Prices and availability are subject to change at any time.
A toast with fellow travelers, on a Tauck journey.Photo: TauckA Note from Elisa
Hi there!
Thank you for your interest in a Tauck land journey! I’ve gathered the most important details in one easy place, so you can see exactly what’s included, what to expect, and how to prepare before, during, and after your journey.
Family-owned for more than a century, Tauck guides travelers on six continents with Tauck Directors by their side and nearly every expense included in one price. Take a look through the sections below, and whenever you’re ready, I’d love to help you choose the journey, style, and season that fit you best.
Elisa RzymskiLand Journey Specialist
The Guide
The Experience
What’s included, where you’ll stay, and how you’ll spend your days.
What’s Included
Virtually Everything, One Price
Tauck’s land journeys are fully guided, with virtually every travel expense included in one upfront price. Tauck says more than 100 cost components are included on every land journey, so there are no hidden costs, no surcharges, and no options sold on tour.
Here’s what you can look forward to on a Tauck land journey.
Imagine a guided visit to the Vatican Museums, a long lunch in an Umbrian trattoria, and your luggage handled at every hotel.
Lunch in a trattoria in Orvieto, on The Classic Italy.Photo: Tauck
Included on Tauck Land Journeys
A Tauck Director throughout
With you from beginning to end, handling hotel check-ins, luggage, transportation, and each day’s schedule.
Local guides & experts
Handpicked local guides, plus insiders such as art historians, naturalists, and safari trackers.
Premier hotel stays
All hotel accommodations on the itinerary, named night by night.
Most meals
Meals as specified in the itinerary, plus special meals, often with Tauck’s “free choice” dining, where you sit when and with whom you wish.
Sightseeing & entertainment
Every excursion and admission on the itinerary, plus special dinners and entertainment.
Choices along the way
On many days, a choice of experiences, always included in the upfront price.
Tauck Exclusives
After-hours and pre-opening visits to iconic landmarks, and experiences arranged just for Tauck guests.
Transfers & luggage handling
Airport transfers as specified in the itinerary, on-tour transportation, and standard luggage handling, plus basic internet where available.
Many gratuities
Gratuities for local guides, luggage handling, bellmen, doormen, and dining room servers.
Inclusions are set by Tauck and vary by journey. Tauck Director and driver gratuities, international airfare (unless booked through Tauck), personal expenses such as alcohol and laundry, and travel protection are not included. Details: Tauck FAQ
Elisa’s Tip
When you compare guided land tours, look at what’s included as well as the price. With Tauck, nearly every meal, admission, and tip is already part of your journey, so the price you see is close to the price you pay.
Find Your Style
Land Journeys, Small Groups & Families
The Grand Canyon, a favorite with Tauck Bridges families.Photo: Tauck
Tauck offers several ways to travel on land, all fully guided by Tauck Directors with the same inclusive approach. Here’s a quick way to picture which one fits the trip you have in mind.
Tauck land journeys, small groups and Tauck Bridges compared
At a Glance
Land JourneysFully guided
Small GroupsSmall & Even Smaller
Tauck BridgesFamily journeys
Group Size
Varies by journey, often with special small-group departures
Averaging 24 guests, or 15 on Even Smaller Group departures
Families traveling together
Signature
Tauck Exclusive after-hours and pre-opening visits to iconic landmarks
More time, freedom and flexibility, and closer contact with your guides
Hands-on activities for all ages, from a Louvre scavenger hunt to rafting in the Alps
Tauck Director Gratuities
Not included
Not included
Included
Best For
Culture, history, and the great sights
Travelers who prefer an intimate group
Grandparents, parents and kids together
African Safaris
Game drives with six guests per vehicle, and on-tour flights included, in Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa, Botswana, and beyond.
Ken Burns American Journeys
Journeys through America’s national parks and history, created with filmmaker Ken Burns, with his film vignettes along the way.
Ways to Travel
Journeys of a week or less, solo departures, women-only departures, and wellness departures.
Private Departures
Many land journeys can run as private departures for your group only.
Roam by Tauck
Tauck’s newest brand: adult-only small-group escapes for travelers in their 40s and 50s, averaging 16 guests, with half of each itinerary planned and half left open.
This guide covers Tauck’s land journeys and safaris. Tauck’s river cruises and small ship cruises have their own guide: Tauck cruise guide. Details: Tauck land journeys
Where You’ll Stay
Premier Hotels
Tauck’s land journeys feature premier hotel stays, and each itinerary names its hotels night by night. On The Classic Italy, for example, you stay at:
Hilton Sorrento Palace in Sorrento
InterContinental Rome Ambasciatori Palace in Rome
Sina Brufani in Perugia, Umbria
Bagni di Pisa, near Pisa
The Excelsior, a Luxury Collection Hotel, in Florence
Hotel Monaco & Grand Canal in Venice
Hotel Monaco & Grand Canal, Venice.Photo: TauckThe Excelsior, Florence.Photo: Tauck
Luggage Taken Care Of
Standard luggage handling at your hotels, and the related gratuities, are included.
Extra Nights
Tauck can reserve nights before or after your journey at the first or last hotel, on a space-available basis.
Safari Lodges & Camps
On safari, lodges and tented camps are set in the heart of national parks, reserves, and deserts.
Hotels vary by journey and departure. Each Tauck itinerary lists its hotels night by night.
Your Days on Tour
Tauck Directors, Choices & Pace
Tauck Directors are the heart of every journey. They average more than 10 years with Tauck, come from 41 countries, and speak 52 languages among them, and they’re with you from the first day to the last.
Every Detail Handled
Hotel check-ins and check-outs, luggage, on-tour transportation, and the daily schedule.
Local Experts
Handpicked guides and specialists who share their insight, from art historians in Florence to trackers on safari.
Choices & Free Time
Many days offer included choices, and some are made before you leave, with an email reminder from Tauck.
A Tauck Director on safari in East Africa.Photo: Tauck
Activity & Pace
Every Tauck journey carries an Activity rating and a Pace rating from 1 to 4. The higher the number, the more active the journey:
Activity 1: some stairs, and walking for up to an hour at a time over mostly level ground
Activity 2: walking one to two miles, with stairs, uneven pavement, or cobblestones
Activity 3: walking two to three miles, possibly with hiking or cycling, and standing for long periods
Activity 4: for fit, vigorous travelers, walking three miles or more, with hiking, biking, or sea kayaking for one to three hours
Pace runs from 1, generally easy with occasional free time, to the higher ratings, often robust with long days
Tauck is updating how it rates Activity and Pace, starting with its 2027 journeys. The Classic Italy, for example, is rated 3 for both, and I’ll help you find the right fit.
A Taste of Every Region
Dining with Tauck
Most meals are included on Tauck journeys, in restaurants chosen for a true taste of each region. With Tauck’s “free choice” dining, you often dine when and with whom you wish.
A Taste of the Journey
A trattoria lunch in Orvieto, on The Classic Italy
Special meals and entertainment along the way
“Free choice” dining, where you sit when and with whom you wish
Included meals listed day by day on every itinerary
Share any dietary needs or allergies with me when we book, and I’ll pass them along to Tauck before you travel. On the road, your Tauck Director is your best ally with each restaurant.
Menus range from à la carte to set menus and buffets, depending on the restaurant. Personal expenses such as alcohol are not part of Tauck’s inclusions.
Tauck’s African safaris follow the same inclusive approach as every Tauck journey. Apart from gratuities for your Tauck Director and driver, Tauck says everything you need is included, and often more.
Six Guests per Vehicle
Game drives in 4x4 vehicles built for small groups, with panoramic views from every seat.
On-Tour Flights Included
Flights between parks and camps are part of the journey.
Lodges & Camps
Set in the heart of national parks, reserves, and deserts.
Where
The Big Five across Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa, and Botswana, with journeys in Namibia, Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Rwanda too.
Lions at rest, seen from a Tauck vehicle.Photo: Tauck
Families can travel together on Tauck Bridges safaris, such as Tanzania: A Grand Family Safari. Details: Tauck African safaris
Since 2010, Tauck has partnered with filmmakers Ken Burns and Dayton Duncan to create Ken Burns American Journeys, with more than 100 original film vignettes, “Stories by Ken Burns,” shared along the way.
Journeys Include
Spirit of the Desert: The National Parks of the Southwest
Wonderland: Yellowstone in Winter
Yosemite and Sequoia: John Muir’s California
Grand New England
Music of America: Nashville to New Orleans
In Freedom’s Footsteps: New York to Washington, DC
Tauck also offers national parks journeys, New England fall foliage tours, and train journeys across North America. Details: Ken Burns American Journeys
The Guide
Savings & Rewards
Ways to save, from solo traveler savings to groups traveling together.
Ways to Save
Value & Savings
Tauck’s price is truly inclusive, and there are still smart ways to save.
Solo Travelers
Special savings for solo travelers on select departures of many Tauck land journeys in Asia, Latin America, Europe, and North America.
Groups of 10 or More
Book 10 paying guests on the same departure, and an 11th travels free.
Early Booking
Reserve ahead for the best choice of departure dates and room types.
Returning Guests
Traveled with Tauck before? Returning guests receive a benefit that varies, and I’ll check what applies to your journey.
Elisa’s Note
Offers are capacity controlled and change often. Tell me who’s traveling and your target dates, and I’ll apply every offer and benefit you qualify for.
The Guide
Booking & Preparation
Deposits, travel protection, gratuities and the paperwork to have in order.
Booking with Confidence
Reserving Your Journey
Deposit & Final Payment
A per-person deposit is due when you book. The amount varies by journey and is listed in each itinerary’s booking information.
Tauck land journey payment schedule
Final payment
90 days before
Penalty-free review period
10 days
Final payment is due 90 days before departure on land journeys (120 days on rail journeys). If you paid your deposit by credit card, final payment is charged automatically unless you opted out at booking. You may cancel for any reason within 10 days of your initial deposit with no cancellation fees.
Tauck Guest Protection
Tauck’s optional Guest Protection for land journeys includes a Cancellation Fee Waiver: cancel for any reason up to the day before departure, and receive a money-back refund of the land tour cost to your original form of payment.
Without the plan, cancellation fees apply after the first 10 days, grow as departure approaches, and vary by journey
The plan also includes insurance benefits such as airfare cancellation, trip interruption, travel delay, medical expenses, and baggage
The plan cost varies by journey, and it is not refunded after its 10-day grace period
In rare extreme circumstances, Tauck may issue a future travel credit instead of a refund
Tauck’s itinerary pages ask for the plan when you book or within 10 days of your initial deposit, so I recommend deciding when you book. Details: Tauck Travel Protection
Quoted Prices
Unless otherwise listed, all pricing is per person, based on two people sharing a room, specific to the tour, departure date, and room type quoted, and subject to availability at the time of booking.
Pricing Terms
Because Tauck tours depart on set dates with limited space, prices and availability can change without notice. By booking, you agree to the supplier’s terms, available on its website.
Supplemental Charges
Tauck’s price includes the travel components listed in each itinerary. Additional fees may apply from Avoya Travel or Tauck if a cancellation occurs.
Cancellation Policy
Please review Tauck’s full cancellation policy before final payment, available in its Terms & Conditions.
Travel Protection
I recommend travel protection for every trip, and I’m happy to provide quotes so you can compare coverage before final payment.
On Tauck’s land journeys, most gratuities are already included. The exception is your Tauck Director and your driver, whose gratuities are not included and are voluntary.
On Tauck Bridges family journeys, Tauck Director gratuities are included in the price, as are gratuities for drivers and guides.
Extra Nights & Free Time
Tips for services outside the itinerary, such as extra hotel nights or meals on your own, follow local custom, and I’ll share what’s customary as we plan.
Gratuity practices are set by Tauck and may change. I’ll confirm what’s included for your journey.
Before You Go
Preparing for Your Journey
Before You Go
In the weeks before departure, a few simple steps get you ready:
Review your itinerary’s Activity and Pace ratings
Make any choices Tauck asks you to select before the journey
Share your flight details so transfers can be arranged
Pack one average-size suitcase per person, Tauck’s luggage limit on land journeys
On-tour flights, including safari flights, may have lower weight limits. Your travel documents list the limits for your journey.
Helpful to Have Ready
A little preparation makes your first day effortless. Keep these details handy:
Passport details that match your reservation exactly
Flight and transfer information
Any dietary or accessibility needs
Emergency contact information
Tauck recommends that children be at least 8 years old; Tauck Bridges journeys are designed for families.
Passports & Paperwork
Travel Documents & Entry Requirements
It is each traveler’s responsibility to carry proper documentation. Here’s what to have in order before you go.
Proof of Citizenship
A valid passport, valid at least 6 months beyond your return date
Visas where required
Green cards or other immigration documents, as applicable
Authorization documentation when traveling with minors
Names on reservations must match your passport exactly.
REAL ID
Since May 2025, U.S. travelers need a REAL ID-compliant license or other accepted ID, such as a passport, for domestic flights and certain federal facilities.
Travel Visas
Entry rules vary by country and can change, and some destinations, including several in Africa and Asia, require a visa in advance. Verify requirements through CIBTvisas, and I’ll confirm exactly what your itinerary needs.
ETIAS (Europe)
Europe’s new travel authorization for U.S. visitors is not yet in effect, and no launch date has been announced. I’ll let you know if it applies to your trip.
UK ETA
An Electronic Travel Authorisation is required for entry to the United Kingdom.
EU Entry/Exit System
Europe’s border system now registers non-EU visitors with fingerprints and a photo, so allow a little extra time at passport control on your first entry.
Travel Advisories & Health Guidance
I strongly recommend reviewing travel advisories and health guidance before your trip so you’re fully prepared.
A few things that are helpful to know before you go.
Flexibility on the Road
Good to Know on the Road
A fully guided journey handles the details, and a little flexibility goes a long way. Here are a few things Tauck travelers find helpful to know.
Leaving Early
If you must leave a journey early, you may be eligible for a refund for unused hotel nights; without Guest Protection, Tauck deducts a per-night fee.
Seasons & Closures
Holidays, weather, and local events can change the order of sightseeing, and wildlife sightings on safari are never guaranteed.
Walking
Historic centers, cobblestones, and stairs are part of many journeys, so comfortable walking shoes are a must.
Entry Rules
Some places have their own visitor rules, such as Venice’s day-visitor access fee. On The Classic Italy, Tauck travelers are automatically exempt, and Tauck notes rules like these on each itinerary they affect.
Travel Subject to Change
All travel is subject to schedule adjustments, itinerary changes, weather disruptions, and operational delays.
Someone else has the map. All you have to do is enjoy the view.
Your Next Step
Let’s plan your journey.
Whether you already have a destination in mind or are just beginning to dream, I’d love to help you find the Tauck journey that fits you best. I’ll compare itineraries and travel styles, apply every savings offer you qualify for, and take care of the details from your first question to your welcome home.
Prices and availability are subject to change at any time. Amenities, offers, and policies are set by Tauck and may change without notice. Photography courtesy of Tauck.
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