I think that Tauck had issues yesterday with the website and the forum if you're wondering why there weren't any posts. Just a guess on my part. When the website did come back it was slow reacting. Seems fine this morning.
Checked the forum several times and just thought people were busy doing other things. Did see one post from travelcrazy and responded to that. I noticed the webpage had portions that didn't seem operable. Couldn't do a search on destinations but could use a saved book marked link to my Switzerland tour. Now seems all better.
Derek -- even if you never travel with Rick Steves, his guide books are the BEST. We either buy them on Amazon, or sign up for his emails and you'll get notified of sales for his website store. His book EUROPE THROUGH THE BACK DOOR is a 'must read' for anyone going to Europe in our opinion. We find it cheaper on Amazon, unless his site has a sale. His tours are GREAT and his guides compare with Tauck for sure - that said, it is a totally different trip - you carry your bags, and the hotels are more quaint and local places. We always price compare and itinerary compare. We are booking Sicily with RS as the price difference is just too much for us. We are booking Tuscany & Umbria with Tauck. The RS forums are fabulous and very helpful.
Terrilynn - I'm impressed that you can ping-pong between tour companies. We've tried several tour companies, but once we tried Tauck in 2011 my wife no longer wants to travel with anyone else. I'm thankful that we have the means to do that.
terrilynn, thanx you reminded me I wanted to read that book. Got it along with most of his videos after a hefty PBS donation. I don't always agree with his travel advise - a little too negative on organized touring, a little too critical of those in the checked bags camp, etc. He's been roughing it in Europe since a teen so I'm not sure he fully understands that not everyone shares that experience and comfort level. But he does have some great products and lots of free info, videos, walking tours via his app that are all worth using even on a Tauck tour.
even if you never travel with Rick Steves, his guide books are the BEST.
Personally, I like Lonely Planet and Fodors when I pre-plan free time activities before a trip. Most of my trips have been outside Europe, so don't know if Steves even writes for other areas.
Smiling Sam, if money weren't an issue, we'd choose Tauck every time. But we can't afford it every time as we like to travel too much. We are still working full time and in our early 50s. Hopefully one day we can go totally Tauck, but RS does do a GREAT tour in regards to seeing and learning about an area. We just know going in, how it will be different and we've never had a bad tour with them. I certainly wouldn't recommend it for my parents as they'd never manage their bags - and, like I said, we hope to one day do exclusively Tauck. We did do a Uniworld River Cruise a few years ago and while they are considered 5 star and all inclusive, we still liked our 2 Tauck River Cruises better. We have 2 more booked with Tauck.
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What?
I think that Tauck had issues yesterday with the website and the forum if you're wondering why there weren't any posts. Just a guess on my part. When the website did come back it was slow reacting. Seems fine this morning.
No
Oh, darn, now I've got to continue washing the porch ceiling, etc.
Checked the forum several times and just thought people were busy doing other things. Did see one post from travelcrazy and responded to that. I noticed the webpage had portions that didn't seem operable. Couldn't do a search on destinations but could use a saved book marked link to my Switzerland tour. Now seems all better.
I was not able to log in yesterday and could not access links to river cruises and my dashboard. Did PM and researched Rick Steves.
Derek -- even if you never travel with Rick Steves, his guide books are the BEST. We either buy them on Amazon, or sign up for his emails and you'll get notified of sales for his website store. His book EUROPE THROUGH THE BACK DOOR is a 'must read' for anyone going to Europe in our opinion. We find it cheaper on Amazon, unless his site has a sale. His tours are GREAT and his guides compare with Tauck for sure - that said, it is a totally different trip - you carry your bags, and the hotels are more quaint and local places. We always price compare and itinerary compare. We are booking Sicily with RS as the price difference is just too much for us. We are booking Tuscany & Umbria with Tauck. The RS forums are fabulous and very helpful.
Terrilynn - I'm impressed that you can ping-pong between tour companies. We've tried several tour companies, but once we tried Tauck in 2011 my wife no longer wants to travel with anyone else. I'm thankful that we have the means to do that.
terrilynn, thanx you reminded me I wanted to read that book. Got it along with most of his videos after a hefty PBS donation. I don't always agree with his travel advise - a little too negative on organized touring, a little too critical of those in the checked bags camp, etc. He's been roughing it in Europe since a teen so I'm not sure he fully understands that not everyone shares that experience and comfort level. But he does have some great products and lots of free info, videos, walking tours via his app that are all worth using even on a Tauck tour.
Personally, I like Lonely Planet and Fodors when I pre-plan free time activities before a trip. Most of my trips have been outside Europe, so don't know if Steves even writes for other areas.
Smiling Sam, if money weren't an issue, we'd choose Tauck every time. But we can't afford it every time as we like to travel too much. We are still working full time and in our early 50s. Hopefully one day we can go totally Tauck, but RS does do a GREAT tour in regards to seeing and learning about an area. We just know going in, how it will be different and we've never had a bad tour with them. I certainly wouldn't recommend it for my parents as they'd never manage their bags - and, like I said, we hope to one day do exclusively Tauck. We did do a Uniworld River Cruise a few years ago and while they are considered 5 star and all inclusive, we still liked our 2 Tauck River Cruises better. We have 2 more booked with Tauck.