Thanks for the info about dress in Spain. We are taking the Northern Paradors of Spain the end of August--our 14th Tauck trip--and the last ones seemed to find people more casually dressed for dinners. My husband will get some use out of that jacket he always takes but seldom wears.
I think you will certainly enjoy it. The food was amazing from start to finish. Lots and lots of wine. You are also staying in some very elegant and very interesting hotels. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. The wearing of the jacket was not a complaint. If your husband is not big on wearing the jacket, just take an extra dress shirt or two. The dinner at the castle on the fourth night was amazing.
I am beginning to get the idea that there must have been an excessive number of people on your particular tour who were wearing things like polo shirts at the dinners, which is maybe why the Tour Director 'hinted ' to people about what to wear. I just have never come across a Director suggesting other than suitable footwear for terrain or clothing for temperatures or religious observance. So people weren't even wearing dress shirts at the dinners, now I understand.
No that was not the case. He made suggestions each day which most tried to follow. A few did their own thing, but most tried to follow his suggestion about dress. Our TD has been living in Spain for about 27 years so know the country very well.
On my next tour to Italy, which is soon, I am definitely going to take photographic evidence of what people wear at dinner. Of all the countries in that part of Europe I would have thought Spain would be the least snobby, since its economy is so in the doldrums if my understanding of foreign news is up to date.
I think this discussion has been slightly derailed. It was not intended to be about what people wear or do not wear. It is about whether or not many people do or do not take carry on bags on a Tauck tour. I do not think, however, that just because the economy is suffering people need to change the way they dress. It is not a question of snobbery.
Reading through this thread I am broadly with whw on this one. Being male I can never understand why people need so much carry-on stuff. I am about to join my seventh Tauck tour from England and like whw I pack my suitcase carefully (with sports jacket for first and last dinner) and what cannot go in the case does not come at all. My sole carry-on items are my camera, and weather gear sun hat/waterproof. I just do not see the point of carting a bag on the bus when Tauck has arranged to handle the main suitcase. As for having a carry-on which has to go under the bus, well, that is just another suitcase!
Richard
True, but wardrobe needs do have a tendency to affect luggage - especially on overseas tours where you can't just go down to your local (fill in your favorite shopping store at home) and pick up something. I'm with the "I want to travel as lite as possible" group but at the same time don't want to waste precious sightseeing time trying to find something to wear that fits and doesn't break the bank. Probably a more complicated issue for women than men.
Yes, I do not mind sending out for cleaning if the time permits. Often one is not arriving early enough to send out to have back that same day. For me, it was more about the comfort of have some clothes in case of lost luggage. I am usually travelling as a solo. I can't split with someone else to prevent just one bag going missing. Have that real carry on does allow for some comfort.
I am trying so hard to not write anything else on this particular thread. But I too at the very beginning stated that I take only one suitcase and a very small carry on bag that goes inside the bus with me, which Tauck is asking in a very nice way that people do. More often than not, I do not cross share my packing with my husband because I hate the way he puts rolls of socks inside shoes and things like that---but he did one time get his bag opened to be inspected on the way back from a vacation I might add and the inspector said it was the neatest bag he had ever opened.
If other people want to deliberately literally disobey the guidelines, then shame on them, just selfish, that's all I can say. What people want to wear at dinner, I'm taking photos!
Regardless of where I travel to, in addition to my suitcase I carry an airline approved size carry on with me. In it is a change of underwear, socks, a very,very light pair of pants which unzip to make shorts, a light polo shirt, toiletries etc. Also a small bottle of shampoo to in an emergency to wash socks, underwear and the shirt. All the things you may need if your suitcase does not arrive with you and at least you have something to tide you over until hopefully the suitcase arrives.
I saw a man having to borrow clothes from people because his suitcase was lost for a week.
Regardless of where I travel to, in addition to my suitcase I carry an airline approved size carry on with me. In it is a change of underwear, socks, a very,very light pair of pants which unzip to make shorts, a light polo shirt, toiletries etc. Also a small bottle of shampoo to in an emergency to wash socks, underwear and the shirt. All the things you may need if your suitcase does not arrive with you and at least you have something to tide you over until hopefully the suitcase arrives.
I saw a man having to borrow clothes from people because his suitcase was lost for a week.
My 2cents anyway.
Thank you. That is exactly why I want to take a carry on bag and based on my first Tauck tour so did everyone else. Obviously it would be easier to take less, especially travelling alone with no one to mind bags. But there will be that one time your suitcase will not arrive.
Thank you. That is exactly why I want to take a carry on bag and based on my first Tauck tour so did everyone else. Obviously it would be easier to take less, especially travelling alone with no one to mind bags. But there will be that one time your suitcase will not arrive.
Here we go again, on my Africa tour last year our bags did not make it for 24 hours, of course at the time we did not know whether our bags would make it at all. We each had our small soft sided small carry on backpacks with us, that's all and were carrying more things in them than mentioned here, I think i had two spare outfits with me in fact and certainly several changes of underwear. We had our electronics and adapters with us too. Ithe only thing I did not have in the bag was my wide brimmed hat, so I was able to buy one at the hotel gift shop and technically could have filed a claim for re-imbursement with the Tauck insurance. We always try to arrive two days early if we can, so there was plenty of time to send all the clothes we had been traveling in to the laundry straight away (laundry in Africa is dirt cheap by the way). Clothing there gets dirty, so we wanted to potentially start the journey with as many clean clothes as possible. It is possible to travel without a traditional carry on and take as many things with you! I have just been reading the Galapagos Peru thread, someone there, and female! Says they travelled only with a carry on and no big suitcase for three weeks.
British I think you are comparing apples to oranges. Travelling and packing for Peru and Africa is not the same as going to major cities in Europe. At least it would not be for me. Also I get that a backpack works for you. It does not work for me and for most of my trips would not work for me. Plain and simple! By the way, your husband packs correctly.
Not to belabor this already long thread, but here's an alternative strategy we've used. Pack some clothes and essentials in a light duffel bag to carry on the plane. That way if you're luggage fails to arrive on time, you'll be prepared. Then, once get to your first hotel, pack the duffel and its contents into your main suitcase. Then you won't have to schlep your carry on throughout the tour (or, theoretically, risk not having space for it under the bus). This strategy also allows you to somewhat exceed the 50lb. airline limit, since the stuff carried on doesn't count.
Not to belabor this already long thread, but here's an alternative strategy we've used. Pack some clothes and essentials in a light duffel bag to carry on the plane. That way if you're luggage fails to arrive on time, you'll be prepared. Then, once get to your first hotel, pack the duffel and its contents into your main suitcase. Then you won't have to schlep your carry on throughout the tour (or, theoretically, risk not having space for it under the bus). This strategy also allows you to somewhat exceed the 50lb. airline limit, since the stuff carried on doesn't count.
That is essentially what we do, except we manage to fit it in my wife's soft-side carry bag.
Comments
I think you will certainly enjoy it. The food was amazing from start to finish. Lots and lots of wine. You are also staying in some very elegant and very interesting hotels. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. The wearing of the jacket was not a complaint. If your husband is not big on wearing the jacket, just take an extra dress shirt or two. The dinner at the castle on the fourth night was amazing.
Richard
If other people want to deliberately literally disobey the guidelines, then shame on them, just selfish, that's all I can say. What people want to wear at dinner, I'm taking photos!
I saw a man having to borrow clothes from people because his suitcase was lost for a week.
My 2cents anyway.
Thank you. That is exactly why I want to take a carry on bag and based on my first Tauck tour so did everyone else. Obviously it would be easier to take less, especially travelling alone with no one to mind bags. But there will be that one time your suitcase will not arrive.
Here we go again, on my Africa tour last year our bags did not make it for 24 hours, of course at the time we did not know whether our bags would make it at all. We each had our small soft sided small carry on backpacks with us, that's all and were carrying more things in them than mentioned here, I think i had two spare outfits with me in fact and certainly several changes of underwear. We had our electronics and adapters with us too. Ithe only thing I did not have in the bag was my wide brimmed hat, so I was able to buy one at the hotel gift shop and technically could have filed a claim for re-imbursement with the Tauck insurance. We always try to arrive two days early if we can, so there was plenty of time to send all the clothes we had been traveling in to the laundry straight away (laundry in Africa is dirt cheap by the way). Clothing there gets dirty, so we wanted to potentially start the journey with as many clean clothes as possible. It is possible to travel without a traditional carry on and take as many things with you! I have just been reading the Galapagos Peru thread, someone there, and female! Says they travelled only with a carry on and no big suitcase for three weeks.
That is essentially what we do, except we manage to fit it in my wife's soft-side carry bag.