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Best Tour Operators
Travel + Leisure has published a list of the 15 Best Tour Operators. Tauck is #12 on the list.
Here is their list:
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Travel + Leisure has published a list of the 15 Best Tour Operators. Tauck is #12 on the list.
Here is their list:
Comments
I always look at those ranking with a bit of skepticism- Some, even Tauck, send reminders for people to vote, many similar magazines typically only survey their subscribers, what are the criteria, and how are they weighted, what is the sample size, etc., etc. There are folks here that have traveled with and have rated A&K right up there with Tauck, but I don't see A&K listed, etc., etc., etc.
Too bad there's no comments for each operator beyond #1.
Also, suprised the 2 letter tour company isn't there.
I pay no attention to surveys and polls. They are far too subjective. Every year Tauck asks me to complete the Travel and Leisure one. In good faith I attempted to complete it the first time, but all they really wanted was for me to subscribe to their publication. I delete them now.
Some might say I am missing other experiences by traveling exclusively with Tauck, but I know what I like and with whom I like to travel.
I only provided the link as a point of interest (or not) related to travel. I'm not conveying any merits for the list or concurrence or disagreement with the rankings.
Most of the tour operators on the list I had never heard of and a lot of them seemed very specialized in what they offer.
I get emails and had brochures from two of the those companies and are super expensive compared to Tauck and their safaris vacations are short, I want longer. You never really know the price until you contact them.
Tauck is by far, the best tour company we have ever traveled with, but for me, the most telling endorsement was from everyone in our group. We were the only ones who had not been on a Tauck tour before. Several couples in our group had been on well over a dozen Tauck tours! That tells me everything I need to know.
I have heard of numbers 3,4,8,10, and 11 and get catalogues from several travel outfitters. I have traveled with other companies as well because I like the variety of quality companies and I’ve also traveled with Tauck 12 or 13 times including one next year, Africa. I am also surprised that some other high-end companies are not on that list. I am going on an A&K trip (3rd one) in January because Tauck doesn’t offer what I’m interested in, the Northern Lights in Finland.
I travel with another company only when Tauck doesn't offer what I want to do. I was surprised to see Kensington on the list. I've never traveled with them, but my travel agent didn't think too much of them when I asked. (Maybe they don't pay much commission!)
I'm with you, British. I want longer too. I also get brochures/emails from a couple of them and haven't found them to be cost effective.
Tauck has a certain demographic which probably is not really interested in biking across a country, hikes at elevations, or sleeping in a tent. This is an interesting list, but my personal hope is that Tauck keeps expanding their list of offerings, so I can stay on brand. 😎
OurTravels34 - We haven't travelled with A&K but we are thinking about taking their trip to Bhutan and Nepal. How would you compare them to Tauck?
Noreen--I have traveled with A&K a number of times and find them to be quite comparable. Generally the group size is quite a bit smaller making Tauck a slightly better value because fixed costs are spread over a larger group size. On my last trip to Turkey this month, there were 11 of us; in March when I went to South Africa, Rovos Rail and Botswana, there were 6 of us. I don't think I've ever been on a tour where there were more than 17--18 is generally their max. There were maybe 14/15 of us when I went to Scotland last September.
I did Kenya & Tanzania with Tauck in October. The hotels on both tours were essentially the same and I thought Tauck offered the better value.
I am booked on 6 upcoming Tauck tours. I look at the itinerary for both and determine which works best for me. A&K offers some more exotic destinations, such as the one you are looking at, that Tauck doesn't offer. I like some of their more unusual itineraries and I have looked at the one you are considering.
I'm totally satisfied with Tauck, no need to look anywhere else... for now. But I would like to see more visits and xtra activities offer by Tauck.
A&K does a lot of the same itineraries as Tauck- same hotels with a single supplement of - $5K-6k per person.
Noreen, I take that back. I've been on 6 A&K trips and 5 were before I even knew about Tauck until a friend recommended Tauck and we are hooked on Tauck. The A&K trips were Italy, Australia, Ireland, Antarctica, Alaska, and India. I think Voikk32 did a good job of explaining pluses and minuses. However, I do believe that A&K is one cut above Tauck. It just depends what you want. To be fair and as mentioned, I compare itineraries to see which trip among different companies would work the best for us. Yes, A&K go to the same destinations as Tauck but A&K may have fewer sights, a higher price point, and fewer stops in their itinerary to the same destination. I have also traveled with high-end companies that are not in existence anymore for one reason or another. You will not go wrong with Tauck.
I will add to my above comment that in my experience, the Tauck TDs have been better than those with A&K. (I realize that I might have hit a couple that have been sub-par for A&K. I had one -- just one! -- TD on Tauck that was probably at that level.) If I can get what I want with Tauck, they're my first choice.
Having done the same A&K tour that Voikk32 just did, I loved it. We both had the good fortune of the same extraordinary TD. I have been on two other Tauck tours since then….one a river cruise and the other a land tour. Both were excellent, and we have two more Tauck trips scheduled within the next year. Having compared itineraries, IMO both are top notch, and use many of the same hotels. I’m with others…I look at the itineraries as well as cost, and then decide. They are comparable in my opinion, and you cannot go wrong with either one.
My first choice will always be Tauck, however, I do want to visit countries that Tauck does not offer so I need to look elsewhere. This is the case with Bhutan and Nepal. I have three upcoming trips with Tauck this year and look forward to them.
Marla 526 and OurTravels34 - Thank you!