Best Of
Re: The Best of Ireland
PatW, you may find that you love to have free to explore and linger at your own pace. I find that some built in free time even on river cruises make the adventure more memorable. Some times I wish that I had more time to really appreciate the local rather than being herded in one direction or the other. We have taken several small group tours we always find a couple or two who want to join us for non scheduled activities. The great thing about land tours is you have the opportunity to stay in town after the day trippers and cruise lines have left. Enjoy your trip. May you have warm words on a cold evening, a full moon on a dark night and the road downhill all the way to your door.
Ben
Re: Great Migration Trip Report
Sealord, you nailed it. On my first trip to Africa in 2014, I spent a few days in Amsterdam en route. Leaving the hotel for our flight to Nairobi the young bellman loaded our luggage into the cab and wished us a safe flight home. When I told him we weren’t going home but to Africa instead, he replied without skipping a beat, ”but isn’t Africa home to all of us?”. My inner cynic thinks that he must say that to everyone as the Ambassade in Amsterdam is a favorite stop before going on safari, but at the time I was charmed and remain so. You have probably visited the Olduvai Gorge in your travels. Looking forward to my fifth trip to my favorite continent this spring. As Hemingway said, “there was not a day in Africa that I didn’t wake up happy”. Happy and safe travels to you and your wife.
Essence of Japan
We just returned from this trip and it was wonderful! We loved everything about Japan: the cleanliness, the punctuality, the politeness, the gardens, the temples, the drumming, the cherry blossoms, the sumo wrestlers, the samurai, the flower arranging, the sushi making, the origami lesson, etc. The trains, buses and airplanes are on time! The bullet train was fast, clean and smooth. The 7-11s are plentiful there. A good place to use the ATM, however credit cards are accepted widely. (The egg salad sandwich is a big hit .)They love KitKat bars (with different flavors: plum, apple, peach, sake and cherry blossom) ! The hotels are great The Conrad Hilton , The Hyatt and The Four Seasons are excellent.. Thank you Tauck for having a Tour Director and a local guide on this trip. A wealth of information. One of our favorite trips!!
BDW
Re: Concern re our upcoming trip in early May - what happens if jet fuel really does run out in the EU ?
Seems to me that a lot of people would have to cancel their travel plans before the airlines would cancel a flight. Most tourist purchase their tickets long in advance and the tickets are usually non-refundable - so they're stuck. Additionally, they won't be affected by price increases because they already have their tickets.
Business people keep traveling - life goes on and business still has to be done. It's possible that the flights may not fly full, but I even wonder about that.
[I think the world can go on with $100/barrel oil. It'd have to get close to $200/barrel to really shut things down. The current administration is very sensitive to the stock market and will likely do a deal that does not meet all of their expectations, rather than see a stock market crash and inflation run up to 10%. Especially with the midterms coming up. ]
Re: Pricing Tours - delayed?
Well you can leave out the opinion commentary on who's to blame but the reality is that the current situation in the middle east is causing ripple effects world wide. The travel industry is just one that is currently being impacted and nobody knows how long this will last. Expecting a tour company, airline or hotel to be able to predict their costs in this climate isn't realistic.
Re: Pricing Tours - delayed?
A good portion of hotels' revenue comes from groups and repeat business. Is Tauck losing market share, therefore clout?
Regarding pricing, I feel sorry for any business trying to plan for the future, given the chaos wrought by the demented misfit in charge and his band of merry yes-men.
BKMD
Re: Pricing Tours - delayed?
Let this be a travel forum to help each other out and leave politics to the WSJ and NYT editors
Ben
Re: Roam by Tauck
Although the Roam tours don't appeal to me, there is one feature that I think is wonderful.
In the "Dates & Pricing" section, Tauck includes the starting AND ending date for each tour. For many years, I've wished that Tauck included the end date for each tour departure date. Numerous other tour companies have already been doing it for years
When narrowing down a specific departure date for a chosen tour, I determine the end date to see how it fits my schedule. And for checking return flight options. And for seeing which tours will work as back-to-back tours. Yes, it's a small thing to pull up a calendar and count forward myself. But it's tedious and it would be so nice not to have to do this myself when planning trips.
I hope Tauck realizes that their new Dates & Pricing format is very helpful, and applies it to non-Roam tours also. .
R_from_S
Re: New product
A friend shared the email announcing this, and I noticed it was sent to those in the "1925 Circle." The women-only trips are not viewable to those of us who haven't reached that status with Tauck. A mistake Tauck may correct if their loyal frequent travelers don't fill the trips. My daughter and I went on Uniworld's inaugural women-only river cruise this year, and it was so much fun, we immediately booked the next one when they added it to 2027. The women on our ship ranged from 20's to 90's, and my guess would be the majority were in their 50's. Grandmom/Mom/Daughters, sisters, neighbors, bridge partners, lots of working women, and solo travelers who hoped they wouldn't feel like a "fifth wheel." The standard itinerary was augmented with some women-focused options and special events on board.
Re: Detailed, Hourly Travel Itineraries
To the contrary, I do not want to “see” the country; I want to experience it. The planned itinerary is merely an introduction for me to decide what I want to do on my own time so I can delve deeper.
Please remember that we all have our own traveling styles. The only right one is what works best for the individual.
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