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[CaliforniaGirl09]

Really enjoyed the report. Thanks so much for doing this!

 

[sayhello]

Wow!! This was really quite the adventure! I must admit to a bit of exhaustion just reading it!! But then, you two are younguns, so I guess you still have the energy! Thanks for taking us along with you!!

Sayhello

 

[TeeKo]

 

[TeeKo]

Recent Backroads trip to Finland and Sweden. Group of 18. Snowshoeing, cross country skiing, dog sledding, and sauna/cold plunge. We have wonderful memories from ABD but not sure we can go back to ABD after experiencing these smaller group trips

 

[aggiedog]

Beautiful! I'd love the windowed hotel room, but after touring an ice hotel on our Norway trip I decided I'd never actually want to stay in one. Too cold!

 

[TeeKo]

Beautiful! I'd love the windowed hotel room, but after touring an ice hotel on our Norway trip I decided I'd never actually want to stay in one. Too cold!

That was actually my feedback…that I recommend touring the rooms, and then sleeping in a warm room! It wasn’t too cold with the proper precautions but had a variety of associated discomforts. We aren’t the rustic sort

 

[SirDuff]

That was actually my feedback…that I recommend touring the rooms, and then sleeping in a warm room! It wasn’t too cold with the proper precautions but had a variety of associated discomforts. We aren’t the rustic sort

BR is usually quite good about taking in feedback. I did the Tasmania trip last year (first year though I wasn't one the first trip) and have noticed quite a few tweaks in the new version (some of which were things that people on my tour commented about).

 

[sayhello]

BR is usually quite good about taking in feedback. I did the Tasmania trip last year (first year though I wasn't one the first trip) and have noticed quite a few tweaks in the new version (some of which were things that people on my tour commented about).

I really need to revisit Backroads. They were actually the first adventure company I traveled with, like 12 years before I did ABD. But back then, *most* of their trips were bicycle trips or hard core "multi-sports", and they were virtually all like 4 or 5 days long, which was too short for me. But I guess they've really upped their game since then. I know I really enjoyed my walking trip of Nova Scotia with them!

Sayhello

 

[TeeKo]

I really need to revisit Backroads. They were actually the first adventure company I traveled with, like 12 years before I did ABD. But back then, *most* of their trips were bicycle trips or hard core "multi-sports", and they were virtually all like 4 or 5 days long, which was too short for me. But I guess they've really upped their game since then. I know I really enjoyed my walking trip of Nova Scotia with them!

Sayhello

My family isn’t into biking. On this most recent trip, DS19 did all the extended activities and the longest version of everything. DH and I chose the chill versions

 

[SirDuff]

I really need to revisit Backroads. They were actually the first adventure company I traveled with, like 12 years before I did ABD. But back then, *most* of their trips were bicycle trips or hard core "multi-sports", and they were virtually all like 4 or 5 days long, which was too short for me. But I guess they've really upped their game since then. I know I really enjoyed my walking trip of Nova Scotia with them!

Sayhello

They still tend to be no more than a week or so (of the ones I've looked at) but, as TeeKo said, they are very good at catering to various levels (of course, some trips are harder to do this than others - I did a lodge-to-lodge hike in Peru and, well, you have to get to the lodge (though one person rode the pack mules a lot). They even now have a special "easy going" category called Dolce Tempo (https://www.backroads.com/award-winning-tours/dolce-tempo-easy-trips)

 

[AquaDame]

That was actually my feedback…that I recommend touring the rooms, and then sleeping in a warm room! It wasn’t too cold with the proper precautions but had a variety of associated discomforts. We aren’t the rustic sort

What sort of precautions..? Just making sure you had a warm robe waiting to slip into immediately? Were you snuggled and warm in the bed itself? I'd do it just to do it, cold be darned, as long as I could actually sleep! My husband wants to spend a night on the ice in Antarctica which I am a little iffy about.... I have visions of us just flopping down on a mattress in our full parka ensemble.

 

[TeeKo]

What sort of precautions..? Just making sure you had a warm robe waiting to slip into immediately? Were you snuggled and warm in the bed itself? I'd do it just to do it, cold be darned, as long as I could actually sleep! My husband wants to spend a night on the ice in Antarctica which I am a little iffy about.... I have visions of us just flopping down on a mattress in our full parka ensemble.

They advise you don’t shower that night (or at least not in the few hours before bed) and that you wear wool long underwear, socks and a hat to bed. They provide a sleeping bag that also covers your head so your face just pokes out a little bit. They provide a cushioned mat (visible in the picture) with reindeer hide and a pillow. I wasn’t cold, felt a little claustrophobic. The rooms don’t have windows or outlets but you can keep your phone in your sleeping bag. Our room was kind of creepy. There was a motion activated song that would play that sounded like a music box in a horror movie. It wasn’t a problem once we were in our bed.

 

[TeeKo]

 

[TeeKo]

 

[AquaDame]

They advise you don’t shower that night (or at least not in the few hours before bed) and that you wear wool long underwear, socks and a hat to bed. They provide a sleeping bag that also covers your head so your face just pokes out a little bit. They provide a cushioned mat (visible in the picture) with reindeer hide and a pillow. I wasn’t cold, felt a little claustrophobic. The rooms don’t have windows or outlets but you can keep your phone in your sleeping bag. Our room was kind of creepy. There was a motion activated song that would play that sounded like a music box in a horror movie. It wasn’t a problem once we were in our bed.

...what was the intent of the music..? Did the lights at least go out? ;

 

[TeeKo]

...what was the intent of the music..? Did the lights at least go out? ;

Ambience…. Each room had a different theme. Our room was called Dancing in the Dark (not Springsteen)
There is a switch on the side of our bed to turn on/off the lights
DS19 had Cabin on the woods, his room was full of tree ice sculptures and the facade of a cabin in front of his bed