Dear Tauck Family of Friends,
We’ve come so far together. Our shared passion for travel burned brightly across more than 60 countries around the world. And in important ways, Tauck’s spirit also glowed around our Wilton CT campus. We held our first fall company meeting since 2019. It was energizing to bring hundreds of our team members together with the Tauck family and our Board of Directors. Joy and pride were evident as we took a pause to recognize and give thanks to where we are now. We expressed gratitude for the individual and collective commitment to something greater than ourselves; and that our team and thousands of partners around the world, created a path forward. We also expressed gratitude for the resilience and deep sense of connection we have with you, our valued patrons. Your intrepid desire to resume your freedoms inspired us all. No global tour or cruise company operated as widely in 2021 and 2022, and we owe this to your trust in Tauck. Thank you.
This is my last Porchlight column. I’m not going anywhere, so let me explain. On March 20, 2020, just four days after closing our offices, we shared the symbol of a “Porchlight” to our team, patrons and partners. At that time, I was thinking of ways to symbolize Tauck being there during the health crisis, as the world was in a very anxious place. My wife Kiki thought of the “Porchlight” metaphor – a beacon that welcomes people home; perhaps students back from college, or friends and family when they visit. I shared in messages since then that our porchlight at our Wilton Woods campus was shining brightly and would always remain on for when we could welcome our team back to our campus and for when our patrons told us they were ready to travel again. A colleague surprised us all when he built a porchlight and door for our annual meeting this fall (shown in photo above – note the street number). Our world is in a vastly different place today. We have made it together to “the other side,” and this metaphor is no longer needed.
And what a journey it’s been. In March 2020, Tauck suspended its operations globally for the first time since May 1942 during WWII. We remained completely shut down for all of 2020 and, except a few programs, for the first third of 2021. Yet everyone at Tauck was incredibly busy supporting our guests in our call center, rebuilding our tours and cruises and finding new ways to connect digitally with our guests. All with zero revenue. By…
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