Backroads or VBT? Best Bike Tours for Every Type of Traveler

🚴‍♀️ Discover the World on Two Wheels: Backroads vs. VBT Bike Tours | RTE-Travel Talk

Ready for a travel experience where the journey is just as breathtaking as the destination?
Join Ken from RTE-Travel Talk as he sits down with global travel expert Andy Magistrale of Cruise and Travel Specialists to dive into the world of luxury biking adventures. In this episode, Andy shares his insight on two of the best names in active travel—Backroads and VBT (Vermont Bicycling Tours).

With 85 countries visited and decades in the industry, Andy reveals how these immersive cycling tours combine fitness, culture, cuisine, and scenic exploration into one unforgettable experience.

Whether you’re a casual rider or a cycling enthusiast, you’ll discover how Backroads and VBT make it easy to explore the world at your own pace—with support every step of the way.

🧭 What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
✅ Backroads vs. VBT – A breakdown of each company’s unique offerings
✅ Who it’s for – From beginners to experienced cyclists, families, solos & women-only groups
✅ What’s included – Accommodations, meals, bikes, expert guides & more
✅ Types of tours – Guided, self-guided, bike & boat, Dolce Tempo (easygoing e-bike trips)
✅ Global destinations – Ride through 50+ countries, including Europe, Asia & North America
✅ Top experiences – Vineyard rides in Portugal, stargazing in Utah, pasta-making in Tuscany
✅ Equipment spotlight – High-end performance bikes and e-bikes with full support vans
✅ Booking tips – When to book, how far out, and how a travel advisor can make it seamless

Whether it’s biking the Moselle River in Germany, exploring Spanish Paradors, or cruising the Douro River with Emerald Cruises, Andy paints a vivid picture of how these tours go far beyond just cycling—they’re a gateway to immersive, cultural travel.

#askarealtravelexpert #rtetraveltalk #backroadsbiketours #vbtbiketours

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Contact Cruise & Travel Specialists: andy@cruzholidays.com
Cruise & Travel Specialist website:​ https://cruztrav.com/

Image & Video Credits:
Clips and Images: Courtesy of Backroads, VBT Tours, and AmaWaterways

00:00 Introduction
00:51 Special Guest, Andy Magistrale
01:46 Andy’s background in travel
04:12 Backroads and VBT
06:28 Differences?
08:51 Cuisine
09:18 The bikes and equipment
11:10 Bike packages for novice bikers
13:20 Different packages (family, solo, all women, etc.)
14:47 Backroads “Dolce Tempo”
15:33 Andy’s favorite experiences
16:20 North American tours
17:20 Booking FAQs
18:38 What is included?
19:59 Andy’s final tips
20:58 Contacting Andy
21:24 Andy’s future travels

Are you ready for an active adventure bike tour with two of the leading companies in the world? Welcome to RTE Travel Talk, Ask a Real Travel Expert, the show that talks to travel professionals around the world. And today we’re joined by a true globe trotder, Andy Magestrel of Cruise and Travel Specialists. With over 40 years in the travel industry, Andy has explored 85 countries and all 50 states. His passion for culture, cuisine, and the joys of biking leads to extraordinary vacation experiences. If you enjoy the journey with us today, don’t forget to hit that subscribe button so you never miss an episode. And if this video’s got you inspired, give it a thumbs up or drop a comment and join the conversation. It really helps the channel out. Thanks for being part of our travel community, whether you’re a longtime fan or just dropping by. We really appreciate it. And now on with the show. [Applause] [Music] Hi Andy, welcome to RTE Travel Talk. Hi Ken, great to be here. Thank you for uh inviting me today. Fantastic, Andy. Now, I have to tell you what we’re going to talk about today is something that I know very little about. So, you’re going to have to hold my hand along the way as we go on this journey. So, one thing that I gather is really, really up and cominging and popular these days is bike tours, vacations where people can actually bike. So, I was hoping we could spend a little bit time discussing that today. How does that sound? Oh, that sounds really great. I’m so excited to to tell you about my experiences and tell you about Backros and VBT. Thank you for for allowing me to to to do this, Ken. So, Andy, I gather that you have an extensive travel background. In fact, I recall knowing your name from a particular river cruise company a few years back. So, what inspired you to focus on active travel, particularly biking and like hiking? Well, I’ve always liked biking and hiking. As a matter of fact, ever since I was a kid, I biked all over the neighborhood. And when I was in high school and college, which was a long time ago now, of course, um I was in cross country and track. And I wanted to keep that really active. And the interesting thing about this is when I I sat down at a desk after several jobs, I I said, you know, I really got to get out and do stuff. So, I joined hiking clubs. I joined biking clubs and and then I was able to transition into the travel business which made me extremely active and really enjoy the fact that that I could do biking and hiking with with within the travel industry. So that’s how really how it all started. So what is your background in travel, Andy? Well, I started off um in college in Iowa and I’m from Seattle originally and traveled all over the country. As a matter of fact, I’ve been in all 50 states and most Canadian provinces, too, by the way, which I love going to Canada, one of my favorite destinations in the world. And um so after after college, um I started working for Amtrak. And then my first sales position was with Norwegian Cruise Line. And that was absolutely amazing with some beautiful ships and great people to work with. I’m still in touch with several of those people uh today. Yeah. And then after NCL, I worked for other companies. And then finally I got the dream job of my life which was Amma waterways and and that was absolutely incredible. Some of the the most gorgeous ships, the most amazing service, the most amazing food, the most beautiful ships all over the world. And they again the great part about all this is on board on the Amish ships you have bikes in Europe. Great bikes. Uh in the Meong you do tons and tons of of of walking and hiking every day with incredible people. And um so that was really my my dream job. Then I retired and then at that point I said, you know, I’m really done working. I just want to do something fun. And then Rocky Mountaineer called and yes, I decided I’d love to work for the train company again. And I work for Rocky Mountaineer, which does amazing uh trips in Canada and also now in the US, too. So that’s kind of my background. Again, always active, always traveling. And then I discovered Backros and also uh VBT, Vermont Biking Tours. Okay. So tell us a little bit about each one of these. I gather Backros was founded in 1979 by Tom Hail and they’ve really basically become a leader in active travel over the last number of years. Exactly. It was really kind of interesting how it all started for me with Backros. I was on an AMA ship and there were 30 30 folks on board that were part of back roads and I had I I knew that they were chartering or or partial charter of the AMA ships. So I started talking with some of the guests and also some of their their guides and I was really impressed of what they did. And so at every stop I I looked at their bikes which were gorgeous, amazing bikes by the way. They had their van right there. It was so interesting to see exactly what they did. Now, Amma, of course, has bikes, but their bikes were something special. The other thing that I really liked about their their package and their program is that if you didn’t want to bike their 30, 40, 50 miles in one day along the Danube, you could do a smaller bike ride. You could do 10, 15, 20 miles. The whole point of it was not just to to get the gold medal, to get the gold ribbon at the end of end of the day back on Amma. All right. No, the whole point was to explore the small towns, the villages, to stop and see the scenery, to have lunch along the way, and to have a leisurely enjoyable trip. And that’s what really attracted me to back roads, biking along the the rivers of Europe is a great fit. Absolutely right. And then one of the my fellow sales reps said, “Hey, Andy, why don’t you look at VBT, Ver Vermont Bike Tours?” Right. And so I I started exploring the things that they did, too. And I was extremely impressed with with everything that they offer. And of course, there are a little bit differences between the two companies, but but not many. They still have incredible bikes and and they do it at your pace. They want you to to really enjoy the area that you’re going to, the the cultural experiences. They want you to enjoy the the cuisine and they do many different cultural things in the evening, which is really when you’re going to Europe, when you’re going to Southeast Asia, when you’re going anywhere in the world. Uh, I mean, even in Bryce National Park or um Arches National Park, you you want to explore and see everything as possible. And that’s exactly what they do. And that’s why I was most impressed with both of these companies. What do you think sets the two of them apart, one one apart from the other, Andy? Again, there’s not much difference, but one of the differences is that VBT, Vermont Bike Tours, they they may do a a a trip that’s just a little bit longer than Backros. They may be a little bit less expensive, but the quality is still there. The other thing that they offer, too, is of course they do the guided bike tours, which is really what they’re all about, but they also do self-guided bike tours, which Backros does not. And on the self-guided bike tours, uh you’re independent. You have the bikes from uh VBT. So, they do the bikes, they do the helmets, but you’re independent. Your hotels are included, your route is included. you have the GPS uh guided uh bike ride for every day. And so that’s one of the differences. Other than that, they’re virtually the same. Um, another thing that makes them a little bit different, too, is the hotel situation. Backroach uses beautiful, amazing hotels. Uh, some of my favorite hotels, the Relias hotels, the small luxury hotels of the world, and they’re all four and fivestar hotels. And so you’re really going for a luxury uh tour. Not only do you have incredible bikes, but in the evening you’re staying at amazing amazing hotels. So that really makes your your experience quite the the luxury program. Now on VBT, Vermont Viking Tours, you’re going to be in beautiful three-star comfortable hotels. They’re not going to be the Relias. They’re not going to be the the the Hiltons, for example, but they’re going to be very good hotels. As a matter of fact, in Spain, Ken, they use some of the paridors, which are incredible hotels in Spain. Spain has about 97 of these hotels and and the paradors are governmentrun, but um they’re in palaces, they’re in museums, they’re in castles, and so you get a really good cultural experience just in Spain for the paridors. Um, another thing that makes a little bit different too is that on the Duro River, VBT, again, Vermont Biking Tours, uh, uses Emerald Cruise Line, which is an incredible cruise line. They do a great, great job. You’re biking through vineyards. You’re doing, um, sampling of the port wines and you’re biking through amazing Cork Forest. So, you’re getting an amazing cultural experience. But, you know, if you love great cuisine, then you’re going to love both of these organizations because they include a substantial breakfast in the morning to start off your your biking experience. They do 50% of the lunches, 50% of the dinners, so you you’re never going to go hungry. Plus, Backros does an incredible picnic, and this picnic is worldrenowned. I mean, everybody loves their picnics. Yeah. So, yeah, it is something to look forward to. Plus, they also do snacks in between as well for both companies. That just gives you some of the ideas. Yeah. So, Andy, tell me a little bit about these bikes. The bikes are absolutely incredible. First of all, but they have performance bikes which are titanium and they’re absolutely amazing. You know, everyone has seen bikes where the handlebars are like curved under and that’s for for those guys and ladies that want to go really fast, right? And they they’re doing the 50 60 miles on some days, not every day, of course. And then they have the the performance bikes which are they’re easier to use and they have just the regular handlebars with many speeds and so they’re really nice bikes and that’s the kind that I would use. On my next trip, uh I want to try an ebike to see how how how that works and how that actually works compared to uh some of the other bikes that I’ve always used. So they have three different types of bikes and Backros actually has 9,000 bikes in their fleet. Wow. and they’re all wellmaintained, which is really important. The other thing, too, they give you a bike helmet. And here’s the other tip, bring your gloves. Bring bike gloves. It makes it really easy, even on a short a bike ride, to wear bike gloves. Gives you some support, and that’s always really nice, too. They give you water bottles. They give you snacks during the the trip. And of course, you start off with a really good breakfast. So, all the equipment is provided, and that makes it really easy. you don’t have to worry about shipping a bike from, you know, Seattle to uh to Frankfurt or anything else. Now, they they take care of all that and they’re very well-maintained. The only caution I would give you is if you’re doing a self-guided bike trip on VBT, Vermont bike trips or tours, you better be able to fix your own bike. You better be able to put your chain back on or, you know, just little things like that because it’s not a guided program. There’s not going to be a van, but of course, all your hotels are still included. So again, great great bikes for both these companies. So Andy, if if I’m new to this, which I am obviously, where do you start out? Like if you were to build a package for a particular client that comes to you and say, you know what, I want to do a bike tour, but I know nothing about it. How do you build one up? It’s actually very easy. The first thing I would check is find out, are they active? That’s number one. Do they do walking? Do they do any hiking? Do they do bike rides around the block? Right? And if they do, I would say that they’re eligible for backros or VBT. On back roads and also on VBT, you don’t have to be a great athlete. You don’t have to do, you know, three or four marathons a year. As long as you’re somewhat active, they have the program for you. Just to give you an example, Backros does tours that you can do as little as possible. They rate it from one to five, right? And so you can do the five is the most active where if you’re biking then you’re doing maybe 50 60 miles in a day. But if you’re doing level one or two, you’re doing maybe 25 miles a day and you’re still seeing the same amount of of culture, same amount of beautiful, beautiful things along the way, but at the same time, you’re going at your own pace. And you have several guides. You have two fans that go along with you. So you’re really going at your own pace. And that’s what this is all about. An easy experience going at your own pace. You can see everything along the way and really enjoy the um the culture and the scenery. So, setting aside the river cruise portion of it on a regular bike tour, the accommodations are included, your meals are included, and guides along the way. It’s it’s all it’s all one package then, right? Absolutely one package. And and that’s what makes it really easy and very simple to do. back roads. They don’t do air and they don’t do pre and post hotel, but of course that’s what a travel advisor can easily arrange and that’s what we do at at cruise and travel specialist with VBT. They will do air and they will do pre and post hotels and so that can easily be booked through cruise and travel specialist. So we’re very happy to do that for them as well. The other really nice thing about Backros and also VBT is they they have different levels. And when I say the different levels, they have family programs and the family programs are are are outstanding. They do different things for teens, right? They do 20 and beyond. They do older teens up to 20. They do teens and kids and younger kids. So, it’s great for family travel. Another thing that they do is solo travelers. And so, they have really good rates for solo travelers. And you know, the maximum number of people, the average is about 16 people for both back roads and also for VBT. So average 16 people. So you’re going to get to to know these people and meet the other people on your group very quickly, very fast, and you’re going to become fast friends. That’s what it’s really all about. But the other thing that they have, which is even a growing segment of the market, is women’s travel. And it’s great for mothers and daughters. It’s great for sisters. It’s great for friends. And it it’s just a growing segment of the market that’s extremely popular and becoming very sold out. So, Back Roads does a great job for all of these. So, basically, there’s a tour for every level depending on where you are. If you’re not a professional bike rider, there’s a spot for you and you’re not going to get lumped in with a group that’s that wants to do 60 miles a day. And Ken, I wouldn’t do 60 miles a day. My max was like 25. I hear you. And oh and and the other nice thing that Backros has and I just love this and and so does VBT ebikes and that’s another growing segment of the travel active community right backros has this has another um departure called dolce tempo like sweet times uh easy and 90% of the people on on those uh particular departures uh are going to be using ebikes um and and they’re amazing ebikes they’re they’re actually called the equalizer because it you’re able to keep up with anybody. You you take the hills without any problem whatsoever. And these are great titanium electric assist bikes. Both companies have those and it really makes it easy for everybody to to participate. You’re not going at a break neck speed. You’re not trying to break any land speed records. You’re there to see the scenery. And I can give you some examples if you like too. Yeah, it’s about the experience. What are some of the examples, Andy? I have many many favorites but one of my favorites is the Mosul River and that’s in between Luxembourg to Germany all the way to Coblansen to the Rine incredible bike paths and Roman ruins and triair castles just like you would see on the Rine and you’re also biking through vineyards small villages you can sample the amazing German cuisine absolutely amazing now VBT does it just a little bit differently on the Mosul and they do deluxe barges so your meals would be included on the barge You bike during the day again at your own speed from one town to the next and the towns are very close together, but you’re going through these vineyards. You’re sampling wines and you do a lot of cultural experiences. And so the Mosul is one of my favorite biking rivers ever. Yeah, it sounds amazing. I’m assuming both these companies have tours that are close to home as well in North America, right? Oh, absolutely. In fact, both do over 50 countries including the US and Canada. As a matter of fact, they do a great trip in Canada in Alberta along um you know from Jasper down to B and Lake Louise and what could be more beautiful than the Canadian Rockies and I I’ve been there many times and I I could go back again tomorrow. And we also have US national parks like Bryson Z National Park arches and one thing they do VBT does this they do a stargazing experience at night. So you’re in a national park. Yeah. It’s pitch dark. There’s no lights. You have an astronomer that’s pointing out the constellations, that’s pointing out the center of the Milky Way, that’s pointing out the planets. So, a great great astronomical experience. So, I I mean, if you think of a tour that you want to see, a bike ride that you want to go on, both back roads and VBT, Vermont Bike Tours has it all for you and very easy to to book. So, let’s talk about that a little bit. How far in advance if you’re thinking to do a trip like this, Andy, should you book something like this? I’ve done a lot of uh looking into this, Ken, and they still have plenty I shouldn’t say plenty of space. They have enough space for uh this October and late September, which is a great time to go to Europe. Great time to go just about anywhere. And also next spring, uh it is filling up and they they still have limited space for next spring. I I like the springtime especially because the flowers are blooming. Holland and Belgium, great time to go to to that area. They have so many different opportunities for both spring, summer, fall. So, if I heard you correctly, it’s not something that you need to book two years out. You can find an itinerary that fits you probably within a six six or eightmonth period, but obviously the the farther out the better, I would expect. Oh, 100%, kid. You’re absolutely right. But, you know, if you’re thinking of gee, what should we do this fall? You know, there’s still some space and there’s there’s some great places to to really travel to. And but if you’re thinking long term, you know, a year from now, a year from the fall, this fall would be a great time to plan, especially if you have, you know, a small group of two or three friends that you want to go or if you if you want to plan the the women’s groups, definitely that would be booked at least a year ahead of time because it is so so busy. So if we were to look at the complete package, Andy, what from start to finish, what’s included? It would be obviously all the planning, right? uh all the hotels, most of the meals, your bike, but more importantly the guides. And these guides are employees of Backros, employees of VBT. And the nice thing about that is they’re all local. So whether you’re in Germany, Spain, whether you’re in Vietnam, Cambodia, they’re all local. They speak obviously the local language. So they’re there to help and support you. And the other really nice thing too, cultural experiences, wine tasting in Italy in Tuscanyany. Another really fun thing that we did, oh my gosh, it was so much fun. We made pasta with a grandma and the grandma was telling us, “Don’t do this. Don’t do well in Italian, which you know, we didn’t get, but it was so much fun.” You know, sampling the wine, sampling olive oil, and making your own pasta dinner uh was just another cultural experience that that I mean, it’s just amazing. And that’s what both these companies offer. And I think you would agree with me for all your experience in travel over the years that your guides and people that you meet along the way, that’s what really makes your vacation and creates memories that last a lifetime. 100%. Well, Andy, this is absolutely super information for those folks that are considering their first active travel adventure by by bike. What advice would you have to offer? Well, thank you, Ken. That that really is a great question. The advice I’d have to offer, of course, is there’s many different things to select from. So, and they do multiple multiple adventures, too. Uh, they do bike and hike, they do bike and boat, they do strictly bike rides. And so, the best thing to do is to talk to a travel advisor who can then really make sure that your experience is exactly what you want by just asking some questions. And that really will will make the the best trip possible for you. and something that that you’ll want to do again. The the repeat customers through both Backros and VBT are incredible. People want to come back. They want to see more areas. And that’s what really makes it not only a learning experience, but a fun one. It really sounds to me from talking to you, Andy, that this could rapidly get very addictive that you’re going to want to do it time and time again. It really does. So, Andy, this is just absolutely super information for folks that may want to reach out to you about a luxury bike tour vacation. And how would they do that? Uh, they could just send me an email at [email protected]. Feel free to give me an email. I’d be happy to to talk to you about it and put you in touch with two of the best bike and hike and cruise companies in the entire world and you will certainly enjoy the experience. I guarantee. Marvelous. I’ll leave that contact information in the show notes for those folks that might like to reach out. But as always, Andy, on this show, I like to live vicariously through the travels of all wonderful people I get to meet. So, I have to know what’s next on your travel to-do list. I’m thinking of the Ron River in France in southern France. I love Leon. Leon is the gastronomic center of France. It’s incredible. And then you can go down to Aignon, which is the papal palace and which is an incredible place to visit. And then Arl one of my favorite towns ever. Roman runs, a Roman coliseum that was built 2,000 years ago that is still in use today for bull fights. Something I’m definitely considering uh for October and during the summer. Oh, you know what I’m doing this weekend, Ken? Uh I’m going to McMinnville, Oregon, and it’s the UFO festival. So, and that’s really a lot of fun. That sounds like fun. Who knows? We we may even see some aliens. You just never know. So, that’s that’s one thing that we’re doing. So, a lot of things um in in the near future. and then in the fall for me. Ken, well, that sounds amazing. The Ron River is on my travel to-do list, so we’ll have to have you back sometime to give us a review and regail us with your adventures there. How does that sound? Absolutely. Can hardly wait, Ken. Thank you very much. Perfect. Well, with that, Andy, I’m just going to wish you safe and happy travels on all your future destinations and bike tours. May the wind always be at your back, and I hope to see you on a bike tour sometime soon in the future. Ken, you’re invited. I’ll make sure that you have a great time. I promise. Don’t say that too too loud. I may just join you. Uh, perfect. Take care. Thanks, Ken. Right. And that about wraps it up for today, folks. A very special thanks to my guest, Andy Magestrel of Cruise and Travel Specialists. If you’d like to reach Andy, I will leave his contact information in the show notes. If you’d like to reach out to us, you can simply send a question to questions realtravel expperts.com, visit our website, realt travelexperts.com, or simply leave a comment. We always respond. And as always folks, if you enjoy this content, a like, subscribe, share, and ring of the bell is certainly appreciated and helps other folks just like you to find our content. So until next time, happy travels. [Music]