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I miss --
As I was making a summarized, one-page chart of my next trip itinerary this morning (for easy reference rather than slogging through the multi-page document they send us now via e-mail)…I was thinking of Tauck past…and I miss the little green book they used to send us and I miss the organized group photos…
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I miss the group photos, also. I would always ask the photographer to email me a digital copy of the photo because the paper copy was useless to me. I wanted to put the photo in my blog. Some photographers would send me a copy but a lot of them didn't.
Sounds silly but I would get so excited when the green book arrived. Our trip was now official.
I also miss the green, faux leather bi-fold document holder. They came in very handy and still do.
I make my own 'Green Book' (hmmm, maybe next time I should use green paper or green text on the cover 😁)
I copy and paste the itinerary (not the other BS) into a MS Word doc. I reformat it some (location of dining info, add color and bolding, etc.). I alternate a page of text with a page of internet photos of the places we will visit the days shown on the facing pages. At the end I include any nice-to-have info or instructions, e.g. instructions and phone numbers for contacting the transfer company, etc. While there is usually space on each page, I sometimes leave a blank page or more at the end for note taking.
I then print it on standard 8 1/2" X 11" paper, but in landscape orientation, double sided, and formatted as a 'booklet' using my color laser printer. My new printer makes the printing process simple and easy- it automatically formats and collates the pages. I end up with a small, 8 1/2" tall X 5 1/2" wide booklet. My wife binds it by simply sewing down the middle of the stack of pages. It can be a little work and sometimes it is hard to find appropriate photos, but the process gives me something to do and helps me really familiarize myself with the itinerary. The only downside is that the itinerary on the on-tour daily 'go sheets' provided by the TD may be different.
Cover and random page.
Alan - I see a business opporutnity for you 😀
Under MY ACCOUNT / PAST TOURS, each tour now has a "VIEW GROUP PHOTO" option. Glad to see some visible improvement. For my two tours this year, Patagonia does show our group photo in front of Perito Moreno Glacier. Botswana, South Africa & Zambia shows "WATCH VIDEO" instead, and selecting it returns an "oops" error. I hope every TD (or whoever is responsible) is required to upload these. It's a lovely way to bring the tour back to life with fellow travelers.
I would just prefer a digital copy of the group photo. But recently there hasn’t been an official one! It must save Tauck a lo of money not having to get a photographer at a specific location. Our recent tours, our groups have taken them and sent it around via WhatsApp, Dropbox, Airdrop. For me, it then goes in my digital photo-book of the tour.
Yes, miss the green book. Another big saving for Tauck. My husband formats the itinerary we get from Tauck into a small booklet, I usually make two holes in the center fold and thread string or elastic rope, I have done the sewing method Alan does too.
For the last 20 years or so I copy the itinerary (they can and do change), and where we stayed. I then journal each day ~ activities, weather, food. This is always nice to look back on but, also, helps with giving context to photos.
I went to my past tours but no group photos. There was one tour with a photo, but it was of the TDs on the cruise (there were 5 TDs on that crusie)
That one group photo on the Tauck account, as the headline of each "Past Tour," is good enough for me. On our Botswana/South Africa/Zambia tour, the TD set up a PhotoCircle group account for everyone to share photos and videos, in addition to WhatsApp for one-way announcements and communication. That covered it.
@Mike, garbage in, garbage out. Who owns the group photo? Is it still available? Who's supposed to upload it or link it to that data field? And if they're backfilling, how far back do they go? How do you know it's the right one? That's all system design stuff.
Just my opinion here - the no green book is simply a cost shifting to us - if we want the info to take with us we print it or format it and print it ourselves - Tauck saves printing and mailing costs.
On one of my tours my TD told me Tauck had a photo person who would get the photo from the local photographer and print them and ship them to the TD and that person either quit or went out of business during the pandemic and Tauck decided not to get a new person…so instead “sometimes” we get an informal group shot somewhere along the way - since the pandemic these have all been digital from the TD on my tours.
In reality, the little green booklet is somewhat of a dinosaur in this day and age. There are so many itinerary changes that can happen and has happened after the little green booklet is printed and sent out. That in itself would make it incorrect for your tour. On another note, I have travelled with another company, and their version of the little green booklet on was on their app. Changes can be made that way and everything is current. Now that makes sense.
You are correct about the Green book, however, when Tauck started those instead of a pile of paperwork through the mail, it made it look way more up market. Another company we travel with, you have to print the info out but it is much more detailed, has lovely photos, even a photograph of the outlet plug you will need for the country/countries you will be visiting….just imagine how many inquiries the forum gets for that alone when a simple photo on the Tauck info would clarify it.
In the technology era, I can understand there no longer being a green book. But it would make sense to use an app to provide this information and to be able to update it on the fly. We recently did a trip with a small, independent operator, and they use an app, My Trips, which allowed for itineraries with related photos, supplemental information, TD contact links, etc… including all information traditionally in the green book. They also used a dedicated group within WhatsApp that was very helpful, even taking advantage of a location feature so if someone goes missing or is late, their whereabouts could be known. Tauck does not need to build their own, and can use fine tools already available. As to group photos, our experiences have been mixed. If there is a group photo, a digital copy makes the most sense. The quality of photographers is varied as well. In January we had a group photo as well as optional couples photos (for an extra nominal charge, which I thought the TD should have covered with their discretionary funds), and unfortunately the background with the Taj was not level.
Tauck had an app at one time, it wasn’t very good, they ditched it.