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.

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.

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-18^th 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!

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.