Tour Directors
I will be going on the July 7th Classic Safari. Do the Tour Directors generally send out an email to the group ahead of departure with information pertinent to the trip, as what to expect and some good tips...etc
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I will be going on the July 7th Classic Safari. Do the Tour Directors generally send out an email to the group ahead of departure with information pertinent to the trip, as what to expect and some good tips...etc
Comments
It depends on the individual TD; the best ones do.
Most TDs do not. In my 20 trips, I've heard from only one TD in advance.
Never on my Africa trips
In 29 trips I've never heard from a TD ahead of time.
Actually, for me, K&T was the only time I heard from the TD before the trip. Caulden. Great TD!
I’m wondering if the Tour directors on the K and T toor are having issues with people’s expectations or understanding, for example, when we took the K and T Rwanda tour, there were several people who had the most unsuitable shoes for a hike into Oldupai gorge and the Rwanda part of the tour. We had to stop in a shopping center in the outskirts of Nairobi so they could purchase shoes. The tour director was concerned for the upcoming tour and told us she was going to email that group to emphasize the correct shoes and clothing.
So few people read the forum, or don’t read the info Tauck sends them before a tour, maybe this influences the directors to email people and describe what they have signed up for.
Perhaps I should amend my post. I am a Tauck “newbie” with only three tours under my belt, but I have been an international traveler all of my adult life. The best tour directors always communicate prior to tours. I even received a phone call from a TD in Croatia once. Our Tauck TD for Namibia was the best we have ever experienced, and she was all about communication. We could not have managed without her as United cancelled our flight THREE times, and we made it to Windhoek with her help.
Tauck clients often cancel at the last minute. The tour directors are very busy behind the scenes and most importantly, I can’t imagine them being snowed under by people they contact emailing them with questions before a tour. Some have used WhatsApp during tours recently but then we once found that the messages went to everyone on the list and often people don’t want that. Tour directors do get substituted last minute too, we have had that happen.
I’ve taken way more tours than both Gladys and MCD, I don’t think any of us would say that we have not experienced best tour directors on our travels just because they haven’t contacted us.
British I agree with you, I've never had a TD contact me before a tour/cruise and so far they have all been conscientious, knowledgeable and helpful and some have been the best.
British makes good points…as always.
Yes! July 5 tour has gotten two emails from Anthony.
We received advance emails from TDs for 2 tours, both in Africa: Magic of Morocco (Chris Morrison) and Wildlife Odyssey- Zimbabwe , Botswana and South Africa (Kathleen Almy). Incidentally, they are 2 of the best TDs we have had in the 17 Tauck tours we have done (none of which were in North America). We were in Morocco during Ramadan and Chris gave us a heads up about alcohol (ie buy it at duty free and bring it for cocktail parties at night and on the bus); and Kathleen’s information was about Africa, the safari and things that were specific to the trip. They were incredibly helpful emails. I would not expect any emails for a tour in North America or Western Europe, because these are familiar environments. Cruises ( including riverboats) have multiple TDs and a cruise director, so no expectations there. Just as an interesting tidbit…… Tauck will not tell you the name of your TD anymore if you ask. Interesting.
We were never told of a tour director in advance because they so often change. But last July we asked who was the TD for our Bridges Africa tour and Tauck told us, so because we had had him before we were able to show the family pictures of him and tell them about his family before we went.