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Yellowstone & The Tetons: American Safari August 21-29 2018
This was our first time traveling with Tauck. I looked at the forum to see what others had experienced and only found one person from last year with details on their trip so I thought I would contribute too. First, you are traveling in a casual environment, no dressy clothes are necessary. Don't bring a lot of warm weather clothing (never wore shorts I brought). The key is to layer, no matter the time of year, you are in mountains. It can get warm and cool down quickly. Bring a rain coat. We were given a water bottle by the Tour Director and we used them every day. The air is very dry. You will need lip balm, moisturizer for your face and I would recommend a cream for your nose. A lot of us were so dry that our noses bled a little every day. The food was better than anticipated at each hotel. The rooms were comfortable, some better than others. We had 2 queen beds in every hotel. The last place we were in cottages with lots of space, but our bathrooms had mold in the tub/shower area. We were not in the actual Jackson Lake Lodge. There is no air conditioning (except for the Wort) but there are fans (on a stand or ceiling) and there is heat. The first and last night receptions are casual in private rooms. The first full day of touring - white water rafting - they provide wet suits. We wore swim shoes, but they also provide boots. You will get wet and cold, but it is fun. The changing area is in an open roof area, unless you use the bathroom (pit toilet), or wait to get back to the store. The group that had the alternate raft trip had theirs canceled due to possibility of lightning - no alternate activity. There will be photos taken at one point in the rafting that you can purchase later. The horseback riding is very low key. The horses just walk up and down the side of a mountain path. The bike riding is also very easy. Mainly coasting. Worth it for the view of the Tetons, but disappointing if you bike a lot like we do. The days you have to eat on your own I check trip advisor for recommendations. The walking is pretty easy. Good tennis shoes would work or hiking boots. I highly recommend you attend the optional walks and talks. We learned quite a bit, and missed crowds. Get up early to view the Grand Tetons at sunrise - again, you will miss the crowds! The Tauck documents that you receive before your trip give an overall description of what you need to bring and what you will be doing, but, the Tour Director will give you a more detailed agenda at the Welcome Reception. You pretty much live out of your suitcase since you stay 2 nights at each hotel.
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Thanks for your info. We’re heading that way shortly, so we’ll leave the shorts home (FL) and bring a pull-over.
Did anyone take this tour in late July/ early August? I am concerned that if it is hot and there are only fans in the room, it may not cool the room down enough. Feedback, please. Thanks.
We are on trip in Sept. 2026. In planning to bring tip money for driver and director, is the driver the same person each day? If so, we could bring larger bills for end of trip tip. If we need to tip daily because drivers change daily, then will need to bring more bills.
This was just addressed in the thread titled, ‘Tipping tour directors.’
Generally speaking, if there is more than one driver o na tour, the Tour director takes care of the tip. You should find all details like this in your final documents.
A couple of times we've had a driver for 1-2 days that Tauck/TD took care of. On the Scandinavian tour we had 2 drivers that were tipped by us separately. One drove Stockholm to Copenhagen then we flew to Oslo and a different driver joined us.