Luggage guidelines
I know we can't take much and that is not a problem, but I am unsure as to what type of luggage. I know there is a Tauck duffel bag. Is that provided? Have any of you that have taken this trip take 2 duffels per person or a duffel and a small suitcase. Or-do you just limit it all to one duffel? Thanks for any insight on this.
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Tauck will ship (to US travelers) or issue on the first day (all others), a large Eagle Creek or similar duffel bag. That will be the only bag you will be allowed to take on the boat, land vehicles (Toyota Landcruiser safari vehicle) and at least two of the 4 on-tour flights. The boats and vehicles have limited luggage handlers and storage and you will be flying small single engine turbo-prop commuter-type aircraft (from dirt airstrips) that also have limited baggage space and baggage must flexible enough to conform to aircraft space, hence the duffel bags.
If you brought standard luggage, you will need to transfer enough clothes to your duffel in Livingstone to get you through until Capetown where you will be reunited with your main luggage.
If you read the "Before You Go" info, you already know that you are restricted to 44 lbs:
"Checked luggage aboard the on-tour flights in Botswana are restricted to 20 kg (44 lbs) to include both checked and carry-on pieces."
Like K&T, I'm sure some folks took only their duffels and a small carry-on (think large purse) and had no problems, while others took both a suitcase and used the duffels. Since you won't need to dress up, if you are so inclined, at any time other than in Livingstone or Capetown, you could leave those clothes in your regular baggage. Or, if you don't want to carry-on or check your duffel for the long haul flights to Livingstone and from Capetown, you could use standard luggage for those.
Again, this is just an educated guess.
Typical plane in the background) and Tauck duffels:
ROZ47. I think I have been maybe on Four Tauck tours where we have been sent a duffel and had to use that during some of the tour. It is amply big enough for huge amounts of clothing, is lightweight and and comes in it's own little neat travel bag. It takes up very little room in your suitcase. On the three tours I have already taken to Africa, I think everybody arrived with their regular suitcases and switched to the duffel bag for those parts of the tour. The regular suitcases are taken to the destination where we will be re-United with them. We find it a good opportunity to repack and organize each time. We also sometimes utilized one of the duffel bags as a checked bag on the way home because of the phenomena where even if you don't buy much, the clothing never packs as well as when you neartly packed it at home.
if you are going on this tour during their winter, be sure to pack some clothing that you can layer on the early morning safaris, in South Africa, we went in August or September and it was bitterly cold before sunrise, I mean hat and gloves cold. Plus the blankets provided in the vehicles cold, and I am normally one of those people who wears the least amount of clothing compared to the average on the tours.
I am really looking forward to this tour.
I had to look for it! It wasn't where I expected:
Before You Go > Inclusive Prices > Luggage Handling and Restrictions > Special Luggage Restrictions for This Tour
I didn't see any reference to the duffel in the B,SA,Z "Before You Go" or anywhere else in the description for this tour. But, I did see it mentioned in this thread from 2014. The thread has a good discussion about packing for this trip and the last post by Scott T says, in part,
"We had asked Tauck if we could skip the duffels altogether. By phone they said we had to use them. By email (which I received at the airport waiting for the first flight) they said we didn't have to use them. Now that we've done the trip, I thinks it's best to use the duffels. Helps the folks loading and transport the bags to know they're all with the same group."
So, until someone calls Tauck or someone in an upcoming departure or a recent traveler weighs in, we won't know for sure.
It is great to have a firsthand report from a recent traveler. That reconfirms what I posted. I know they provide this info in the material they send everyone once they are paid in full, but I don't understand why they don't include it in the "Before You Go" on the website.
Yup ... We did not know about the duffels for Zambia, Botswana, and SA until we got our docs. Just got our Zambi duffels. Since I bought the exact same duffel for the Xpedition to the Galapagos in 2009, we now have six of them ... But only four have the Tauck logo. On our K&T trip we brought a roll aboard also but never used anything in it ... But it made a nice cart for the duffels.
We just got back. You can bring a backpack on all of the flights. When you leave Livingston, it is duffel and 'backpack' only until you get to Maun to fly to Capetown ... Now a nonstop flight. You repack in the Maun airport to get down to one checked bag plus carry on. The checked bag may weigh only 44 pounds. But you are allowed a small carry on and a back pack. Suggest using the duffel as a carry on to keep your checked bag below 44 pounds. I didn't pack right and had to pay excess weight fees of $20 for 10 kilos to much in the checked bag. No one with over weight luggage gets a boarding pass until everyone has paid. It was a bit tedious.
I am a little confused. When you repacked in Maun, was that with a larger suitcase that you left in Tauck's care in Livingstone or did you meet that suitcase in Cape Town?
Also, would you please describe the safari vehicles. Stand up in a pop top or are there vertical posts around the vehicle ho;ding up a roof. I am thinking of impediments to photography.
Thank you
We loved the Tauck Bridges trip to Tanzania in 2014; everything was great, but had a few luggage problems...
The first issue was that it was more than two days for all of our checked luggage to arrive after we did (ugh!)... which they said happened all the time. (Double ugh!) Next was that our bags had all been gone through and stuff was stolen out of every one of the six bags. We were missing all sorts of things, not just expensive items... binoculars, clothing, etc. It was stressful and a royal pain in the neck.
The long and short of that packing story was that I had me, my husband and two kids packed for carry-on only. Three of us had modest backpacks with stuff needed on the plane, etc. and we each had the Tauck duffel with everything else. We were all set and I was thrilled, as I almost never check bags anymore. However... at the last minute at the airport my gang decided to check their (locked) bags because the Grandparents were checking theirs.
So when we boarded our coach flights, it was easy/smooth because we each had only one bag... I had my camera backpack, my kids had theirs and my husband (who didn't have anything) took my Tauck duffel on the plane (I don't ever check bags). So I don't know if we would have had any issues with both a personal item and a carry on bag.
Here is the nature of my present day stress... I am traveling solo with Tauck to Zambia, Botswana and South Africa (on sabbatical), am traveling coach and want to take all of my stuff as carry on only... in the form of two bags - 1.) my camera backpack as my personal item and 2.) my one carry on bag. I'm flying JetBlue and South African Airlines. Does that sound like it would work? I am concerned that they will force me to check my intended carry on bag... so I may never see it again or if I do, getting it late and/or with less than I packed.
I am also toying with the idea of taking a modest 40l PacSafe backpack (in safari colors) instead of my Tauck duffel (FYI - the zippers on the duffel are super easy to pop open with a pen, so a lock is useless).
So my stress is not about packing light... it is about keeping my gear with me and safe.
I am wide open to thoughts and suggestions! Thanks!
It is interesting that all your family's bags were pilfered. I wonder where that happened- during normal baggage handling, while waiting for transit, or during delivery to you? Who was the "they" who said it happens all the time? I haven't heard that. Only one couple had luggage problems on our K&T trip- it was their fault- they flew into Nairobi from the Seychelles and he picked up someone else's bag! He got his bag two days into the tour.
A lot has to due with your airline, but I don't see a problem with carrying on a camera bag (tote/small backpack) and a duffel. As to using another duffel instead of Tauck's, I would suggest you stick with Taucks, especially if your duffel is larger. Baggage handlers for the on-tour flights and the TD are expecting to see Tauck bags that all look alike. At least check with Tauck to see what they say before you use a non-Tauck duffel. I don't understand why you would consider another duffel anyway, especially since you plan to carry it on the international flights.
If you are worried you'll be forced to check your carry-on suitcase or duffel on the international flights, take a change or two of washable, quick-dry, travel clothes and absolute essentials that can't be quickly replaced (medications, etc.) in your backpack, like many of us do- just in case.
As far as the duffel goes, I really do think Tauck only want you to use their duffels, we have had them for about five different tours now, that's what they want for the consistent shape to aid packing small planes and vehicles. We use the zip ties on duffels too. Once the duffels are actually on the tour, I would consider them safe.
I am a little confused abou what bags you want to carry onto the plane, but as you know, most countries are far more strict than the US about the size of carry on luggage.
You possibly could use one large backpack with enough clothing in it for the entire trip, maybe four lightweight changes of clothes, maybe slightly more underwear and handwashing those and getting some of the outfits laundered. I am sure no-one will bat an eyelid if you are not 'spruced up' for the One and Only if you have a lightweight blouse or something similar to cover your pants. I have some safari type clothing, but I mainly wear regular tops and pants but in earth colors with a scarf or two to brighten them up. You will need a coat, hat and gloves for this tour, but you could hand carry those. One pair of shoes in the bag and suitable ones on your feet is enough in these circumstances.
Like Alan said, if things are disappearing from bags at the Zambia airport on a regular basis, I am sure Tauck would have someone there looking into it. When we get off any plane, we always make haste to the baggage hall because we feel that is where bags can go astray in foreign and small airports, so we make sure we are there as the bags start appearing and before anyone can take them off and leave the airport with them.
Tauck was great about getting their local "guy" to stay on top of the luggage situation... but both the hotel/lodge staff and airport staff said that on our flights/airline (which I think were booked through Tauck) very often miss the connection from Amsterdam(?) to Arusha and usually have a day's delay; it was disappointing that it seemed like a routine occurrence. But ours took more than two days to get back (which they said was unusual); glad we arrived a day early. From what we gathered, the luggage was probably kept at the airport and staff went through it all; but no way to tell. It is not about the $ - it is more the hassle/inconvenience.
They were mostly Tauck duffels, so not sure if they qualify as fancy or not (maybe Tauck = luxury = stuff to steal?). And I love the zip-tie thing, too - I keep little nail clippers in my small bag to clip them off at destination. Yeah, TSA locks are useless. Good advice on keeping medications, irreplaceables and a change of clothes in the smaller personal item, and to get to the luggage area ASAP. Knowing non-US airlines are often more stringent on what you can carry on (# of items, size, weight, etc.), I was hoping to hear others' experiences. Upgrading to business (or similar) often gets you more leeway with carry-ons, but it was crazy $$$ for this trip.
I guess I'm just lucky... I ran into trouble with checked bags too many times over the years... so I just stopped doing that ages ago. (http://www.onebag.com is a resource for the intense!)
My goal/ideal is to take only two bags on the trip and take keep them both with me the whole way. The two bags being
1.) a modest camera backpack (as my personal item) and
2.) one more bag as my carry-on (either the Tauck duffel or a smaller bag - which would be a more secure and easier to carry convertible backpack like this http://www.pacsafe.com/venturesafe-45l-gii-travel-backpack.html).
For the record, we LOVED everything about the Tanzania Bridges trip! It was truly amazing... the luggage delay and theft were the only problems we had.
Trying to learn from experience - my own and others! So please continue to share!
Thanks again!
Baystater, love your reply. I still think Tauck will want you to use their duffel, suggest you call them, I have rarely found them unhelpful. As Alan says, it helps for identification and uniform size. But please, if Tauck say you CAN use another bag, please let us know. My husband now thinks there is a huge chance our bags will be delayed on this tour because we have three connections and one is in the dreaded and frightening Johannesburg airport.
We had our delay of bags through Amsterdam but assumed it was because our incoming flight from the US was about 3 hours late. The only trouble flying to Arusha is the lack of choice of airlines. Lucky you haven't had nail clippers taken off you in carry on, my mum in law did one time. And, as we have to put Tauck luggage labels on the big bags, those would be just as identifiable as the Tauck duffels. I discussed whether we would put binoculars in checked luggage with my husband, I would not, he would. He once had all his power cords taken out of a bag he checked, but nothing else---well that's what he told me, he was on his own, maybe he just left them all at the hotel, and did not want to admit it.
The Tauck Bridges to Tanzania is the only Africa tour I haven't taken but I am seriously thinking about it in the future, Tanzania has my heart as everyone knows and it has the advantage of coming and going out of the same airport and Tarangire Park that the K and T tour does not do, and it is so beautiful--- I am imagining that the wet areas will be what we might see in Botswana, but we will have to see.
Wishing you a hassle free trip.
Agreed - binoculars in the checked bags was not a smart plan... but then again, checking bags was not the plan either. Oh well.
I rarely have the nail clippers taken, as the ones I keep for the purpose of zip ties is the smallest size I can get away with. What little scissors do you get through security consistently?
I will probably end up with the duffel and being resigned to checking it.
South African Airlines actually had a bit on their website about the pilfering/theft problem, and they recommended using that plastic wrap service to minimize risk. If I talk with Tauck about bags, I will be sure to let you know.
We took my parents with us to Tanzania in 2014 and it was perfect! The Bridges tour made it great for everyone in our group (from kids 10 & 13 years... up to 70+). Lucky for us, we had brand new, six passenger (in the back) deluxe Land Cruisers for the trip... so we were together as a family for the excitement each day. After the first day or so, most of the the "Young Travelers" had fun because they could eat together and the adults could enjoy each other and a sundowner!
That was my first organized group tour and I was surprised how much I loved it! I've traveled all over, but held a bias against group tours (think loud leader waving the closed umbrella and waiting on hot buses for hours for that one guy who is always late!). Tauck certainly changed that perspective for me.
"Happy Trails" to you!