Back Roads
Back Roads is a Paris-based French travel agency (SAS) founded in 1999, specializing in customized trips to North America (USA, Canada, Alaska) for French-speaking individual travelers, couples, and families, offering autotours, guided circuits, cruises, and adventure packages.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1999
- HeadquartersParis, France
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Back Roads does
Back Roads is a French travel agency (SAS) founded in 1999 and headquartered at 3 rue Meyerbeer, 75009 Paris, specializing exclusively in customized travel packages to North America — specifically the United States, Canada, and Alaska. The company operates as a consumer-facing brand under the Premium Travel parent group, holds an Atout France professional travel license (IM 075100214), and maintains APST financial guarantees. Back Roads targets French-speaking individual travelers, couples, families, and small groups based in France who seek curated, tailor-made trips rather than mass-market package tours.
The company's product portfolio spans eight core categories: customized self-drive autotours, accompanied (guided) circuits with French-speaking guides, city breaks and short stays, expedition cruises (primarily Alaska and the Inside Passage), motorcycle tours including snowmobile adventures, rail journeys including Rocky Mountaineer, RV/camping-car tours, and themed experiences (Route 66, wildlife observation, family trips, gastronomy, winter activities, Western culture). Pricing ranges from approximately €390 to €5,790 per person depending on duration, accommodation tier, and activity intensity, with multi-destination itineraries of 11–23 days representing the higher end. Destinations are organized into structured regional pages covering US regions (West, East, California, Florida, Alaska) and Canadian provinces (Western Canada, Quebec and Ontario, Maritimes, Yukon), plus combined US-Canada itineraries.
The business operates a sales-led, high-touch distribution model: customers initiate contact via online 'Devis' quote forms or telephone, and French-speaking specialist advisors manually craft personalized itineraries. There is no self-service online booking, no mobile application, and no proprietary technology platform — the website is a standard CMS-based catalog with destination content, quote forms, and newsletter signup. Revenue is generated through commissions and service fees embedded in package prices on third-party inventory (hotels, rental vehicles, cruises, rail, ferries, activities). Marketing is content-led via detailed destination pages, supplemented by social media (Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest) and email newsletter. No funding rounds, acquisitions, partnerships, or AI/technology capabilities are disclosed.
Back Roads firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Back Roads
- Legal name
- Back Roads
- Website
- https://backroads.fr
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1999
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Back Roads is a Paris-based French travel agency (SAS) founded in 1999, specializing in customized trips to North America (USA, Canada, Alaska) for French-speaking individual travelers, couples, and families, offering autotours, guided circuits, cruises, and adventure packages.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Back Roads is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Paris
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Back Roads business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Travel Package Sales: Back Roads acts as a travel agency organizing and selling customized trips to North America (USA, Canada, Alaska). Revenue is generated through commissions and service fees embedded in package prices for autotours, accompanied circuits, cruises, motorcycle tours, train journeys, RV/camping-car rentals, and themed trips.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Multi-year contract | Autotour packages - self-drive customized itineraries |
| Unit Pricing | Multi-year contract | Accompanied/guided circuit packages |
| Unit Pricing | Multi-year contract | Adventure winter packages - snowmobile, dog sledding |
| Unit Pricing | Multi-year contract | Cruise packages - Alaska and Inside Passage |
| Unit Pricing | Multi-year contract | Wildlife observation packages |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
Back Roads product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Back Roads is a French travel agency that organizes and sells customized trips to North America (USA, Canada, Alaska). Offerings include self-drive autotours, accompanied circuits, city trips, expedition cruises, motorcycle/snowmobile tours, train journeys, and RV/camping-car rentals, with thematic experiences ranging from wildlife observation to winter adventures. Travel specialists provide personalized itinerary planning and booking services in French for customers based in France.
Product overview
Back Roads is a French travel agency specializing in custom-made trips to North America (United States, Canada, and Alaska). The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of travel products organized around eight core service categories: custom self-drive tours (autotours), guided group tours (circuits accompagnés), city breaks and stays, expedition cruises, motorcycle/snowmobile adventures, rail journeys, and RV/motorhome rentals. Destinations span Canadian provinces (Quebec, Ontario, Western Canada, Maritime Provinces, Yukon), American regions (West/East coasts, California, Alaska), and combined multi-country itineraries. The product line features themed travel experiences including wildlife observation (polar bears, belugas, grizzlies, whales), winter adventures (snowmobiling, dog sledding, ice fishing), gastronomic tours, family vacations, and cultural explorations. Packages range from short 3-day stays to comprehensive 20+ day multi-destination tours, with pricing from approximately €390 to €5,790 per person depending on duration and experience type.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Autotours sur mesure (Custom Self-Drive Tours) Self-drive custom tours across North America allowing travelers to explore destinations at their own pace with rental vehicles and pre-booked accommodations.
- Circuits accompagnés (Guided Group Tours) Guided group tours led by French-speaking guides, providing structured itineraries with transportation and expert commentary.
- City trips et séjours (City Breaks and Stays) Short stays and city breaks in major North American destinations including urban exploration and leisure visits.
- Croisières (Expedition Cruises) Expedition cruises along Alaska's Inside Passage and coastal regions, featuring wildlife observation and scenic navigation.
- Voyages à moto (Motorcycle Tours) Motorcycle tours including snowmobile adventures through Canadian winter landscapes.
- Voyages en train (Rail Journeys) Rail journeys including Rocky Mountaineer experiences through the Canadian Rockies.
- Voyages en camping-car (RV/Motorhome Tours) RV/motorhome rentals and guided RV tours across Canada and Alaska for flexible, mobile travel experiences.
- Grizzlis de Colombie Britannique (British Columbia Grizzlies) 3-4 day bear watching stay at Knight Inlet Lodge accessible by floatplane, observing grizzly bears fishing for salmon. From €860 per person.
- Ours polaires et bélugas (Polar Bears and Belugas) 7-day Arctic safari in Churchill, Manitoba for polar bear and beluga whale observation with Aurora Borealis viewing. From €5,786 per person.
- Baleines et ours bruns sur l'île de Vancouver (Whales and Brown Bears on Vancouver Island) 3-day wildlife excursion in Tofino for whale watching and black bear observation from shore. From €390 per person.
Companies that use Back Roads
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Back Roads technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Back Roads partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators2 records
Recent moves1 record
Expansion highlights5 records
Back Roads competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- TUI France: French arm of TUI Group, one of the world's largest travel companies, offering package holidays including North American destinations. Comparable as a major outbound travel provider serving French consumers, but operates at vastly larger scale across many destinations.
- Club Med: French-founded premium all-inclusive resort operator with North American properties (e.g., Sandpiper Bay, Quebec Charlevoix). Comparable as a French brand in North American leisure travel, though operates a resort model rather than a customized touring agency.
- Havas Voyages: Largest French travel agency network offering a broad range of leisure travel packages including North American destinations. Comparable as a French travel agency serving outbound travelers, but operates at much larger scale and with broader portfolio rather than North America specialization.
Direct peers
- Grand Angle: French adventure travel agency offering guided treks and discovery trips worldwide. Comparable on adventure travel specialization, French-language service, and escorted group tour model.
- Borton Overseas: US-based tour operator specializing in custom and escorted North American (USA, Canada, Alaska) vacations. Comparable on North America destination specialization and customized trip model, though serves primarily English-speaking customers.
- Atalante: French adventure travel agency offering guided trekking and discovery trips worldwide, including North American itineraries. Comparable on adventure/experiential travel positioning, French-language service, and trip customization model.
- Terres d'Aventure: French adventure travel brand (now part of Voyageurs du Monde) offering guided walking tours and discovery trips worldwide. Comparable on guided trip format, French-speaking guides, and experiential/adventure positioning.
- Allibert Trekking: French adventure travel specialist offering guided treks and discovery trips across multiple continents, including North America. Directly comparable on adventure travel focus, expert-led trips, and French-speaking market.
- Voyageurs du Monde: Paris-based French travel agency specializing in custom-made trips worldwide, including a dedicated North America program. Closest comparable by business model (high-touch, customized, expert-led French-language service) and target customer (French-speaking travelers seeking tailor-made itineraries).
Emerging players
- Ponant: French luxury expedition cruise line operating Alaska and Arctic cruises. Comparable as a French source of high-end cruise product that Back Roads resells, and relevant peer for expedition/wildlife cruise offerings (polar bears, belugas, Inside Passage).
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Back Roads social profiles
Digital presenceBack Roads financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Back Roads leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Back Roads funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Back Roads M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Back Roads
What does Back Roads do?
Back Roads is a French travel agency that organizes and sells customized trips to North America (USA, Canada, Alaska). Offerings include self-drive autotours, accompanied circuits, city trips, expedition cruises, motorcycle/snowmobile tours, train journeys, and RV/camping-car rentals, with thematic experiences ranging from wildlife observation to winter adventures. Travel specialists provide personalized itinerary planning and booking services in French for customers based in France.
Is Back Roads a public or private company?
Back Roads is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Back Roads founded?
Back Roads was founded in 1999. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Back Roads based?
Back Roads is headquartered in Paris, France, in the Europe region.
How does Back Roads make money?
One revenue line is on record: travel Package Sales.
Who are Back Roads's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are TUI France, Club Med and Havas Voyages. Direct peers are Grand Angle, Borton Overseas, Atalante, Terres d'Aventure, Allibert Trekking and Voyageurs du Monde. Ponant is listed as an emerging player.
Does Back Roads have an API?
No public API is recorded for Back Roads.