Best Of
Re: Tauck v. Viking
We have only taken one Tauck River cruise. They certainly have the advantage of a slower pace, not having to get up so early and not having to pack and unpack.
While we are able to take the land tours, we feel they are better value for money and we certainly see more than I think we would on a River cruise. The free time you get on a land tour can be more easily organized than when you are on a ship that might go without you. As far as the packing goes, we just don’t unpack and use cubes on our land tours.
Re: Luggage
A man after my own heart. No cocktail dresses for this girl . I dress for practicality and comfort on trips. Simplicity.
Less is more.
Re: Luggage
We’ve done carry on only for decades as much of our travel is independent. So, we are hauling the bags, with trains being a major challenge. Need to be sure you can lift them, watch them. You get very good at packing, learning which materials are amenable to sink washing, how more than two pair of shoes are really not necessary. For our first Tauck tour we were a bit flummoxed by the dress up dinners. One rule about carry on only is never pack anything you need once or twice only. We are going to N. Italy with Tauck in 2024. But we are extending our trip independently so plan on carry on only. We’ve done 2-6 weeks with a 21” rollaboard and a small underseat toiletry bag. I’ll risk being “that guy” without a sport jacket.
Re: Luggage
Stellie, I love COO. It feels very liberating to walk right off that plane and go straight through Customs without having to stand anxiously by a carousel and pray my checked bag made the trip with me. I prefer trips with casual itineraries, but if I did choose to go somewhere fancy schmancy then I might make an exception to my rule. Whatever or however you choose to pack, have tons of fun and remember a smile can be your best accessory.
Re: Luggage
Stellie I am curious for you to try it and report back to us how it all went for you. I'm booked for Aus/NZ the following year and anticipate multiple weather changes so I am already trying to figure out how to pack. Factor in shoes/health essentials/layers and there is no way I could personally do it in a carry-on. I guess if I had ever had lost luggage I would think differently, but as long as someone else is lugging my luggage around, I don't mind bringing a larger suitcase.
Re: Luggage
I don’t get the carry-on only. I know if you check your luggage they can get lost. We do an emergency bag carry on and then check the rest.
I’m sure if you wanted to go the the extreme you could do the tours with just the clothes you wear on the plane, but who wants to do daily or a few times a week laundry when on vacation just to avoid checking a bag. Not I. If forced to because my checked bag gets lost, so be it, but my default will never be the ‘do laundry a bunch on vacation’ no checked bag paradigm.
Re: Luggage
Stellie, we have friends that travel extensively and for months at the time and they, both husband and wife, only carry their carry-ons. We don't know how they do it but they say it is easily done by packing tops and bottoms that match each other so they can change up often. They use quick or fast drying clothes and rinse them in the rooms at night. BTW, we'll be on the Australia-New Zealand trip in November too.
Re: Is the pre-tour trip to Capri worthwhile?
We received our digital Greenbook for our Classic Italy tour and it provided some detail about the optional pre-tour day in Capri.
Timing: 7:45 pick up at the hotel, transfer to the port, 8:45 hydrofoil to Capri, 15:35 return to Sorrento, 16:05 arr back at the hotel.
Includes: local guide, transport on Capri, admission fees, lunch (2 course + soft drink) Blue Grotto vist (weather permitting) or alternative, gratuities. Sadly no other info about what sights are seen.
It also notes the tour provider is Sireon Tours Spartaco Mollo. I found a Tauck blog post that talked about Taucks relationship to the company and included a video of Pompeii. https://www.tauck.com/blog/meet-3-longtime-travel-partners/