What Makes Us Different
Backyard Roadies is about giving people around the world the opportunity to explore our beautiful backyard with us. We understand that travel takes time and money and many people spent 2019 saving money, researching, planning and getting leave approved, only to have all the borders close in their face. Luckily for those in New Zealand, we are stuck in the most beautiful countries in the world. Before COVID, roughly 3.8 million international tourists visited New Zealand every year, so we clearly have something special on our own doorstep and we had it all to ourselves. Now that the borders are finally open again we are stoked to share our backyard with everyone visiting from overseas!
We have created tours that aim to match 4 criteria:
Accessible
Most of us have jobs, families, sports, or other commitments, so for those who don’t have a few weeks for a holiday we have kept some of our tours short. This means you only need to get a couple of days off work to come on an epic 4 day journey in Northland or Abel Tasman. If you’re eager to explore more and have more annual leave to use, we have tour packages that range from 10 – 20 days too. We have also partnered with small locally-owned businesses to keep our costs down.
Meaningful
People travel for all sorts of reasons but there’s a certain beauty of exploring different backyards (countries) with the potential to create long-term connections. You probably live quite close to the other people on the tour, or travelling to the same destinations after, so you might even find yourself spending time together after the tour ends. For those planning to stay in NZ, if you see something you want to know more about, it is only just down the road for you to come back another weekend. We hope the roadie continues to have a positive effect on you, long after you hop off the tour!
Ethical
The uncertainty of 2020 has shown us all the importance of communities sticking together and supporting each other. From accommodation to activities, to signage and merchandise, we aim to partner with smaller local-owned businesses. We hope to educate and connect people with the world and the environment around them. Sharing one vehicle between all of us is easier on the planet and decreases our carbon footprint than multiple vehicles on the road, and we are constantly learning and looking to improve our systems to decrease our impact on the climate.
Inclusive
Everyone is welcome on Backyard Roadies. Whether you join solo, with a partner, with friends. Introvert? No problem. Extrovert? No problem. No matter orientation, inclination, or persuasion we always aim to create a safe, inclusive Backyard Roadies crew. We’re young so we absolutely love a good time, which comes in many shapes and forms. We enjoy a night out here and there for sure, but we truly get the most out of our trips by fully immersing ourselves in the activities and experiences we do during the day. So, hey, do we go out and explore the nightlife? Yes. Responsibly? Yes. Do we also enjoy a night in, lying in a hammock and swapping yarns while we drink tea? Also, yes. It’s about balance.