Tour operators have come a long way over the years. In the past, the main demographic that took escorted tours were 65+ years of age. Now companies such as Globus tours have adapted, and offer several types of vacations to cater to all travelers.

I am using Globus Tours as an example, because they are one of the best known tour operators in the U.S. having been in business for over 80 years. They offer destinations in six continents and more than 65 countries with various travel styles to choose from.

Bus tours: Ideal when you want to see as much as possible with sightseeing daily. You can take an in-depth tour of one country, or take a panoramic tours that visits several countries in one trip. Either way you get centrally located hotels, a driver and tour guides that are with you the entire trips, breakfast daily, some sightseeing and other dinners as well.

Family travel: These packages were launched about 5 years ago in response to the growing family travel market. Designed for families with children or grandchildren ages 5 to 18, the trips feature enriching getaways with excursions and activities for all ages. Kids tend to be entertained and more open to the experience by meeting other kids their age and getting involved in the culture. For example in Italy some of the activities include taking a picture with a gladiator in the Colosseum, Venetian Carnival mask decorating in Venice or pizza making in Rome.

Monograms Independent Vacations: Not a bus tour at all. Hotel packages that can be customized to include as much or as little as you’d like. Travel whenever you want and choose if you want to say in 3, 4 or 5 star hotels. Rates have been negotiated with Globus’ buying power, so you always get good hotels and prices. If you’d like you can purchase airfare, transfers to and from the airport and sightseeing. If you are combining two cities such as London and Paris or Rome and Florence, then Globus includes transportation between the cities. Breakfast is included daily in all Monograms vacations and there is a local host that will be available to assist you with any questions or suggestions on what to do while you are on your trip. These hotel packages are available all over Europe, the U.S., South America and Asia. In the U.S. Monograms also has driving vacations so that you can visit popular areas such as the National Parks or see the New England Fall Foliage. Also available are rail packages in Europe combining cities within France, Italy and Central Europe.

River Cruises: In recent years Globus purchased Avalon Waterways and now offers river and small ship cruising in Europe, Egypt, China and the Galapagos. These trips include deluxe cruising, meals onboard the ship, wine with dinner, sightseeing included in the price of the trip, headsets for all guided shore excursions and onboard lectures.

Cruise and Tours: For those that don’t want to spend a lot of time on a motorcoach, Globus combines a few days on land and then a cruise in certain areas including Alaska, China, the Galapagos, Greece, Turkey and Egypt.

Globus tours also offers packages to special events such as the Calgary Stampede, Pasadena’s Tournament of Roses and the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta.

As you can see, tour companies now offer vacations of all types that offer flexibility, choice and a pace to match the way your want to travel.