Backroads

Backroads was born from a simple audacious act: in 1979, Tom Hale left his career in environmental planning, climbed on a bicycle, and rode 5,000 solo miles through the American West while imagining a different kind of travel company. When he finally returned to the Bay Area and organized his first official tour, a Death Valley bike ride for four people including his mother, he had no idea he was founding what would eventually become the world's largest active travel operator. Nearly 50 years later, Backroads runs trips in over 60 countries on six continents, employs more than 800 professional guides, and operates from headquarters in Berkeley, California, with regional bases in Utah, Canada, and France. The scale is impressive, yet the company maintains a philosophy that traces directly back to Hale's original vision: the best way to travel is under your own power, at your own tempo, in the company of people who care about getting you safely and joyfully where you want to go.

What distinguishes Backroads from many competitors is how deliberately it has built flexibility into the core product. Every trip offers multiple daily route options, allowing different fitness levels to participate in the same group. A bike tour might provide 30, 45, or 60-mile route options depending on the day and destination, with all riders regrouping at lunch and accommodations so no one travels alone and no one feels rushed. Walking and hiking trips are categorized by difficulty level, from easygoing strolls to challenging mountain treks, and many itineraries blend these paces within a single trip to suit mixed-ability groups. This structural flexibility reflects a recognition that active travel, to thrive commercially and philosophically, needs to welcome people at different stages of fitness and experience rather than building trips around the elite athlete or the complete beginner exclusively.

The trip types span three primary categories with meaningful variations within each. Biking trips range from gentle cycling in Provence to challenging mountain cycling in the Dolomites or the Canadian Rockies, with Activity Levels 1 through 5 marking the spectrum. Most routes are 40 to 60 miles daily, though this varies by region and destination. Backroads provides bicycles on most tours; they use custom-built titanium bikes and offer e-bike options on selected trips, particularly appealing for riders who want to cover distance more easily or who have physical considerations that make assistance valuable. Hiking and walking trips span easygoing to challenging difficulty, and the company has developed specialized offerings like lodge-to-lodge treks where hikers move between accommodations daily without returning to a home base. Multi-adventure trips combine biking, hiking, and sometimes additional activities like kayaking or horseback riding, all within a single itinerary. The company also operates active vacations aboard river and ocean cruise ships, glamping expeditions into wild areas, active safaris in Africa, and culinary-focused trips that combine movement with deep engagement with local food cultures.

A second major differentiator is how the company tailors group composition. Beyond the standard trips for mixed groups of adults, Backroads offers women-specific adventures, trips for couples and solo travelers, and specifically designed family trips segmented by age. Family trips have separate offerings for groups with children aged 9 to 17, for teens and people in their 20s, and for multigenerational groups with adults 20 and beyond. This segmentation reflects an understanding that families traveling together value having their pace and interests acknowledged, and that a teen's experience of a trip differs substantially from a young child's. The company also accommodates private group bookings for weddings, reunions, or corporate retreats, adding another dimension of customization without requiring an entirely bespoke trip design.

Geographically, Backroads reaches from Iceland and the Baltics in northern Europe through Tuscany, Provence, Burgundy, Portugal, Croatia, and the Alps. In the Americas, trips cover Vermont, California, Nova Scotia, and Argentina. Asia-Pacific offerings include Vietnam, Cambodia, Japan, and New Zealand. Africa features active safaris. Antarctica is available for the most adventurous. The range reflects both the company's scale and its confidence that active travel principles apply nearly everywhere people want to go. Pricing typically runs from roughly $3,800 to $12,500 per person depending on the region, activity intensity, accommodation tier (casual, deluxe, or luxury), and trip length. A week-long European bike or hike is common at the higher end of that range; shorter or less developed-world trips tend toward the lower end.

What arrives with a Backroads trip is more comprehensive than many travelers expect. Accommodations range from small family-run hotels to larger comfort properties, chosen for location and character rather than brand uniformity. Meals include breakfast daily, lunch during activity days, and dinner most nights, with the company emphasizing both quality and variety from casual local bistros to more formal dining. Non-cyclists in a bike group are catered to just as much as cyclists; while riders are cycling, non-participants receive guided activities or have free time at the hotel, and everyone reunites for meals and evenings. Guides are not merely route leaders; they are regional experts trained in first aid, bike mechanics, group dynamics, and local knowledge. Guest reviews consistently rate trip leaders highly (the company cites a 9.8 out of 10 average), suggesting that the combination of preparation and personality is being executed well in practice.

The corporate structure and scale bring both advantages and potential tradeoffs. With hundreds of guides and thousands of departures annually, Backroads has developed systems and training that create consistency; you are unlikely to have a genuinely bad experience. At the same time, trips do have many participants when they fill, and some travelers prefer smaller group sizes. The company operates some trips with 20 or more people per departure, though many run smaller. For travelers who prioritize flexibility, proven systems, varied destinations, and the ability to find a trip that accommodates their specific group composition and fitness level, Backroads is a natural fit. For those seeking intimate experiences or highly specialized itineraries, a smaller operator might align better.

Backroads has built institutional knowledge across nearly five decades that shows in the details. The company maintains relationships with local guides and hoteliers in every region where it operates, allowing for ongoing refinement of routes and accommodations. It invests substantially in guide training and retention, with the regional manager staff averaging 14 years tenure. The company has donated over a million dollars to nonprofit organizations in the communities it visits. This depth suggests a company that is not extractive but rather embedded in the places it visits. For active travelers who value proven execution, geographic breadth, and the confidence that comes from an operator serving tens of thousands of guests annually across continents, Backroads has become the obvious first option to investigate.