Can I book a Backroads Active Cruise and have my traveling companion book directly through the cruise company if they don’t want to join the Backroads activities?

Under certain circumstances, yes. If rooming in separate staterooms is acceptable, your travel companion(s) may book their cruise directly with the cruise company. However, if you plan on sharing a stateroom, both bookings must go through Backroads, regardless of the amount of Backroads activities you plan to do.