April 04, 2015 Botswana, SA & Zambia

Trixie

I see that the April 04, 2015 is sold out now. Is there anyone from the Tampa Bay Area, FL on this tour??? Wondering if you have booked your own air?? Tauck informed our travel agent that they could not help us out of Tampa. Our agent is now looking for us with different airlines and connections. I am also checking different venues. Your input would be appreciated!
Trixie in St. Petersburg, FL

sidecar

We had the same problem. We are on the September 2014 trip. Our travel agent booked us into Atlanta, then KLM Atlanta to Amsterdam, Amsterdam to Johannesburg, Johannesburg to Zambia. We have to spend the night in Johannesburg as the flight leaves after we arrive, so have to catch it the next day. There are hotels at the airport. Coming home is easier, Capetown to Johannesburg, Johannesburg to Paris, Paris to Atlanta. Our trip originates and ends in Ft. Myers, FL. Our agent checked out many options, and this was the best one for the price. Hope this helps.

British

Did Tauck mean they could not help you with the flights they usually have deals with? Maybe that is what they meant, we often suggest alternatives to them and they book those for us instead, the great thing being you do not pay for the flights until you get the final invoice for the vacation 60 days before. My husband hates paying out all that cash for a flight so far in advance, why should an airline have so much of our money a year before a trip.
I just did one quick search for you. Did your agent look at South African Airways in their search? It really is the airline to use, everything is far superior to any US airline. We used them for a Tauck South Africa tour and they are very good. You can fly Tampa, Washington, Jo,burg, Zambia going and the reverse coming back. That is probably the way I would go from your destination. British Airways probably fly there too, but I would avoid going through Heathrow in London mainly because it is such a huge airport and their security lines are a nightmare.
I am sure you can spend some time checking this out yourself and then booking yourself, or if you are not confident, suggesting the itinerary to your agent and letting them book what you found for you.
If you had been going for instance to Australia, I would have suggested Qantas, in other words, the US airlines are the pits compared to other great world airlines. The seats are often bigger and the food and service better, and I do not necessarily mean business class, we usually fly coach or premium economy. On some half hour flights on other airlines we have been served a full meal in coach, when did you ever get that on a US airline!
I am hoping that regulars on this forum, Jan, Alan and Ndvb will also chip in and help you, they are experienced travelers and could come up with good ideas for you.

Trixie

Thank you Sidecar and British for a prompt response.
I have been looking all afternoon at different sites and saw what you mentioned....
So far I like SAA via JFK the best. We will get a htl in JFK and start fresh to JNB the next morning. The connection in JNB is pretty good. 2:40 hrs to connect to the flight to Livingstone. Via LONDON there is an airpot change and a 11 hr layover. If I can get a 35 hr layover I may be tempted to spend a night in London instead of in NYC. My agent is working on that! Thanks again, Trixie....

British

Glad we could be of help. I am a big believer on getting to a destination a couple of days early to eaze jet lag. If you do not know London, I would leave it for another time. It's a very busy city, you have to allow a great deal of time to get to and from the airport which is huge. Very long slow lines through security and very strict security. London is a destination, not a day trip. Save your energy and get to Africa in time to chill before the tour. Just my opinion.

Trixie

Hi British.. . I know London well and actually have family there. No sightseeing if we go!!
It would just break up the trip. We will have to choose between an overnight in NYC, LON or JNB...
We will be arriving in Livingstone a day early and staying on two more days at the end. Our third time in Cape Town.
It is one of our favorite cities. Thanks again! Trixie

British

Sounds as if you are in good shape! Cape Town is great, hope I can visit it again someday too. Tauck did a trip to Botswana, then they stopped it, now it's back on again, so I would love to go there and return to Cape Town. Maybe you could post a review of your tour when you return.

jdurkin

Hi Trixie,

I'd go for SAA out of JFK. For something a little out of left field …. just a tad … have a look at Emirates or one of the other Middle Eastern airlines. They all have very good African ports and they are all wonderfully comfortable in the air.

Cheers,

Jan

Trixie

Thank u Jan ... I have looked at middle eastern connections and they are not easier. Stops or connections in Dubbai or Dakar... It seems that JFK is our best bet. We will spend the night at a JFK htl and leave fresh for the 14 pr hour non stop to JNB. Thank you all for your input.
Trixie

toddalex

My wife and I are on the April 4,2015 tour and leaving from NYC. We are going to Heathrow, then onto Jo'burg for the connection to Livingstone.

Sealord

toddlusk wrote:

My wife and I are on the April 4,2015 tour and leaving from NYC. We are going to Heathrow, then onto Jo'burg for the connection to Livingstone.

How did you decide upon April for your trip? I have looked at the weather a bit, and the April and May time frame seem to fit our personal preferences. But, how did you decide?

Trixie

We decided on April for this tour because we are going to stay on in Cape Town and it will be cold there soon after that.
Trixi

toddalex

We decided on April due to our interest in the fall weather and the wine harvest season combined with our personal availability for a trip of this length.