Tom Hale

Tom Hale is the founder, president and CEO of Backroads, the world's leading active travel company. Based in Berkeley, California, Backroads operates over 5,000 trips across all seven continents, specializing in cycling, hiking and multi-adventure tours.

A native of Moraga, California, Hale's passion for business and exploration emerged early. In his twenties, while stuck in a desk job he despised, he woke in the middle of the night with a radical idea: what if people could trade office life for bicycle touring? That spark became Backroads.

The earliest days were pure survival. Hale washed dishes, chipped hardened cheese out of fondue pots, and rented a basement for $135 a month. He was a Trip Leader himself-fixing bikes, driving vans, answering phones-while slowly building the business through winters.

Over four decades, Backroads evolved from humble bike tours into the planet's most successful active travel operator. Hale's insistence on exceptional guest experiences transformed a single wild idea into an industry-defining company that continues to pioneer new adventures worldwide.

Today, Hale remains deeply involved in steering Backroads' vision, from route development to guest satisfaction. The company's growth reflects his belief that transformative travel happens when you leave the beaten path.