Welcome to The BackBeat. Looking for pro tips and a peek behind the scenes on trips around the world? Tips and tales from the road and trail? Inspiration for your next epic adventure? Find it all on The BackBeat.
With so many of us home and unable to travel at the moment, we thought it would be nice to bring a bit of the magic of travel (and one of our favorite national parks!) right to you and your family. So we asked Trip Leader Russell Grange to take us on a "Bite-Sized Backroads Trip" to California's epic Yosemite National Park
There's no doubt about it—these are difficult times. As I write this, I'm at my home in the Bay Area with my wife Liz and the kids. Like everyone else in California and so many others worldwide, we are sheltering in place and learning to adapt to new realities that would have seemed hard to believe just a short time ago.
People often ask us for advice on how to improve their chances of winning our annual photo contest. Read on for some tips to improve your travel photography and come up with some prized photos!
As the founder and owner of Backroads, people often expect me to have some special insight into how our trips run. It's true that I was a Trip Leader in the earliest days of Backroads, but nowadays I'm busy running the company from Berkeley and every chance I get to visit the field is precious. Ah, for the footloose days of being a leader.
Imagine blasting down an icy slope, blinded by fog and flat light, nothing protecting you besides a helmet, goggles, and a spandex speed suit. Enter Hahnenkamm Streif: the world’s most demanding and dangerous downhill course.
As a former Glasgow bartender, I’ve spent most of my working life writing lists of “cool Scottish stuff” on napkins for passing tourists. I couldn’t be more excited to give you some bona fide inside knowledge that will bring your Caledonian adventure to life!
The Iditarod is one of the most epic dogsledding races in the world, but outside of Alaska, few even know what it is. How long is it? Why is it known as "the last great race"? And do they really race with dogs? As a man who has mushed a few teams myself, I like to start with a brief history, dispel some common misconceptions, and then relate some of my favorite facts about the race.
The color of the lakes in the Canadian Rockies is unlike anywhere else. Jaw-droppingly turquoise? Yes. Stunning? Any time of the year. And with so many lakes to pick from, there’s no way you can go wrong! That said, the Canadian Rockies are massive, as they span from Banff to Jasper to Kananaskis County, and your time may be short, so read on to hear about the crème de la crème!
Half the size of Switzerland, yet brimming with attractions - from Venetian coastal resorts in the south to the majestic Julian Alps and emerald-green lakes in the northwest - Slovenia is a hidden jewel still buried in misunderstanding