I NEVER THOUGHT I WOULD LOOK out my window to a field of snow and think, “Looks like a good day for a bike ride,” until I met Daymon Miller, general manager, Discover Banff Tours. An active cyclist, Miller agreed to join me on a fat bike ride up to Sundance Lodge, a backcountry lodge only accessible by foot, horse or bike, set against the Sundance Mountain Range of Canada’s Alberta province. A fat bike is an agile bicycle made with oversized tires to ensure a smooth ride on unstable terrain like sand or snow, and we put the bikes to the test as we pedaled through snow banks, made tracks within a forest of pine trees and occasionally stopped along the way to catch our breath and take in the scenery.

The only sound was the light crunch of the snow as our tires indented a single-lined pattern into the trail. We rode together mostly in silence, the feeling of camaraderie powering our pack as we pedaled onward up the steep mountain. As we made our final approach to the lodge, we let out a collective shout of joy knowing we would soon indulge in a well-earned hot and hearty meal after a day spent immersed in nature.

Active travel has grown in popularity over the past few years, with biking and walking tours offered in almost every major city in the world.

“In the last six or seven years, walking and biking tours have really picked up,” says Marianne Abraham, a private trip planner, Butterfield & Robinson. “With biking and walking tours, guests still have access to activity but they don’t have to be crazy fit. These tours become more about being part of the landscape as opposed to just sitting on a beach. You see all these amazing things when you’re walking or on a bike, and you just can’t experience the same little details if you’re whizzing around in a car.”

Abraham has been with Butterfield & Robinson for nearly two decades, during which she saw huge growth in these types of tours. Butterfield & Robinson began offering biking and walking tours 50 years ago with the mission to encourage people to “slow down to see the world.” Today the company offers a range of active tours in Asia, the Pacific, Europe and the Americas, where guests have the chance to book private guided trips, self-guided trips or join in on one of the company’s regularly scheduled group trips for the chance to meet like-minded travelers.

“Active travel has a way of bonding people together,” Abraham adds. “Doing activities together with friends, family or even strangers builds a bond that you can talk about for years later. Whether it be walking or biking, activity gets you into the heart of the landscape, and the sights and smells and the people you meet along the way stay with you forever.”