Hello to all my loyal clients & subscribers from Beautiful Tokyo, Japan! 🙂
10 days ago I arrived in this fascinating City where I spent the first 8 days exploring on my own at “Tokyo Disney” and on a food tour and by walking what feels like a million miles!! 😉
With that said, 2 days ago I joined a Tauck Land Tour on their “Essence of Japan” trip which you can check out here.
FYI, as all of my trips with Tauck have been so far (As you’ll see here and here, to date/not counting Japan, I’ve taken 4 Tauck Land Tours & 2 Tauck “Small Ship” Ocean Cruises & 1 Tauck River Cruise… and in 2 months I sail to “Antarctica” with Tauck on this trip) this one has already started off pretty amazing…
…in just 1.5 days we’ve already enjoyed a really nice Welcome Reception & Dinner at a Gorgeous Wedding venue featuring a Sumo Wrestling demonstration, we visited the city’s main Temple & experienced a Tauck exclusive “Kagura” blessing, we went to one of the most popular Fish markets in the region, we enjoyed an exclusive “Taiko” drumming performance and ate at the famous “Nobu” restaurant…
…and with what little downtime we’ve had, we’ve enjoyed it at our “Park Hyatt” Hotel which occupies the top 14 floors of a 52-story tower so as you can imagine the views of Tokyo are FABULOUS from there… including being able to see “Mt Fuji”!
Not a bad start for our first 30 hours together!! 😉
FYI, I’ll be adding my full review of this trip to my site here by mid-January so keep an eye out for that and if you happened to have had this post forwarded to you by a friend and are not on my “update” list yet then sign up here and whenever I send out reviews from my personal trips, industry updates, exclusive deals, etc. (I only send out 1 message per month so WON’T be overwhelming you with emails! 😉) you’ll automatically receive them.
Alright, let’s get back to the message of this post which is…
…for those of you who know me as “Your Trusted Cruise Expert” that’s still more than true as ever as I’ve personally been on 81 Cruises to date & do 3 more within the next 2 months so I know that product inside/out…
…BUT, as I get asked this question multiple times each week, I realized that many of you still don’t yet know that, besides being able to book your Ocean Cruises & River Cruises…
…I also can book Tauck Land Tours for you!!
And, although when it comes to Cruising I work with multiple quality companies like Tauck, Regent, Seabourn, Silversea, Oceania, Viking Ocean Cruises, AMA Waterways, etc…
…when it comes to Land Tours I ONLY recommend Tauck and they’re the company I exclusively book for my clients on Land Tours!
Now, before I get into “Why Tauck” when it comes to Land Tours, if you’re a Cruise lover like me you may be thinking “Why would I be interested in a Land Tour in the first place”?
Well, there are several reasons but the simple one is Cruises don’t go everywhere… some places are land-locked so a Land Tour is the main way to take an organized trip there… think about areas in Kenya/Tanzania in Africa for Safaris, India’s “Golden Triangle”, the inner parts of places like Italy, National Parks throughout the US, the Canadian Rockies, etc.
And for some places, even though Cruises visit there, they’re not always the best option in a certain destination.
For example, up until when I started selling Tauck Land Tours I had clients visit Countries like India and Australia & New Zealand and Morocco, etc. by Cruise ship but, the feedback was always they wished they’d seen more of those fascinating Countries!
But once I started booking clients on Land Tours with Tauck to those places, the reviews from my clients were so Amazing & my clients Raved about them so much that I knew a Land Tour was the BEST way to see those Countries… even for a Cruise Lover like me… as I’d get to see much more in the time I was there compared to on a Cruise… and when flying halfway around the World you want to see everything possible & maximize your time as much as possible!
So, since the reviews were so good, I ended up personally visiting some of those places by “Land Tour” with Tauck as well and they were truly all amazing trips… you can see my full reviews below:
Above I mentioned “maximizing” your time as much as possible when you travel… as an example, one of the main reasons I personally booked this Tauck Land Tour for myself in Australia & New Zealand was since my clients who had done that trip raved about the “Charter” flights Tauck includes during their tour which saves you A LOT of time!! (I’m talking NO checking in or going through security for flights… literally being dropped off at the plane’s doorstep!!)
So, unlike on a Cruise in that area, you’re not wasting 3-5 days to Cross the Ocean between Australia & New Zealand… you’re simply taking a few-hour flight! (And as the waters can often be rough crossing that area, a Land Tour is a much better option for those without good “Sea Legs”!)
End result…
…again & again when I talk to other people who have been to Australia & New Zealand and we “compare notes”, when I tell them about my trip they keep saying “I didn’t see that” multiple times… they simply couldn’t see all I did due to Tauck’s “charter” flights that I talk about here which saves A LOT of time so you can see & experience more.
Here are some of the “Highlights” of what I saw & experienced when I did that “Australia & New Zealand” Tauck Tour:
Sunset Champagne & Canapes at “Ayers Rock”/Uluru
Stayed at a Luxury Lodge in a Rainforest in Cairns
Took a Skyrail through the Rainforest
Enjoyed a hot air balloon ride in Cairns
Experienced a boat tour & snorkeling in the “Great Barrier Reef”
Pleased my palate on a “foodie” tour in Sydney
Explored Melbourne by foot
Got up close & personal with Crocodiles, Kangaroos, Koalas, Wallabies, Wombats, etc.
Enjoyed a private tour at the Sydney Opera House
Enjoyed a Private Cruise in Sydney Harbor
Experienced many yummy meals & wine tastings in New Zealand
Visited a sheep farm & saw a sheep-sharing demonstration
Enjoyed a Private boat ride through Marlborough Sound while we munched on “Green Tipped Mussels” and sipped on local award-winning “Sauvignon Blanc” wine from the region before being served a home-cooked lunch onboard… yum!! 🙂
Enjoyed a Private boat ride through Milford Sound
Experienced a vigorous jetboat ride through a scenic valley followed by a Helicopter Ride (What an Amazing experience that was!!)
Enjoyed a private dinner at “Sir Peter Jackson’s” museum
Enjoyed a VERY SCENIC lunch in the revolving Restaurant high up in Auckland’s famous “Sky Tower”
Saw a traditional “Maori” cultural music concert
Plus MANY, MANY MORE things!!
Above alone should help you see why I only recommend Tauck when it comes to Land Tours (Other well known Land Tour companies hardly show you even 50% of what I experienced!) but let’s get into some other reasons why I recommend Tauck Land Tours so highly…
…and FYI, no, I don’t get any special deals with Tauck for exclusively recommending their Land Tours (In fact, percentage-wise Tauck pays us agents less commission than many other suppliers & they never give us money to market their products as other suppliers do, etc,) so it’s 100% my choice to recommend them as much as I do…
…my priority is always for my clients to have the BEST Cruise or Land Tour experience possible for the place they’re going (WAY more important than my bottom line!) so I’m always going to tell you like it is/recommend to you the exact companies I’d personally go with for that particular trip! 🙂
Alright, back to “Why Tauck”?
For those of you who already know Tauck from having taken a River Cruise with them (As I talk about here Tauck’s River Cruises are the top-rated in Europe/more of my clients do River Cruises in Europe with Tauck than with any other company) or a “Small Ship” Ocean Cruise (As I talk about here Tauck shows you a destination in a pretty amazing way on these itineraries!) you know their trips are VERY high quality!!
So, I’m sure it won’t surprise you that their Land Tours are super high-quality too… especially since Arthur Tauck Sr. literally created the “Land Tour” industry that we know today almost 100 years ago in 1925… Ken Burns does a great job of telling that story here! 🙂
As I talk about in my Tauck River Cruise & Tauck “Small Ship” Ocean Cruise articles, the #1 reason why Tauck is rated so high on those trips is they “do the land better than anyone”!
What I mean by that is, when it comes to the destination you’re visiting, Tauck is going to show you that area better than anyone else… which for most of my clients is SUPER important since that’s why they’re traveling in the first place… to see & learn about a new destination.
Yes, Tauck stays in excellent quality hotels in great locations and they make sure you have LOTS of yummy food, etc. but sometimes people get so wrapped up in those things they forget the main highlight of a new destination is the destination itself and sometimes they end up going with a company who’s price looks great but they don’t realize they hardly show you anything! 🙁
When a trip’s price looks too good to be true, remember “The excitement of a great price is instantly forgotten when the consumer experiences the bitterness of a badly planned vacation!”
I can promise you one thing for sure, there’s literally not one trip I can remember the price of 5 years later but I’ll remember for decades if it was a great trip or a mediocre (or even worse) one… always remember that when deciding which company to choose for your next hard-earned Vacation!!
As a small example of a “badly planned Vacation”, the first time I was in Budapest with a well-known company we went up to “Fisherman’s Bastion” which is a major highlight of Budapest and once up there we went to the Matthias Church… our guide told us how Beautiful the church was inside and pointed us to the booth to buy tickets if we wanted to go in. 🙁
And then, she showed us the terrace where she said you can see the absolute best views of Budapest.. and then she pointed us to the booth to buy tickets if we wanted to go up there. 🙁
And then, she gave us 3hrs to explore on our own (which was 2hrs too many) and get some lunch (At our expense) if we wanted to.
WOW, what a great tour that was, so happy I flew 1,000s of miles for that experience… and I hope you can tell when I’m being sarcastic!! 🙁
But then, 4 months later, I was back in Budapest and went to the EXACT same place with Tauck yet it was a night & day experience!!
Our “Tauck Director” (Personally, I love that they don’t call them guides as they’re way more than a typical “guide” that other companies provide!) took us right into the Matthias Church to see the magnificence of it and then up to the terrace to see the best views in the city and then to a Beautiful lunch at a local Hungarian restaurant…
…and all those costs were included in our Tour’s upfront price.
So yes, Tauck charges more than the other “average” Land Tour companies do but they do that so they can show you everything you SHOULD see & NEED to see when visiting a new place!!
I truly understand it may feel a little uncomfortable paying more money upfront for a Tauck Land Tour Tour compared to “the other guys” but I can promise you the feeling is MUCH worse when you’ve flown 1,000s of miles to somewhere new and then you start feeling “nickled & dimed” to death since hardly anything is included and you have no clue if you’re seeing the things you should, etc.!!
All that leaves in your mouth is a bad taste as, as mentioned above…
…“The excitement of a great price is instantly forgotten when the consumer experiences the bitterness of a badly planned vacation!”
Whereas when on a Tauck Land Tour, you’ll know you’ve seen all you came to and as it is with all my Tauck trips you’ll feel like you’ve received GREAT value for the dollars you spent on your trip as you’ll know you “did it right”!!
A long-time slogan of Tauck’s is “How You See The World Matters” and I couldn’t agree more!!
To date, I’ve personally been in 77 Countries and my trips I’ve done with Tauck are always in my “top” lists when people ask me my favorites and I literally plan to go back to some places a second time to “do it right” with Tauck!
So, if you want to virtually guarantee your Land Tour is going to go about as well as it possibly can, Tauck is a great company to consider for your next trip as I haven’t found any other Land Tour company that comes close to their quality!
Overall, I’ve truly never experienced a company that pays as much attention to the details as Tauck does & who packs so much value into their prices!!
Here are some “highlights” of a Tauck Land tour:
“Exclusive Experiences”… this is easily one of my favorite things about Tauck!! As they’re an almost 100 year old Family Owned company Tauck really knows how to WOW their loyal clients like me and my many clients who travel with them!! Earlier I mentioned things like helicopter rides & float plane rides which are simply not common with an average Land Tour company, these are experiences you’ll almost always only find on Tauck! But it goes beyond that… due to their century worth of experience Tauck has gotten some great contacts to allow them to offer exclusive things like…
Concerts/meals in private palaces/private castles that you can’t even pay your way into
Leaving (on the floatplane I mentioned earlier) from a private dock in Victoria’s “Butchart Gardens” to head right to Vancouver which literally saves hours of commuting by Coach/Ferry
Being in a Baroque Library in Prague Castle on the “inside” of the red velvet rope that everyone else has to stay behind
Visiting the Louvre after hours and the Sistine Chapel after hours
Events in Private Clubs
After-hours private events in museums
Private Horse Shows
Being “serenaded” by the top tenors at Opera Houses during “off hours”
Experiencing a cooking demonstration & meal in the private home of a Chef
Lunch & cowboy demonstration with prized black bulls at a private, family-owned ranch
A private VIP dinner with entertainment at the massive Palace of Parliament in Bucharest
A private reception & dinner with musical entertainment at a Chateau in Normandy
A presentation with Celia Sandys who’s Sir Winston Churchill’s granddaughter
How about a Gondola ride in Venice?? As they’re Very expensive virtually no Land Tour companies include that “Must Do” experience but they’ll gladly point the way to where you can go take one at your own expense… of course, when I was in Venice with Tauck they included a Gondola Ride… even though the “All-Inclusive” River Cruise Company I sailed there with a few years earlier didn’t include that! 😉
I can truly, truly say the “exclusive” experiences I’ve had on my Tauck trips (Whether on Land or by Cruise) are second to none!!
–Very experienced “Tauck Directors” who accompany you during your entire journey… on my personal Tauck journeys I’ve had “Tauck Directors” who have worked with with Tauck (they’re employees of Tauck, not independent contractors who go from company to company like how many other “Land Tour” companies do it) for 15+ years, for 28 years, etc. I literally have never met any “Tauck Directors” with Tauck for less then 10 years. Which means they REALLY know their stuff & they KNOW how to run a successful tour!! As well, when things don’t go as planned (EVERY trip a thing or does comes up that’s not as expected, any seasoned traveler knows that!) due to their immense experience they truly know how to get things back on track immediately… that’s NOT the norm with those companies who charge a lot less and have “newbies” guiding you along the way!
Plus, and this is a BIGGIE!! You don’t need to worry about a Tauck Director giving you recommendations only to pocket money from the vendors. Tauck sells no extra tours on their trips & their Directors never make commission on recommendations. Any ideas or tips they give are 100% genuine — I love that as for all us seasoned travelers we’ve been on trips where you’re “pointed” or taken to a place only so the guide can get a “kick back” from their family/friends, etc. and often these places are far from highlights of your trip!! 🙁
–Local guides who speak EXCELLENT English & are SUPER knowledgeable! With many other “Land Tour” suppliers, your “main” guide who works for the company or who is an independent contractor is often the one who “shows you around town” as well. So their “knowledge” of an area can be more then questionable!! 🙁
Not with Tauck though. Even though their “Directors” know an area well from their vast experience, everywhere you go with Tauck they have expert local guides waiting for you who know their city/town inside out which means you’ll be getting the BEST possible “authentic & insider” experience when it comes to learning about a new place… they help you fully enjoy the sights, sounds and tastes around you!!
Again & again I’ve seen “shore excursions”/”day trips” be ruined during Cruises or Land Tours due to a bad guide so I can truly tell you this is one of the biggest highlights of travelling with Tauck… everywhere you go you’ll be learning from an expert, it’s as simple as that!!
With Tauck, I’ve experienced local guides “dropping in” to say hi to their Mom as they passed by where they lived during our tour (Everyone in the group loved that of course!! :-)), we’ve had guides take us into a Mosque and show us exactly how they pray/their cleansing ritual, etc., I’ve had local guides share what it was like growing up in that region/their exact cultures, I’ve had a professor treat us to a lecture during lunch teaching us about a Country’s immense history, etc.
Overall, it’s the difference between a bad to mediocre to experience and a great one when it comes to who’s actually showing & teaching you about a new area… don’t leave this part of your Vacation up to chance!!
Airport transfers… Yes, many travel companies will include airport transfers in their prices but ONLY if you buy their airfare… as I talk about here though buying airfare through a travel supplier, including Tauck, is rarely a good idea! Virtually none of my clients who travel with Tauck book their airfare through them BUT Tauck still includes airport transfers in their prices. As long as you’re staying at the hotel Tauck is using for their first night’s stay (and you don’t even need to book the hotel through Tauck) they’ll pick you up at the airport (or Train Station… no other company offers train station pickups that I know of! In Venice they took me from the Train Station to my hotel by Private Water Taxi which is NOT a cheap ride so you know I loved that experience Cruising through the Canals of Venice! ;-)) and bring you DIRECTLY to their hotel… and these transfers are almost always small groups. Unlike other companies, they don’t make you sit around for 1-2hrs at the airport to “load up” a motorcoach… out of my 7 trips with Tauck I’ve had a private transfer for 6 of them/the other I had 2 more couples in my Van so their transfers are always nice & small. And same on the back-end, Tauck will bring you back to the airport after your Land Tour for your flight home whether you booked airfare with them or not!
Did you note above I highlighted DIRECTLY?
No kidding, one time I tried another “Land Tour” company, one of the best-known companies out there, and after I was picked up at the airport at my terminal we stopped THREE MORE TIMES at the airport to pick up other people who had nothing to do with our tour… then, we made SEVEN STOPS at hotels before I was dropped off… as well, the van was horribly dirty & didn’t feel safe and what should have been a 30 minute transfer, after a long flight, turned into 1.5 hrs!!
Did I mention “The excitement of a great price is instantly forgotten when the consumer experiences the bitterness of a badly planned vacation!” 😉
Pre-Hotel stay… as the majority of Tauck’s trips have a Welcome Reception & Dinner on the date your trip starts you always want to arrive at least 1 day early on a Tauck trip as if not & you arrive late you’ll miss that really nice event/even if you’re on time you’ll be too tired to enjoy it after a long flight, often overnight.
And yes, on cue I saw the above examples again on this trip in Japan! One lady flew in from LA “day of” on a non-stop flight so what could go wrong, right? How about 2 medical emergencies (One at the gate and one once onboard before the doors closed) which put her flight hours behind/she didn’t make it to the first night’s dinner… a shame when spending so much money on a trip like this! 🙁 And at least 75% of everyone else was “tired & jet-lagged” for days (Their words!) whereas they were all wondering why the jet-lag didn’t seem to affect me (Of course it did, I just flew in 8 days earlier then them! ;-)) and the other few who came in early.
But, if you’re a past guest with Tauck and book early enough (And all of Tauck’s loyal clients are used to this/they always book their Tauck trips 1-1.5 years in advance to get this promo and also because Tauck’s trips sell out WAY earlier than most other travel suppliers) you’ll get a FREE extra hotel night to start your trip… a GREAT perk!
This year for example you had to book by July 31st, 2023 to get a Free night on any 2024 trip and from now till around the same time in 2024 if you book a 2025 trip you’ll get a FREE night & so on. AND, if you’re a new guest to Tauck, no worries, I can get you a FREE extra Hotel Night since I do A LOT of business with them! So, book early & you’ll have an extra hotel night included in your trip too and some of these are a BIG savings… as Tauck always makes sure the hotels they use are in excellent locations I’ve seen hotel nights in Venice pricing at $900 per night, in Tokyo $800 per night, in Cape Town $600 per night, etc. so it’s not an insignificant savings!!
To reiterate something I mentioned above that shows you another example of Tauck’s excellent value when it comes to their tours… on almost every trip Tauck operates, on the very FIRST night they have a Welcome Reception & Dinner… not only is that a highlight as you meet your fellow travelers/you get an overview of what to expect in the days ahead, but it’s also something I’ve NEVER seen other companies do… with most other companies their “start” day is really a fly in/get checked in day and once that’s done they say “See you tomorrow morning” to start the tours and then the next morning you “meet” everyone… so, no included reception/meal on night #1 and you’re wasting valuable touring time the next morning getting acquainted/getting necessary details… neither are a great way to start your trip off!
With Tauck though, after a great evening before, you’re off & running the next day!!
And FYI, they always have a Wonderful “Farewell Reception” at the end of every Tour too!! 🙂
–Food choices… yes, when you do a Land Tour with Tauck some of your meals will be “group” style where you have no choice on what you order/you all eat the same thing (which are often “highlight” meals showcasing the local food) but many times Tauck lets you go to the restaurant of your choice and order what you want… I’m talking doing this at “Four Seasons” in Morocco or at popular Restaurants in Sydney or in Vancouver or at high-end hotels in India, etc. where restaurants are NOT cheap so, unlike pretty much all of Tauck’s competitors, don’t expect everything you eat with Tauck to be a “group” buffet as you will experience some wonderful a-la-carte-meals with Tauck which will no doubt be highlights of your culinary journey of the places you’re visiting!
And FYI, Tauck absolutely doesn’t limit the food they’ll be giving you to “meal” times… many of their itineraries include food tours during the day which end up being highlights.. we’re talking visiting Truffle farms, olive farms, wineries, local markets, etc., etc. If you’ve ever been on a non-Tauck Land Tour and have been super unimpressed by the food (VERY common!) You definitely won’t be after taking a Tauck Land Tour!! 😉
–Logistics when it comes to getting you from place to place… I’ve never seen another company do this so well… with Tauck I’ve NEVER experienced any wait times/EVER, even in the busiest places like in Marrakech our Tauck Motorcoach would show up like Magic as we came out of a venue and they always made sure we had frequent stops during our longer drives to make sure we all could stretch our legs, have a bathroom break, etc. And when on a Motorcoach daily, your “Tauck Director” provides assigned rotating seating so it’s fair for every guest! There is no need to rush to the bus early for a good seat or begrudge certain guests for taking the best seats every time. Nobody else does this that I know of and I think it’s brilliant. 🙂
And don’t think Tauck just uses Motor Coaches to “get you around” when on a Land Tour with them… with Tauck I’ve also experienced Tuk Tuk rides, Rick Shaw rides, many boat rides (Most of those on private boats and at times unique ones like Catamarans, jet boats, etc!), horse carriage rides, private planes, helicopter rides, floatplane rides, gondola rides, SkyRails, 4×4 Jeep rides, etc.!
Again, there’s a reason why Tauck charges more than their “competitors”… they’re NOT an average Travel company so they offer unique experiences on every Journey that you won’t find anywhere else which always makes for fun & unforgetable trips!! 🙂
One last thing about Tauck’s “Logistics”… you’ll never have to check-in at hotels or airports, your “Tauck Director” takes care of all that for you (Literally, you’ll step off your coach in a new city and will be handed your room key, often with a nice cool towel and nice beverage) so everything is seamless and easy for you!! No lines, no waiting and your luggage will always magically appear in your hotel room when you arrive. This is for sure the best way to travel by far! 🙂
–Quality of their hotels… no matter what city you’re in Tauck always makes sure you’re comfortable with all the amenities you’re used to at home… sometimes this could end up being a “Four Seasons” in a great location so you get the best of both worlds/a GREAT hotel plus being able to walk out your door to enjoy it all… or, in other places, Tauck may choose a touch out of the way from the main tourist area hotel (we’re talking a 10min or so drive) as that provides a way higher quality stay when it comes to rooms & on-site restaurants then we can get closer to a main area… let’s just say you’ll always know Tauck is choosing a Great place for you to be your “home base” for whatever the current city it is you’re in… and you’ll have to do ZERO of the planning! 😉
P.S. When there’s a “must” hotel location to be at, Tauck almost for sure is staying there… I’m talking Hotels overlooking the Sydney Opera House, hotels with views of the Taj Mahal, with beautiful River views (Other companies love those “City” views! ;-)), at the entrance to Machu Picchu, staying at 3 of the top 15 hotels in the World in India, etc.!!
–Inclusions in their prices… as someone who books A LOT of Tauck trips for my clients, I can tell you it’s common for people to feel Tauck is way pricier than their competitors the first time they’re introduced to them. BUT, for all 7 trips I’ve been on with Tauck, by the time we finished everyone felt like they had gotten great value when they see all that was included, the number of guides & locals who assisted us from day to day, the quality of the meals, the quality of the hotels, the “exclusives” we experienced, the little gifts we got along the way, having even the littlest detail taken care of like being given a “Tauck” purse with coins in it to cover our bathroom breaks (Yes, as you can see here, they really do this in places where it’s customary to pay to go to the washroom!), when they experience skipping big line ups that “regular” tourists could be in line for 1-2 hours for, to seeing how with Tauck we visit places at the “right” time before it gets too busy/too hot, etc.
There are a few things not included in your upfront price with Tauck… for example, tips for your “Tauck Director”… unlike on Cruises with Tauck, you only have 1 “Tauck Director” on a Land Tour compared to often 4-6 Directors on their Cruises so since it’s much more personal/you get to know this one person really well Tauck’s clients like tipping this person directly… all other gratuities for everyone else is included though. A couple of meals here & there at lunch or dinnertime won’t be included… and that’s “by design” so you can go enjoy a city on your own now & then. And on a couple of their itineraries they have maybe one optional day tour/excursion, only because the timing doesn’t work for everyone flying in… but overall, know when you book a Tauck Land Tour you’re pretty much paying for 95+% of all your expenses upfront including airport transfers, meals, tours, guides, wifi, entry to all the venues you’re visiting, etc. and you’re going to have a GREAT time!!
You won’t feel “nickelled & dimed” when you’re “hit” with expense after expense like with “the other guys” and you definitely won’t be wondering what you missed as you’ll know Tauck showed you everything you wanted to experience in the destination you came to visit!!
What you’ll learn after doing a Tauck trip or 2 though is their prices are almost always more then their competitors but it’s due to they include much, much more in their prices which leads to “The Best” experience… so, if overall experience/value are more important to you on your Vacations then “Cheapest Price” then traveling with Tauck is probably a fit for you.
And FYI, not a single guest pays less than their fellow travel companions for the same room/tour when you travel with Tauck as they have integrity in the way they price and they never lure people with discounts, 2 for 1 rates, 50% off, free air, etc. as “they price their vacations fairly from day 1”. Which is another reason why they sell out super early!
Well, I’m pretty confident by now you can see how strongly I believe Tauck is a GREAT company for you to take a Land Tour with!! (Or a River Cruise or “Small Ship” Ocean Cruise!)
After personally traveling with Tauck 7 times (And now 8 times when you count the Japan Tour I’m on with them now and # 9 coming up to Antarctica in January!) and having had 100s of my clients travel with Tauck, I’ve personally seen & heard how much their VERY loyal clientele love their trips and go with them again & again so I’d be doing you a disservice if I didn’t at least tell you all about them so you know they’re a great choice for your next trip! 😉
Okay, just a couple of more things that you may be wondering about when it comes to Tauck…
Who Is Tauck’s clientele?
I’ve literally met all walks of life on my Tauck trips (Doctors, Lawyers, Business Owners, Teachers, Government workers, Engineers, Retired people, etc.) so Tauck far from appeals to just a certain segment of the population but one thing for sure you can expect of your fellow Tauck clientele is you’ll be traveling with people who want high quality & high-value trips & they don’t want to be disappointed after traveling so far to experience a new destination so if you resonate with that, then Tauck may be a good fit for you too!
FYI, even though Tauck trips aren’t cheap I haven’t met one pretentious traveler while on their trips so if your style is to mix & mingle with the Rich & Famous their trips won’t appeal! 😉
Pretty much every Tauck trip I’ve been on guests have been 90% from the US and then there are always a few “token” Canadians like me and maybe 1 couple from the UK or Australia or New Zealand but beyond that they rarely get international clientele as they don’t market overseas like most other travel suppliers do.
Here’s something else you’ll find when on a Tauck Land Tour… at their welcome receptions typically we’ll go around the room to quickly introduce ourselves and our Tauck Director asks us to tell how many Tauck trips we’ve been on in the past and Many people I’ve traveled with have been on 5-10 previous trips with Tauck and one couple I met had been on 21 Tauck tours. Wow… now that will tell you something about their loyal guests and why their Land Tours & Cruises sell out well in advance of their competitors. (I‘ve seen many of Tauck’s trips sell out 1.5-2 years in advance so you need to book early with these guys as they have a super loyal clientele!)
I spoke to the “21 trip” couple during that tour and they said they used to travel on their own but with the headaches and stress of trying to NOT get lost or trying to find a good place to eat or a good hotel to stay in etc, etc, they were happy to pay (and as they said, the total price almost always comes to the same whether on your own or with an organized trip) a reputable company to have every aspect arranged so they could actually relax & enjoy their vacation…
…no shocker there because I have been frustrated in the past too and hear horror stories from some clients describing how “do it yourself” trips got ruined. No thanks!
Speaking of ruining a vacation… lets talk about the size of tour groups…
The SIZE of your Group truly is a BIG DEAL and can essentially ruin a vacation!
You’ve probably heard me mention this before (When comparing “higher end” Cruises to “mass market ones” and now Tauck Land Tours to “the other guys) but if you spend a lot of time waiting for others, feeling like herded cattle or you cannot see a demonstration or show because it’s too crowded, you are NOT going to be happy!
Happily, Tauck keeps the tour groups small & comfortable enough that you don’t feel like a number and on their website they will specify if a particular date is a “Small” group, which is 20-24 people on average, or a “Classic” group which is 34-40 people on average.
On the other hand, an average Land Tour company will happily fill every seat in a 50 seat bus up if they can sell a tour out!! 🙁
So, whether you do a “Small Group” or “Classic” Tauck Land Tour, the size of your group will be way below average but if in budget go with a “Small Group” if the date works for you as there’s definitely extra “value” in the smaller #s as you’ll have more “one on one” time/access to your “Tauck Director” so more opportunities to learn from them or to get help with any issues and you’ll get on/off the coaches quicker and your meals will finish faster, bathroom stops will go quicker, etc. which means more time for site-seeing, shopping, relaxing, etc.
And FYI, even with Tauck already having smaller groups than average, often they’ll still split the group up into 2-3 smaller groups when doing a tour on certain days like when going into local markets, doing food tours into small local restaurants,. etc. to simply make things more comfortable for everyone… which means more local guides are hired at those places.
So again, yes, Tauck charges more than their competitors but when you experience the “little things” like this first-hand & you see how Tauck makes everything as immersive & exclusive as they can, you’ll quickly understand why everyone who travels with Tauck says they offer GREAT value when it comes to what you pay for their tours!!
So, to sum up this post (Which I know is lengthy but when considering spending $20,000-$30,000+ on a trip I truly believe you need to be properly informed to make the best decisions for you!!) a “Tauck Land Tour” may be the perfect next trip for you if…
…you’re the type of person who likes to have a truly worry-free vacation by getting the money issues out of the way up front when you book, so you can enjoy a nickel-and-dime free vacation
…you want exclusive travel experiences that take you to the heart and soul of the world’s most amazing destinations
…if you want to finish a trip knowing you could never have done as much & seen as much on your own for so little money
…if you want to travel with an almost 100 year old Family owned travel company whose goal is to transform guest’s lives & help them have a deeper connection with the destination & memorable experiences & not just a “collection” of places they visited
…if you want to travel with fellow travelers who are looking for meaningful Worldwide experiences with likeminded travelers who they have natural camaraderie with and are knowledge seekers & life-long learners… they’re not those who simply want the best price
…if you want to travel with fellow travelers who want high quality & don’t want to be disappointed after traveling so far to experience a new destination
…if you want to travel on a tour where NOBODY pays less than their fellow travel companions for the same room as Tauck has integrity in the way they price and NEVER offer 2for1s, 50% off, last minute “deals”, etc. as they price their tours fairly from day 1
If all the above appeals then Tauck is for sure the travel company (Whether on a Tauck Land Tour or Tauck River Cruise or Tauck “Small Ship” Ocean Cruise) who you want to invest your hard-earned money with as you’ll be assured to create Memories For Life!
As always, any questions or to book a Tauck Land Tour or any Ocean Cruise or River Cruise (Ok, not any, you know I’m NOT booking you on Carnival as well as a few other lines out there!! ;-)) Contact Me Here and let me know how I can help you get that next Great Vacation planned! 🙂
I Appreciate You!
Shawn Power
Your Trusted Cruise & Tauck Tour Expert!