Backroads Travel Company?

[msplette]

I have recently applied to be a trip leader for Backroads travel company. I have worked tourism in Alaska for two summers and really enjoy it. I feel like it's possibly time for a change, so has anyone been on vacation with Backroads, or something similar? If so what were your thoughts?

[eddief]

they have come a long way and were great even when young. the only trip i have done was 3 days in the Sierra foothills and Tom, the owner, was on that trip. i believe he runs a really tight ship and i have never heard a bad thing. spendy vacations with top notch food and accommodations. good luck with your new gig.

[jbrainin]

I've done many Backroads trips and have always marveled at their leaders who seem to be a cross between an Eagle Scout and a saint.

On the second day of my very first Backroads trip, a guest died of a heart attack while riding. Both leaders of the trip had to deal with this calamity while the rest of the group slowly arrived at the lunch stop where we had to wait for the leaders to return from the hospital. The ride after lunch was not a happy one, but the leaders provided appropriate encouragement during that final stretch of riding. At the next day's lunch, they brought in a grief counselor to talk to the group. All in all, they did a marvelous job salvaging a trip that could have just sucked. Oh yeah, the leaders got married two years later.

Don't expect to sleep much while working a trip. Five hours will seem like a luxury.

The only "bad" things I can say about Backroads is that their ti bikes kinda suck (which is mostly a function of the crummy components and ridiculous adjustable stem/boat anchor they use) and they are stuck using a 35+ year old bike rack design which pales when compared with more current designs.

[bocarider]

We are huge Backroads fans, having done 10 trips with them (we leave for #11 in May). We have always had excellent guides on the trips, with a few minor exceptions. We have also done trips with Trek and another company I will not mention as we would not recommend it.

The guides work extremely hard – up early doing bike maintenance, prepping the snacks and picnics, working the logistics of the trip, cleaning the van. You stay up late doing all of the same stuff. It is not glamorous work at all.

Add to the hard physical labor the catering to the guest component – it is a demanding crowd with a variety of bike skill levels and vacation expectations. That can be really challenging. We have seen some pretty tense moments where guests have complained that the biking was too hard or too easy, the food or hotel accommodations are not what they expected and similar complaints. The scariest ones are when one of the spouses is a hard core cyclist and dragged the non-cycling spouse on the trip and the non-cycling spouse is not into it at all – you will get stuck mediating that one and the hilarity ensues (at least for us as observers - not for you as the guide caught in the middle).

The other point to consider is you are really working for tips – we have gotten friendly with guides from both Backroads and Trek who have confided in us what they get paid by the companies (very little) and how some guests just don’t tip appropriately.

The flip side is you get to travel the world and ride the bike in some amazing places, stay in some really nice hotels and eat amazing food. Hopefully you will meet some nice people in the other guides and the guests that you guide. We have stayed in touch with a few of the guides over the years and they are really wonderful people. A few of the guides have advanced through the company into management positions. Backroads is extremely well run and Tom, the owner, treats his people well in providing retreats, opportunities for upward advancement and good back office support during the trips.

[merlinmurph]

I have never taken a Backroads trip, but have a good friend who left a successful career in the 90's to lead trips for Backroads and stayed there for more than 10 years, eventually performing other duties like developing new trips. Based on my friend's experience there and the fact that she is an absolutely wonderful woman, I have the utmost respect for Backroads the company. Obviously, she had some pretty brutal customer stories, but she knew that her job was to do whatever she could to make the trip a good one, and just did it.

Be ready to work your butt off!