodging ranges from small luxury ships (imagine cycling beside and sailing down the Danube) to five-star hotels, and the food is as finely crafted as the routes.
How Tour Operators Are Adapting as Travel Restarts
April 6, 2021
Backroads, which has run more than 200 of its trips since the pandemic began, assigns equipment such as hiking poles to individuals at the start of a trip to minimize gear sharing (it also sterilizes equipment daily).
Making Our Travels More Meaningful
February 3, 2021
As part of the movement to make travel more meaningful, the active multi-sport tour company Backroads is running a new Historic Underground Railroad Multi-Adventure Tour in Georgia and South Carolina.
Book now, pay later: The new trend that’s reshaping travel during the pandemic
January 27, 2021
Backroads now allows travelers the option to cancel and receive a full refund of their deposit up until their final payment due date in order to give guests more time to decide if travel will work for them without any financial risk.
Traveling With a Purpose: For Some, It’s a 2021 Resolution
January 21, 2021
The tour company Backroads, which provided the Underground Railroad Ride, plans to offer a similarly themed biking and hiking trip to the public in conjunction with Outdoor Afro.
An Inn or Bike Tour of Your Own: How to Make Buyouts More Affordable
January 12, 2021
The tour operator Backroads has created a division of trips somewhere between buyouts and group tours. The new Rendezvous option allows a small group — up to seven in Europe and nine in North America.
The Slow Travel Trend Is Here to Stay
December 22, 2020
The new Dolce Tempo trips (that's Italian for “sweet time”) from Backroads focus on what the outfitter calls “easygoing” hiking and biking itineraries in locales meant to draw in travelers who might ordinarily opt for the view from the tour bus.
After canceling 2020 vacations, travelers are eager to hit the road, but will it be to Europe — or Michigan?
December 22, 2020
With more people than usual booking trips in North America, adventure travel company Backroads created getaways with higher-end lodging or adventures like heli-skiing.
Suppliers are upping their luxury game
December 9, 2020
"We've heard from our guests how much they've enjoyed staying at some of the best hotels on the planet while traveling with Backroads to other continents," said Tom Hale, president and founder of the company.
The Best Bike Trips in the U.S. You Can Book Right Now
December 7, 2020
Immerse all of your senses on this trip through and around Acadia National Park. Pine forests, fresh lobster dinners, and time to wander museums and local shops round out the laid-back experience.
Impress Your Clients in Austin
November 5, 2020
Backroads just launched a weekend Texas Bike Tour which explores Austin’s hinterlands over a long weekend. For decades an enclave spiced by its university town spirit, this liberal place mixed hippies with rednecks and intellectuals.
With Americans Anxious to Go Out, Walking Tours Pick up Pace
October 10, 2020
With pandemic worry reducing participants on Backroads’ walking, hiking and bike tours by as much as 90% this year, they are rebuilding business with family- and private-group expeditions with a variety of approaches.
Group Travel Companies Are Still a Thing. How?
September 3, 2020
Backroads is among a subset of group tour operators that forgoes double decker buses, guides with microphones and sign posts, and matching T-shirts for shared, upscale adventures in pristine settings.
Adventure operators' new products provide relief from cabin fever
August 28, 2020
Many guided travel companies remain on hold due the COVID-19 pandemic, but there are some adventure operators that are up and running domestically and even putting together new products to lure virus-wary travelers out of the house.
The Best Companies For Your Active Outdoor Travel - Now Or After The Pandemic
August 26, 2020
Backroads just rolled out an entire new category of trips called Dolce Tempo, which are more luxurious and less arduous while still being active, described by the company as “easygoing.”
Backroads Unveils New Dolce Tempo Trips
August 20, 2020
While biking and hiking and kayaking trips are at the core of popular adventure travel offerings, they are not for everyone. Backroads, a company that has long been the leader in active travel, has come up with an array of softer adventures for 2021.
Backroads' new trips are for 'easygoing' adventure travelers
August 20, 2020
Active-travel company Backroads is launching a category of trips designed for first-time adventure travelers or those seeking easier options, the company said Wednesday.
Looking for a socially distanced vacation? Try a walking tour
July 30, 2020
Backroads’ hiking trips for late summer and fall include Zion and Bryce Canyon, Yosemite, Olympic and Crater Lake national parks, as well as trails in the Oregon Cascades and around Sedona, Ariz.
Summer vacation plans stay the course in spite of Covid-19 spikes
July 21, 2020
The adventure travel company Backroads has also been filling up, with popular hiking and cycling trips to Oregon's Colombia River Gorge and Crater Lake, and Maine and Alaska.
E-Bikes Are The Hottest Thing On 2-Wheels: Here’s Why You Might Want One
July 9, 2020
Backroads named E-bikes as one the top trends of 2020 at the end of last year and before the pandemic anticipated putting 8,500 guests on them this year.
Hoping to take a vacation this summer? Why bike touring could be your safest bet
June 24, 2020
“These trips are so much fun,” she said. “If we can do this safely, we will. It’s outdoors in the fresh air, and I’m convinced that Backroads will do its best to keep us healthy. I have no doubt that every place we eat and stay will be clean.”
The New Escapism: Isolationist Travel
June 24, 2020
As travelers seek safety amid social distancing, the travel industry is adapting with outdoor trips, remote lodgings and private camps.
Backroads: Adventure Travel in A Challenging New World
June 16, 2020
[Backroads] has had to make adjustments to their itineraries, their travel style and raise the levels of health and safety. The good news is that their trips will resume next week.
