Tom Hale travel tips

Operators of adventure travel tours expect 2024 to bring more demand for private group trips and more bookings during shoulder seasons.

Backroads, a longtime leader in adventure travel, has made its reputation by catering to changing traveler needs and shifting demographics. In 2024, that means focusing on the increasing number of multigenerational families eager to travel together.

African countries are seeing a surge in international travel, fueled by luxury safari experiences with repeat visitors. Returning travelers remain excited by the continent’s iconic wildlife. However, they want to mix up their experiences beyond spotting game from the back of a Jeep.

Where are travelers planning to go in 2024? I asked some of the sharpest minds in travel to look into their crystal balls and advance bookings to give me a sense of where people are eager to go.

Backroads, the world’s leading active travel company, has just announced Women’s Adventures, a new collection of trips just for women. These new departures feature 26 of Backroads’ most popular walking & hiking itineraries, from Yosemite and Yellowstone to England, Peru, and Bhutan. Founded in 1979 by Tom Hale, these women-only adventures debut at a time when more than 50 percent of the company’s executive team and trip leaders are women. The driving force behind the new trips is Hale’s wife, Liz, and daughter, Avery, now EVP of Backroads.

Backroads has long been a leader and an innovator in the world of adventure travel. They’ve also been at the forefront of change, keeping tabs on fluctuating demographics and traveler demands. Back in 2020, during the heart of the pandemic, they first offered softer adventure trips called Dolce Tempo, or “sweet time,” as in “take your sweet time.” These were walking, E-bike, and multi-adventure trips designed for first-time adventure travelers and those looking for an easier option than regular Backroads trips. Call them easygoing active vacations designed with more downtime built-in. They were active adventures but at a more relaxed pace. They were clearly on to something because all the trips quickly sold out. They continued to do so even as the offerings expanded to include Active Ocean & River Cruises.