Tour Companies

We had some family members do one of their Italy tours last year. According to them, everything was first class, including the price.

Tauck has an excellent reputation, but is pricey.
I have never taken a Tauck tour, because I compare similar tours with OAT, Gate 1 Travel, and Viking (for river cruises).

Tauck is never competitive because of its pricing.

It is best to compare quality and PRICE. Recently, I have taken two with Gate 1 and booked two more with them.

If you want a little pampering and having everything done for you, Tauck is the way to go.

Everything is first class.

We did the Tauck Switzerland tour a number of years ago. Picked us up at the airport, the bus was full (they do large tours compared to RS) and seats were assigned, 5 star accommodations with your bags delivered to your room and picked up from your room. Meals were wonderful. What exactly were you wondering about? It’s a first class tour but you also pay for it. We did this tour because our AAA travel agent at the time recommended it for taking our mothers, who were in their late seventies at the time, to see Switzerland. It was not an “active” tour and exactly what we needed with our mothers.

My mom took many tours with Tauck and raved about them. Not in Europe, but in Canada and all over the US. She was not a good traveler on her own, and liked everything first class, so these were perfect for her. She loved that everything was taken care of, including not having to deal with her luggage, staying at only the best places etc. Tauck is a great option if this is how you like to travel.

We have met many people on our tours that have been on Tauck tours. Not a single complaint, only raves and compliments. If I had the money, they are the company I would use.

We did our first Rhine river tour with Tauck in October 2023 - Amsterdam to Basel. As others have already said, everything is top shelf - and they take care of you, especially on board the river boat. This was our very first river tour and I had zero advance expectations. I was concerned about the river levels but that turned out not to be a problem. Also, we were the last tour of the season for this particular route. The food and beverage are all first class, the cleanliness of the rooms and the boat are excellent. The tour guides at each stop are local experts and they have keen insight into the particular areas of interest. They welcome interaction from the group too. At one stop, the tour guide went as far as to provided euros to those of us needing to use the restroom. I tried to make light of this by telling the guide they were handing out "Tinkle tokens".

This might read like an advert for them, but it's my impression based on ONE tour and our first river cruise. We are going on a second river tour with Tauck the end of May 2024. Other friends I've spoken with have been impressed with the level of service Tauck provides - at a price. At this juncture in my life journey, I won't be coming back to those destinations and I figured why not go all out ? Yes, we could of traveled for much less money. But a few years from now, I won't remember the cost as much as I do the experience.
We met several folks who were repeat customers of Tauck. Most of them were very friendly and down to earth. We have friends and family who have used other tour companies. After all is said and done, personally I liked the peace of mind and less hassle of using a company like this.
To each their own - travel opens my eyes to what is possible.