Hello from Texas and I hope everyone is having a thoroughly thrilling Thursday 
My hubby and I are set to do the POI tour on January 22, 2025 and we are so excited. This is my 12th Tauck tour so I'm familiar with how Tauck operates, but this will be our first experience in India. We are in our early 50s and so ready to see this amazing country!
Mike...thank you for your travel blog. I love seeing pictures of the places I will be touring from another travelers perspective...And your dogs are adorable!
One question I have is how much "down time" is there on this trip? I rarely feel the need to book extra tours during a trip, but I am a little concerned because there seems to be a lot of free afternoons. This happened to us on the Australia/New Zealand trip and it was a new experience for us. If I had known we would have so much free time, I would have planned better and arranged activities through the concierge at the hotels. I am a traveler with a "you can sleep when you get home" attitude and I like to stay busy...but I don't want to really explore India without a guide...I prefer to have a local tour person with us for safety and knowledge
A second question I have is about the me in the country. I have read several comments on this forum about aggressive men...have you guys experienced this? I had never had any issues at all, even when I was exploring by myself, but I did have a problem with the boldness of the men in Egypt and it was quite uncomfortable. I'm not shy at all...but i also want to stay safe.
Finally, does anyone know if Annie has retired...the reviews of her on this site are definitely mixed....a lot seem to mention that she is jaded. We have always had enthusiastic and wonderful guides and hope that carries over into this trip.
Thanks in advance for any info...I am happy to have this resource
Tamara in Texas
