It’s one thing to have peace of mind that your pup is safe at a pet hotel or boarding while you are vacationing, but it’s entirely different to enjoy yourself 100 percent of the time. I can speak from experience that pet owners can go through as much separation anxiety as the pets do.

Once in a while, pet owners may yearn for a vacation that is more inclusive than simply housing them at a dog-friendly hotel. This is where tailor-made holidays for pets and pet owners come in. Some tour operators are offering a variety of custom vacations in this burgeoning niche with special tours and vacation ideas.

One U.S.-based tour company, Happy Tails Canine Adventure Tours, is making headlines in this regard. Like others in the niche, the company hopes to give pet lovers some different and unusual vacation options. Travelers who book their tours with Happy Tails can expect to go on fantastic adventures and share great experiences with their dogs.

The organized trips planned by the company make the whole trip, from planning to travel to touring, entirely effortless for dog owners. They ensure that all places and activities planned are safe, dog-friendly and open for exploration so that it is easy to take dogs on life-transforming and amazing adventures.

Image: Happy Tails Canine Adventure Tours

For example, there are adventures at national parks that are designed specifically for pet owners and their adorable companions. Among the many activities and experiences, travelers will have options of Jeep tours, boat tours and hiking through specific trails with their dogs.

Professional adventure guides will be there to guide travelers and ensure that dogs and their humans are safe and comfortable throughout the journey. Dog lovers who have always felt that something was missing when they are taking a holiday away from their pets will have a new reason to travel now.

Aside from tours, dog-friendly vacation destinations are on the rise. Travel resource Expedia recently published its top 10 list for the U.S. Along with pet-friendly hotels, it also ranks cities based on their pet-friendly menus, dog-friendly outdoor dining, dog-friendly streets, and parks that are open to pets. Alexandria, Virginia, ranks high on this list. Austin, Texas, with its backyard bars and open-air eateries, doggy menus and off-leash dog parks, is popular as well.

Another popular dog-friendly city in the U.S. is San Diego with over 530 dog-friendly restaurants, breweries, stadiums, and a number of canine-focused events. Other top places include Bar Harbor, Maine; Provincetown, Massachusetts; Little Rock, Arkansas; Albuquerque, New Mexico; Carmel-by-the-Sea, California; and Door County, Wisconsin.

With more cities opening up to the idea of dog-friendly vacations and garnering the pet-lover traffic, we can expect more pet-specific adventures, tours, and resorts to come up soon.