Postpone Egypt
We are scheduled two go to Egypt, Petra end of October. I am considering postponing until next year for medical reasons. The two options I am considering are Spain & Portugal or Ireland, Scotland, England. We did the Classic Safari two years ago and had an amazing time. I'm sorry if this is a newby questions but for you seasoned TAUCK travelers how would you prioritize these three choices? Don't know how much traveling I have in my future and want the most awesome experience. Egypt isn't out of the question but would like the Grand Egyptian Museum to be open when we do go. Thanks for any advice you may have for us. I need to decide soon.
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Mary, I'm not sure which tours you're interested in nor what you would consider awesome. We've done the England, Scotland Wales tour and the Best of Ireland. Both we thoroughly enjoyed. What are you most interested in? History, architecture, scenery, culture, etc. You'll get better suggestions if you can narrow that down.
Scenery and culture. We've done France and Italy on our own several times. Just looking for suggestions on what impressions of these were. Egypt is not completely off the map but looking to go this fall.
Of the two I thought Ireland had more focus on scenery - Giants Causeway, Cliffs of Moher, Ring of Kerry, Kylemore Abbey. The UK was more history, castles, etc. though of course Ireland had some of that too. About the same on culture. They are both popular tours for a reason. If you like seafood, Ireland has plenty to offer and it's excellent.
If you love history and are wanting an adventure, go to Egypt. It is an experience of a lifetime. I was there last November/ December and it was fabulous. The Old Egyptian Museum still houses plenty of artifacts and no one in our group felt like we missed something by not seeing the New Museum. It’s an arduous trip as the days are long with all the interior flights and early start times. I’m glad I went and am currently choosing trips that I know will be more difficult as I get older.
As Claudia says, it really depends on what is more important to you- scenery and countryside,people/art/culture, history (C.E.), or ancient history (B.C.E). I've seen all the areas you mention with Tauck, except Portugal and Spain (which I saw part of on my own). For me, I wouldn't discount Jordan & Egypt and would follow that with England, Scotland, Wales, followed by Spain and Portugal.
After being disappointed the GEM was not open when we went this past March, but seeing everything else the J&E tour has to offer and a little more on our own, I would not wait for the GEM. You'll see Tut's tomb with his mummy in the Valley of the Kings and see some of his belongings and many, many other Egyptian antiquities (there is much more to see there than time allows) in the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities (old Egyptian Museum) in Tahrir Square, in Cairo. I signed up for this tour before I even really heard much about the GEM and it was far from being open, so while it was a disappointment not to have it open on our third attempt, it really wasn't a deal breaker.
Egypt Independent May 24, 2022
The Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities announced on Monday that all works related to the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) will be completed on September 30, in preparation for its opening.
The opening is still not likely to occur until late Nov on the 100th anniversary of the discovery of Tut's tomb. If the GEM won't be open, I hope you have the chance to see one of the immersive traveling displays like this one in Boston: www.wbur.org/news/2022/07/13/beyond-king-tut-immersive-experience-boston
Mary, although I haven't experienced each of these countries through Tauck, I'll give you my rating. First choice for a unique experience would be Petra and Egypt. Hoping to take this tour in the not too distant future. I visited Alexandria and Cairo and also Ephesus (Turkey) on a Regent cruise, and really want to experience them again. Plus, I'd love to see Petra and also the Valley of the Kings. Egypt is so unlike Europe, plus you get a cruise down the Nile! My 2nd choice is Spain and Portugal. Previously I've been on the Paradors of Northern Spain and Portugal and also Tauck's 8 day Spain trip. Lots of history in Barcelona and southern Spain and beautiful scenery in Northern Spain. We really enjoyed everything about the countries, the sights, the food, the wine and the people. Third choice would be England, Scotland and Wales. I've been to London and York on my own. Loved London, such great sights and museums. We did Tauck's Scotland tour - although I liked Edinburgh, the Scotland trip was probably my least favorite out of all our 9 Tauck trips. Not that it was bad, I just enjoyed others more - perhaps the fact we went in Sept and it rained everyday "clouded" my experience, plus I'm not a Scotch drinker!. Enjoy which ever tour you choose!
Thank you everyone for your thoughtful responses. I think we are going to keep Egypt-Petra trip. It really spoke to me when someone posted "choosing trips that I know will be more difficult as I get older." It has been on my bucket list since I was a little girl. If anyone has ideas of videos or must read books prior I would appreciate it. Our Classic Safari 2 years ago was life changing for me. Since then I have had health issues but I am going to "soldier on" and make this trip happen. Spain & Portugal next year!
mil, PureLuxury, and I have posted extensive reviews in the past year that were heavy on photos. Just go to the Egypt & Jordan category, Jordan & Egypt, Petra to the Pyramids forum - (follow my link or use the listing at the right) to check the threads and posts by us and others. J & E is right up there with K & T on my list- a real 15 on a scale of 1 to 10!
You'll likely see suggestions for movies and books in the threads as well.
I enjoyed “The Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt” by Toby Wilkinson.
Mary, I’m happy for you you’re taking this trip. You won’t regret it!
I am so happy you decided to go. There should be no regrets in this short life. I have read a book but the title and author escape my mind at the moment. Let me think and I’ll get back to you. I just remember that it was a great book about the discovery of the tomb of King Tut and the real archaeologists. That’s what made it fascinating.
I've been all three places. Go to Egypt. It's an amazing place. November can be a bit warm.
Here is the name of the book: The Visitors by Sally Beauman. (2014). I’ve read all of her books.
Toby Wilkinson seems to be the "go to" author about ancient Egypt. I read his A World Beneath the Sands: The Golden Age of Egyptology. It talked about all the discoveries, the names of the larger-than-life archaeologists like Howard Carter, and how they and their governments removed and sent many now-priceless Egyptian antiquities to the leading museums around the world. It was very interesting, though a bit dry in parts. A good, heavily-illustrated book (not quite as fancy as a coffee table book) is The Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt, edited by Helen Strudwick. There are several editions available from various vendors and re-sellers.
Mary, if you want some lighter reading you might try some of Elizabeth Peters novels - the Amelia Peabody series and others. Now deceased, her real name was Barbara Mertz who had a PHD in Egyptology. The woman had a wicked sense of humor.
Hello Mary - I'm just catching up with this thread. If earlier, I'd have chimed in "do the challenging trips first" and by that I mean physically challenging. You never know what life may bring. We loved Petra, which is included in the Israel & Jordan tour. It remains one of our favorites and most memorable; I can't say enough about it, and would repeat in a heartbeat. We've been to the other places, too. Recounts of Egypt on the Forum have caused us to take a second look at Egypt, so it's on the docket. Oh, but you'd have great food in Spain and Portugal... :-)
It really depends what the medical reasons are. We went on this trip in December and it was incredible. It was also exhausting with many outings planned for each day. You may want to pick a day to stay in the hotel and relax or sit out some of the walking tours and sit in the shade taking in the wonderful views. They are amazing and a "trip of a lifetime". We had an 80 year old couple on our tour who ended up missing the final two days, the Pyramids, because of exhaustion and dehydration.
In addition to The Rise and Fall if Ancient Egypt, we viewed a wonderful online course from The Great Courses on The History of Ancient Egypt taught by Bob Brier. If your local library offers the Kanopy app, you can watch for free. 44 lectures, all interesting. We felt our understanding of the history and culture from our preparation made the trip even more enjoyable.