Latest news with #Tauck
Forbes
15 hours ago
- Forbes
Roam By Tauck Is Aimed At 40 And 50 Something Travelers
Budapest, on of the destinations for a Roam by Tauck tour. Tauck Tauck, the luxury guided travel company, is marking its 100th anniversary in 2025 by announcing a new brand, Roam by Tauck, which has been specially created for travelers in their 40s and 50s. It's Tauck's first new brand in more than a decade, an offering of small-group journeys that will average 16 guests per departure. Tauck has been family-owned for four generations and has long been the pioneer in upscale guided travel. They currently offer more than 170 land tours, safaris, river cruises, small ship ocean cruises, and family travel adventures to 70-plus countries and all seven continents. Yet the age of Tauck travelers has traditionally skewed older –maybe your parents or grandparents are veterans of a Tauck tour. 'Because these guests lead busy, high-paced lives, they're looking to indulge in a way that feels seamless and not over-scheduled." Roam by Tauck is expressly designed for younger travelers looking for similar creature comforts and organization but tailored to their age group. As such, it has the potential to be a game-changer for the company. 'The new brand name, Roam by Tauck, intentionally evokes exploration, freedom, and the pleasure of discovery designed for a new generation of Tauck guests,' Jennifer Tombaugh, CEO of Tauck, said in a press statement. 'Because these guests lead busy, high-paced lives, they're looking to indulge in a way that feels seamless and not over-scheduled." Time to unwind on a Roam by Tauck tour. Tauck Roam by Tauck will start with 12 itineraries across six continents by 2027, with at least five journeys set to launch in 2026. While traditional Tauck tours tend to be longer, the itineraries for Roam by Tauck will range from five to 11 nights, aimed at fitting a variety of younger lifestyles and vacation windows. The trips will include land-based, river, and small ship tours. The company said that the introduction of Roam by Tauck followed two years of research that reached out to more than 4,000 travelers. While the tours are still in the planning stages, Tauck is promising unique VIP access to experiences, including so-called Signature Moments for each group. These can include ballooning over the astonishing pyramids of Teotihuacan in Mexico, canoeing past medieval castles in the Dordogne in France, having a private dining experience in Iceland's underground caves, hiking through vineyards to a private wine tasting in Portugal's Douro region, and attending an oenology class and gourmet wine-paired lunch in France's Bordeaux region. 'Roam by Tauck represents a natural evolution of what we've always believed: travel has the power to enrich, restore, and transform.' Every Roam by Tauck journey will have at least one hallmark outdoor excursion, such as whitewater kayaking in Bratislava, Slovakia or hiking the Paiva Walkways and Arouca Bridge in Portugal. Some trips will also have active options like guided mountain biking, coastal excursions, and nature treks. Local foods on a Roam by Tauck tour. Tauck There will also be at least one retreat-like setting on every journey, and each stop on the trip will be a three-to-four-night stay, allowing guests to really unwind. The overriding theme is one of exclusive access to places and experiences that you'd have difficulty arranging on your own. Roam by Tauck will be based on a so-called "half-on, half-off" philosophy, which means that the company will combine detailed itineraries with free time for independent exploration. 'Roam by Tauck represents a natural evolution of what we've always believed: travel has the power to enrich, restore, and transform,' Tombaugh said. Roam by Tauck tours will be unveiled and open for booking this winter, with first departures set for August 2026. Bookings will initially be available in the U.S. only. Tauck has long been a luxury company, and Tombaugh added that 'Premium pricing for Roam by Tauck will be comparable to the company's higher-end offerings, designed for a younger luxury traveler seeking more flexibility and adventure.' Visit Roam by Tauck for more information.
Travel Weekly
3 days ago
- Business
- Travel Weekly
A new tour brand, Roam by Tauck, caters to travelers in their 40s and 50s
As Tauck celebrates its 100th anniversary, the company is launching a new brand for travelers in their 40s and 50s. Roam by Tauck is the company's first new brand in more than a decade and will offer small-group journeys averaging 16 travelers. The brand will debut next year with at least five itineraries, which will expand to at least a dozen by 2027. The Roam brand comes after two years of research involving over 4,000 travelers, the company said. The itineraries were created for younger luxury travelers who lead busy lives, said Tauck CEO Jennifer Tombaugh. The itineraries, which will be announced and available for booking this winter, will launch in August 2026. The trips will range from five to 11 nights and include land, river and small-ship journeys. Though not yet available, the brand teased examples of special activities woven into the itineraries, such as a hot air balloon ride above the pyramids of Teotihuacan in Mexico, private dining in an Icelandic cave, canoeing beneath Dordogne's castles or hiking through the Douro Valley to a wine tasting. One aspect of these trips will be the "less structure, more choice" approach to itinerary planning. Tauck said the itineraries would include "abundant time" for solo exploration with optional excursions. Guests will stay at each property for three to four nights, enabling them to "fully unpack, unwind and savor their surroundings," Tauck said. Each trip will include at least one "retreat-like" setting. "Because these guests lead busy, high-paced lives, they're looking to indulge in a way that feels seamless and not over-scheduled," Tombaugh said. "Roam by Tauck meets these expectations by blending luxurious stays, signature moments, and active opportunities with ample free time for guests to explore, savor and recharge on their terms."
Forbes
08-07-2025
- Business
- Forbes
How One Luxury Brand Is Designing The Future Of Immersive Travel
Luxury used to be about the big and the bold. Today, it's about the intimate, the thoughtful, and the highly curated. No brand embodies that shift better than Tauck, a family-owned luxury travel company that's quietly shaped the high-end group travel experience for the past century. I recently sat down with Jennifer Tombaugh, Tauck's CEO, who brings a deep well of perspective—and passion—for how luxury travelers are evolving. The conversation was rich with insight about everything from solo travel to river cruising, to how group experiences are being reimagined to feel deeply personal. From Pause to Passion: A New Era for Luxury Travel As Jennifer shared, 'We've gone from pause to passion.' In the wake of global lockdowns, travelers aren't just returning to the world—they're returning with urgency, purpose, and increasingly, a desire to travel better, not just more. Tauck is having its best year ever celebrating its 100th anniversary with double-digit growth, sold-out Christmas market cruises in 2025 and on pace to do the same in 2026, and the upcoming christening of new river ships on the Rhône and Seine. That doesn't happen by accident. It happens when a brand listens carefully and adapts boldly. Acropolis at sunset. Small Is the New Big Jennifer explained a simple yet powerful idea that sits at the heart of Tauck's strategy: 'Small is big.' On Tauck's European river cruises, for example, ships max out at 130 guests. On Portugal's Douro, that number is even smaller. The focus isn't just on comfort—it's on immersion. The rivers of Europe were once its highways of commerce, philosophy, and art. Tauck brings that cultural history to life, often docking right in the heart of town, where guests can step off the ship and into living history—be it a local tavern, cathedral, or seasonal celebration. And this isn't just a river cruise renaissance. The brand has seen a 140% increase in demand for small group land journeys since 2018. In response, Tauck recently launched even smaller groups—just 15 guests per departure in some cases. 'People are willing to pay more to travel with fewer people,' Jennifer noted. 'It's about intimacy, access, and connection.' The Rise of the Wellness-Luxury Hybrid One of the most important luxury travel trends Tauck is responding to? Wellness. That doesn't mean green juice and hot yoga on a Danube deck (though those options exist). It means flexibility, choice, and a conscious design for how travelers feel throughout the journey. On Tauck's new ships, 'The Retreat' area includes spa treatments and expanded fitness spaces. Travelers can bike at port stops or opt for leisurely museum visits. 'We're seeing more demand for movement and agency,' Jennifer said. 'People want to maintain their wellness routines but not feel like they're on a regimented retreat.' Luxury That Flexes With You One of the quiet innovations Jennifer highlighted is 'personalized group travel.' That may sound contradictory, but Tauck is threading the needle. Travelers move together through an itinerary, but each day offers choices—bike or hike, guided museum tour or free afternoon, history lecture or wine tasting. It's all designed to make you feel like an individual within a group. 'We've worked really hard so that people don't feel like part of a herd,' Jennifer said. 'No name tags. No flag-waving guides. Just seamless, curated moments that adapt to the guest.' The Solo Luxe Boom and the End of the Supplement Another macro trend Jennifer sees. Solo luxury travel—especially among women. From Tauck's Christmas market cruises to land journeys in Europe and Japan, solo travelers—many of them women over 60—are becoming a bigger slice of the customer base. So Tauck is responding in kind. On their newest ships, Category One cabins are now designed specifically for solo travelers—with no single supplement. 'That's a huge shift,' Jennifer said. 'We're seeing solo travelers not just welcome but celebrated.' Cold Is Hot: The Rise of Arctic Luxe Tauck's fastest-selling product for 2026? A Northern Lights voyage through the Arctic Circle. 'That itinerary sold out before we had even priced it,' Jennifer shared, still a bit amazed. 'Destinations like Tromsø and Hammerfest are suddenly in demand.' She's not alone in observing that trend. Cold-weather destinations like Iceland, Norway, and Finland are becoming coveted luxury escapes—where scarcity, spectacle, and serenity collide. The Resilience of Luxury Amid Uncertainty Despite headlines of macroeconomic volatility, Jennifer is bullish on luxury travel. 'In our space—front of the plane, premium accommodations, experience-first demand is thriving,' she said. 'Luxury travelers tend to be more insulated from market noise, and they're eager to explore now, not wait.' Indeed, Tauck's Japan product has become one of its top sellers. Greece is trending upward. And the company's family-focused 'Bridges' line is growing as multigenerational travel continues to surge. Luxury as a Conduit for Human Connection Jennifer left me with a simple yet profound insight: the most important luxury may not be a suite or a sommelier—it may be belonging. 'In this age of digital overload and social disconnection, people are craving human connection,' she said. 'That's what group travel offers—not in spite of its structure, but because of it.' And if Tauck's next 100 years look anything like the last, luxury travel won't just be about where you go. It'll be about how you feel—and who you become—along the way.
Travel Weekly
24-06-2025
- Business
- Travel Weekly
Count on contracts, not courts
Mark Pestronk Q: Our agency plans to operate a series of European tours next year, so we have entered into contracts with destination management companies and hotels. The contracts will obligate us to pay the suppliers several million dollars. If another pandemic breaks out next year, and no one wants to travel, could we get out of these contracts on the grounds of force majeure or the like? Do any recent court precedents shed light on what happened to such contracts during the Covid pandemic? A: Most of the pandemic-related court cases settled out of court, so there is only one pandemic-related precedent dealing with tour operator liability to a supplier during the pandemic: Private Jet Services, LLC v. Tauck, Inc., Case No. 20-cv-1015, in New Hampshire federal court. In 2019, Tauck contracted with a New Hampshire charter broker for a minimum of 50 charter sightseeing flights in New Zealand during 2020. By March 20, 2020, Tauck had already operated 23 trips, but on that date, New Zealand closed its borders to foreign travelers for the rest of the year, so Tauck was unable to operate any of the 27 trips still needed to meet its minimum guaranty. As is usually the case with B2B controversies in the travel industry, the parties tried to settle through negotiation for several months, but they were unsuccessful. The charter broker then sued Tauck for the price of the remaining 27 trips on the grounds that it was entitled to the price for remaining trips, which was in excess of $1.7 million. Unfortunately, the contract did not contain any clause excusing Tauck from payment. Although there was a force majeure clause, it excused the broker from performance, but it didn't excuse Tauck from paying for the minimum of 50 flights. Nevertheless, the federal court held that Tauck could assert the defenses of "impossibility" even where the force majeure clause expressly stated that it did not excuse Tauck from performance. The court further held that performance was indeed impossible because the border closing made it impossible for Tauck to operate the planned tours. After years of litigation, the court's final decision was issued on June 3 of this year. Tauck won the case and was ably represented by my colleague Jeffrey Ment. In my view, the court's decision was a close call, and it shows that it is risky to rely on common law principles instead of express contract provisions. When negotiating major supplier agreements, you need to spell out the grounds on which you can decline to pay the supplier. Here is an example that I have found to be acceptable to many hotels: "If any event beyond a party's control causes more than half of the expected participants to be unable or unwilling to travel to the destination on the expected dates, either party may terminate this Agreement without liability, in which case Hotel shall provide a full refund within 15 days after termination." Such explicit terms help avoid controversies about what was or was not impossible.
Travel Weekly
30-05-2025
- Business
- Travel Weekly
No slowing down for river cruising: 2026 looks even better than 2025
River cruise lines say that despite economic uncertainty in the U.S., 2025 bookings remain strong and 2026 is already outpacing this year. Their success, the companies say, is a result of not just demand but smart marketing and adjusting to trends. Viking, which dominates the river industry and captures the market majority, saw $897.1 million in total revenue for the first quarter of 2025, a nearly 25% jump year over year. The line said it has effectively sold out its river capacity for this year, at 95%, and reported 28% of capacity already sold for 2026. With a fleet of about 80 river cruise ships, Viking is off to a "remarkable start" for the year, said chairman and CEO Torstein Hagen during the company's Q1 earnings call on May 20. As the largest river cruise company, and the only public one, Viking's earnings may not be representative of the entire sector. But several smaller, privately held lines said they are also thriving in 2025 and are expecting even better results next year. Tauck said 2026 bookings are pacing nearly 30% ahead of 2025 bookings, Riviera Travel said 2026 river cruise bookings are 42% higher than 2025 bookings were at this time last year, and CroisiEurope said 35% of 2026 capacity is sold out. Also, AmaWaterways, Avalon Waterways and Amadeus River Cruises all said that 2026 bookings were outpacing 2025, which is on track to be their strongest year ever. And while some lines, including Viking, have reported that much of their 2025 capacity was already booked before this year's economic turbulence, Cleveland Research found that bookings for river and luxury ocean cruises had picked up steam in late April and early May. Travel advisor Lisa Fitzgerald of Fitzgerald Travel, an agency that specializes in river and ocean cruising, said river cruise success is due in part to the lines adjusting to uncertainty in the U.S. economy, which is causing her clients not to pull back on bookings but is leading them to more thoughtful spending. Lisa Fitzgerald "The economy isn't stopping travelers from going on vacation, it's simply changing how they spend," Fitzgerald said. "River cruise lines are tuned into this and are adjusting with thoughtful promotions to attract both repeat guests and first-timers." She also credited lines for reacting to trends and "not standing still" by adding new itineraries and enhancing experiences, both on and off the ship. For example, she said, clients have inquired about shoulder season departures as they watch "where every dollar goes." Observing this trend and seeing a boom in demand, Avalon Waterways added more Christmas market sailings and harvest-time cruises for the offseason, said president Pam Hoffee. Avalon is on pace for a record-breaking 2025, and 2026 is "off to an exceptionally strong start," with bookings trending ahead of this time last year, according to Hoffee. AmaWaterways says 2026 sales are pacing double digits ahead of 2025. Pictured, the new AmaSintra in Portugal. Photo Credit: AmaWaterways Riviera is generating success by focusing on niche markets, such as amplifying its efforts to attract solo cruisers by waiving single supplement fees. This segment has grown "significantly," said Stuart Milan, Riviera's North America president, even outpacing traditional bookings. Amadeus is on track for this year to be its strongest yet, a spokesperson said, and early signs point to 2026 "being a banner year" and outpacing 2025. Amadeus' gains are in part tied to intentional efforts by the line to bring in industry veterans, invest in the travel advisor channel and amp up its marketing efforts, the spokesperson said. AmaWaterways chief sales officer Alex Pinelo said at the 2025 ASTA Travel Advisor Conference in Salt Lake City that the market is "at an all-time high." Last year marked the brand's best year on record, he added, and by the second week of 2025, the company's sales had already passed 2024 year over year. Looking ahead, 2026 sales are pacing "double digits" ahead of 2025, he said, and future demand will be met with 10 new ships being added to its fleet by 2027. Pinelo touted traveler desire to visit rivers outside of Europe -- like the Nile in Egypt, the Mekong in Vietnam and, most recently, the Magdalena in Colombia -- as one of the ways AmaWaterways has found success. Cleveland Research said these three rivers "are key itineraries to watch." Tauck reported "enjoying a very, very strong year across our entire river cruising portfolio," a spokesperson said. Tauck said it is "virtually sold out" for this year, with 2026 bookings pacing nearly 30% ahead of 2025 bookings year over year. CroisiEurope said it has seen similar numbers to Viking, with 90% of its 2025 capacity sold out and 35% of 2026 capacity booked.
