Perhaps our number one FAQ is: Who goes on Parallel trips? And the bonus follow-on question is, “Are Parallel trips right for me?”

Out of this/these question(s) was born our blog series: Who Is Parallel? We want to highlight the unique people that make up the Parallel universe! Our little community spans ages and geographic locations. Some are single and others are married, with kids and without. And most importantly, we see a huge variety in the hiking experience and activity level of our guests – and that is, as the kids say, totally cool!

To kick off our series, we checked in with Tom B! Read below to find out more about his experience with Parallel Adventures.

IN A COUPLE OF SENTENCES – TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF. (WHERE DO YOU LIVE, HOW DO YOU FILL YOUR DAYS, DO YOU HAVE KIDS, ETC.)

Hi! My name is Tom and I live in southern Maine with my wife, two wonderful step-daughters, and our three pups. To say we’re a busy household is an understatement! My educational background is in biology and I have been working for the same family-owned biotechnology company for over 18 years now. Since the pandemic, my position has been largely remote but I recently started a new position supporting our CEO that has me going into work about once a week. I consider myself so fortunate because I love what I do! When not working I love to get out into the woods or on local streams to fly fish and am very involved in our church. Closer to home I enjoy reading and have recently picked up the piano after a 30-year hiatus.

WHAT PARALLEL TRIP(S) HAVE YOU BEEN ON?

My wife and I went on the Costa Brava Parallel trip in northeastern Spain in the Fall of 2022.

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE PARALLEL?

We chose Parallel because it offered us exactly what we love to do when we take a vacation, which is to really “be” in a place, getting to know its landscape and local flora and fauna (not to mention the local food!), all while getting some outdoor exercise. We loved that Parallel offers a complete package – they take care of all of the accommodation logistics so we could focus on relaxing and enjoying our time together in a new place. This offers both peace of mind during the trip and also removes a lot of the burden of determining logistics during pre-trip planning as well – this is an incredible value for busy folks like our family. The trips also create a truly welcoming and relaxing atmosphere to get to know your fellow travelers but there is plenty of time to be away from the group as well.

MOST MEMORABLE MEAL FROM YOUR TRIP

After a long hike into the beautiful town of Cadaques (Spain), we ventured out for a special “date” night away from the larger group for a fantastically romantic meal at La Sirena restaurant (as highly recommended to us by Parallel lead Chad O!). We sat al fresco and were gifted a bottle of cava from an older American adult son and mother who were feeling generous! After a delicious appetizer, we ordered the most incredible seafood paella which came complete with mussels, scallops, langostino, and clams all over a deliciously cream rice base. YUM! After the mean we wandered down cozy alleyways before sitting by the harbor to take in the village nightlife.

WHERE IS YOUR NEXT BUCKET LIST TRIP SPOT (WHETHER WITH PARALLEL OR NOT!)?

“We’re looking forward to hopping back on the Parallel team for an early look at their upcoming Irish itinerary this coming spring. I’ve been to Ireland once before as a younger man in my early twenties and am excited to return with my wife – I mean, Ireland in the springtime!? Yes, Please! Taking a peek at the daily plans, I’m going to try to pack my fly rod in hopes of wetting a line in one or two of the rivers we’ll be crossing.”

Thank you, Tom, for being willing to be our very first Who Is Parallel feature! If you want to learn more details about the trip Tom joined us on, please check out our Costa Brava trip page. If you are curious about learning more in general about Parallel trips, please join us for our upcoming Webinar on February 8 at 8pm!

(Plus, we couldn’t not post our favorite picture from any Parallel trip ever!)