We have taken the Spotlight on India Tour. This tour is fairly new and has been improved since its conception, originally there were very long rides on roads worse than in Africa in the Safari parts that people didn’t like.
So I’ve been to Delhi, Agra and Khajaraho but not Mumbai. I can only give you my own experience of those areas or you can look up my trip report back several years ago. We found it mentally challenging although your tour does not go to Varanasi which was the hardest part for us and where we were stepping over most cow poop. Not to be missed!
Cathy, if you would like to send me your email by private message, I will forward you my two Shutterfly books which include my diary. One of my best writings i think I have ever done is on page 42 to 43 of book one, so try to enlarge that page so you can read it. I’ve only stopped for a quick break now and have a crazy day, but I will get back to it as soon as I can. I would go back to India in a heartbeat, I don’t think it would be any easier on me, but it is no comparison to Africa for us. Africa has hope, for us, India has none.
Cathy -- My wife and I just got back from this trip, and I just posted a review. Here it is:
We've always wanted to see the Taj Mahal, but weren't sure that was enough to justify a trip to India. Moreover, we've been warned by fellow travelers about the crowds in India, the street vendors, the water, and even the food. Our interest was piqued, though, when we saw Tauck's itinerary for the Northern India and Nepal tour. Combining the Taj Mahal with a fly-by of Mount Everest and safaris in both Nepal and India was enough to convince us to try it, and we weren't disappointed. We just came back from an amazing trip, one that exceeded all expectations. We had a wonderful tour director, beautiful hotels (our room in Agra had a view of the Taj Mahal), well-planned and exciting excursions (including a safari on elephant-back tracking rhinos!), and great local guides. Not being a fan of Indian food, I was pleasantly surprised at the availability of Western food at all of our first-class accommodations. We probably would never travel to India or Nepal on our own, and we're glad we did it with Tauck. This was truly a trip of a lifetime.
Cathy--I traveled with Tauck on the Portrait of India tour and it was FABULOUS! It's ranked in my top 3 (So. Africa Safari, Antarctica, India). I would return in a heartbeat. The sights, smells, sounds, food, people, accommodations--it was all an assault on the senses. I'm sure the Himalayas and the safari included with your tour will be equally mesmerizing. Enjoy!
My wife and I are booked on this trip in October. We are so looking forward to it! Over the past weeks, it has gone from sold out, to limited availability, to available, so it appears that a few folks have decided to postpone this year. This will be our 6th time with Tauck! If it isn't run in October, we'll be booking for 2022. Eventually we'll get there!
I’m such a pessimist, but I doubt any tours will be going in October. We have a tour in October too. It’s best not to cancel, you are better off waiting for Tauck to cancel. If enough people cancel, the tour may be pulled anyway even if things have opened up.
Having already been evacuated from a remote area at the start of this crisis, I see how quickly things can close down with flights back to the US diminished. I’ve just today started to look at photos of the six days we got of a 19 day tour. I’m going to document out lockdown in a far off remote land experience in a small photo book as a history aid for our ancestors.
Look at the Reservation number- in general except for a few special tours, there will be a few letters designating the tour followed by the specific departure date- one digit for the year, one or two digits for the month and two digits for the first day of the tour- followed by the order in which you booked, e.g. our K&T Reservation # = KT5613001 = Kenya & Tanzania, Classic Safari, departure of June13,2015, 1st person to book.
AlanS...I learned something new. I was the first to book my J&E departure...now, just hope it goes as the news about COVID cases in the Middle East & Africa are rising....
AlanS: thanks for explaining the reservation number coding. I had thought that the printed list of travelers received at the start of the tour might also reflect booking order since, rather inexplicably, they aren't in alphabetic order. However, checking our Switzerland tour last year (1st listed) and now using the reservation code (7th booked), that's not the case. Do you have any insight into what the printed list order reflects? Perhaps the number of Tauck tours taken?
Alan: Thank you for the explanation of the booking number. I looked at our Reservation number for our cancelled River Cruise this past April and we were number 67 and we booked one year ahead of time. This confirms the popularity of these river cruises.
AlanS - Thanks for the Reservation Number tip. I looked at our June 2021 Iceland tour reservation and it indicates that we were number 53. Since there are three of us I don't know if that means we are 51, 52, and 53 or 53, 54, and 55, or perhaps even we were the 53rd reservation, regardless of the number of people (I doubt it is the third option).
AlanS, oh God of Knowledge for all things Tauck - Any insights on the people numbering question?
You are 53, 54 and 55. The number on the reservation is the lowest. On a trip, if you look at your baggage tags, you will see the 53, 54 and 55 (one for each person) i the upper right hand corner. As British said, if someone puts a tour on hold and decides against booking it, they are also assigned a number which will not be used again. The listing of people on the tour is consistent with these numbers. If you are first, you were the first one to book who actually went on the tour. If you are last, you are the last one to book who is on the tour.
Thanks Kathy for adding the info about cancellations and guest list!! Well, between all the questions and answers, I don't need to provide any further explanation, but I will
Theoretically you could be listed first on the guest list, but have, what I call a sequence number, that is 10, 15, etc. if a number of early bookees (is that a word? ) cancelled. That tells you something- I hope it tells me that there will soon be a vacancy on one of my upcoming tours!
Not that anyone cares, so I won't get into it, but there is a slightly different system/number for the wait list.
In addition to the Tauck pocket guest list, the small one with green Tauck logo, TD's will sometimes distribute there own list. Some will include the number of Tauck trips (taken + booked). After the tour they will often provide a list with email addresses (with permission).
One of our recent TDs distributed a guest list that included the name, month, year and Tour Director of every tour taken (and future bookings) for every person on the tour!! We only had 15 people on that tour (max is 20) but they represented a total of 69 Tauck tours. British would have required a page of her own if she had been on that trip!!
Well, nice as that is, I consider the information from that TD as a confidentiality breech. Really I do. We were once on a tour where the TD Announced the number of tours each had been on. For the next few days, some of the other people made lots of rude remarks to us. Yes really! They eventually stopped as we got to know each other but it just shows the type of people one can meet on a tour. We prefer to decide who we tell about our tours. We have met people who have taken more tours than us. Right now, we are so happy we decided many years ago that travel was important and we did not want to leave it until we retired. Our family has greatly benefited from these experiences.
I’m still hoping we can take our children and grandchildren to Africa in 2024 to celebrate our golden wedding, but it looks doubtful now.
I agree with British. When we got our exit visas from Jordan, it was a group visa with everyone's name, passport number and DOB. I thought that was inappropriate and a breach of privacy.
I agree with British. When we got our exit visas from Jordan, it was a group visa with everyone's name, passport number and DOB. I thought that was inappropriate and a breach of privacy.
But then, if you didn't know already, you could tell who robbed the cradle or had a "trophy wife."
British - we celebrated our 50th anniversary with the Tauck Bridges tour to Tanzania and it was wonderful! I have been in the travel business for 45 years and have visited about 100 countries. People are always asking me my favorite and I really don't have one, until...we did the Tanzanian trip! With our family there and celebrating Africa, it was amazing and is absolutely our number one trip! Think about it all the time. Make plans and go!
British - Just like for Virginia Sue in the other thread, since Vegas opened I checked the odds for you. The Morning Line for COVID being the reason you can't travel in 2024 is 2%.
The Vegas Oddsmakers said that 'Their People' look out for well known, small ship, swimming pool models!!!
Alan - You seem to have developed an oversized emoji addiction recently. Hope it's not the pain meds.
Actually the pain is starting to subside just a bit (I no longer need the Evard Munch emoji) so I have extended the dosing cycle and am trying to dial back my meds.
I can't say whether the reduction in pain has anything to do with my underlying condition or because I am basically doing nothing and not moving around much. I just looked at the MRI summary, and while I don't have a clue as to what it all means, I must say I am really concerned. I have an appointment to see a neurosurgeon on Monday.
An oversized emoji is not unusual in men of a certain age. Should be checked with the finger emoji.
The only appropriate reply to that is-
For those who missed the Evard Munch emoji reference, it is based on Munch's iconic and world famous naturalist/impressionist/symbolist(?) painting the "The Scream."
Comments
We have taken the Spotlight on India Tour. This tour is fairly new and has been improved since its conception, originally there were very long rides on roads worse than in Africa in the Safari parts that people didn’t like.
So I’ve been to Delhi, Agra and Khajaraho but not Mumbai. I can only give you my own experience of those areas or you can look up my trip report back several years ago. We found it mentally challenging although your tour does not go to Varanasi which was the hardest part for us and where we were stepping over most cow poop. Not to be missed!
Cathy, if you would like to send me your email by private message, I will forward you my two Shutterfly books which include my diary. One of my best writings i think I have ever done is on page 42 to 43 of book one, so try to enlarge that page so you can read it. I’ve only stopped for a quick break now and have a crazy day, but I will get back to it as soon as I can. I would go back to India in a heartbeat, I don’t think it would be any easier on me, but it is no comparison to Africa for us. Africa has hope, for us, India has none.
Cathy -- My wife and I just got back from this trip, and I just posted a review. Here it is:
We've always wanted to see the Taj Mahal, but weren't sure that was enough to justify a trip to India. Moreover, we've been warned by fellow travelers about the crowds in India, the street vendors, the water, and even the food. Our interest was piqued, though, when we saw Tauck's itinerary for the Northern India and Nepal tour. Combining the Taj Mahal with a fly-by of Mount Everest and safaris in both Nepal and India was enough to convince us to try it, and we weren't disappointed. We just came back from an amazing trip, one that exceeded all expectations. We had a wonderful tour director, beautiful hotels (our room in Agra had a view of the Taj Mahal), well-planned and exciting excursions (including a safari on elephant-back tracking rhinos!), and great local guides. Not being a fan of Indian food, I was pleasantly surprised at the availability of Western food at all of our first-class accommodations. We probably would never travel to India or Nepal on our own, and we're glad we did it with Tauck. This was truly a trip of a lifetime.
Tim
Cathy--I traveled with Tauck on the Portrait of India tour and it was FABULOUS! It's ranked in my top 3 (So. Africa Safari, Antarctica, India). I would return in a heartbeat. The sights, smells, sounds, food, people, accommodations--it was all an assault on the senses. I'm sure the Himalayas and the safari included with your tour will be equally mesmerizing. Enjoy!
My wife and I are booked on this trip in October. We are so looking forward to it! Over the past weeks, it has gone from sold out, to limited availability, to available, so it appears that a few folks have decided to postpone this year. This will be our 6th time with Tauck! If it isn't run in October, we'll be booking for 2022. Eventually we'll get there!
I’m such a pessimist, but I doubt any tours will be going in October. We have a tour in October too. It’s best not to cancel, you are better off waiting for Tauck to cancel. If enough people cancel, the tour may be pulled anyway even if things have opened up.
Having already been evacuated from a remote area at the start of this crisis, I see how quickly things can close down with flights back to the US diminished. I’ve just today started to look at photos of the six days we got of a 19 day tour. I’m going to document out lockdown in a far off remote land experience in a small photo book as a history aid for our ancestors.
Cathyandsteve - Do you know if you were the first to book the tour?
Look at the Reservation number- in general except for a few special tours, there will be a few letters designating the tour followed by the specific departure date- one digit for the year, one or two digits for the month and two digits for the first day of the tour- followed by the order in which you booked, e.g. our K&T Reservation # = KT5613001 = Kenya & Tanzania, Classic Safari, departure of June 13 , 2015, 1st person to book.
AlanS...I learned something new. I was the first to book my J&E departure...now, just hope it goes as the news about COVID cases in the Middle East & Africa are rising....
AlanS: thanks for explaining the reservation number coding. I had thought that the printed list of travelers received at the start of the tour might also reflect booking order since, rather inexplicably, they aren't in alphabetic order. However, checking our Switzerland tour last year (1st listed) and now using the reservation code (7th booked), that's not the case. Do you have any insight into what the printed list order reflects? Perhaps the number of Tauck tours taken?
The printed list does reflect booking order. But if people ahead of you have cancelled, your booking number will be different.
Alan: Thank you for the explanation of the booking number. I looked at our Reservation number for our cancelled River Cruise this past April and we were number 67 and we booked one year ahead of time. This confirms the popularity of these river cruises.
AlanS - Thanks for the Reservation Number tip. I looked at our June 2021 Iceland tour reservation and it indicates that we were number 53. Since there are three of us I don't know if that means we are 51, 52, and 53 or 53, 54, and 55, or perhaps even we were the 53rd reservation, regardless of the number of people (I doubt it is the third option).
AlanS, oh God of Knowledge for all things Tauck - Any insights on the people numbering question?
You are 53, 54 and 55. The number on the reservation is the lowest. On a trip, if you look at your baggage tags, you will see the 53, 54 and 55 (one for each person) i the upper right hand corner. As British said, if someone puts a tour on hold and decides against booking it, they are also assigned a number which will not be used again. The listing of people on the tour is consistent with these numbers. If you are first, you were the first one to book who actually went on the tour. If you are last, you are the last one to book who is on the tour.
Thanks Kathy for adding the info about cancellations and guest list!! Well, between all the questions and answers, I don't need to provide any further explanation, but I will
Theoretically you could be listed first on the guest list, but have, what I call a sequence number, that is 10, 15, etc. if a number of early bookees (is that a word?
) cancelled. That tells you something- I hope it tells me that there will soon be a vacancy on one of my upcoming tours!
Not that anyone cares, so I won't get into it, but there is a slightly different system/number for the wait list.
In addition to the Tauck pocket guest list, the small one with green Tauck logo, TD's will sometimes distribute there own list. Some will include the number of Tauck trips (taken + booked). After the tour they will often provide a list with email addresses (with permission).
One of our recent TDs distributed a guest list that included the name, month, year and Tour Director of every tour taken (and future bookings) for every person on the tour!! We only had 15 people on that tour (max is 20) but they represented a total of 69 Tauck tours. British would have required a page of her own if she had been on that trip!!
Well, nice as that is, I consider the information from that TD as a confidentiality breech. Really I do. We were once on a tour where the TD Announced the number of tours each had been on. For the next few days, some of the other people made lots of rude remarks to us. Yes really! They eventually stopped as we got to know each other but it just shows the type of people one can meet on a tour. We prefer to decide who we tell about our tours. We have met people who have taken more tours than us. Right now, we are so happy we decided many years ago that travel was important and we did not want to leave it until we retired. Our family has greatly benefited from these experiences.
I’m still hoping we can take our children and grandchildren to Africa in 2024 to celebrate our golden wedding, but it looks doubtful now.
I agree with British. When we got our exit visas from Jordan, it was a group visa with everyone's name, passport number and DOB. I thought that was inappropriate and a breach of privacy.
But then, if you didn't know already, you could tell who robbed the cradle or had a "trophy wife."
Alan - You seem to have developed an oversized emoji addiction recently. Hope it's not the pain meds.
British - we celebrated our 50th anniversary with the Tauck Bridges tour to Tanzania and it was wonderful! I have been in the travel business for 45 years and have visited about 100 countries. People are always asking me my favorite and I really don't have one, until...we did the Tanzanian trip! With our family there and celebrating Africa, it was amazing and is absolutely our number one trip! Think about it all the time. Make plans and go!
We do plan to go if Covid is no longer a problem. Hoping they have a vaccine by then
British - Just like for Virginia Sue in the other thread, since Vegas opened I checked the odds for you. The Morning Line for COVID being the reason you can't travel in 2024 is 2%.
The Vegas Oddsmakers said that 'Their People' look out for well known, small ship, swimming pool models!!!
😂😂😂😂🏊🏽♂️🏊🏽🏊🏽♂️
Actually the pain is starting to subside just a bit (I no longer need the Evard Munch emoji) so I have extended the dosing cycle and am trying to dial back my meds.
I can't say whether the reduction in pain has anything to do with my underlying condition or because I am basically doing nothing and not moving around much. I just looked at the MRI summary, and while I don't have a clue as to what it all means, I must say I am really concerned. I have an appointment to see a neurosurgeon on Monday.
Wishing you all the best Alan.
Good luck!!
An oversized emoji is not unusual in men of a certain age. Should be checked with the finger emoji.
The only appropriate reply to that is-
For those who missed the Evard Munch emoji reference, it is based on Munch's iconic and world famous naturalist/impressionist/symbolist(?) painting the "The Scream."
"Doctor, the surgical equipment is ready."
Ouch!