Stories

What happens when a climate awareness ride is disrupted by extreme heat? One Backroads employee shares her experience cycling the Climate Classic in the Netherlands.

Family travel can influence personal growth, cultural identity and relationships across different stages of life. In this personal account, four Backroads trips over 14 years demonstrate how travel fostered wonder, strengthened family connections, deepened cultural roots and provided new perspectives through meaningful experiences with people and places.

The Ring of Beara Cycle is one of Ireland's most popular cycling events, bringing thousands of riders to the Beara Peninsula each year. Through the Backroads Give Back Program, Ireland Field Staff volunteered at a support station, helping cyclists stay hydrated and safe during an unexpected heat wave.

For many descendants of Italian immigrants, active travel offers a meaningful way to reconnect with ancestral villages, family history and Italian culture. But the experience rarely remains personal for long—family stories and discoveries often become part of the collective journey, adding meaning for everyone along the way.

When Meg Zucker, author of Born Extraordinary, joined a cycling trip in Mallorca, she wasn't looking for special treatment, just an opportunity to explore. What she found was a welcoming community, supportive Trip Leaders and a powerful reminder that adventure travel can be accessible to everyone.

In honor of World Bicycle Day, we’re celebrating the simple joy of moving through the world on two wheels. This year, that spirit comes to life through our support of the Napa Valley Vine Trail, a project that invites people to slow down, travel safely and experience the journey as something beautiful in itself.

In Italy, some of the best things happen senza pensieri—without overthinking them. Water is one of them—you fill your bottle and move on. According to the Italian National Institute of Health, drinking water is tested regularly across the country, with over 99 percent of samples meeting safety standards. From big cities to small villages, the water that flows from taps and public drinking fountains is safe to drink.

“Did you ever think,” I said to my son, halfway through a Backroads trip to Argentina’s Lake District, “that one day you’d be sipping champagne on a private boat in the middle of a lake in Patagonia?” “This is epic,” came his response. It wasn’t the only epic moment on that trip. There was the snowcapped Andes, the Southern Cross in the night sky, the wine tasting. How many 22-year-olds, I mused, could speak intelligently about the regions and varieties of Argentinian wines? This is just part of what growing up traveling gave my son.

In honor of Mother's Day and all the inspirational, kind and strong moms who keep things running smoothly (both at Backroads and in life!), we want to shine a spotlight on one of our favorite moms in our Backroads community. Meet Alison Iles, a former Trip Leader and mom of two champion mountain bikers in Canada. Alison has worn many hats at Backroads in her 35-year tenure, most recently that of Regional Director of the UK, Ireland and Scandinavia. We sat down with Alison to talk about travel, motherhood and her thoughts and advice on raising kids who embrace active outdoor adventures.

There are certain places on our trips that guests remember long after they’ve gone home. The Blackford Highland Games field is one of them.