January 24, 2025 • 10 mins
Award Winning Tours — Tauck® Tours: Land Journeys, River Cruises, Small Ships, Small Groups and Family Travel. Explore Europe, US, Canada, South America, Antarctica, Asia, Australia with Tauck.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
No Travel show at the Pittsburgh Travel showcase Johnny Hartwell,
and we're talking to Laura from TUC and.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
She says, I said, have you ever heard of it?
I said no.
Speaker 1 (00:13):
She says, We're only one hundred years old, so you're
relatively new.
Speaker 3 (00:16):
In other words, we are still getting our feet wet
in touring TUK what is TOUC. TUC is a one
hundred year old tour operator. We do escorted vacations across
the globe as well as European river cruises and small
ship cruising.
Speaker 1 (00:35):
So if somebody is interested in so what is your specialty?
What do you mean who goes to see TALC?
Speaker 3 (00:43):
So clients that are looking for a unique experience that
is off the beaten path and not the traditional tourist experience.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
Suddenly very interested. That's exactly what I'm looking for. Good.
Speaker 1 (00:58):
I've I'm kind of generally somebody who's attracted to the Caribbean,
and I've done that over the last fifteen twenty years.
But I'm looking for something new. I'm looking for something different,
something that is going to you know, kind of I'm
looking for like an intellectual kind of truck.
Speaker 4 (01:14):
That is exactly what we are perfect.
Speaker 1 (01:16):
We just.
Speaker 4 (01:18):
We just made a match, all right.
Speaker 2 (01:20):
So the people that go to tuc are looking for
something different.
Speaker 3 (01:25):
They're culturally curious. They're not just looking for a vacation.
They're looking to learn. They're looking to expand their horizons.
Even if it's a destination that they've been to before,
but maybe they haven't done it in twenty or thirty years,
they're going to see it in a way that they've
never seen it before because of our creativity and the
amount of time and effort that we put up into
(01:46):
setting up these trips.
Speaker 2 (01:47):
Give me some examples then, okay.
Speaker 3 (01:49):
So there are many venues, especially across Europe, where we
get exclusive access to get into the venue without the crowds.
Places like at the Sistine Chapel that sees how many
twenty thousand visitors a day. Sometimes we can get in
after hours when it is just our groups inside, just
(02:11):
you just us. Wow, very intimate experience.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
What else? What else?
Speaker 3 (02:15):
We go to Monet's Gardens in ji Verni, which is
one of the most visited sites in all of France,
and they open before.
Speaker 4 (02:24):
The public is allowed in.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
How do you do that?
Speaker 3 (02:26):
To walk through the gardens and take the pictures? That
inspired Monai's paintings. I mean you could if you're a
painter yourself, that's how you want to see it without
all the people and their selfie sticks.
Speaker 1 (02:36):
That's exactly, you know, because going to the Caribbean, a
lot of the places that I that was kind of
an intimate experience has turned into.
Speaker 4 (02:45):
A tourist trap.
Speaker 2 (02:47):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (02:47):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (02:48):
So we also even if we're going to a place
where we can't go before or after hours, we're going
at times when we know the crowds or less. For example,
we got started one hundred years ago and we started
by taking guts to the national parks. So we even
know inside the national parks when our clients are touring,
say Yellowstone, we know when to take people to those
(03:10):
coveted spots like what like Old Faithful. You know, we
know the schedule, we know where to tell the people
to go. We know when to visit the basins and
the geysers and the hot pots. And it's really I
personally like to think of every one of our tours
as a piece of music. It has crescendos, it has piano,
(03:30):
it has quiet moments. It really is a well orchestrated
story that we tell from beginning to end. And the
secret behind all of this is our team of touch
directors who are at the helm of every single tour
and crews that we run. In the cases of our cruises,
we might have a team of four taking care of
your every need. So they get to know you, they
(03:51):
get to understand you, They get to know how you
like to travel and what you want to learn about,
and they're providing that knowledge and that information and they're
perfectly orchestrating the vacation from beginning to end.
Speaker 2 (04:02):
All right, So let's start.
Speaker 1 (04:04):
I've got plenty of I think I have them, Okay,
all right, So when it comes to like domestic travel,
you mentioned Yellowstone, that seems to be a popular place.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
But maybe if I'm.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
Looking for something interesting in uh New Orleans or Memphis
or Chicago, is that something that.
Speaker 2 (04:22):
That you we sure do?
Speaker 4 (04:23):
We sure do.
Speaker 3 (04:24):
Now, everything that Tauk does is all created in advance.
We don't do any custom so you can't come to
us and ask us to build a particular itinerary for you.
But we really cover seven continents in almost most of
the world.
Speaker 2 (04:39):
In most cities domestically.
Speaker 4 (04:40):
A lot a lot. We hit three two three of
the ones that you just mentioned.
Speaker 1 (04:46):
I'm not I'm not going to take some you know
small you know Wilmerding, Pennsylvania exactly.
Speaker 4 (04:52):
So we do have.
Speaker 3 (04:53):
Yeah, we have a lot of itineraries in those destinations.
And we got our start in America. If I have
five minutes, real quick, I'll kind of tell the real.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
Quick or nothing to to do it.
Speaker 4 (05:02):
I love it.
Speaker 3 (05:03):
So what essentially happened was there was a man who
was working in a bank in Newark, New Jersey, whose
name was Arthur Tauk, and it was his job to
ensure that the coins that at that point were stored
in a cigar box were safely put away, using the
dumbwaiter shaft to get down into the vault in the
bottom of the bank. One day, he tripped and fell
(05:23):
and spilled the entire cigar box of coins, and after
having to pick every single one up and clean them all,
he got fired. So he had to find a better way,
and the bank said, when you find a better way
to handle coins, we'll give you your job back. So
that's what he did. He went and invented the coin tray.
If you've ever seen the long metal tray where you
line up the rolls of coins. This was invented by
(05:45):
Arthur Tauk. So we went back to the bank showed
them this prototype. I say, it's more like a current
day shark tank kind of a concept. Here you go,
here's my prototype. They loved it, so we went back
and made more. He quickly realized how popular these coin
trays were, so we went on the road as a
traveling salesman to sell these coin trees to banks throughout
New England.
Speaker 2 (06:04):
And he started discovering.
Speaker 3 (06:06):
He started discovering the world. So we ran an ad
in the paper and said, join me, Arthur C. Tauk
on a week long jaunt across New England six days,
sixty nine dollars all inclusive, all inclusion, in nineteen twenty five.
Speaker 1 (06:24):
So it's the same price, right, I can get a
price fifty nine?
Speaker 2 (06:28):
Yeah, I bet I can go to Europe for sixty nine.
Speaker 4 (06:30):
Dollars right, yeah, right now, add two zero's after that.
Speaker 1 (06:34):
All right, So give me an interesting domestic destination and
some of the things that I might experience. Oh goodness,
I mentioned a couple of cities, so yeah, all right.
Speaker 4 (06:46):
So we do have a tour that is actually new
for us this year.
Speaker 3 (06:50):
We created a lot of new itineraries for this year,
which are are you know, centennial anniversary itinerary. So one
of those is all about music and it goes from
New Orleans.
Speaker 2 (07:03):
Yea two.
Speaker 3 (07:08):
New Orleans. Hang on, I'm having a moment, okay. So
it includes New Orleans. And in New Orleans.
Speaker 4 (07:14):
We do a jazz festival.
Speaker 3 (07:16):
Uh, and we have a private jazz performance at a
private venue that very few people ever get access to.
And then in Memphis we of course do you know bb.
Speaker 4 (07:29):
Kings and the Records and else you got it? Yes,
you got it, you got the goosebumps. Yes, that's exactly
I would love it. Yeah, So that one's really good.
So it's got a lot of music themed activities as
part of it.
Speaker 1 (07:42):
All right, So we talked domestic a little bit and
kind of giving me a give, give us an idea
of what you're able to offer. What about what are
some of the hot destinations worldwide?
Speaker 4 (07:53):
Oh, worldwide? Japan? It's all about Japan. There is actually
wait lists to go to Japan.
Speaker 3 (08:00):
I think there's been just demand building ever since you know,
they were closed down and they took a little bit
longer to open back up.
Speaker 4 (08:06):
So everyone that's trying to get.
Speaker 1 (08:08):
I think I'd go anywhere with you because of the
interesting ideas that you so, But.
Speaker 4 (08:12):
Japan, what are someone really popular?
Speaker 3 (08:14):
So so we either do it by land or by cruise,
so you can basically choose what you want to do.
Speaker 4 (08:19):
But what Touch does very well is we go.
Speaker 3 (08:22):
Into the towns and the cities and the villages and
we ask the locals what is this area known for.
We don't go to the guide books and say, you know,
what do they think is best?
Speaker 4 (08:33):
We ask the locals.
Speaker 3 (08:35):
We work with our local partners on the ground and
try and find So we have cooking classes where they'll make,
you know, true authentic Japanese cuisine. They'll learn the art
of the perfect calligraphy, make oregami, I mean really like
you name it. And some of it sounds a little,
you know, more traditional type stuff. But it's very intimate
(08:56):
because our groups are really never more than forty guests
on a land journal and we even have groups that
are max of twenty four and macs of fifteen, so
a very intimate experience, which.
Speaker 4 (09:06):
Is lovely all right.
Speaker 2 (09:07):
So what the other Japan was?
Speaker 4 (09:09):
How about an African safari?
Speaker 2 (09:11):
Absolutely I hear that is right taking off.
Speaker 4 (09:13):
It is.
Speaker 3 (09:13):
It is the best. It's the best rip I've ever done.
And I've been just six of seven continents. Right.
Speaker 4 (09:18):
Well, I am an animal lover, okay, but it is.
Speaker 3 (09:22):
Such luxury, such luxury you feel like you are a
king and a queen when you were staying at these
tented camps and you open your drapes, or you walk
out onto your deck and there's the elephants drinking from
you know, the pond just beyond the hotel. Or you'll
walk out and there could be you know, giraffes walking
around the property.
Speaker 4 (09:42):
It is. It is like being inside the movie The
Lion case.
Speaker 2 (09:45):
See that would that.
Speaker 1 (09:46):
Would so intrigue me, but my fiance would me be
freaked out?
Speaker 2 (09:50):
What would be saying? Is it safe?
Speaker 4 (09:52):
Yes?
Speaker 3 (09:52):
Well so in many of these cases they actually have
a guard that has a gun and a spear walking
you to and from your rooms just in case.
Speaker 2 (10:00):
Can I have my scare? Can I have a spear shirt?
Speaker 4 (10:02):
Sure, we'll give it to you. We'll give it to you.
Africa is really really hot right now.
Speaker 3 (10:06):
We even do Namibia, which looks like Mars in a
lot of cases with all these gigantic red sand dunes.
Speaker 4 (10:13):
We really want to go off the beaten path.
Speaker 3 (10:14):
We want to find that person that's like, Nope, already
done that, already done this. I want to go somewhere
no one else goes. We go to Antarctica. Yeah, in
twenty six we're going to the Arctic to go see
the northern lights.
Speaker 2 (10:26):
Oh my, definitely on my bucket.
Speaker 4 (10:28):
Definitely. We've got a lot of trips for you.
Speaker 1 (10:31):
I understand that, all right. So if somebody wants more information,
they can go.
Speaker 2 (10:35):
To the travel agent, the sure can.
Speaker 1 (10:37):
But if they want to get a better idea of
some of the things that talk offers.
Speaker 2 (10:41):
What do you suggest.
Speaker 3 (10:42):
It's www dot talc dot com and that is spelled
ta uc k.
Speaker 2 (10:47):
This has been a pleasure, good luck this weekend.
Speaker 4 (10:48):
Thank you so much
No Travel show at the Pittsburgh Travel showcase Johnny Hartwell,
and we're talking to Laura from TUC and.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
She says, I said, have you ever heard of it?
I said no.
Speaker 1 (00:13):
She says, We're only one hundred years old, so you're
relatively new.
Speaker 3 (00:16):
In other words, we are still getting our feet wet
in touring TUK what is TOUC. TUC is a one
hundred year old tour operator. We do escorted vacations across
the globe as well as European river cruises and small
ship cruising.
Speaker 1 (00:35):
So if somebody is interested in so what is your specialty?
What do you mean who goes to see TALC?
Speaker 3 (00:43):
So clients that are looking for a unique experience that
is off the beaten path and not the traditional tourist experience.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
Suddenly very interested. That's exactly what I'm looking for. Good.
Speaker 1 (00:58):
I've I'm kind of generally somebody who's attracted to the Caribbean,
and I've done that over the last fifteen twenty years.
But I'm looking for something new. I'm looking for something different,
something that is going to you know, kind of I'm
looking for like an intellectual kind of truck.
Speaker 4 (01:14):
That is exactly what we are perfect.
Speaker 1 (01:16):
We just.
Speaker 4 (01:18):
We just made a match, all right.
Speaker 2 (01:20):
So the people that go to tuc are looking for
something different.
Speaker 3 (01:25):
They're culturally curious. They're not just looking for a vacation.
They're looking to learn. They're looking to expand their horizons.
Even if it's a destination that they've been to before,
but maybe they haven't done it in twenty or thirty years,
they're going to see it in a way that they've
never seen it before because of our creativity and the
amount of time and effort that we put up into
(01:46):
setting up these trips.
Speaker 2 (01:47):
Give me some examples then, okay.
Speaker 3 (01:49):
So there are many venues, especially across Europe, where we
get exclusive access to get into the venue without the crowds.
Places like at the Sistine Chapel that sees how many
twenty thousand visitors a day. Sometimes we can get in
after hours when it is just our groups inside, just
(02:11):
you just us. Wow, very intimate experience.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
What else? What else?
Speaker 3 (02:15):
We go to Monet's Gardens in ji Verni, which is
one of the most visited sites in all of France,
and they open before.
Speaker 4 (02:24):
The public is allowed in.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
How do you do that?
Speaker 3 (02:26):
To walk through the gardens and take the pictures? That
inspired Monai's paintings. I mean you could if you're a
painter yourself, that's how you want to see it without
all the people and their selfie sticks.
Speaker 1 (02:36):
That's exactly, you know, because going to the Caribbean, a
lot of the places that I that was kind of
an intimate experience has turned into.
Speaker 4 (02:45):
A tourist trap.
Speaker 2 (02:47):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (02:47):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (02:48):
So we also even if we're going to a place
where we can't go before or after hours, we're going
at times when we know the crowds or less. For example,
we got started one hundred years ago and we started
by taking guts to the national parks. So we even
know inside the national parks when our clients are touring,
say Yellowstone, we know when to take people to those
(03:10):
coveted spots like what like Old Faithful. You know, we
know the schedule, we know where to tell the people
to go. We know when to visit the basins and
the geysers and the hot pots. And it's really I
personally like to think of every one of our tours
as a piece of music. It has crescendos, it has piano,
(03:30):
it has quiet moments. It really is a well orchestrated
story that we tell from beginning to end. And the
secret behind all of this is our team of touch
directors who are at the helm of every single tour
and crews that we run. In the cases of our cruises,
we might have a team of four taking care of
your every need. So they get to know you, they
(03:51):
get to understand you, They get to know how you
like to travel and what you want to learn about,
and they're providing that knowledge and that information and they're
perfectly orchestrating the vacation from beginning to end.
Speaker 2 (04:02):
All right, So let's start.
Speaker 1 (04:04):
I've got plenty of I think I have them, Okay,
all right, So when it comes to like domestic travel,
you mentioned Yellowstone, that seems to be a popular place.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
But maybe if I'm.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
Looking for something interesting in uh New Orleans or Memphis
or Chicago, is that something that.
Speaker 2 (04:22):
That you we sure do?
Speaker 4 (04:23):
We sure do.
Speaker 3 (04:24):
Now, everything that Tauk does is all created in advance.
We don't do any custom so you can't come to
us and ask us to build a particular itinerary for you.
But we really cover seven continents in almost most of
the world.
Speaker 2 (04:39):
In most cities domestically.
Speaker 4 (04:40):
A lot a lot. We hit three two three of
the ones that you just mentioned.
Speaker 1 (04:46):
I'm not I'm not going to take some you know
small you know Wilmerding, Pennsylvania exactly.
Speaker 4 (04:52):
So we do have.
Speaker 3 (04:53):
Yeah, we have a lot of itineraries in those destinations.
And we got our start in America. If I have
five minutes, real quick, I'll kind of tell the real.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
Quick or nothing to to do it.
Speaker 4 (05:02):
I love it.
Speaker 3 (05:03):
So what essentially happened was there was a man who
was working in a bank in Newark, New Jersey, whose
name was Arthur Tauk, and it was his job to
ensure that the coins that at that point were stored
in a cigar box were safely put away, using the
dumbwaiter shaft to get down into the vault in the
bottom of the bank. One day, he tripped and fell
(05:23):
and spilled the entire cigar box of coins, and after
having to pick every single one up and clean them all,
he got fired. So he had to find a better way,
and the bank said, when you find a better way
to handle coins, we'll give you your job back. So
that's what he did. He went and invented the coin tray.
If you've ever seen the long metal tray where you
line up the rolls of coins. This was invented by
(05:45):
Arthur Tauk. So we went back to the bank showed
them this prototype. I say, it's more like a current
day shark tank kind of a concept. Here you go,
here's my prototype. They loved it, so we went back
and made more. He quickly realized how popular these coin
trays were, so we went on the road as a
traveling salesman to sell these coin trees to banks throughout
New England.
Speaker 2 (06:04):
And he started discovering.
Speaker 3 (06:06):
He started discovering the world. So we ran an ad
in the paper and said, join me, Arthur C. Tauk
on a week long jaunt across New England six days,
sixty nine dollars all inclusive, all inclusion, in nineteen twenty five.
Speaker 1 (06:24):
So it's the same price, right, I can get a
price fifty nine?
Speaker 2 (06:28):
Yeah, I bet I can go to Europe for sixty nine.
Speaker 4 (06:30):
Dollars right, yeah, right now, add two zero's after that.
Speaker 1 (06:34):
All right, So give me an interesting domestic destination and
some of the things that I might experience. Oh goodness,
I mentioned a couple of cities, so yeah, all right.
Speaker 4 (06:46):
So we do have a tour that is actually new
for us this year.
Speaker 3 (06:50):
We created a lot of new itineraries for this year,
which are are you know, centennial anniversary itinerary. So one
of those is all about music and it goes from
New Orleans.
Speaker 2 (07:03):
Yea two.
Speaker 3 (07:08):
New Orleans. Hang on, I'm having a moment, okay. So
it includes New Orleans. And in New Orleans.
Speaker 4 (07:14):
We do a jazz festival.
Speaker 3 (07:16):
Uh, and we have a private jazz performance at a
private venue that very few people ever get access to.
And then in Memphis we of course do you know bb.
Speaker 4 (07:29):
Kings and the Records and else you got it? Yes,
you got it, you got the goosebumps. Yes, that's exactly
I would love it. Yeah, So that one's really good.
So it's got a lot of music themed activities as
part of it.
Speaker 1 (07:42):
All right, So we talked domestic a little bit and
kind of giving me a give, give us an idea
of what you're able to offer. What about what are
some of the hot destinations worldwide?
Speaker 4 (07:53):
Oh, worldwide? Japan? It's all about Japan. There is actually
wait lists to go to Japan.
Speaker 3 (08:00):
I think there's been just demand building ever since you know,
they were closed down and they took a little bit
longer to open back up.
Speaker 4 (08:06):
So everyone that's trying to get.
Speaker 1 (08:08):
I think I'd go anywhere with you because of the
interesting ideas that you so, But.
Speaker 4 (08:12):
Japan, what are someone really popular?
Speaker 3 (08:14):
So so we either do it by land or by cruise,
so you can basically choose what you want to do.
Speaker 4 (08:19):
But what Touch does very well is we go.
Speaker 3 (08:22):
Into the towns and the cities and the villages and
we ask the locals what is this area known for.
We don't go to the guide books and say, you know,
what do they think is best?
Speaker 4 (08:33):
We ask the locals.
Speaker 3 (08:35):
We work with our local partners on the ground and
try and find So we have cooking classes where they'll make,
you know, true authentic Japanese cuisine. They'll learn the art
of the perfect calligraphy, make oregami, I mean really like
you name it. And some of it sounds a little,
you know, more traditional type stuff. But it's very intimate
(08:56):
because our groups are really never more than forty guests
on a land journal and we even have groups that
are max of twenty four and macs of fifteen, so
a very intimate experience, which.
Speaker 4 (09:06):
Is lovely all right.
Speaker 2 (09:07):
So what the other Japan was?
Speaker 4 (09:09):
How about an African safari?
Speaker 2 (09:11):
Absolutely I hear that is right taking off.
Speaker 4 (09:13):
It is.
Speaker 3 (09:13):
It is the best. It's the best rip I've ever done.
And I've been just six of seven continents. Right.
Speaker 4 (09:18):
Well, I am an animal lover, okay, but it is.
Speaker 3 (09:22):
Such luxury, such luxury you feel like you are a
king and a queen when you were staying at these
tented camps and you open your drapes, or you walk
out onto your deck and there's the elephants drinking from
you know, the pond just beyond the hotel. Or you'll
walk out and there could be you know, giraffes walking
around the property.
Speaker 4 (09:42):
It is. It is like being inside the movie The
Lion case.
Speaker 2 (09:45):
See that would that.
Speaker 1 (09:46):
Would so intrigue me, but my fiance would me be
freaked out?
Speaker 2 (09:50):
What would be saying? Is it safe?
Speaker 4 (09:52):
Yes?
Speaker 3 (09:52):
Well so in many of these cases they actually have
a guard that has a gun and a spear walking
you to and from your rooms just in case.
Speaker 2 (10:00):
Can I have my scare? Can I have a spear shirt?
Speaker 4 (10:02):
Sure, we'll give it to you. We'll give it to you.
Africa is really really hot right now.
Speaker 3 (10:06):
We even do Namibia, which looks like Mars in a
lot of cases with all these gigantic red sand dunes.
Speaker 4 (10:13):
We really want to go off the beaten path.
Speaker 3 (10:14):
We want to find that person that's like, Nope, already
done that, already done this. I want to go somewhere
no one else goes. We go to Antarctica. Yeah, in
twenty six we're going to the Arctic to go see
the northern lights.
Speaker 2 (10:26):
Oh my, definitely on my bucket.
Speaker 4 (10:28):
Definitely. We've got a lot of trips for you.
Speaker 1 (10:31):
I understand that, all right. So if somebody wants more information,
they can go.
Speaker 2 (10:35):
To the travel agent, the sure can.
Speaker 1 (10:37):
But if they want to get a better idea of
some of the things that talk offers.
Speaker 2 (10:41):
What do you suggest.
Speaker 3 (10:42):
It's www dot talc dot com and that is spelled
ta uc k.
Speaker 2 (10:47):
This has been a pleasure, good luck this weekend.
Speaker 4 (10:48):
Thank you so much
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!