Advice/Support on managing 6 hotels in 13 days
Excited but a little concerned about this itinerary. I think I am pretty good at traveling... as this will be my 4th Tauck tour. Please advise on how to successfully manage these 6 hotels in 13 days. Have made reservations for Oct 2026. Thanks in advance!!
0
Comments
Packing cubes. Unpack only what you will need at each stop. This is a wonderful tour, one of my top 3 (out of 21). Enjoy!
Thanks, MCD. Is there a lot of dressy events that need dressy casual attire? (ex Blue Danube tour had numerous dressy events).
As MCD indicated, packing cubes/envelopes work great. Bundle everything needed for two (2) days and just pull one cube/envelope per hotel stay. Use travel size toiletries.
My husband and I like to unpack SOME items at each hotel. I like to divide my toiletries into separate bags. One bag for everyday essentials (hanging), one bag for all the what if meds and first aid things. One bag for hair supplies. I only unpack the hanging bag for most hotel stops. Leave all the other items in my suitcase, along with shoes and clothes I'm unlikely to wear on a given stop. I try to think ahead as to what I might need for the next few days (knowing that the suitcase is available, if needed). Also recommend packing cubes and/or plastic ziploc bags (use those for socks and underwear).
If there are luggage racks, we'll put our bags on them to access as needed. Admittedly, it's mentally and physically tiresome. We will continue to do land tours while we have the stamina and likely switch to river/small ship cruises when we've had enough. Nice to have options. On our recent Patagonia trip, we were thrilled that we only had 4 hotels in 11 days. A real treat!
No advice on packing and unpacking, but that's a very good tour. You'll enjoy it. (We went in 2019).
I was afraid the area would still show signs of the 1992 war but everything was very nice and modern.
You don't need a different dressy outfit for all occasions. One nice pair of slacks, one pair of shoes that go with them and 2-3 tops is plenty. No one cares if they see you in the same outfit repeatedly if they even notice.
And yes, packing organizers of what ever type work for you are essential. There are tons of websites and YouTube videos that discuss ways to use them.
I second what Claudia said. When I took this tour, our hotel in Zagreb (which is the same as on the 2026 itinerary) was the only elegant hotel, and slacks and a nice top were quite appropriate for the diningroom. There were no dinners in castles.
With these kinds of turnarounds....I don't unpack. I try to put the clothes in the suitcase in the order I tentatively plan to wear them - after I wear an outfit/item I move it to the bottom and the next outfit rises to the top. It makes my sister crazy but it works for me. Ha!
We don’t unpack for land tours either. 4 or 5 cubes in the suitcase, we just get out what we need and throw them back in the suitcase. Less chance of leaving anything behind too.
We have a one word answer to the packing problem … “boat”. We hate the baggage drill, and we hate buses, so we do mostly boats. We have done five safaris, and one real land tour. We can’t wait to get done with the intro days in a hotel, and board the boat where we unpack ‘once’. As of today we are both octogenarians, so all of our travel will involve small ships or riverboats.
Congratulations to you and Eloise! Another 8 years to hope to reach that milestone for me. Yes, I guess I hope to be still able to travel and boat vacations may become the norm. Also hoping by then that there is less need to think about taking jackets and cocktail attire because less luggage is so liberating to cope with before entering into the Tauck bubble.
Ideally I pack 3 outfits. One is for days 1,4, 7, 10 . Next for days 2, 5, 8, 11. Third , days 3, 6, 9, 12. After that go shopping!! I also put in a pair of dress slacks and a couple blouses/sweaters.
I’ve said before, many of our tours don’t go near shops.
Happy Birthday Sealord!
To Katrina, all I can say is you get used to it. I've tried different packing methods, and as they say, the best laid plans.....
After our first Tauck trip, I decided it was pointless to try to NOT look like a traveler in Europe. (Extreme politeness and learning a few phrases in the local language will get you a lot farther than nicer clothes, as long as you are neat.) Just pack comfortable tops and bottoms that you can easily mix and match. I don't bother trying to create outfits in advance. I never unpack. The hard part is when you have a transition day and they collect your luggage while you are at breakfast. Pull out your next day clothing the night before. I always keep a small toiletries bag in my day pack that has comb, toothbrush and toothpaste.
It's a really nice trip. Don't miss the silkworm lecture, if that same lady is still doing it!
For this particular area, we looked at doing a cruise - actually on the old Crystal Cruise Line. But the problem is that when you go by boat, you're limited to sights a certain distance from the port. Many of the really interesting sights in this area are too far from a port for you to visit, and many guests will not accept a tour involving (for example) a two-hour bus ride both ways.
So, you choose your poison - either you accept changing hotels and get to see more of an area, or you get to unpack once but are limited to what you see.
For this area, we chose the land tour and are glad we did.
Not looking like a tourist doesn't even factor on my list of worries. Things like weather, walking surfaces, etc are way more important to what I pack. On last summer's tours I made it a point to pay attention to what everyone around was wearing. On weekends you couldn't tell locals from tourists. On M-F, as you'd expect most of the locals looked like they were going to work. Duh.
The way I deal with transition days is by getting my large bag ready to go the night before. I put out what I'm wearing the next day, whatever toiletries I need overnight, and things like my Kindle, charging cables, etc. I get ready in the morning and stow the rest in my small wheeled carryon. It's the size that will fit under an airline seat. Plenty of room. I carry that bag down to the coach myself.
Happy Birthday Sealord!
Seaboard: Happiest birthday from one Northern Californian to another
I pretty much do the same as Claudia, set everything out the night before, and stow whatever I have to in my carry on.
I'm not a big fan of packing cubes - mostly because I travel carry-on only and they take up space. I do use one for my underwear and one for my tops and maybe one pair of slacks fits in too. I'm not one to plan out my daily outfits, either. I pack for a week, no matter how long I'm traveling for - I'm ruthless 😁. I lay everything out on the bed, and make sure everything goes with everything else. If I can't see a way to wear something at least twice it's out. And I resist mightily the urge to bring something "just in case." I roll my clothing so it wrinkles less, and I can see what things are without moving a bunch of stuff. I put my bag on the luggage rack and work out if it - I don't use hotel drawers. I do hang a few things up, if I have an occasion I need them for. I only use the toiletries I brought through TSA - if I run out I buy more. I don't wear makeup and don't use a lot of hair products, so I don't have to worry about that. I know some people radically simplify their makeup and hair routines for travel - that helps too. I find it's pretty easy to manage just taking out what I decide I want for a day, and putting it back at the end of the day or the next morning. I'm 72, and I wouldn't have a problem managing a new hotel every 2 or 3 days - my secret is keeping things simple and properly corraled at all times. Oh, and scarves. They take up almost zero room, and make all my other things more interesting and flexible.
And scarves dress up any outfit! Sounds like you have refined your system to work for you. There is no right or wrong.
Yiyak, I bought a Travel Pro hardside carryon for the few trips I might want to go that way. I found the zippered side sections basically act like packing cubes. One side was all my tops, bottoms, etc either rolled or Marie Kondo folded. As you said, then you can get things out without disturbing everything else. Was also amazed how much could be tucked into the edges and corners. When I first got that bag I thought I might regret that both sides were completely zipper closed but I found I could slid my coat in-between them. That way it was easy to retrieve if needed. While I do usually take some backup toiletry/medication items in my checked bag, my 311 bag has what I have to have for a month in the smallest containers I could get away with. Usually one ounce.
YiyaK, you nailed packing perfectly!
Now that I'm retired, I continue to use my flight attendant Travel Pro carry-on suitcase.
Depending on the destination(s) forecast, I lay mix-and- match clothes out for a week, add or delete, roll and organize, add scarves to accessorize, flat shoes inside shower caps against the side of the suitcase, and my small LL Bean hanging toiletry kit goes in last - which holds all TSA approved products I need for a few weeks.
Less is best! There's always a drugstore nearby when you run low, or ask the hotel/resort for overnight comp amenities.
My small REI backpack holds my travel essentials, phone, ear buds......virtually hands-free travel.
KFNKNFZK is also spot on - there's no right or wrong. Make it work for you. Happy travels!
My main point is, the less stuff that's packed, and the less it's moved around and spread about, the easier it is to manage frequent hotel moves 😉.
When you overnight in a different hotel every night (for work or leisure) staying organized cuts down on the chaos and last minute decisions. Packing 101 😉
Carry on only is the only way to go for me, but I understand why it doesn’t work for everyone. I do take my Rick Steves folding tote so if I get a little crazy buying souvenirs I will use that as a carry on and check my roller bag and backpack on the way home. I also never travel with anything I can’t afford to lose. I never wear good jewelry. On my last trip, my travel companion, a widow, lost her wedding band of 43 years and was physically ill over it.
I just purchased the Portlander Gear Compact backpack (I'm 5’2”) on sale. I think I’m going really like it. Now hubs wants one for himself! It is structured compared to my lightweight one and it opens wide.
OurTravels34, I am immediately notifying Santa about that backpack.
Portland Gear makes excellent backpacks. I bought one for my trip to Ireland because it is waterproof. I bought it in yellow and black so I look like the Flight of the Bumblebee.
Wan: let me what you think after Santa Claus surprises you with the backpack. The waterproof element spoke to me. The compact size had plenty of room, more than I realized.