Evaluating Tour Companies

msilvers50

I've been on a Tauck France tour before and think highly of the company. I'm considering the Spain/Portugal tour for 2015, but am struck by doubled price compared to Globus. Sure Globus has add on excursion costs and slightly lesser hotels, but double the cost? Any advice here for those who have made these Tauck vs. Globus comparisons already? Thanks.

msilvers50

AlanS

msilvers50 wrote:

I've been on a Tauck France tour before and think highly of the company. I'm considering the Spain/Portugal tour for 2015, but am struck by doubled price compared to Globus. Sure Globus has add on excursion costs and slightly lesser hotels, but double the cost? Any advice here for those who have made these Tauck vs. Globus comparisons already? Thanks.

msilvers50

If you search the Tauck forums, I believe this question has been asked & answered on many occasions. It is subjective to a certain degree for sure and we have never traveled Globus, but when you compare every detail, from quality of tour guides, hotels, food, buses, baggage handling, tips, special Tauck-only private, after-hours tours of special sites and other surprise activities, you'll find that a Tauck tour is well worth the price you pay. Outstanding service and care aside, if you were to able to include all the extras included with a Tauck tour, you would end up paying nearly the same.

Ilene in Fla

Great Question! One which we often debate between us!

I did not study Tauck's Spain and Portugal itinerary; however I can assure you that the Globus hotels are not "slightly lesser". Our experience is that they are probably "GREATLY lesser!" For instance, Tauck probably stays at the Alfonso XIII in Seville. This hotel is BEYOND! I am sure that Globus stays in a nice, clean, moderate hotel, but you will not have the experience that you would have at the Alfonso XIII which epitomizes the flavor of Seville.

Another area to compare is meals. With Tauck, you can usually order anything you want from the menu, and sometimes there is dine-around to choose from several restaurants in the area. Globus had fixed meals at fixed times in a fixed location with few or no choices.

Globus was fine when we were very young and enjoying our first trips to Europe. But now that we are older and more discriminating, we prefer the Tauck experience. Sure, you will probably go sightseeing at the same locations, but IMHO you will not have the special touches that make Tauck worth the extra $$.

sherry_schare

Ilene in Fla wrote:

Great Question! One which we often debate between us!

I did not study Tauck's Spain and Portugal itinerary; however I can assure you that the Globus hotels are not "slightly lesser". Our experience is that they are probably "GREATLY lesser!" For instance, Tauck probably stays at the Alfonso XIII in Seville. This hotel is BEYOND! I am sure that Globus stays in a nice, clean, moderate hotel, but you will not have the experience that you would have at the Alfonso XIII which epitomizes the flavor of Seville.

Another area to compare is meals. With Tauck, you can usually order anything you want from the menu, and sometimes there is dine-around to choose from several restaurants in the area. Globus had fixed meals at fixed times in a fixed location with few or no choices.

Globus was fine when we were very young and enjoying our first trips to Europe. But now that we are older and more discriminating, we prefer the Tauck experience. Sure, you will probably go sightseeing at the same locations, but IMHO you will not have the special touches that make Tauck worth the extra $$.

Ilene, I could have written your letter almost word for word. We used to do all of our tours on our own.(we were younger then) The advantage, we saw only those places that were on our list of places to see, ate where and when we wanted, etc.....the disadvantage, we missed a lot, had to do our own ticket purchases, pickup/departure at airports, missed a lot, lacked the additional fun of meeting new people and sharing their experiences.

We have gone on guided tours with Globus (30 years ago), National Geographic/Linblad, Odysey and Tauck. We are planning our 5th trip with Tauck. Yes, you do pay alot more, but you get your money's worth and travel with the knowledge that if you get into any difficulties enroute Tauck will handle them. A friend told us about a "great hotel" at a lesser price, but it was 45 minute taxi ride from the heart of the city. Is that really what you want when you are on vacation? Sherry

smarks50

I totally agree with the comments above. Many years ago, when my expectations and budget were much more modest, I traveled several times with Globus and enjoyed those experiences. However, with some years and trips behind me and now having benefit of a number of Tauck tours, there is simply no comparison. It boils down to "you get what you pay for." Travel budget/style is always an individual decision but I agree with Ilene that the differences are not "slight." So you can choose saving money or experiencing a higher quality experience - you won't have both.

rabo

Spain and Portugal was our first tour with Tauck . . . and it spoiled us. When we were planning our trip last year to the Canadian Rockies, the friends we were going with asked me to do a Globus/Tauck comparison. Putting everything on a spreadsheet, doing my best to compare "apples to apples", I listed the Globus added cost for meals, excursions, upgraded hotels, etc., the difference became quite a bit smaller. Tauck was well worth the difference.