Passenger Profile: Meet Back-Roads Tour guide Micaela Hobbs

Each week we at Travelat60.com get the opportunity to have a chat to a variety of over-60s (or thereabouts) about their love of travel. This week we had the chance to talk about France, family history and what it’s like to be a tour guide with Micaela Hobbs from Back-Roads Touring. She offers her own advice about living abroad and travelling alone.

Name: Micaela Hobbs
Age: 59
Country/Suburb: Paris, France

Tell me a little about yourself and how your love of travel began?   

In my previous life, pre-1996, I worked as a nurse, midwife, a mother-of-two and lived in the UK. Following our move to Paris for my husband’s job, I became a full-time mum again and lapped up new opportunities living in this vibrant and beautiful capital city. As the children grew older and travel became easier, my love of travel developed and as a family we took every opportunity to go somewhere new and learn about a different region, country and culture. This love of travel intensified as the children left home to follow careers of their own, and much of my travel experiences have been as an older woman, often traveling alone. 

What are some of your favourite places to travel to? 

I have spent long periods of time in Southeast Asia and have particularly fallen in love with the people, culture, architecture, food and climate of Thailand. The hospitality and warmth of the Thai people is addictive and the culture is absorbing. I have some wonderful friends there. I have also traveled extensively in Europe. Living in Paris for 20 years, we have taken every opportunity to travel all over France, which has amazingly diverse and beautiful landscapes, wonderful historical towns and some beautiful coastlines. There is always somewhere new to explore. Ireland is a favourite place to visit, too. Green, rugged beauty, ancient history and the most charming people. I just love it there. 

You are a tour leader and host tours through Europe with Back-Roads Touring. What does that involve and how did you take on that role?

I was lucky enough to be invited to join a friend of mine on a Back-Roads Touring cruise through the Camargue, in Southern France last summer. Never having travelled on an organized tour before, I wondered if I would find the experience too restricting and controlled but it turned out to be an amazing trip full of laughter, with wonderful authentic local experiences that I would never have done or found as a solo traveler. With all the logistics taken care of, all we had to do was relax, enjoy and soak it all up – I was hooked. One year later, I am now running my own tours for Back-Roads Touring, specialising in small-group, quality tours, with an emphasis on offering a flexible, personal experience with quality time spent sharing knowledge and passion for the countries we visit. Many wonderful memories and friends are made on the way!

It is this approach that appealed to me and encouraged me to apply to work as a tour leader. What better than to live and work your passion!  As a tour leader, we do all the organizing and the passengers enjoy the freedom of a flexible tour, and benefit from local knowledge and “Back Road” itineraries. Often well away from main stream tourism. We offer a great balance between organised visits and scenic routes, accommodation and meals arranged and free time for the passengers to do as much or little as they like, at their own pace.

Who are some of the most interesting people you’ve come across in your travels?

One person that stands out in my memory is a 50-year-old English woman cyclist I met in Thailand, who had spent the previous two years cycling around the world, with a small ruck sack, a phone and an old touring bike as her only companions. She had spent three months living with a nomadic family in Mongolia and had some amazing stories to tell!

What advice do you have for travellers over 60 who are thinking about travelling but are nervous about taking the leap?

Research, research, research! Know where you are going and the basics like transport, currency, local customs and cultures and any advice from other travelers. Then go for it. The wonderful thing about traveling alone are the amazing people you meet along the way that you might not meet if you were with family or friends. I find small local guest houses are great places to stay, as you can remain independent but often get lots of local advice from the hosts/owners. It is also a great way of meeting other travelers. Don’t worry if loneliness hits from time to time. It’s at times like these that you get the most out of the learning curve. And learn how to say “No” when needs arise. 

For those who are interested in history, what are some of the most fascinating historical sites for people to visit?

Too many to mention. The world is steeped in history everywhere you look. Some of the most awesome places I have visited include Ankor Wat, Sukhothai, Ephesus, The Colosseum, Stonehenge, Amesbury, Newgrange. 

You also provide personalised information for people before some of your tours – researching family history and even locating family grave sites. What reactions have you had from travellers during these experiences? 

I have had a couple of people who have found family sites in Ireland. On both these occasions it was very emotional, not only for the family but also for all the passengers, our driver and myself as tour leader. Because of the small groups in Back-Roads Touring everyone bonds as a group and gets involved, and emotions run high. You could see how much it meant to the people. I felt delighted that I was able to make it happen. 

What words of advice or tips do you have for people who are interested in looking up their family history and using that as the basis of their travels? 

Do as much research in advance as possible. The more information the person has, regarding the region/town they are from or where relatives are buried the easier it will be to locate. Sometimes people have a town name but on further investigation we find that we are in completely the wrong part of the country. There are many places with the same name in Europe! Although we try to visit a location, if the itinerary allows, it is not always possible to change routes if long distances are involved.