Best Of
Re: Is it time to boycott cash tips to get Tauck to join the modern era?
I’m pretty sure the TD’s and bus drivers know how to handle US dollars, and I would bet they know how to get a better exchange rate than what we are likely to get.
Sealord
Re: Review of Impressions from the Seine May 23-30, 2025
Leigh - I'm so sorry this happened to you on your 1st Tauck trip. We just returned from "Rendezvous on the Seine" & we had late people a few times and we waited for 10-15min most times. Eventually, a TG got off the bus to continue to wait & the rest of us went on. One of the issues with traveling as a group is that the TG/CD have to keep everyone 'happy' - and that is not always easy. They are on a schedule & I think do their best to keep us happy. The Captain had nothing to do with this and most likely doesn't even know it happened - not his job.
To have a whole bus who is on time, wait on others who are not is a tough call. I'm not saying what they did was right and you certainly deserved an apology as you were the guest. But we all have to be on time to make a group tour work well. If you don't know the area - arrive extra early. There are great apps for your phone to help in European cities to avoid getting lost.
Another issue is that there is always the option to stay later on your own & get back to the boat via UBER - they mention this often. Since you weren't there at the specified time, they may have thought you were staying longer on your own. This does happen and we have done it.
We were just on the Seine Tauck trip also and our cards were easy to read, so I don't understand why yours wasn't?
What kfnknfzk says is true - we've been on several Tauck river cruises & 'usually' they do give out ship info at the 1st meeting & again on the bus & it is in your stateroom. I do hope that Tauck will make this right for you. We have traveled with Tauck since 2003 & trust them & like them as a company (and we have been with many other companies over the years). I hope you will give Tauck another try, but if not, there are many other companies to choose from. Don't let this deter you from traveling solo again.
henrypoon_66 -- if Tauck is so "nasty," why don't you do yourself and all of us a favor and move on to the A&K Forum & not participate here. I've been on the forum for 11 years & have never seen postings such as yours. I travel w/other companies also. None of us are 'influencers' here - we are just people who love to travel, both with Tauck, on our own, & with other companies.
Let's get this forum back to what it is meant to be - a place to learn from, give recommendations to, ask advice about.
Re: South Africa packing panic
If you are on the Elegant South Africa tour, you don’t need to worry about the duffle. There is a duffle for the classic safari Kenya and Tanzania tour that you have to use for a couple of the flights while your main luggage is taken by vehicle to meet you at the following stop. I think the other Africa tours have specific duffles that are intended to be your only luggage, but I have been on both the first two tours.
The internal flights on Elegant Adventure are commercial flights with an airline called Airlink. You can look at their website for specifics, but if you live in the middle of nowhere like we do (Wyoming,) these planes are bigger than the ones we fly to Denver.
When you leave Johannesburg to travel to Victoria Falls, you will have the opportunity to leave some of your luggage in Johannesburg to be securely stored rather than taking everything with you for the two nights in Victoria Falls. If you leave something there, it will be returned to you when you return a couple of days later for your flights home. I hope that helps.
Re: Bonjour mes amis- planning considerations and trip report
Miles, Pounds and Money- As I recover and pick up the pieces after this wonderful tour, I discovered a few additional positives:
First, while it is not necessary to walk as much as we did and you can easily do more, especially in Versaille and Paris, we put in a lot of miles on this tour. (I added steps (via Fitbit) so Sam can critique my stride length! 
)
Day 0, Versailles (Trianon Estate- Grand Trianon, Petit Trianon, Queen's Hamlet, town): 8.08 mi. / 17,935 steps
Day 1, Versailles (King's Apartments, Palace tour, gardens, Grand Canal): 6.43 mi. / 14,271 steps
Day 2, Chartres (Cathedral and town, Château de Champchevrier (dogs and dinner)): 4.2 mi. / 9324 steps
Day 3, Château de Langeais (castle and town- market day, vineyards of Moulin Bleu, Château Villandry (château & gardens)): 5.26 mi. / 11,667 steps
Day 4, Château d'Angers (Apocalypse Tapestry) 3.97 mi. / 8805 steps
Day 5, Port du Crouesty (Petit Mont (walking tour), cruise, Rochefort-en-Terre (walking tour)) 7.86 mi. / 17,456 steps
Day 6, Vannes (walking tour), Château Josselin (tour) 4.56 mi. / 10,119 steps
Day 7, St Malo (Mont-St-Michel (walking), St Malo- did not do walking tour) 6.85 mi. / 15,214 steps
Day 8, Bayeux Tapestry, Le Memorial de Caen, Dauville) 3.73 mi. / 8282 steps
Day 9, D-day beaches (Pointe du Hoc, Omaha Beach, American Military Cemetery) 4.99 mi. / 11,067 steps
Day 10, Giverny (Monet house and gardens, 3.28 mi. / 7291 steps
Day 11, Paris, (coach tour in am, private guide tour of Sainte Chapelle, Conciergerie, Louvre) 7.41 mi. / 16, 438 steps
Day 12, Paris (Musee d'Orsay, walked from d'Orsay on our own to and toured Musee Rodin and Eiffel Tower, walked back to hotel): 8.17 mi. / 18,130 steps
Pounds- A first for me on a Tauck tour- despite all the tour food, especially desserts and breads, I lost 1+ lb 
Money- The Waldorf-Astoria Trianon Palace mistakenly charged us a 400 € ($428.28) security deposit during check-in but credited us the next day. In the time it took AMEX to process the charge and subsequently credit our account the exchange rate had changed so we ended up making $2.88
Random note: My booklet-sized and customized Green Book worked out wonderfully, especially the blank pages I left at the end for taking notes.
AlanS
Re: Hidden Greece Land Tour - itinerary, hotels, & prices posted
Tauck never even mentions flights. If you book your own flights or even arrive days before, they pick you up from the airport. If you can afford A and K Henry, go with them. Who wants to travel with you anyway.
British
Fantastic Tauck Bridges experience!
Got back from this trip on Monday. My wife and I (both 63) thoroughly enjoyed the pace and adventure of this trip. Our guide was Jonas Gonzales, along with Martha and bus driver Juan Carlos. Highlights included a very interesting visit to a chocolate factory, sleeping in bungalows in the jungle at Aninga Lodge (and being awakened at 4:45 am by howler monkeys overhead!), river wildlife trips at Tortuguero National Park to see herons, lizards, monkeys, and crocodiles, a coconut cutting demonstration, whitewater rafting on the Sarapiqui River (you will get soaked!), a private visit to a working pineapple plantation (with pina coladas to boot), zip-lining at Arenal on lines more than 1/2 mile long and speeds greater than 60 MPH (while soaring hundreds of feet over the canopy), relaxing in the incredible hot springs of Tabacon Resort, snorkeling in Papagayo Bay, and enjoying the fact that Tauck handled every detail. The people of Costa Rica are exceedingly friendly, and you don't have to bring special currency or electrical adaptors. The scenery is gorgeous everywhere. Fresh papaya, watermelon, and pineapple at every breakfast. We also stayed an extra night at El Mangroove and hired a tour company to take us to the geothermally active national park near Liberia called Rincon de la Vieja--a worthy add-on for sure, with the chance to see Oropendula Falls also. Direct flights to and from the US made the trip that much less stressful. If you like an active vacation, this is the one for you. We went into the trip with almost no expectations but emerged as huge fans of Costa Rica and its commitment to nature. Pura Vida!
Re: Is it time to boycott cash tips to get Tauck to join the modern era?
To summarize the "conundrum," the simplest thing to do would be for Tauck to incorporate tips into the tour price so we don't have to deal with it on tour. Since they already do it on river cruises, should be fairly simple for them.
BKMD
Memorial Day
For those who have lost family members and friends serving our country, thank you for your sacrifice.
Ben
Re: Green book and insider tips
I have also re-created the Green Book by this method. As the tour progresses, I make notes on the pages. My husband is forever asking after the tour - "where did we have the excellent dinner or where was that crazy.... etc." Now, I jot it down this little tidbit on that day's page. I have a small notebook and pen and take notes during the guided tours. There is so much interesting information that I can't possibly remember. I do a Shutterfly album, and my notes bring the tour back to life. I tend to focus on facts and photos that aren't readily known. (Years ago, on our first visit to Paris, I devoted an album page to the various toilets we encountered and how the heck to flush them.) This is the type of quirky things that I include.
Re: Is it time to boycott cash tips to get Tauck to join the modern era?
The title of the first post in this thread floats the idea of boycotting cash tips, i.e.not tipping. This is a seriously bad idea and unfair to the TDs. By all means, feel free to suggest alternatives, like other payment means or tip inclusive pricing. Put it on your hope and trust card or write a letter. Until and unless things change, you should continue to give the TDs the compensation they work so hard for,
