Last month at the 2025 Annual Conference & Marketplace, USTOA revealed what’s trending in travel for 2026 as well as its new Executive Committee, which includes Jeremy Palmer, president of Tauck, as secretary. The Compass caught up with Palmer during the conference to learn more about what travelers can expect from the company in 2026.
“This is our 100th year, and we are just incredibly fortunate and full of gratitude to everybody who's helped us get this far, to still be family-owned, to be thriving, to be at record levels of all key metrics, but more importantly, to just have a feeling of youth as you go into your second century is something we're just so blessed about,” Palmer said.
Tauck celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2025 by taking the entire company, as well as its closest partners, to Florence, Italy. There were also several recognition events throughout the year for patrons, guests and partners.
Expanded River Cruise Portfolio
When it comes to river cruising, Tauck is meeting guests’ ever-evolving needs. “We have four new riverboats that we've announced in 2026, 2027,” Palmer said. “They're going to be in France and in Portugal. There's more coming after that. We've got record capacity in our small ship cruising, more tours than ever, more small group tours than ever.”
The company also recently announced five new European river cruise itineraries for 2027, including Essence of the Seine; Essence of the Danube; Essence of the Douro; Porto Prelude: Cruising the Douro; and Exploring the Douro, Plus Madrid.
These cruises are all-inclusive, which means shore excursions, gratuities, beverages, airport transfers, taxes and more are all included in the cost. Tauck hosts fewer guests on board, which means more room to spread out.
“While a lot of competitors will have 190, 170, we usually are going out with about 110, 115 people on 135 meters. So it has the lowest guests-to-size ratio in the industry,” Palmer said. “There's a lot more common space, a lot less crowding, both on and off the boat.”
Roam by Tauck
Last month, Tauck also opened bookings for the company’s newest brand: Roam by Tauck. The brand was created specifically for travelers in their 40s and 50s, and the first five journeys will debut this summer. Roam by Tauck has a “half-on, half-off” philosophy, which combines group experiences with flexibility and free time.
“So half the time, we're sort of giving them the traditional Tauck experience of a very well-choreographed with signature moments and all these wonderful touches, but then the other half of the time, we allow them a lot more freedom, where they can be completely on their own, or we can act as more of a concierge type service, so that they can relax and recharge,” Palmer said. “Because this is a vacation for them.”
The five inaugural itineraries include Mexico City & San Miguel de Allende; Bordeaux & The Dordogne; San Sebastián & Rioja; Prague & The Danube; and Porto & The Douro Valley. In addition to the 2026 debut, eight more journeys are already scheduled to begin in 2027: Iceland By Land & Sea; Golden Gate & Wine Country; Florence & The Tuscan Hills; New Zealand: North & South; Rome, Sicily & Malta; Bern & The Matterhorn; South Africa & Mozambique; and Tokyo, Kyoto & The Seto Inland Sea.
To learn more about everything Tauck has to offer, visit www.tauck.com.
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