The Leader in Active Travel
Explore a captivating region under your own power and at your own tempo. From easygoing to avid, all activity levels are welcome – and fully supported! Your adventure. Your day. Your pace
Backroads perfectly blends active travel with ease and adventure!
About Backroads
The World's #1 Active Travel Company
Backroads is the leader in active travel. Since 1979, we’ve been doing what we do best: taking people on unforgettable Biking, Walking & Hiking and Multi-Adventure Trips around the world. What sets us apart? Our thoughtful, meticulous trip design. Our elegant hotels and world-class dining. And our Trip Leaders, who are consistently described by our guests as the best guides they’ve ever had. Backroads sets the benchmark for incredible active vacations worldwide. Never subcontracted, in more than 50 countries and with more dates to choose from than any
other company. That’s the Backroads standard.
Backroads Tours
The Joy of Exploring Actively
A Backroads trip has something for everyone—give us your definition of active and we’ll deliver. We set the standard for on-trip support; our leaders, vans and equipment give you the flexibility you’re looking for. From easygoing to avid—all activity levels are welcome.
- Biking
- Walking & Hiking
- Multi-Adventure
- Dolce Tempo (Easygoing by design)
- Active Cruises
- Active Safaris
- Snow Adventures
- Active Culinary
Journey on Two Wheels
The joy of exploring new landscapes under your own power, the moments of shared discovery and the satisfaction of celebrating it all with an icy gelato in the next piazza—all at your own pace, with no obligation to slow down or keep up with anyone else.
Savour Every Step
We’ve been exploring the world’s wild trails and ancient footpaths for over thirty years. Hitting the trail with your fellow travelers is exhilarating, immersive and simply fun—and the support of multiple leaders guarantees you can always go at your perfect pace.
The Best of All Worlds
Join us as we bike, hike, paddle and so much more on these active and culturally rich adventures, expertly planned to highlight the unique character of your destination. Experience a region from different angles, discovering exhilarating activities and immersing yourself in its culture and landscapes.
Backroads Trips
Adventures Are Better Together
Over more than four decades, Backroads has built a community around their love of active travel. That’s why the trips are so special: because of the people you share them with. The group sizes are small enough to deliver the personalized support you need, and large enough to keep the conversations interesting. And with unique trip types thoughtfully tailored to different travelers, your adventure will feel like it was designed just for you—because it was.Trips for Adults
Enjoy enormous flexibility on their small group trips. Discover the world and savor the fun-loving company of your fellow Backroads travelers with as much or as little camaraderie as you like.
- Couples, Friends & Solos
- Women’s Adventures
Trips for Families
Only Backroads offers different Family Trips specifically designed for three distinct age groups, so that kids and adults alike can enjoy the company of their peers.
- Families with Teens & Kids
- Families with Older Teens & 20s
- Families with Young Adults 20s & Beyond
Your Private Group
Whether you’re traveling with friends, family or colleagues, Private Trips are a great way to see the world. You get the same amazing Backroads itineraries—continually refined and improved for four decades—enjoyed with traveling companions of your choosing. Book early for best availability.
Backroads and Sustainability
Sustainability is at the core of Backroads. Inherently, their mode of travel has always been more sustainable! They travel together in vans and adventure by foot and by bike. This lessens the footprint and allows for a sense of wonder and connection to the amazing regions and communities that are visited. They empower their Trip Leaders to educate guests on thoughtful plastics use on trip (e.g. water bottles, snack bags). The Field Operations teams seek creative regional solutions for reducing waste and plastics. These include: donating spare food to (food banks, field partners and vendors, etc); bulk buys to reduce packaging; recycling and donating bottles to local organizations. Their Field Houses maximize recycling and compost opportunities, as pertinent to the region. Additionally, they are reducing their reliance on paper print outs in their offices, among the Trip Leader community and with conveying information to guests. They have migrated to providing Wahoo GPS Navigation units for guests to use for route guidance.
Guests can take part in sustainable actions by:
- Bringing their own reusable snack bag, ideally one that can fit in a jersey pocket or Backroads-provided trunk bag. They also encourage reuse of Ziploc bags provided for snacks.
- Bringing their own water bottle/s or hydration pack.
- Of course, Backroads provides complementary BPA-free water bottles. They encourage guests to be thoughtful about labeling their bottle on trip, to reduce replacements. Start with one and take more based on personal hydration needs.
- Use Backroads provided water bottle or glasses in the hotel room versus single-use bottles.
- Consider hotel turn-down needs for towels and linens. Most hotels invite reducing water use/laundry services and share best practices for doing so.
- Talk to your family about the sustainable practices they are invested in while traveling.
- And, don’t forget, you already are taking part! Simply by exploring your environment by your own power. It’s as easy as that.
Ready for your next adventure?
You’re in good hands with The Very Best Leaders!
Backroads travelers get to experience having the best leaders in the world and have given them an overall 98% approval rating along with words of praise that are the envy of other active travel companies. See for yourself how this most carefully cultivated global workforce in the world of travel defines the quality of your trip experience.Why book Backroads with our team
Your Gravitate Travel personal travel managers can not only help you with your booking but can provide you with our own personal perspective from our experiences with Backroads. All team members on this page have completed the Backroads Training and been on adventures with the Backroads team!
Amber May
Amber completed her Backroads Training in February 2024
Trips:
- Amber recently explored the charming city of Charleston, South Carolina on a Multi-Adventure tour in November 2023 with Backroads and you can read more about her adventure here on her MY TRIPS GALLERY.
A picture is worth a thousand words, here is why we think you should choose a Backroads. Have a look at the amazing imagery and videos below
Discover your next adventure with Backroads.
Venture out and be bold. There’s nothing better than a Backroads experience.
We’re here to help you plan your next adventure with Backroads. Click on this link to access our easy booking tool online to schedule a time with one of our dedicated Backroads travel professionals.