work

BACKROADS

Driving digital platform innovation with Managed Services for Backroads

Travel & Hospitality

Enterprise Technology

Backroads, a global benchmark in adventure travel, needed to evolve its robust Drupal ecosystem to keep pace with rapid operational growth. The goal was clear: achieve higher stability, performance, and total editorial independence.

Dexa stepped in with Drupal Managed Services, optimizing the CMS and re-engineering critical workflows for scale. Beyond just stabilizing the platform, we delivered a 50% performance boost, ensuring Backroads’ digital infrastructure is as world-class as their travel experiences.

CONTEXT

A high-performance web platform with editorial freedom

CHALLENGE

Backroads already operated a robust Drupal site, but years of accumulated complexity required specialized, ongoing expertise. The challenge was to balance maintenance with strategic evolution.

Through our Drupal Managed Services model, Dexa optimized the technical environment, business logic, and publishing workflows. We transformed the portal into an agile marketing tool, boosting efficiency on trip listing pages and laying the foundation for scaling with governance, stability, and new digital products.

Productivity

A more agile CMS that accelerates marketing and product workflows, eliminating technical bottlenecks for daily updates.

Performance

High-efficiency delivery for trip listings and destination pages, ensuring seamless experiences even during peak traffic periods.

Scalability & Growth

Enhanced release governance and a multi-environment architecture provide a secure foundation for the rapid evolution of new digital products.

Managed services and development squad for stability and innovation

SOLUTION

To keep the platform stable while continuously evolving its technology foundation, Dexa assembled a multidisciplinary squad dedicated to support, modernization, and continuous improvement of the client’s digital ecosystem. The work combined managed services, technical governance, sprint-based development, Drupal modernization, and continuous performance monitoring, creating a more predictable operation for releases, fixes, upgrades, and new features.

Environment governance, releases, and workflow

Dexa structured six simultaneous environments, including production, stage, content, QA, and pre-production, with a CI/CD pipeline through Acquia Pipelines. A standardized development workflow was also defined, with a branching model, build scripts, and structured sprints to organize deliveries, approvals, deployments, and UAT bug fixes.

Drupal platform modernization and technical compatibility

The Drupal platform was progressively upgraded from version 8 to versions 10 and 11, alongside the adoption of PHP 8.0. The work also included reviewing, rebuilding, and adjusting contrib and custom modules to ensure version compatibility, support migrations, and make platform evolution safer.

Decoupled architecture, performance, and observability

Dexa adopted decoupled APIs and Ajax resources to make the application more dynamic and reduce dependencies on full-page reloads. This workstream also included technical CMS optimization, adjustments to listing pages, and the implementation of New Relic for real-time monitoring, bottleneck identification, and data-driven technical decision-making.

Driving strategy through collaboration

IMPACT

More than just technical support, Dexa became a strategic partner. We integrated into Backroads’ roadmap planning, providing expert insights for new digital ventures and platform optimization.

Through Managed Drupal Services, we turned technical complexity into a competitive advantage: a stable, scalable ecosystem. This partnership empowered Backroads with the security to launch new products, the agility to manage content, and the high-speed performance essential for a premium user experience.

50%

faster response times across all trip listing pages

63%

boost in operational productivity driven by structured technical governance

Thank you for the commitment, the dedication, and the drive to make our digital experience so inspiring and seamless.

Linda Palus,

Backroads

TESTIMONIAL

Thank you for the commitment, the dedication, and the drive to make our digital experience so inspiring and seamless.

Linda Palus,

Backroads

TESTIMONIALS

Thank you for the commitment, the dedication, and the drive to make our digital experience so inspiring and seamless.

Linda Palus,

Backroads

TESTIMONIALS

Backroads

CLIENT

Backroads is the world’s premier active travel company, specializing in adventure trips such as cycling, hiking, and multi-adventure experiences. Founded by Tom Hale in 1979, the company began as a small bicycle tour operation in California and has since expanded into a global leader in the industry.