There are companies who specialize in travel for families. Disney is one. I’ve heard that when a family boards one of the Disney ships, there are people who will take the kids and entertain them – almost every day.
It looks like Tauck is targeting people in the 40-50 age group without kids. There certainly are couples that fall into that category, it’s just a question of whether there are enough of them who want to travel in “Tauck style” to make a business out of it.
Its funny reading these comments as it reminds me how we got treated by older tour mates on our Paris, Loire Valley, Normandy, Brittany tour. A lot of assumptions being made. That is the only tour we had issues as our two Italian tours had a better mix of age ranges.
We did our first Tauck tour when I was 32 and my husband 34. We take our 4th trip next month - while I'm now 39 and my husband 41.
There is absolutely a market for this. I'm personally looking forward to seeing what the options are for Bordeaux area as the current option Tauck offers is something we will pass on for now.
Boomers were born between 1946 and 1964, so they are between 61 and 79 this year. That's puts then outside the 40 to 50 age category that Tauck is targeting the ROAM trips toward. The 61 to 79 age category is the group that is the majority on the existing tours.
It may be that the way the ROAM tours will be scheduled will appeal to the Boomers. Just have to wait and see.
Well said especially paragraph one. I have no issue with Essence of Japan becuase of a mixed age range. It was a disaster with both the Venice and the Dalmatian Coast cruise and A Week in Portugal.
Interestingly, I'm in the target demo and just took my first Tauck tour. I enjoyed the pace while still feeling like there was some down time. However, I did have the itch that there was maybe a way to cut down on how much bus travel there was to maximize time at the hotel or to better stack experiences so that there was more than just an odd 45 minutes or an hour here and there. From what's been said and advertised, it seems like there will be more "active" signature experiences tied with longer stays at a hotel with more unstructured, self-exploring time. I was able to sneak out and hit some spaces near to our hotels for an hour or two on two days, but there were times I really wanted more time to just be in the places and experience them and not just drive through.
For example, in Kinsale, we were provided with a nice guided tour. But it came 1.5 hours after we arrived, lasted 40 minutes and left us 20 minutes to do "final purchases." Factoring in lunch we really only had two 20 minute periods to wander around and shop. Indeed, one family ducked out of the tour (and group photo) so they could shop and see more of the town. Our itinerary also called for time to "explore" Cork, but the most free time we had was an hour before dinner both nights which meant you couldn't go too far without giving up on something else.
I was about the third or fourth youngest on our tour and I could see some of the "edges" the others were running into. The youngest asked about nightlife in Cork and the TD and hotel concierge seemed stumped. They also seemed struggled with the timing in some spaces, wanting more time to look around. A younger couple really didn't care for all the organized dining and grumbled their way through the group dinners. They were also frustrated that they couldn't book golf for the afternoon we did have free time because it wasn't clear when we'd get back until the day of. Roam seems to be a response to this type of feedback.
I also pre-planned two weeks off with my work a year in advance so I could take this trip. Many folks can't do that or can't take more than 5 work days out. More purposive, short-term tours (8-9 days) that offer a mix of adventure and relaxation with the Tauck touches would seem to be a good way to engage a group that isn't touring in the way the previous generations did. There's also a wellness/well being angle mentioned that I'd be curious about.
Of note, though, was the amount of feedback about how "active" the Week in Ireland tour felt for some of more typical tour participants. Three hotels in 8 days seemed to be a bit too much for the majority. Whereas I thought it actually felt fun and shook up the tour.
I as well encountered a similar experience, particularly about "assumptions being made" by older tour guests, on one of the Tauck tours I was on. Inappropriate and intrusive questions and comments. Luckily I also met wonderful tour guests on the other Tauck trips, some of whom I'm still in contact with.
55 years old, about to take my 4th Tauck trip, with the first two being Bridges tours and the third Morocco. Just a few observations:
Families that are introduced to Tauck through Bridges pay Tauck prices for 4-6 family members, plus airfare for all of them, often overseas flights. This demographic can travel with Tauck for much less as a "couple" than their previous family trips, so I'm certain that the potential market is there.
On our Morocco trip, there were 3 people younger than us, although all three were traveling as guests of older relatives. We greatly enjoyed our travel companions, who have extensive life and travel experiences to share. And frankly, it can be inspiring to see so many guests in their 80s who can still keep up with the group. So, to us, the age gap that is present is a non-issue.
In terms of what Roam will offer us that could lead to a booking... we'd have to see the specifics. Honestly, if there is a lot of downtime with occasional tours or adventures, and not a lot of movement between hotels, that sounds like the type of trip we'd book and plan without using Tauck. We travel regularly and do much of our own planning but will continue to use Tauck for unique trips / experiences that we can't or don't want to plan on our own.
Let me play devil's advocate: I'm in my late 60s, 15 tours with Tauck (2 more scheduled), and still very active physically. If the trips are going to consist of 1 or 2 hotels and 1 or 2 "adventures," why do I need Tauck? I could simply book my own hotel and activities. This is why I would never do a US National Parks style trip with Tauck - they are too superficial. When I visit a NPs, I want to hike, explore, etc. without time constraints, not simply spend time on the bus with an occasional stop here and there.
I am in my 80s and look forward to learning more about the ROAM tours. I certainly wouldn’t do the strenuous activities but relish the ability to spend multiple days in one hotel in one city and exploring on my own. My stepson flys a lot on business and he would definitely favor this type of tour and would join me if we could work out the timing.
My husband no longer travels on guided tours, but when he did he always gravitated to the younger travelers. In his own words, “ I can’t stand old people.” Perhaps that is why he is still around at 100 years of age. He will fly internationally with me in October on personal holiday.
I definitely see a niche for ROAM and hope it is successful.
Congratulations on your husband reaching 100 years young. On 8/12 my mom passed away, age 93. Today, 8/21, my daughter will be giving birth - I’ve experienced the Circle of Life. Plus, we moved 2 weeks ago. My head is spinning.
We started travelling abroad every summer when our kids went to summer camp. We were in our mid 40's and usually did 10 days, hitting a major city and then took a train to other places close by. Sometimes we just did day trips either on a bus tour or with a private guide. We didn't cover a lot of ground, but got to tour each city extensively. Much of the travel (hotels, guides) was arranged by a travel agent we knew. We also used guide books and planned VERY full days. No down time, unless we were in transit to a new location. This was in the early 2000s when the internet was just picking up speed. Sometimes our home life was so hectic that I didn't do all my research until we were on the plane.
Looking back, I think I would have liked being on a small tour of similar aged travelers. Not for sporty activities (we do that on our own in the US), but for the quick pace. Today, we go back to our hotel for a little rest before dinner. We're tired. In those days, I would dress in the am knowing that those clothes were going to take me to dinner, as well. In London, we'd stand in line for 1/2 price West End tickets in the morning, spend a day touring and riding the tube, grab a bite before a 7 pm curtain and then an after theatre drink before returning to our hotel. Every night.
Just thinking about it now is exhausting.
So maybe getting those youngsters on the Tauck train makes good sense. Take away the burden of the planning and research and show them a good time. Keep it active and interesting. We'll be watching you from the little resto/bar on the corner enjoying our aperitif.
This discussion reminded me of our first Tauck tour in 1993. In our early 40's we were among the youngest on the tour. We enjoyed all the people on the tour and met some interesting people. The most memorable were two women from St Louis who were traveling together. While they were probably younger then than we are today, we considered them "old". But that didn't stop us from spending time with them.
In the early years of Tauck's Yellow Roads, many of the dinners were at outside restaurants, not in the hotel restaurant.
Since my husband is originally from Kansas City, in Bruges we invited them to join us for dinner. They had grown up on the Hill in St Louis which is the Italian neighborhood. One of the women's last name was Berra. We learned that Yogi was her cousin and that they both had been invited by Yogi to meet the Yankees. We were impressed that they had met Joe DiMaggio and others!
Of equal interest to my husband was one of the other "boys" who grew up with them. When they learned that Bob had gone to Rockhurst HS in KC, they asked if he knew a priest called Father Puricelli. Bob groaned and remarked that Father Puricelli had been his Latin teacher. Bob has many great stories about his teaching methods - but he learned a lot in four years.
After the trip one of the women sent us her recipe for risotto along with a package of the flavoring she used. She thanked us for reaching out to them despite the age difference and inviting them to join us for dinner.
While we have no idea what happened to these women over the years, this is a memory that we have not forgotten and continue to share with others over the 30+ years since our first Tauck trip.
We have found that sometimes you need to go out of your way to meet others on the tour but it is well worth the effort.
Comments
First tour at age 49. First Tauck tour at age 59.
There are companies who specialize in travel for families. Disney is one. I’ve heard that when a family boards one of the Disney ships, there are people who will take the kids and entertain them – almost every day.
It looks like Tauck is targeting people in the 40-50 age group without kids. There certainly are couples that fall into that category, it’s just a question of whether there are enough of them who want to travel in “Tauck style” to make a business out of it.
Uniworld’s attempt flamed out pretty quickly.
Its funny reading these comments as it reminds me how we got treated by older tour mates on our Paris, Loire Valley, Normandy, Brittany tour. A lot of assumptions being made. That is the only tour we had issues as our two Italian tours had a better mix of age ranges.
We did our first Tauck tour when I was 32 and my husband 34. We take our 4th trip next month - while I'm now 39 and my husband 41.
There is absolutely a market for this. I'm personally looking forward to seeing what the options are for Bordeaux area as the current option Tauck offers is something we will pass on for now.
I think Tauck may be surprised at how many 'boomers' sign up for ROAM trips. Who wouldn't want 3-4 nights in one place?
Depends on the place.
Boomers were born between 1946 and 1964, so they are between 61 and 79 this year. That's puts then outside the 40 to 50 age category that Tauck is targeting the ROAM trips toward. The 61 to 79 age category is the group that is the majority on the existing tours.
It may be that the way the ROAM tours will be scheduled will appeal to the Boomers. Just have to wait and see.
To MNNUTE
Well said especially paragraph one. I have no issue with Essence of Japan becuase of a mixed age range. It was a disaster with both the Venice and the Dalmatian Coast cruise and A Week in Portugal.
Interestingly, I'm in the target demo and just took my first Tauck tour. I enjoyed the pace while still feeling like there was some down time. However, I did have the itch that there was maybe a way to cut down on how much bus travel there was to maximize time at the hotel or to better stack experiences so that there was more than just an odd 45 minutes or an hour here and there. From what's been said and advertised, it seems like there will be more "active" signature experiences tied with longer stays at a hotel with more unstructured, self-exploring time. I was able to sneak out and hit some spaces near to our hotels for an hour or two on two days, but there were times I really wanted more time to just be in the places and experience them and not just drive through.
For example, in Kinsale, we were provided with a nice guided tour. But it came 1.5 hours after we arrived, lasted 40 minutes and left us 20 minutes to do "final purchases." Factoring in lunch we really only had two 20 minute periods to wander around and shop. Indeed, one family ducked out of the tour (and group photo) so they could shop and see more of the town. Our itinerary also called for time to "explore" Cork, but the most free time we had was an hour before dinner both nights which meant you couldn't go too far without giving up on something else.
I was about the third or fourth youngest on our tour and I could see some of the "edges" the others were running into. The youngest asked about nightlife in Cork and the TD and hotel concierge seemed stumped. They also seemed struggled with the timing in some spaces, wanting more time to look around. A younger couple really didn't care for all the organized dining and grumbled their way through the group dinners. They were also frustrated that they couldn't book golf for the afternoon we did have free time because it wasn't clear when we'd get back until the day of. Roam seems to be a response to this type of feedback.
I also pre-planned two weeks off with my work a year in advance so I could take this trip. Many folks can't do that or can't take more than 5 work days out. More purposive, short-term tours (8-9 days) that offer a mix of adventure and relaxation with the Tauck touches would seem to be a good way to engage a group that isn't touring in the way the previous generations did. There's also a wellness/well being angle mentioned that I'd be curious about.
Of note, though, was the amount of feedback about how "active" the Week in Ireland tour felt for some of more typical tour participants. Three hotels in 8 days seemed to be a bit too much for the majority. Whereas I thought it actually felt fun and shook up the tour.
MNNUTE and HENRYPOON_66 -
I as well encountered a similar experience, particularly about "assumptions being made" by older tour guests, on one of the Tauck tours I was on. Inappropriate and intrusive questions and comments. Luckily I also met wonderful tour guests on the other Tauck trips, some of whom I'm still in contact with.
55 years old, about to take my 4th Tauck trip, with the first two being Bridges tours and the third Morocco. Just a few observations:
Let me play devil's advocate: I'm in my late 60s, 15 tours with Tauck (2 more scheduled), and still very active physically. If the trips are going to consist of 1 or 2 hotels and 1 or 2 "adventures," why do I need Tauck? I could simply book my own hotel and activities. This is why I would never do a US National Parks style trip with Tauck - they are too superficial. When I visit a NPs, I want to hike, explore, etc. without time constraints, not simply spend time on the bus with an occasional stop here and there.
I am in my 80s and look forward to learning more about the ROAM tours. I certainly wouldn’t do the strenuous activities but relish the ability to spend multiple days in one hotel in one city and exploring on my own. My stepson flys a lot on business and he would definitely favor this type of tour and would join me if we could work out the timing.
My husband no longer travels on guided tours, but when he did he always gravitated to the younger travelers. In his own words, “ I can’t stand old people.” Perhaps that is why he is still around at 100 years of age. He will fly internationally with me in October on personal holiday.
I definitely see a niche for ROAM and hope it is successful.
Congratulations on your husband reaching 100 years young. On 8/12 my mom passed away, age 93. Today, 8/21, my daughter will be giving birth - I’ve experienced the Circle of Life. Plus, we moved 2 weeks ago. My head is spinning.
Thank you for the kind words, OurTravels34. May your mother’s memory be a blessing and the birth of your grandchild bring you much joy and happiness.
We started travelling abroad every summer when our kids went to summer camp. We were in our mid 40's and usually did 10 days, hitting a major city and then took a train to other places close by. Sometimes we just did day trips either on a bus tour or with a private guide. We didn't cover a lot of ground, but got to tour each city extensively. Much of the travel (hotels, guides) was arranged by a travel agent we knew. We also used guide books and planned VERY full days. No down time, unless we were in transit to a new location. This was in the early 2000s when the internet was just picking up speed. Sometimes our home life was so hectic that I didn't do all my research until we were on the plane.
Looking back, I think I would have liked being on a small tour of similar aged travelers. Not for sporty activities (we do that on our own in the US), but for the quick pace. Today, we go back to our hotel for a little rest before dinner. We're tired. In those days, I would dress in the am knowing that those clothes were going to take me to dinner, as well. In London, we'd stand in line for 1/2 price West End tickets in the morning, spend a day touring and riding the tube, grab a bite before a 7 pm curtain and then an after theatre drink before returning to our hotel. Every night.
Just thinking about it now is exhausting.
So maybe getting those youngsters on the Tauck train makes good sense. Take away the burden of the planning and research and show them a good time. Keep it active and interesting. We'll be watching you from the little resto/bar on the corner enjoying our aperitif.
SGF - Well said, especially your last paragraph.
This discussion reminded me of our first Tauck tour in 1993. In our early 40's we were among the youngest on the tour. We enjoyed all the people on the tour and met some interesting people. The most memorable were two women from St Louis who were traveling together. While they were probably younger then than we are today, we considered them "old". But that didn't stop us from spending time with them.
In the early years of Tauck's Yellow Roads, many of the dinners were at outside restaurants, not in the hotel restaurant.
Since my husband is originally from Kansas City, in Bruges we invited them to join us for dinner. They had grown up on the Hill in St Louis which is the Italian neighborhood. One of the women's last name was Berra. We learned that Yogi was her cousin and that they both had been invited by Yogi to meet the Yankees. We were impressed that they had met Joe DiMaggio and others!
Of equal interest to my husband was one of the other "boys" who grew up with them. When they learned that Bob had gone to Rockhurst HS in KC, they asked if he knew a priest called Father Puricelli. Bob groaned and remarked that Father Puricelli had been his Latin teacher. Bob has many great stories about his teaching methods - but he learned a lot in four years.
After the trip one of the women sent us her recipe for risotto along with a package of the flavoring she used. She thanked us for reaching out to them despite the age difference and inviting them to join us for dinner.
While we have no idea what happened to these women over the years, this is a memory that we have not forgotten and continue to share with others over the 30+ years since our first Tauck trip.
We have found that sometimes you need to go out of your way to meet others on the tour but it is well worth the effort.