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New tour to Columbia in 2025
Has anyone signed up or inquired about this tour? I am interested and wondering when plans might be finalized.
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Has anyone signed up or inquired about this tour? I am interested and wondering when plans might be finalized.
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Detailed itinerary for 2025 now posted; looks great. Would love to hear from anyone who has traveled there re how safe it feels for tourists. I trust Tauck, but lots of discussion online re being out at night, etc.
I did a tour very similar to this in 2018 with A& K. Loved it.
Tell me about A&K. I am so curious. How do they compare to Tauck. I have booked two trips with A& K this year.
Henrypoon_66--I have taken many trips with both Tauck and A&K and I find them comparable. I think you get a little more value with Tauck but that is offset by the group size which is considerably larger. The A&K trips that I have been on are never more than 18 and that is their policy (regular A&K Small Group and Marco Polo). I've never had up to 18 on a trip, once close at 17, but I've been on others where there are only 6 of us. I much prefer a small group. I think the group size on the A&K Connections tours which is the product that I believe competes head to head with Tauck may have a larger number but I'\ve only taken one of those tours and there were 13 of us.
In the past, I have found A&K hotels to be a tad more luxurious than Tauck hotels but Tauck has really upped their hotel offerings in recent years and is using the Four Seasons more which A&K routinely does or comparable hotels. A&K also offers pre and post tour extensions for many of their tours which I like because I like to be away for an extended period, not 9 or 10 days. I often book back to back trips with Tauck or sometimes back to back with one Tauck and one A&K.
Food, outings, private tours/exclusive experiences are similar but for me the big draw is the smaller group size which allows A&K to get into hotels that don't cater to the group tour agencies. And because of the smaller group size the vehicles may be smaller allowing us to take roads that the big tour bus cannot navigate. One place in particular that I can think of was in South Africa when we were coming back from the Cape of Good Hope/Boulders Beach and we took a very scenic ocean road , I think it was called Chapman's Peak and the bus can only go one way on that road but the Mercedes van we were in had no issues. Scenery was beyond spectacular. A 3 night journey on the Rovos Rail was a part of that tour. And that was a very special experience as well.
What tours have you signed up for this year with A&K. I don't have booked with them as yet since I have 4 booked with Tauck. Leaving for Vietnam, Cambodia & Thailand in 2 weeks.
All 3 cities are safe, Colombia is great to travel now a days... the problem it's more near the borders with Venezuela, Ecuador and Brazil.
Being from Venezuela, I love Colombian food (it's like ours) , music it's contagious, people super friendly and the landscape same as ours too.
I'm thinking about booking this trip, and I would add 2 xtra days in Cartagena, formally known as "Cartagena de Indias" since the colonial days. The night life here is great as well as the small island with amazing beaches.
By the way it is not COLUMBIA-
IT"S "COLOMBIA"
C O- LOOOOOOOOOOM WITH O!- BIA.
I am visiting South Korea and Japan with A &K in April and Cruising the Greek Islands with A& K in June. There are several reasons I have booked with A&K for these particular destinations. One is Tauck does not go to South Korea. Second Tauck goes to Greece with Windstar.
Very likely to sign up with Tauck again for 2025 Sicily, the Amalfi Coast and Rome cruise.
My spell check was not on while i was at work early today.
I am on an A&K trip currently in Finland and it is a phenomenal trip and it is definitely bitter cold at times. Our trip has 15 travelers and it is a good mix of people. You might be surprised among the guests, the conversations about the various tours they take with all the different companies throughout the world including around the around the world trips and cruising for 3 months at a time! I asked our tour director why A&K doesn’t distribute a guest last upon arrival such as Tauck does. I always enjoy seeing that list to associate names where people live, and I think it’s a nice introduction to meet people. However, our tour director said that some A&K guests prefer to remain private and not disclose their last names for their privacy. I’m just reiterating what was communicated. There also seems to be less “surprises” along the way compared to the Tauck adventures I’ve been on. This is still a wonderful trip because it is so unique. The northern lights are not guaranteed and tonight might be the night.
Another change of subject from Colombia.
People in general on tours now seem to want to be more private and the tour companies are complying. Certainly with Tauck, I think there might be an additional reason or two.Most tours with Tauck, the official nice card with the list of names, it often has the names of people who have canceled at the last minute. Then there is the expense they no longer want to have,
it’s the same, I think, with the group photos which were originally suspended due to Covid. I don’t think they will come back. Just think of the money it saves Tauck not having to pay for a photographer and on a more practical level, not having to be at a place at a specific time. Only one TD in all our tours has bothered to write down everyone’s name down on a key. If I could look at all those photos, I doubt I would remember a single name.
We have come across several groups of A and K people on tours. They have stayed in the same hotels as Tauck. Two groups we met were on shorter tours. One was the China group, they were going home and our group was going on to Hong Kong. The other notable one was our tour to K and T and Rwanda, they were going home and we were going on to Rwanda to trek gorillas. Both tours, I checked them out and they were more expensive than Tauck.
A friend of my husband just last week was wanting to book a South Africa tour and asked him about the A and Kent tour, the first thing he noticed was that it was only a nine day tour. He recommended Tauck instead and to add on days. Finally, a friend and her hid and booked a private tour with A and K with a group of friends. It happened we were going ot some of the same places with a Tauck. She complained bitterly that they had the crummiest rooms even though the hotels were nice, They missed out several things on the itinerary and finally one time, the driver got totally lost and had to rely on one of the group googling the directions.
As far as hotels are concerned, how much more luxurious do you need a hotel to be that hopefully you are only sleeping in, because if you are there for longer each day, then you are not there to see the inside of a hotel, you should be site seeing, unless there are a lot more Tauck customers who want to chill out more often, that could of course be the case these days, we are coming across more and more people who have mobility issues.
Finally, we have been looking at Colombia with another company for the future. It will be good to see some reviews from the Tauck tour to see how it goes. We are wary of going on brand new Tauck tours these days after experiencing them in the past, they always seem to need ironing out. A couple of them, we lucked out because after the tours were changed, we thought we got a better tour, but that is unusual.
The more we travel, the more we come across people who use multiple tour companies. It all depends where you want to go and what is offered. There are places we want to see that Tauck does not offer tours to, that’s why we started traveling with other companies for some destinations.
mil - Don't get so worked up. In different languages, country names are spelled differently. Think Cymru.
Did old Chris ever spell his name Colombus?
I travel with multiple companies because each one offers something different and unique. I struggled mightily with the decision to go with Tauck to Vietnam next month because Ha Long Bay is not included where A&K does include it. Since I've been reading that Ha Long Bay is now over touristed like Bali, I'm okay with the fact that I'm not going there. I looked at MikeHenderson's blog and photos and don't think I'm missing anything. I'm sure it was a lovely experience but it's not one that I have to check off my bucket list. Like Antarctica--I read the posts here and look at the photos and wonder what it is that I am missing by not going there--and then I think nothing, absolutely nothing. I live in New England--I get snow, I get cold--I don't need any more of it. I've seen penguins. How many can there be--they don't excite me the same way lions and elephants and giraffes do. We all travel for our own reasons and with the tour companies that meet our needs. Sometimes Tauck does; sometimes A&K does. Sometimes I like to go it alone in a first world country.
I've also traveled with a company called Alexander & Roberts out of New Hampshire. They have destinations that are off the beaten path which appeals to me.
As for the matter of privacy and not distributing a list of guests, the European Union has certainly driven a lot of that over time and it has taken hold across the globe. I will say that when the TDs use What's App to communicate, as many do these days, you can get all the information you need or want from the contacts on the distribution list if you're interested. But for the most part, you are never going to see these people you're on tour with ever again, so does it really matter. If you make a connection with someone and you want to exchange addresses with them, fine; and if they don't want to, so what.
I'm just grateful for all the wonderful experiences I've had on tour with all of the tour companies I go with.
Cristóbal Colón (Spanish) or Cristoforo Colombo (in his native Italian- he was from Genoa, Italy) https://www.thoughtco.com/how-did-colon-become-columbus-3079508
Several years ago my daughter and her family spent two years in Bogotá, Colombia with the US State Dept. At that time they were picked up in the morning by a special (armored?) vehicle that took them to work at the embassy compound. The (Marine?) driver would vary the route from day to day! Maybe it is safer there now.
Anyway, the first image that came to mind when I saw Tauck was running a tour there was a scene out of the movie "Romancing the Stone," with Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner. I know Tauck uses two on-tour flights, but I imagined what it could be like if they traveled by bus like in a scene from the movie. It would be a very old, beat-up bus packed with locals and their livestock/poultry, produce, etc. all making a cacophony of noise and emanating a range of scents (brings a new meaning to Tauck's "trip may be shared with others.") while careening through the sweltering jungle or hugging narrow, winding mountainside, pothole-filled, dirt roads! What a mental image!!
I don’t know about elsewhere in the country but the potholes on major roads in our area near Philly are dreadful, ruining people’s tires and under carriages. I’ve driven better roads In Africa.
While there can be some risks taking a new tour, I was on first Puglia tour and though details are forgotten, I remember we stumbled into a few extras that were later dropped from the itinerary...so you never know.
We took the Puglia tour when it was very new too. I have no idea what it is like today
Oops. mil, I’m so sorry I spelled “Colombia” wrong. But I’m glad you pointed that out because now I will be more aware.
I saw a river cruise company that is offering a tour on the Magdalena River. That looks interesting too.
NJcolleen, Hi.
that it funny
no need to apologize it's a common mistake and it doesn't offend anyone, just an observation.
You should hear how people pronounce Cartagena here...
Where is the Magdalena River? Iam not a cruise person, but I will start soon as I'm getting closer to being a senior.
Have a lovely evening.
British !!!!!!!!!!!!!
British I have a pair of shoes, I'm in love with... look!
Get two pairs!
mil - The Magdalena River is the main river of Colombia, flowing northward through the western half of the country.
Thank you! I didn't know that.-
British, I'm going to wear them with my swimsuit!
..... 
I can hear it coming!
I think SeaLord had a post here about not mention the names of other toir companies. If you go to the Announcements section, there is a heading Forum guidelines and rules. It says no hyperlinks to other companies. Plus lot of other things, the one most of us are guilty of is changing the discussions thread. I have been bullied here too.
Mil I wouldn't last 2 seconds on those shoes. those days are long gone. 😂😂😂
I still can, but not as I travel.