Globe Treks Tours and Cruises

What Globe Treks Tours and Cruises does

Globe Treks Tours and Cruises is a privately held, owner-operated travel agency founded in 1978 by Greg Sutter and headquartered at 1605 Asheville Highway, Hendersonville, North Carolina. The company specializes in luxury motor coach tours and cruise vacations targeted exclusively at retirees, offering all-inclusive packages that bundle accommodations, meals, attractions, airfare where applicable, and luggage handling, complemented by door-to-door pick-up and drop-off service for local guests. Its portfolio spans four service categories: cruises (Norwegian Coastal, Alaska's Inside Passage, Burgundy and Belgium private barges, 2027 Galápagos Islands, 2027 Elemental Iceland), international tours (South African Safari), North American overnight motor coach tours (Canadian Maritimes, Canadian Rockies and Rocky Mountaineer, Pacific Northwest Wonders, Northern Rockies and U.S. National Parks, and numerous regional circuits), and day tours featuring local cultural and scenic excursions. Executive-style coaches with a complimentary happy hour and professional tour managers dedicated to safety and comfort are cited as differentiators.

The business operates a traditional direct-sales distribution model: reservations are taken by phone or in-person at the Hendersonville office Monday through Friday, 9am–5pm, with a deposit required within five business days to confirm space, and payment accepted in cash, personal checks, and credit cards (with a transaction fee). Pricing is not publicly disclosed on the website; travel insurance is offered as an option on every booking. Marketing relies on a weekly Sunday email newsletter for tour updates and active Facebook and Instagram profiles for brand visibility. Headcount is 1–10 employees, with the founder-owner managing the operation alongside what appears to be a small staff supporting tour logistics. Customer-to-customer assets include 47 years of brand history and retiree-community relationships in Western North Carolina. Geographic reach is anchored in the United States, with international itineraries extending into Canada, France, Belgium, Iceland, Norway, Ecuador (Galápagos), and South Africa.

Name

Globe Treks Tours and Cruises

Legal name

Globe Treks Tours and Cruises

Website

https://globetreks.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Globe Treks Tours and Cruises is a privately held, owner-operated Hendersonville, NC travel agency founded in 1978 that sells all-inclusive luxury motor coach tours and cruises exclusively to retirees, with door-to-door local service and direct phone/office booking.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Tour Operator Services

NAICS

Tour Operators (561520), Tour Operators (56152), Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Water (48721)

SIC

Water Transportation (4400), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Luxury & Expedition Cruise Specialists (THAKAKAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Luxury Cruise + Land Expedition Operators (Cruise-Tour Programs) (THAEABAH), Luxury Expedition Cruise Specialists (Sales & Distribution) (THAEABAJ)

Keywords

• Luxury motor coach tours
• Cruise vacation packages
• Retirement group travel
• Escorted international tours
• Day excursion services

Headquarters

HQ city

Hendersonville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Globe Treks Tours and Cruises is a tour operator that sells all-inclusive luxury motor coach tours and cruise vacation packages exclusively to retirees. Its offerings span cruises, international tours, multi-day North American motor coach tours, and single-day excursions, all featuring door-to-door pick-up and drop-off for local guests, executive-style coaches, accommodations, meals, attractions, luggage handling, and fully escorted service by professional Globe Treks tour managers and drivers.

Product overview

Globe Treks Tours and Cruises operates as a single unified travel service offering rather than a platform architecture. The company provides luxury motor coach tours and cruise vacations exclusively for retirees. Its portfolio consists of four main service categories: Cruises (featuring destinations such as Norwegian Coastal, Alaska's Inside Passage, Galápagos Islands, and various European barge experiences), International Tours (including South African Safari), North American Tours (overnight motor coach tours covering destinations like Canadian Rockies, Pacific Northwest, and U.S. National Parks), and Day Tours (cultural and scenic single-day excursions). All overnight tours include door-to-door convenience with pick-up and drop-off service, all-inclusive pricing covering accommodations, meals, attractions, and luggage handling, plus fully escorted service by professional Globe Treks tour managers and drivers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cruises

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Collette: Collette is a long-established guided-tour operator (founded 1918) that sells escorted motor coach, rail, cruise, and international tours aimed squarely at the retiree/senior market — directly comparable to Globe Treks' core offering.
• Trafalgar: Trafalgar sells guided, escorted coach tours internationally to older travelers with similar inclusions (transport, accommodations, attractions) and tour-manager service as Globe Treks.
• Tauck: Tauck is a premium escorted-tour company offering all-inclusive land and small-ship cruise tours for older travelers; its all-inclusive, escorted, multi-night tour structure closely mirrors Globe Treks' value proposition.
• Globus family of brands (Globus, Cosmos, Monograms): Globus operates escorted motor coach and river-cruise tour brands targeting North American retirees and value-oriented mature travelers — directly comparable to Globe Treks' North American tours portfolio.
• Insight Vacations: Insight Vacations is a premium escorted coach and cruise tour operator serving a similar mature traveler demographic with all-inclusive itineraries — overlapping product and customer base with Globe Treks.
• Road Scholar: Road Scholar offers educational guided tours (motor coach and small-ship) for retirees and older adults; similar product format and demographic focus to Globe Treks.
• Viking Cruises: Viking is a large cruise and river-cruising brand whose core customer (55+, English-speaking, retiree) and expedition/itinerary offerings directly overlap with Globe Treks' cruise portfolio (Norwegian Coastal, Iceland, Galápagos-style itineraries).
• Saga Holidays (Saga Group): Saga is a UK-based tour operator and cruise line focused exclusively on the over-50s/retiree market — effectively the same customer segment and escorted-tour model as Globe Treks.

Broad incumbents

• Holland America Line: Holland America is a major mainstream-to-premium cruise line whose target customer is the 50+ retiree demographic; competing indirectly with Globe Treks' cruise resale business by selling directly to consumers.

Emerging players

• ElderTreks: ElderTreks is a niche adventure-tour operator explicitly targeting travelers 50+, with expedition-style itineraries — a smaller-scale, overlap-target peer in the retiree travel space.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/GlobeTreksToursAndCruisesSince1978
• Instagraminstagram.com/globetrekstours
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/globe-treks-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Globe Treks Tours and Cruises