Awaken to the smell of mountains–a mix of cold morning air, dew-laden grass and the faint, earthy smell of livestock. Tuck into your slippers and shuffle across the chilled tile floor, opening the shutters to look out onto a valley still encased in early-morning fog.

My Facebook newsfeed of late is chock-full of photos and status updates from my Backroads colleagues residing in far-flung locations. I see gorgeous sunsets in Costa Rica. The hustle and bustle of city life in India. Tumbling Hawaiian waterfalls and spectacular New Zealand landscapes. Me? I spend my winters living in a boys' dorm in snow-covered Wisconsin. I find this rather humorous. In place of gregarious co-leaders, my building-mates are 120 teenage boys.

I used to be pretty serious about the whole competitive running thing. I've run my whole life. And I've run myself into the ground—quite literally. I've had plenty of injuries. Too many, in fact. And those injuries prompted me to develop Tom Hale Total Health.

Have an upcoming ski trip? Headed out of town after the new year? Traveling with kids and family this winter? Does the thought of packing for the family trip fill you with dread? This certainly used to be the case for me. I have logged countless hours packing bags for family vacations...

When I started working at Backroads this past June, I had never been on a road bike in my life. But this October, I joined 230 of my coworkers at our annual Staff Ride, which this year was held in Spain, and cycled 25-60 miles a day. Here’s what I learned, going from 0 miles a day to 60...

As a Backroads trip leader, I often get asked what is my favorite city in the world. Many of my peers answer, "Oh, that's tough..." For me, it's not tough at all. It is, without a doubt, Barcelona.

Patagonia, the geographical region of the Southern Andes shared by Argentina and Chile, is often referred to as one of the last great frontiers. It's a remote, spectacular landscape of craggy, jagged peaks that protrude skyward out of windswept pampas...

It’s not unusual to gear up with new equipment before a Backroads trip; we all know how wonderful it feels to don a fresh pair of bike shorts with a brand new shammy. There are some things, however, that should be broken in before embarking on an active travel adventure.

Located in the north-west corner of Italy, surrounded by the frosted great Alps, Torino has a great cultural and historical heritage that dates back to the Romans. It was founded in 28 B.C., initially as a camp...

Since April, I’ve been in five countries, met hundreds of new people, and slept on more than 50 different mattresses. A full season of leading with Backroads is a whirlwind of new places and faces. After seven plus months full of nonstop travel, what do leaders do when it all comes to an end?