There are companies who specialize in travel for families. Disney is one. I’ve heard that when a family boards one of the Disney ships, there are people who will take the kids and entertain them – almost every day.
It looks like Tauck is targeting people in the 40-50 age group without kids. There certainly are couples that fall into that category, it’s just a question of whether there are enough of them who want to travel in “Tauck style” to make a business out of it.
Its funny reading these comments as it reminds me how we got treated by older tour mates on our Paris, Loire Valley, Normandy, Brittany tour. A lot of assumptions being made. That is the only tour we had issues as our two Italian tours had a better mix of age ranges.
We did our first Tauck tour when I was 32 and my husband 34. We take our 4th trip next month - while I'm now 39 and my husband 41.
There is absolutely a market for this. I'm personally looking forward to seeing what the options are for Bordeaux area as the current option Tauck offers is something we will pass on for now.
Boomers were born between 1946 and 1964, so they are between 61 and 79 this year. That's puts then outside the 40 to 50 age category that Tauck is targeting the ROAM trips toward. The 61 to 79 age category is the group that is the majority on the existing tours.
It may be that the way the ROAM tours will be scheduled will appeal to the Boomers. Just have to wait and see.
Well said especially paragraph one. I have no issue with Essence of Japan becuase of a mixed age range. It was a disaster with both the Venice and the Dalmatian Coast cruise and A Week in Portugal.
Interestingly, I'm in the target demo and just took my first Tauck tour. I enjoyed the pace while still feeling like there was some down time. However, I did have the itch that there was maybe a way to cut down on how much bus travel there was to maximize time at the hotel or to better stack experiences so that there was more than just an odd 45 minutes or an hour here and there. From what's been said and advertised, it seems like there will be more "active" signature experiences tied with longer stays at a hotel with more unstructured, self-exploring time. I was able to sneak out and hit some spaces near to our hotels for an hour or two on two days, but there were times I really wanted more time to just be in the places and experience them and not just drive through.
For example, in Kinsale, we were provided with a nice guided tour. But it came 1.5 hours after we arrived, lasted 40 minutes and left us 20 minutes to do "final purchases." Factoring in lunch we really only had two 20 minute periods to wander around and shop. Indeed, one family ducked out of the tour (and group photo) so they could shop and see more of the town. Our itinerary also called for time to "explore" Cork, but the most free time we had was an hour before dinner both nights which meant you couldn't go too far without giving up on something else.
I was about the third or fourth youngest on our tour and I could see some of the "edges" the others were running into. The youngest asked about nightlife in Cork and the TD and hotel concierge seemed stumped. They also seemed struggled with the timing in some spaces, wanting more time to look around. A younger couple really didn't care for all the organized dining and grumbled their way through the group dinners. They were also frustrated that they couldn't book golf for the afternoon we did have free time because it wasn't clear when we'd get back until the day of. Roam seems to be a response to this type of feedback.
I also pre-planned two weeks off with my work a year in advance so I could take this trip. Many folks can't do that or can't take more than 5 work days out. More purposive, short-term tours (8-9 days) that offer a mix of adventure and relaxation with the Tauck touches would seem to be a good way to engage a group that isn't touring in the way the previous generations did. There's also a wellness/well being angle mentioned that I'd be curious about.
Of note, though, was the amount of feedback about how "active" the Week in Ireland tour felt for some of more typical tour participants. Three hotels in 8 days seemed to be a bit too much for the majority. Whereas I thought it actually felt fun and shook up the tour.
I as well encountered a similar experience, particularly about "assumptions being made" by older tour guests, on one of the Tauck tours I was on. Inappropriate and intrusive questions and comments. Luckily I also met wonderful tour guests on the other Tauck trips, some of whom I'm still in contact with.
Comments
First tour at age 49. First Tauck tour at age 59.
There are companies who specialize in travel for families. Disney is one. I’ve heard that when a family boards one of the Disney ships, there are people who will take the kids and entertain them – almost every day.
It looks like Tauck is targeting people in the 40-50 age group without kids. There certainly are couples that fall into that category, it’s just a question of whether there are enough of them who want to travel in “Tauck style” to make a business out of it.
Uniworld’s attempt flamed out pretty quickly.
Its funny reading these comments as it reminds me how we got treated by older tour mates on our Paris, Loire Valley, Normandy, Brittany tour. A lot of assumptions being made. That is the only tour we had issues as our two Italian tours had a better mix of age ranges.
We did our first Tauck tour when I was 32 and my husband 34. We take our 4th trip next month - while I'm now 39 and my husband 41.
There is absolutely a market for this. I'm personally looking forward to seeing what the options are for Bordeaux area as the current option Tauck offers is something we will pass on for now.
I think Tauck may be surprised at how many 'boomers' sign up for ROAM trips. Who wouldn't want 3-4 nights in one place?
Depends on the place.
Boomers were born between 1946 and 1964, so they are between 61 and 79 this year. That's puts then outside the 40 to 50 age category that Tauck is targeting the ROAM trips toward. The 61 to 79 age category is the group that is the majority on the existing tours.
It may be that the way the ROAM tours will be scheduled will appeal to the Boomers. Just have to wait and see.
To MNNUTE
Well said especially paragraph one. I have no issue with Essence of Japan becuase of a mixed age range. It was a disaster with both the Venice and the Dalmatian Coast cruise and A Week in Portugal.
Interestingly, I'm in the target demo and just took my first Tauck tour. I enjoyed the pace while still feeling like there was some down time. However, I did have the itch that there was maybe a way to cut down on how much bus travel there was to maximize time at the hotel or to better stack experiences so that there was more than just an odd 45 minutes or an hour here and there. From what's been said and advertised, it seems like there will be more "active" signature experiences tied with longer stays at a hotel with more unstructured, self-exploring time. I was able to sneak out and hit some spaces near to our hotels for an hour or two on two days, but there were times I really wanted more time to just be in the places and experience them and not just drive through.
For example, in Kinsale, we were provided with a nice guided tour. But it came 1.5 hours after we arrived, lasted 40 minutes and left us 20 minutes to do "final purchases." Factoring in lunch we really only had two 20 minute periods to wander around and shop. Indeed, one family ducked out of the tour (and group photo) so they could shop and see more of the town. Our itinerary also called for time to "explore" Cork, but the most free time we had was an hour before dinner both nights which meant you couldn't go too far without giving up on something else.
I was about the third or fourth youngest on our tour and I could see some of the "edges" the others were running into. The youngest asked about nightlife in Cork and the TD and hotel concierge seemed stumped. They also seemed struggled with the timing in some spaces, wanting more time to look around. A younger couple really didn't care for all the organized dining and grumbled their way through the group dinners. They were also frustrated that they couldn't book golf for the afternoon we did have free time because it wasn't clear when we'd get back until the day of. Roam seems to be a response to this type of feedback.
I also pre-planned two weeks off with my work a year in advance so I could take this trip. Many folks can't do that or can't take more than 5 work days out. More purposive, short-term tours (8-9 days) that offer a mix of adventure and relaxation with the Tauck touches would seem to be a good way to engage a group that isn't touring in the way the previous generations did. There's also a wellness/well being angle mentioned that I'd be curious about.
Of note, though, was the amount of feedback about how "active" the Week in Ireland tour felt for some of more typical tour participants. Three hotels in 8 days seemed to be a bit too much for the majority. Whereas I thought it actually felt fun and shook up the tour.
MNNUTE and HENRYPOON_66 -
I as well encountered a similar experience, particularly about "assumptions being made" by older tour guests, on one of the Tauck tours I was on. Inappropriate and intrusive questions and comments. Luckily I also met wonderful tour guests on the other Tauck trips, some of whom I'm still in contact with.