Connections
Welcome on a journey of discovery as we take you inside some of our favorite destinations, places and unique experiences around the world.
Sunshine and Beach Vibes
School is out, pools are open and the heat is definitely here.
Summer has officially arrived.
And what better way to enjoy the summer weather than at the beach? Did you know that over 2 billion beach visits occur each year, with over 53% taking place in the months of June, July and August?
Let’s learn about some of our favorite beaches from around the world.
Diamond Beach in Iceland
Located on the southern coast of Iceland, Diamond Beach is one of the most stunning beaches in the country. A rare black sand beach, this unique phenomenon is caused by molten lava clashing with the cold waters of the North Atlantic Sea – creating black rock. Over time, this rock erodes into the nearby sands causing them to take on an ethereal black color. But where Diamond Beach gets its namesake from is by the many diamond-shaped blocks of ice that have drifted ashore and line the sandy shore, creating an otherworldly experience found nowhere else.
The Bay of Fundy
Between the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia lies the Bay of Fundy, home to the highest tidal range in the world with a range between 3.3 and 52 ft. But don’t take our word for it, watch it for yourself here.
During the tide cycle, the bay fills and empties over a billion tons of water, more than the flow of all the world’s freshwater rivers combined.
Coasts of Spain & Portugal
The coasts of Spain and Portugal are best known for their diverse landscapes. Found along Spain’s northeast coast, Costa Brava is famous for its rugged coastline and crystal-clear waters. To its southeast lies Costa de la Luz (Coast of Light) where the region’s golden sands and unspoiled natural beauty tantalize travelers. In Portugal, travelers can find stunning cliffs and golden beaches in its Algarve region, or for surf enthusiasts, Portugal’s Costa de Prata (Silver Coast) is famous for its gigantic waves and wide, sandy beaches.
Hawaii’s rainbow beaches
A testament to the geological diversity and unique natural beauty of the islands, Hawaii is not just renowned for its tropical weather, but also for its unique and mesmerizing beaches, providing beachgoers and visitors alike with a kaleidoscopic array of colors. On Waikiki Beach on Oahu, the beaches are golden, much like you would find around the world. If you venture to Papakolea Beach on the Big Island, you’ll find a rare olive green beach, one of only four in the world. On Punaluu Beach, the sand has a distinct black color due to large amounts of black volcanic glass mixing into the sand, giving it an otherworldly appearance. And on Maui’s Kaihalulu Beach, you can find red sand, a result of the surrounding iron-rich cliffs eroding onto the shoreline.
Beaches of the Aegean
Important for the development of ancient civilizations, such as the Minoans and the Mycenaean, the Aegean is made up of over 1,415 islands and islets, each offering a small glimpse into the history of the region and highlighted by some of the most stunning beaches you’ll ever see. Across its many islands you can find: Tsamadou and Lemonakia on Samos, Livadi and Messakti on Ikaria as well as Golden Beach and Paradise on Thassos.
Related Journeys: Iceland, Canadian Maritimes, Treasures of Spain and Portugal, The Best of Hawaii, Treasures of the Aegean
Stories from the road
From a guest’s nostalgic recounting of her first adventure to a family’s surprise ancestral discovery, the stories shared from the road are testament to the endless joys of travel in some of the world’s best destinations.
Christine Caraway – The Seven Continent Completionist
Meet Christine Caraway, 16-time Tauck traveler, who’s traveled to all seven continents with Tauck. This is her story:
“Being too lazy to take out the bin that holds my office supplies (kept on a shelf below by desk) I simply rummaged around blindly for a folder to put my Namibia documents in. While trying to pull out a folder, a brochure of my very first Tauck trip dropped out. It was taken in 1975, your 50th anniversary. I had graduated college a little over a year before and I took inspiration from my Aunt Julia who had travel much of the world in the days before cell phones and Uber. She was the one who told me about Tauck, and I decided to book my first adventure. It was an eight-day trip to the Colorado Rockies. I loved every minute of it although at the time, I thought it was a bit pricey, a whopping $483 for a single.
I took another Tauck trip before the days of your computerized records, so although your records show I’ve been on 14 trips, I’ve really been on 16. From the U.S. including Hawaii, Europe, East Asia, Africa, Australia/New Zealand, Central/South America to Antarctica. I’ve been fortunate to have been to all 7 continents and the adventures continue. People often ask me which trip I loved the most but that’s an impossible question – the great pyramids, walking with lions in Zambia, awe inspiring Antarctica, or the glories of Italy, all so different and all so wonderful.
I really have enjoyed all my trips. I’m widowed now, and so I travel alone, but I never feel alone on these trips. I know that if there are any issues, the Tauck guide is there to help and I always have at least one thing in common with the other tourists, we all are looking forward to the adventure that awaits us.”
A journey to remember
Recently, Justin Frackelton and her family returned from our Normandy, Brittany, Paris & the Loire Valley France land journey. And what started out as a curiosity-filled trip to Europe soon turned into something none of the family could have seen coming.
What spurred the trip at this time?
“My husband and I knew that we wanted to visit France in the spring of 2024. Since he retired from teaching at a college in Virginia, we have found that spring is a nice time to travel to Europe. We were looking at different options and our travel agent at Covington Travel suggested Tauck’s Normandy, Brittany, Paris & Loire Valley tour. As soon as we read the description of the trip, we knew that this was the tour for us. The fact that my ancestors had come from Brittany made this particular tour even more appealing.”
Did you set out to find out about family or did the thought come to you while in Brittany?
“I left home hoping to learn as much as I could about my ancestors while I was in France. My maiden name was Derieux. I knew that my ancestors originally came from the town of Rieux in Brittany. The French spelling of our name is deRieux (meaning of Rieux). In preparation for the trip, I traced the deRieux line on the Ancestry website. I brought along with me family information that I found pertaining to the Derieux family. I even brought copies of pictures of two ancestors from the 1400’s that had been on display in my Grandparent’s home.”
How did your Tauck Director and local guides help?
“I mentioned to Marianne Radwan, our Tauck Director, that my ancestors had come from Brittany and that I was interested in learning more about where they had lived. She told me that Marie Noelle our local guide is very knowledgeable and that she may be able to give me more information. As we were touring the town of Rochefort-en-Terre, I asked Marie Noelle if she was familiar with the name “deRieux.” When I told her that they were my ancestors she became excited and told me that they were very influential people in that town. She offered to take me to the information center to get a book that explained more about the Rieux-Rochefort family connection.
I learned that my ancestor married into the Rochefort family. When our guide introduced me to the lady in the information center (pictured here) as Madame deRieux she was so thrilled you would have thought she was meeting the Queen! She pulled out a 3 ring binder with pictures of various members of the deRieux family. To my surprise the two ancestors whose pictures my grandparents had on display in their home were in the book. I was able to show her that I had those same pictures on my phone. There were also pictures of deRieux women that I had never seen. What a thrill it was to know that I was in a town where my ancestors lived in the 15th century. When I entered Rochefort-en-Terre, I had no idea that my ancestors had lived there. Thanks to our local guide and Marianne’s knowledge on the right resource to go to, I made that unexpected connection. This was certainly a highlight of the trip for me!”
Is there anything else you would like to share?
“There is another family story that may be of interest. I was named for my aunt who was named for a male ancestor, Justin Pierre Plumard deRieux, and the first deRieux to come to America. He was a body guard for Louis XVI and served at Versailles. Knowing this piece of family history made that trip even more appealing for me since we began the tour in Versailles. According to a family story he and his wife Maria were in attendance at the Royal Court at Le Petit Trianon when their infant daughter was christened. Marie Antoinette is said to have taken the baby in her arms and placed her on the French Throne. This family story made the visit to Le Petit Trianon very meaningful for me.”
Do you have any other thoughts about our tour?
I believe that the three parts that make up a trip are: the places you visit, the tour director and local guides, and the people that you travel with. On our Normandy, Brittany, Paris and the Loire Valley trip all three were superb and exceeded expectations. My husband and I said that this was one of the best trips we have taken and we’re looking forward to traveling with Tauck to Scotland next summer.
In the news
Learn more about some current events happening around the world this month.
Origins of a global symbol
Earlier this April, the Olympic Flame relay began for this year’s Olympic Games in Paris.
But that begs the question, how did this tradition come to be?
Dating back to the days of ancient Greece, the Olympic flame was originally derived from ancient Greek ceremonies, where a sacred fire was kept burning throughout the entirety of their Olympics. However, it wouldn’t be until the 1928 Summer Olympic Games in Amsterdam where a symbolic flame was first lit to signify the games – in this case, it was used to light “the Marathon Tower” as a marker of where the event was being held. It wouldn’t be until 8 years later at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin that the tradition that we know today as the “Olympic Flame Relay” would take shape. Starting in Olympia, Greece, over the course of 12 days, the flame was carried through seven different countries by over 3,000 different runners, ultimately concluding in Berlin where the cauldrons were lit. Today, the Olympic flame is a global icon symbolizing the light of spirit, knowledge and life and the passing of the flame from person to person represents the handing down of symbolic fire from generation to generation.
Tune in on July 26 as the Olympic flame relay comes to a close, the Olympic cauldron is lit and the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris officially begin.
Mackinac Island wins #1 summer travel destination
This year, Mackinac Island in Michigan was once again voted the #1 summer travel destinations by the readers of USA Today’s 10 Best Readers’ Choice travel awards for the second consecutive year.
Known as the “Crown Jewel of the Great Lakes,” Mackinac Island is a small island located on Lake Huron found at the eastern end of the straits of Mackinac. Pronounced “Mack – in – awe,” the name is derived from the Native American language of Ojibwe and was originally named “Michilimackinac” meaning “Big Turtle.” During Great Britain’s occupancy of the area in the mid-18th century, the island was shorted to Mackinac Island, however the phonetic pronunciation of the –nac “naw” remains to this day.
Recognized for its rich sailing culture and delicious fudge -(still prepared the old fashioned way), what makes Mackinac Island such a unique place to visit is the island’s complete lack of motorized vehicles, a rule that has been in place on the island since 1898! Today, the best way to get around is by walking, biking or old-fashioned horse power.
Did you know? During peak season Mackinac Island can have up to 600 horses, which is more than the island’s year round population of 500!
You can enjoy this timeless island on our Cruising the Great Lakes small ship cruise and our Michigan’s Lakes and Mackinac Island land journey!
In case you missed it
insideTauck – Germany’s Hidden Gems with partner Sascha Mayerer
Germany is celebrated around the world for its iconic cities and landmarks – but its lesser-known towns are just as worthy of attention, bursting with historical, cultural and culinary treasures just waiting to be discovered. Our recent insideTauck presentation introduces you to the hidden gems of historic Germany alongside our partner Sascha Mayerer, CEO of Historic Highlights of Germany, as he takes you off the beaten path to discover why these lesser-known jewels are must-visits for anyone seeking meaningful travel experiences.
#TauckOnTour Takeover
In early June, our team brought our Instagram followers on a behind-the-scenes look of our Rendezvous on the Seine France river cruise. You can see all of the posts over on our Instagram, @TauckTravel, here.
