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Active Travel Trends for 2025

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10 Best Europe Vacation Tours for Families

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An Unlikely Journey

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Nine Trips, Four Nations, One Kingdom: Which UK Adventure Fits You?

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Welcome to The BackBeat!

Your go-to guide for epic adventures. Dive into tales from the road and trail, straight from our expert Trip Leaders, and get the inside scoop on planning your next escape. From pro tips and a peek behind the scenes to bucket-list destinations and unforgettable travel stories, inspiration is here.

A Backroads Family Biking Vacation in the Loire Valley, France
April 7, 2015

Plan the Best Family Trip Ever

Is there anything better than hearing your teenager tell you that you made a great decision (words you likely don't often hear)? Better yet is hearing that they had the best vacation ever and it was with you—wow! The key is to get everyone involved and make most of the decisions before you go, so the choices you do make on your trip are as simple as what to eat off the menu.

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Gourmet falafel - famous middle eastern dish
March 25, 2015

Is it Kosher?

In Israel is kosher the norm, not the exception. Therefore, traditional Middle Eastern dishes such as falafel, shawarma and shakshuka are uniquely spiced up with rich culture and historical depth.

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Crater Lake Oregon biking
March 12, 2015

Oregon by Bike

Oregon is beautiful. From its forests to its deserts, dunes to mountains, vineyards to rivers, it rarely ceases to amaze. But it’s best experienced from the saddle—a bike saddle, that is. I’ve been lucky enough to ride, camp and explore 750 miles of the state I once called home.

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Cafe sua da, Vietnamese coffee
March 3, 2015

Vietnamese Coffee Culture

In Vietnam, coffee culture is as deep and rich as just about anything else. On old brick sidewalks and in old colonial shops adorned with art deco tiles, old men sit on small stools in the morning and afternoon. They sip little cups of iced-coffee rocket fuel, or as they would say, cafe sua da (or ca phe sua da), while playing checkers and cards.

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Biking in Thailand
February 25, 2015

Thailand Bike Tour Video

For nearly 25 years we've created biking routes that take you deeper into Thailand, winding through forests, farmland and small hamlets that are well off the beaten tourist path. A great day of riding in gorgeous surroundings becomes all the more special when you're greeted by farmers, shopkeepers and monks who know Backroads well and invite you to stop in for a visit. We're confident you won't find that kind of welcome with any other company.

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February 20, 2015

Five Local Secrets of Ojai, California

Famous for its natural health and healing culture, Spanish architecture and spectacular surroundings, Ojai offers a unique blend of modern spirituality and rustic authenticity in Southern California.

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Marin Coastline, California
February 6, 2015

The Northern California Coast

I grew up in San Francisco and moved to Marin County (a stone’s throw over the Golden Gate Bridge) decades ago when I got married. Surrounded by so much natural beauty for so long, I’ve come to take the trees, the coast and the open spaces for granted. It wasn’t until I started traveling more that I realized how special this place is and how blessed I am to call it home.

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Biking on the The Berlin Wall Trail
January 29, 2015

Changes in East Germany

In late December, my wife, son and I went for a walk to mark the 25th anniversary of the fall of the wall just outside our village. I grew up here, right along the border between East and West Germany. You might be thinking, "But the Wall fell on November 9th, 1989." And so it did, in Berlin. However, I lived along the further westward inner German border--the 870-mile double-barrier of steel mesh fencing, anti-personnel mines, barbed wire, watchtowers and dog runs. The opening here began on December 22nd 1989, with just pedestrian access and only in specific towns.

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Vietnamese farmers
January 21, 2015

Insider: Curiosity & Connection

Travel offers a deeper understanding of the world and I try as often as I can to make the leap from tourist to Insider. And that requires a commitment to always wanting to know and see more. To always asking questions and pausing long enough to listen to the answers, whether they come or not. It's just as much about the people attempting to provide the answer as it is about what exactly they have to say. And the folks that might answer honestly tend not to be the ones on the main avenue selling trinkets or day tours.

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AMA waterways luxury river cruise ship
January 16, 2015

Go with the Flow: River Cruise Biking

Starting with the Danube, Europe's second-longest river, we set out to see how Backroads-quality biking could be combined with a luxury floating hotel. We quickly realized that this is the perfect blend. The Danube is known for having the longest bike path in the world along its banks, known as the Donauradweg. But our job was to look for more than that, to find "backroads" so guests can get off the well-ridden path and really get to know the region via bicycle.

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