New Rating System
Ask and you shall receive- I'm sure most of you received the Tauck email about the new Activity & Pace ratings that will begin with 2027 trips. Each has 5 levels and the descriptions of each have a lot more detail. Of course, the problem with many similar ratings scales, there will always be people who deceive themselves as to their own ability. See the link for details. (link is also in email)
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Comments
One issue that I think needs to be specified is tours that involve stairs with no handrails. There are many of us that can handle most terrain encountered on Tauck tours, but cannot easliy navigate stairs that don’e have handrails.
How about the bath tubs with tall walls. I am 5’2 and shrinking and those are a no no. I always ask for a separate shower
It's your spine (upper body) that compresses, not your leg bones.
That may be true, but my trousers got too long. I always wore a 34 inch inseam until I started walking on the cuffs. Now I wear a 32 indh inseam. I was 6 foot 3 inches when I played basketball in high school. I am now six feet even.
Talking about Choc’s bath. We had a sunken bath tub in our master bedroom until I fell into it and broke my neck. The same injury that Patton had that killed him. I got lucky. No sunken bath tub anymore. It is now a walk in shower. Actually, he had a fracture of C3 and C4, I only had a cracked C3. It was pretty messy but sheets are easy to replace.
I gravitate to stairs with handrails. If I don't have handrails, I have the sensation of falling whether I do or I don't. It has to do with depth perception.
Rule of thumb: after 50, always hold on.
Tauck has to make sure that they and their travel agent partners stress these levels when someone books a tour. I’m not sure it may make a difference to what seems to be an escalating problem of people going on tours when they are in no way up to it.
There are several solutions, the easiest thing sending people home if they are impacting the progress of the tour. And publicizing more that this does happen. We traveled with a company years ago who had someone who could not walk on a very active tour, they impacting it greatly for the rest of us Shame, they lost us on our first tour with them, and sometimes we take six tours a year.
Or maybe provide a few very laid back tours for people with limited stamina….like the Roam tours without the high level activities but keep the multi day stays in the same hotels with an emphasis on relaxation.
Sending them home seems a bit harsh, British. Perhaps a "This activity is too strenuous for you. You need to sit this one out" is better.
Some companies do send people home, I’ve read forums where people have witnessed it.
Who determines who is to be sent home, when/where, and using what criteria? That could really put a TD on the spot!! Sending people home could also get expensive for Tauck unless the customer pays and it is so stated in the contract of carriage and/or covered by the insurance.
Though I think it is absolutely necessary, that course of action is a tough one from a customer relations point of view-
"Tauck, the tour company without a heart." It could be a publicity nightmare, "Breaking New: Tauck unceremoniously kicks sweet, gentle, terminally ill grandma off tour for no good reason. She spent her life savings on the trip, but was forced to forego a once-in-a-lifetime chance to visit her family's ancestral home and miss what would have been the first and last opportunity to meet her previously unknown, separated-at-birth, but dying twin sister. Film at 11:00."
Alan - loved your comment, so very true, I don't think Tauck should send anyone home, perhaps a choice for a different excursion or sitting one out.
I'm a hater of the high bathtubs, difficult to get in and out. I always ask at check in if there is a room with a walk in shower available.
The new tour pacing and activity levels explains why, when I booked the Northern Spain tour for May 2027, the Tauck agent strongly emphasized the amount of walking required over uneven pavement. Fortunately, we are very fit in our mid-70s, and walking is not an issue, at least not yet, lol.
Me too. I hate tub showers. Getting in and out is a problem and the bottom of the tub is often curved making it difficult to stand in.
I always ask for a walk in shower, also.
I think most everyone on the Forum loves to travel and as changing physical challenges impact our lives, it can be hard to give up something you love - it is almost a grieving process. I had a heart attack in June and received my doctor's OK to do our previously booked Impressions of the Seine tour (September) and I kept up fine. I am having surgery to have a brain tumor (likely benign) removed next week. We already had two trips booked for 2026. If the tumor ends up to be malignant, we are canceling our trips. If not - and barring unexpected complications - we will try to go. If necessary, we will skip excursions that seem beyond our abilities. After these two trips, we know we need to stay closer to home and look more critically at tour ratings. I certainly don't want to impact the ability of others to enjoy their trip, but I do think it is important to acknowledge it can be difficult to come to terms with changing physical conditions. It is a process. Like so many things in life, there is a delicate balance we need to strive to achieve.
Good wishes coming your way!
Accepting not being able to travel so much is like knowing when it’s time to give up your drivers license. Very hard.
How many of us have had knees or hips replaced, so we can continue to travel?
Not yet! Keeping my fingers crossed.
cvc...sending good vibes and healing wishes across the miles.
Thanks for the good wishes!