The Backyard Roadies Story
Jason – Founder
Jason has led tour groups by bus, boat, bike, and plane to explore all around the Philippines and Thailand. He is a master in the art of the ‘road trip’. Jason has a passion for creating memorable experiences for people and has spent years doing just that in Southeast Asia. Now he is back in New Zealand with the vision to do the same in his own backyard.
The idea came up when Jason wanted to keep travelling, naturally as we do when we’re young, so tried to find a job as a tour guide in New Zealand. However, he found there were no companies offering the travel experiences he wanted to lead, so he decided to take matters into his own hands. His idea was to create an experience for people who are looking to travel, discover new places, in need of a holiday but most importantly learn to connect with others, connect with the land, and learn more about our culture and history. Jason’s purpose is for people to discover more about themselves and to do things out of their comfort zone. These are just a handful of the reasons why we travel and explore new places so why not continue to experience all this but in the comfort of our own backyard?
Jason is also on the Backpacker Youth Adventure Tourism Association Board, where he thrives working alongside some of the most knowledgeable leaders in the youth travel sector.
These are just a handful of the reasons why we travel and explore new places so why not continue to experience all this but in the comfort of our own backyard? At the time of the business launch, it didn’t seem realistic due to no international visitors coming to New Zealand, but Jason was passionate to help other small tourism businesses around the country. The best way to do this is by spreading the wealth around the industry using our own domestic audience whilst building solid relationships with kiwis and other suppliers.
Our Roadie's Team
Ryan – Operations Manager
Born and raised in Te Awamutu, Ryan started seeking out world adventures at the age of 17. After graduating with a diploma in outdoor instructing and guiding, he moved into the sea kayak guiding world where he gained 3 seasons of experience in local and international waters (Abel, Tasman & Hong Kong). On top of that, he has instructed surfing, rock climbing, kayaking, and coasteering, to name a few.
Ben – Tour Leader
Born and raised in Papamoa, Ben grew up surfing, water skiing, scuba diving, wakeboarding and mountain biking. Since moving to Christchurch 2 years ago he has made it his mission to explore as much of the beauty of South Island as possible. When he’s not climbing mountains or camping in the snow, He spends his time climbing in a local gym, skiing up at Mt Hutt and biking through the port hills.
Hannah – Tour Leader
Born and raised in Dunedin, Hannah has always had a love for sport, travel and outdoor adventures. On the weekends she can be found skiing, tramping, scuba diving, camping or biking with her mates. This keen interest led her to study Sports Development and Management and Tourism at Otago University. Hannah has just spent time working as the Events Manager for Otago Secondary School Sport and is now onto her next adventure with Backyard Roadies.
So what are you waiting for? Come and join the crew on our New Zealand group tours and explore our country like never before!
The Backyard Roadies Story
Jason – Founder
Jason has led tour groups by bus, boat, bike, and plane to explore all around the Philippines and Thailand. He is a master in the art of the ‘road trip’. Jason has a passion for creating memorable experiences for people and has spent years doing just that in Southeast Asia. Now he is back in New Zealand with the vision to do the same in his own backyard.
The idea came up when Jason wanted to keep travelling, naturally as we do when we’re young, so tried to find a job as a tour guide in New Zealand. However, he found there were no companies offering the travel experiences he wanted to lead, so he decided to take matters into his own hands. His idea was to create an experience for people who are looking to travel, discover new places, in need of a holiday but most importantly learn to connect with others, connect with the land, and learn more about our culture and history. Jason’s purpose is for people to discover more about themselves and to do things out of their comfort zone. These are just a handful of the reasons why we travel and explore new places so why not continue to experience all this but in the comfort of our own backyard?
Jason is also on the Backpacker Youth Adventure Tourism Association Board, where he thrives working alongside some of the most knowledgeable leaders in the youth travel sector.
Ryan – Operations Manager
Born and raised in Te Awamutu, Ryan started seeking out world adventures at the age of 17. After graduating with a diploma in outdoor instructing and guiding, He then moved into the sea kayak guiding world gaining 3 seasons of experience in local and international waters. (Abel Tasman & Hong Kong). On top of that, Ryan has instructed surfing, rock climbing, kayaking, coasteering to name a few.
Ben – Tour Leader
Born and raised in Papamoa, Ben grew up surfing, water skiing, scuba diving, wakeboarding and mountain biking. Since moving to Christchurch 2 years ago he has made it his mission to explore as much of the beauty of South Island as possible. When he’s not climbing mountains or camping in the snow, He spends his time climbing in a local gym, skiing up at Mt Hutt and biking through the port hills.
Hannah – Tour Leader
Born and raised in Dunedin, Hannah has always had a love for sport, travel and outdoor adventures. On the weekends she can be found skiing, tramping, scuba diving, camping or biking with her mates. This keen interest led her to study Sports Development and Management and Tourism at Otago University. Hannah has just spent time working as the Events Manager for Otago Secondary School Sport and is now onto her next adventure with Backyard Roadies.
These are just a handful of the reasons why we travel and explore new places so why not continue to experience all this but in the comfort of our own backyard? At the time of the business launch, it didn’t seem realistic due to no international visitors coming to New Zealand, but Jason was passionate to help other small tourism businesses around the country. The best way to do this is by spreading the wealth around the industry using our own domestic audience whilst building solid relationships with kiwis and other suppliers.
So what are you waiting for? Come and join the crew on our New Zealand group tours and explore our country like never before!
