Would you go this summer?
I was considering this trip over the Summer or early Fall. but with the nonsense going on between Russia and Ukraine, I'm thinking the better part of valor is to not book. Curious what others think. If you're booked, would you cancel?
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Although the strife between Russia and Ukraine is unfortunate, it would not keep me from taking this tour. It would be a different story, however, if things escalated to the point where it would be unsafe for Americans. In my opinion, I am far more concerned about domestic terrorism here in the U. S. than abroad.
My personal preference for travel is always going in either spring or fall. This is a great trip, especially if you have a love for architecture, the arts, history and culture.
Good luck.
I’m booked on this tour for mid-June. We plan on going if Tauck is going. I would assume the State Department and/or Tauck would ban travel, cancel the tour, etc. if hostilities break out. We’ll play it by ear.
This is our wedding anniversary trip so hopefully it proceeds as planned.
My concern is not fighting in the area, as it's quite far from the Russian/Ukrainian border, but more along the lines of - if We and NATO impose economic sanctions, would it be safe for Americans to be there, etc.?
Sam, for your sake, I hope everything remains under control.
BKMD,
I hear you and certainly understand your concern. You need to assess your level of risk and make the decision that is right for you.
Unless there is an outright ban on travel to a certain country or region, I do not rely on the State Department's "recommendations", opting instead to put my faith in Tauck knowing that they would never put their travelers in danger.
Heck, in the short-term, I'm more concerned with the FAA and Airlines vs the FCC 5G issue. Some flights are getting cancelled.
BKMD, I believe you are younger than some of us, so you could postpone the trip until next year and chose to go somewhere else this year. We are tending to chose tours that we think are more likely to go ahead because we are fed up of the ones we pick being cancelled.
Tauck will cancel for sure if things are iffy. They do of course have planes they can charter at a moment’s notice to evacuate people out of sticky situations, terrorist activity etc, such as the Mumbai hotel bombing some years ago at the hotel Tauck was using.
I said in the short-term. As of today there seems to be temporary resolution, but you might want to ask someone who booked flights on Emirates (a fantastic airline, but not a Tauck carrier) for J&E or an Africa tour earlier this week and had their flight cancelled!
True, but I'm catching up. I start on Medicare in about 10 days
😂😂😂Just wait until you see how much they charge you a month
British - Already got billed for the first 3 months (and my chosen secondary insurance). It's far better than what I was charged under the unAffordable Care Act! And, I discovered that Obama was also responsible for the Medicare IRMAA surcharges which he snuck into the ACA, too.
BKMD, I guess it would depend on if I had a conflict in the dates where I would prefer to travel somewhere else. I am currently on the South Africa trip and was so close to canceling - now I’m so glad we didn’t. Maybe I’m naive, but I don’t think Tauck would put you in a dangerous situation and risk their reputation. We did this trip in 2019. It was my husband’s choice - I had little desire to go there. It ended up being one of my favorite trips. I found the Baltic counties to be charming and Russia was so interesting. It was a fantastic trip. A lot can change in the next six to nine months.
KHChgo and others - Thanks for the opinions. Good point about Tauck. i recall they pulled out of Egypt during the unrest and were late to the game (compared with A&K) in returning. Nothing wrong with better safe than sorry.
Actually, I would be much more concerned about the rampant Covid situation in Russia. We were booked on a Summer 2021 tour and of course it was canceled. We very much want to do this tour, but I would not go before 2023.
I went in this trip on June 19, 2019 and it was perfect time to go. Summer solstice was in full bloom and the weather was divine. Russia was still cold and rainy, so bring a sweater and rain coat. I’d trust Tauck’s judgement on any of their trips. If they think it’s safe then it is. The other nice thing about travel this year is you won’t be competing with all the tourists who are on cruise ships docking in Saint Petersburg. They caused quite a traffic jam, plus it was so crowded everywhere we toured. You’ll love this trip, it was fabulous.