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Concerns about Kenya
The attacks in Kenya has us concerned about our upcoming trip to Kenya & Tanzania in Dec. 2014. Has anyone heard anything that would negatively impact on Tauck going there? Are all the trips currently going off O.K.?
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I talked with Tauck a couple weeks ago, and they said they are watching it. So far, all of the trips are going as scheduled. They also said all of our lodgings are secure with controlled access. They did say, however, that there have been times when they were forced to revise the itinerary.
British is absolutely right; whenever a situation happens overseas like this, we always monitor it very, very closely, and will not hesitate to reroute, reschedule, or cancel departures if it is necessary for the safety of our guests, and have certainly done so in the past when the situation warranted it. At the moment, we are currently planning on operating all departures as scheduled.
Please feel free to call us if you have any questions!
Sincerely,
Tim
I assure you Tauck will definitely monitor the situation for you both before departure and while you are on the tour. They did the same for us. Our Tauck tour leader called ahead every time we changed locations. Her local contacts were invaluable. We never had a single problem.
I am one of those people who have trouble relying totally on others. If you feel the same, you may wish to do what I did.
First, I signed up on-line with the U.S. Department of State's "Travel.State.Gov" program and registered the details of my trips months before we left for Africa. Each time the State Department emailed me with travel alerts or warnings for any area we planned to visit.
Secondly, I read the Daily Nation on-line newspaper for news on Kenya and Tanzania for several months before departure. I felt a lot more in control simply by knowing what was happening...rather than letting my mind run wild with speculation and rumor.
You are going to have one of the best experiences of your life in Africa. Everywhere in the world has problems. Lord only knows, life in America is not always safe. Try not to worry. In the last 2 1/2 years, we have been on four safaris and a tour of Egypt and we had no problems. Besides, you have Tauck - the best in the business in my estimation - on your side.
You will be fine....Leo M
We sincerely hope to hear from Tauk quickly because we were so much looking forward to this trip.
I am not sure if you are a group who happen to work at Naples zoo.
Why do you think you know more than anyone on earth what is going to happen in October? I suggest you cancel your trip as soon as possible. Let someone else take tour places. There are plenty of people willing to 'risk' going to Kenya. Just like there are plenty of people willing to risk sending their children to school, where they might get shot or getting in their car to drive to the mall where they also might get shot or in an accident on the way there. You could always see the animals at Naples zoo anyway. Sorry, but why be so annoyed with TAUCK
"BTW, nothing anyone can say will convince us that Kenya is now safe enough to risk our lives."
I won't try, Do not go if you are so nervous. I have been to Kenya on safari's 3 times in 10 years, and there has always been unrest but we have never seen any of the problems. The safari's are not on the coast where there have been problems. In Nairobi the problems are in the slums, not somewhere you would go. I took my entire family this year, 4 grand kids, my sons and their wives and never would have gone if I was concerned.
If you are a nervous traveler, don't go. You would ruin the trip for the other guests.
Exactly when was Africa a "safe" place to visit? I used to work flying to Africa thirty years ago ... Entebbe, Khartoum, Lagos, Kano, Bamako, Cairo, Algiers ... it has never been like going to Waikiki Beach. The reason I chose Tauck is exactly that, I think they know what they are doing, and I trust their judgement. And if they change the itinerary, I trust they will make sure we can get visas at the border ... just as you can for this trip. (;-)
Bring the man a hand basin! Or an eye patch. Arrrr. Well nearly!
Exchanges like this convince me to keep going. A good laugh helps fix my day.
Cheers,
Jan
Ramses the Great tried, but that was around 1200 BC. Even he wasn't too successful. Empress Victoria? Very debatable. As for Waikiki …. even that's debatable.
There is probably a Patrick O'Brian sound to this ... but I was a Captain (airline) and a Commander (Navy). And I once did have a small command at sea, but I was never in command of a ship. Sealord was the radio callsign of the aircraft carrier USS Oriskany. (;-)