Welcome to The BackBeat. Looking for pro tips and a peek behind the scenes on trips around the world? Tips and tales from the road and trail? Inspiration for your next epic adventure? Find it all on The BackBeat.
In Italy, some of the best things happen senza pensieri—without overthinking them. Water is one of them—you fill your bottle and move on. According to the Italian National Institute of Health, drinking water is tested regularly across the country, with over 99 percent of samples meeting safety stand…
When winter sets in, not everyone dreams of snow. For many of us, the season is the perfect excuse to chase sunshine, wide-open landscapes and the quiet calm of the desert.
After the 2024 wildfire, Jasper National Park is entering a new chapter. Scarred in places yet strikingly alive, the landscape is shifting—charred forests giving way to fresh growth, wildlife returning and silence settling where crowds once gathered. This is not the same Jasper as before, but it is…
If you’re new to group travel—or just the Backroads way of doing it—a little insider know-how can make all the difference. What specific details should you consider when searching our thousands of trips for the one that’ll suit you best? What’s nonnegotiable when it comes to packing your biking and…
“Did you ever think,” I said to my son, halfway through a Backroads trip to Argentina’s Lake District, “that one day you’d be sipping champagne on a private boat in the middle of a lake in Patagonia?” “This is epic,” came his response. It wasn’t the only epic moment on that trip. There was the snowc…
In honor of Mother's Day and all the inspirational, kind and strong moms who keep things running smoothly (both at Backroads and in life!), we want to shine a spotlight on one of our favorite moms in our Backroads community. Meet Alison Iles, a former Trip Leader and mom of two champion mountain bik…
Every year, the World Happiness Report reminds us of something we already knew—some places just feel, well, happier. That feeling comes from a unique blend of connection, nature and balance, plus a certain je ne sais quoi that shifts in subtle, fascinating ways from place to place. In this year’s CN…
Many countries call themselves “the crossroads of Europe,” but Romania has a particularly strong claim to take the cake. It’s where the Danube meets the sea, where the Balkans meet Central Europe, where Latin culture meets Slavic and where north meets south.