One of the reasons I joined Backroads as a Trip Leader a decade ago was because it was one of the only active travel companies that had trips in Norway. Growing up, my father always loved studying our family genealogy and especially our Norwegian roots. He and my mother had visited Norway in search of family roots on their European travels back in the 1970s, when they were first married. So Norway was an obvious choice for a family trip abroad, back in 1998. On that trip we followed the family tree down to the roots but could only find the small valley our family had come from. Nothing much came from the trip other than a deep feeling of connection for myself and a little more context for our family heritage.

This unique Rhine River Cruise bike tour combines the comforts of luxury cruising with the total immersion of active travel. And thanks to Backroads Regional Coordinator Michael Bernhard, who grew up exploring his native Germany on two wheels, it's a journey shaped by an insider's perspective: our flexible routes take you well beyond the typical tourist paths, deep into the rich culture and natural beauty of the Rhine Valley.

When I first visited Porto on a backpacking trip nearly 20 years ago, my primary interest was to explore the charming neighborhood bars of the Ribeira quarter, enjoy some fado music and savor Porto's namesake wine. Over the years, my returns to this captivating city have matured and each visit has allowed me to uncover another surprising layer of this World Heritage city situated on both the Atlantic and the Douro River. While I originally regarded the Douro as just an ordinary river, I've since come to appreciate its significance for the soul of Porto and as a transport conduit for an entire region. Instrumental in moving goods and people up and down the river were the rabelo boats, a type of cargo boat unique to this river.

We know how to say eyjafjallajökull! This action-packed Iceland Multisport Adventure - which begins with a private charter flight to get you quickly to the trailhead - is backed by our deep local knowledge and the strong relationships we've built with the country's best hotels and restaurants. In the land of fire and ice, experience the full diversity of Iceland's wild landscape while Backroads takes care of the rest.

"Praha" is Czech for "threshold": a reference to medieval trade taxes, but in many ways still an apt name today. My favorite city in Europe sits on the threshold between East and West, past and future.

Ride, relax and savor every drop of this vintage Backroads experience, one of our most popular trips for decades. Our perfectly planned routes and legendary on-trip support free you to focus on enjoying your rides through stunning Tuscan landscapes, following cypress-lined roads as they wind among sunbaked hilltop villas. No other biking company covers as much of Tuscany as we do. But just as importantly, we've figured out how to ensure the experience is captivating, not grueling - with three leaders and two vans always there to back you up.

The National Park Service was established to preserve these incredible scenes—and many others—in nature and history that otherwise would likely have had a finite existence in America. There are currently only 58 national parks but a total of 409 protected areas that cover more than 84 million acres in the United States and its territories. One of the most important things we can do to help protect these areas is to visit them and to share our experiences with others. We’re happy to celebrate 100 years of the National Park Service and hope to honor many more in the future.

Stockholm is not a city that speaks for itself. Like the Swedes, it exists with a quiet elegance and humility that is discovered by the foreigner with the patient peeling away of layer after layer. Its skyline is one of the most striking I’ve seen in Europe, with spires reaching towards the sky and pastel-colored buildings lining the canals and bridges that unite the city across 14 islands. From Lake Mälaren through a web of canals and rivers reaching the Baltic Sea, the Stockholm archipelago draws city dwellers from the capital’s urban chic into the countryside.

Put together everything you love about Italy: a warm climate, the rugged coastline, mountains, food, history, wine and rich cultural traditions. Lake Garda, at 31 miles long and touching three Italian provinces, manages to offer it all.

The perfect cycling combination awaits in the rolling desert hills near St. George, Utah: a butt-kicking workout on the way up followed by an adrenaline-pumping downhill race. When I first rode up Snow Canyon last summer, it was a real "sufferfest." Finally I crested that last sweaty hill, pushing my poor legs harder than they had any right to be pushed, filling my lungs with hot desert air... then I looked around. Miles of pristine Navajo sandstone stretched out before me, carved into towering walls of red and white striations. I felt like I was on Mars, and I was hooked.