With Active Cruises More Popular Than Ever Backroads Adds New Options

20.03.2024 - 11:53 / forbes.com

Leisure travel has been booming across the board since the pandemic, but two areas in particular have been especially hot. Cruises, which many pundits thought might not recover, have come back stronger than ever, and the entire active travel niche has exploded in popularity, with record bookings for most of the major companies specializing in this area.

These two trends have in turn birthed a third fast-growing niche, active cruises. Traditionally guided luxury hiking, biking and multi-sport trips would stay at two or three hotels for two or three nights each, moving guests’ luggage for them as they pedaled or walked across Tuscany or Burgundy or wherever the trip was set. But many travelers have fallen in love with the concept of only unpacking and packing once, using a ship as a moveable hotel. I’ve personally done many different active trips, and this convenience is the number one reason my fellow travelers have cited for why they choose these cruise itineraries. When I did a river cruise-based cycling trip in France with luxury active travel specialist Backroads last fall, there were several longtime repeat Backroads customers on the ship who told me that while they loved the company and keep coming back, they now only do ship-based trips, because they enjoy not changing hotels throughout.

There are other benefits besides convenience, as guests get to combine the best of both worlds. They still get the trappings of a “regular” active vacation, with full van support each day off the ship, expert guides, high-quality bikes, carefully planned routes and varying length options mapped on GPS loaner devices. They still get the many VIP extras along the way, such as private guides for cultural and historic tours, wine tastings, special meals, cooking classes and such. But on top of the things luxury active travel specialists provide, they also get the cruise extras, like included meals when there is not a special off-ship lunch or dinner, fitness activities such as yoga classes, onboard entertainment or lectures, and the option to take part in the cruise-based itineraries, such as “regular” shore excursions, especially in the event of bad weather. If for some reason (exhaustion, weather, illness, etc.) a guest wants to skip a day of hiking or biking, they can simply stay on the ship rather than worry about moving to the next location on a land-based trip.

There are many standout operators in the upscale active travel category, and those offering multiple active cruise options include top luxury names such as Butterfield & Robinson and DuVine. But no one has embraced this category as quickly and deeply as Backroads, America’s oldest active travel company. They are also widely considered the biggest, and