What was your favorite Tauck trip?
I thought this would be an interesting question....I know most love every trip they have taken (or nearly all). But if you had to pick your favorite one(s), which would it be?
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I thought this would be an interesting question....I know most love every trip they have taken (or nearly all). But if you had to pick your favorite one(s), which would it be?
Comments
That's a very tough question, which I've been asked before. My standard answer is all the trips have been great, but if I have to pick one, it's Israel/Jordan.
Land tour - Spain and Portugal for its culture, architecture and cuisine.
River tour - The Douro for its bucolic beauty. Reflection and relaxation at its finest.
For me, it was Northern India and Nepal.
Antarctica for its majestic blue glaciered and quiet beauty. Kenya and Tanzania for magnificent wildlife. These trips were taken 2002 and 2003 so it might be time to repeat. Churchill Canada for the polar bears. I like river cruises but a river cruise is a river cruise is a river cruise.
Grand Australia & New Zealand. Tied for 2nd place are Israel & Jordan and Adriatic Treasures. (13 down...3 more booked)
It's always my next one.
I have to say Grand Australia & New Zealand - followed by Normandy, Brittany & the Loire Valley.
I know this was not the Q, but my fondest memories are from independent travel: 4 weeks in Europe with no set itinerary (a week in Norway, Sweden, Denmark + London) b/f a move to the West Coast, two of us on a northern Italy train trip for my long-ago 40th birthday (Venice-Verona-Modena-Parma-Lucca-Cinque Terre-Florence+), a dinner invitation on a Sydney-Hobart flight, 2 female scientists I met on the Dublin-Belfast train. I could go on & on. The freedom of indy travel remains one of my greatest joys.
Well, if it doesn't have to be a Tauck trip, my most memorable trip was my first international trip, which was to Paris on business. I come from a French area and Paris was always talked about. I remember walking down the Champ Elysees and saying to myself, "This is the Champ Elysees! This is PARIS!"
Beyond that, I think our trip to Egypt was the most memorable. But Paris will always be special to me.
Our first Tauck tour French Waterways ( Savoring France sort of replaced it) remains our favorite river cruise with Budapest to Amsterdam a close second.
Normandy Brittany favorite of land tours - great sites, best TD and a wonderful group of 9 last year determined to enjoy travel even with masks and covid.
I will agree with my travel partner SueMS above who said Northern India and Nepal.
Since we are getting into independent travel as well, I think one of the most memorable trips was about 20 years ago in our younger age. We rented a car in Munich and drove around Germany then dropped off the car in Berlin. I got to fulfill a bucket list item and drive as fast as I could on the Autobahn. I got the rental car up to 220 KMH (about 130 MPH) before the car started to shake and my wife started to scream. There were cars passing us even at that speed. (I wish I had my current car back then)
Classic Italy and Portrait of India.
My favorite is always is Southern Africa. We have been there three times.
East Africa. We love Kenya, and Tanzania. We also love Botswana and Zambia, and enjoyed Cape Town and South Africa. But we did not need to do a land tour of South Africa a second time. We have done K&T three times and I hope we are not done yet.
Antarctica is a different category … a bucket list trip, that is probably a once in a lifetime adventure. It ranks right up there with East Africa, but we probably don’t need to do it twice. On the other hand, our TD has been to Antarctica dozens of times, and he never gets tired of it. Of course he is paid, not paying. (;-)
Kenya and Tanzania
My answer would be absolutely Antartica...so unique and amazing! Tom's would be our two Africa trips, South Africa and East Africa, all with Tauck. We've had some amazing journeys with other companies when Tauck hasn't offered the adventure.
This has been a topic of discussion in our household on numerous occasions.
Our top 3 Tauck tours (out of the 12 we have done so far; 5 more in the queue!) are: Antarctica, Grand Australia and New Zealand and Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand. Each was fabulous and memorable for unique reasons.
Antarctica was amazing, other-worldly, and too extraordinary for words. It allowed us to see the true splendor of the earth in its untouched condition. The gear and water landings made it also feel like a real adventure. The beginning of the trip in Buenos Aires was surprisingly European but with an edge, and added a different dimension.
Australia and New Zealand had remarkable natural beauty with interesting history, animals and some really dazzling hotels (particularly the Silky Oaks Lodge, The Sydney Intercontinental and the Sofitels). To be so far from home and yet be in a place that seemed culturally familiar but without as much social and political strife was lovely. It was a very busy, but energizing trip.
Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand was a truly unique tour for us. We had both been in Japan before for business and had not ventured back to Asia. Each country was so different from anything we had ever seen or encountered, a description in a forum could never do it justice. The history, culture, people and food were amazing. The hotels ( especially the Metropole in Hanoi and the Four Seasons in Chiang Mai) were spectacular. We were literally emotionally floating when we came home.
Honorable mention would have to go to Paradors of Northern Spain and Portugal, Scottish Isles Small ship cruise, and Budapest to Amsterdam riverboat cruise.
Of course, one of our favorite activities is planning our next Tauck tour...Egypt in January!
If only there were some discounts for repeat customers.....ha!
We’ve been on 9 so far, all different and all wonderful. Classic Italy was a particular favorite as it was our first Tauck tour. K/T has to be up at the top—it was truly amazing. We loved Peru and the Galapagos, Israel and Jordan, Treasures of the Aegean, Grand Australia and New Zealand, and the others we have taken. I think my absolute favorite Tauck tour is the one I am on at any particular time. Next up is No. 10, Best of Hawaii in January.
ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Unforgettable- Amazing!
The one that won my heart , my first Tauck trip..
u know who u are..Mr. T ! yes!!, as usual with this TD , a fantastic group.
-Vietnam, Cambodia & Thailand- Excellent TD (Larry love)- fantastic group.
-Morocco, best Tauck TD, Mr.T (in my opinion) fantastic -friendly group., lots of fun activities.
-Kenya & Tanzania Amazing! - great TD (lady Ana)- another fantastic group always entertain playing safari trivia & the poop game.
-India, out of this world tour, fantastic group of ladies travelers,some couples too,food was divine, hotels incredible.
-North Spain Paradors and Portugal.- again the best TD ever!
-China fantastic tour, nice TD great group. No pollution! Allelujah!! very hot!
-Australia 2019. Uff... we were lucky, last tour before Covid.-incredible TD, great itinerary, hotels.. best available and group was very nice too.
-Egypt & Jordan 2021. EXCELLENT!!! AMAZING!!! LOVED!!! to start it was freedom from the Covid infected nation, then thesw countries are so beautiful, the people are lovely , the food Yummmy , the monuments, that incredible wedding at the Old Cataract - the owner's daughter was getting married... you can imagine!!! and to finish with a Bang! no not Emeril Lagasse , it was David our TD- incredible, kind, funny British dude with a sexy accent.
But D' Greatest surprise was to run into Elie Saab, Yes, the designer.. Love him! my yummy perfume it's his.
No British Christian Louboutin was not there...., that would have killed me!
-Botswana, Zambia & SA- AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!! great itinerary, excellent food, hotel/camp staff adorable & friendly...now my SA family , animals the stars of the entire trip. group toxic & I plead the fifth.
to come.... Bali, Antarctica, Namibia if added to the Tauck tours.
Every trip is so unique it is hard to decide. For me, Russian Glories Baltic Treasures was incredible. To be able to walk around the Kremlin at night and feel perfectly safe is beyond words. I was there in June of 2019 and feel doubly blessed to have seen a part of the world that is now closed to travelers.
Egypt is a must see. And then there’s Israel/Jordan. I’d like to do that trip again someday.