Travel catalogs

[braumeister]

We get catalogs from four companies all the time and although they normally go straight into the recycle bin I wondered what the actual quantity was. So I've saved them for the last two months and just weighed them.

4.4 lbs OAT (Overseas Adventure Travel)
4.1 lbs Lindblad/National Geographic
3.6 lbs Viking River/Ocean Cruises
3.2 lbs Tauck

Note that this is just for the past two months.

We've gone with both Lindblad and Viking a few times, and have an upcoming trip scheduled with both OAT and Tauck, but it shows that once they get your mailing address they will kill as many trees as it takes to get you onboard.

 

[Aerides]

I've never even cruised, but a month after my parents first went on viking I ended up getting em... at least one per month.

But nothing is as bad as restoration hardware. I ordered some knick knacks from them about 5 years ago and they send books.

 

[Bamaman]

I'm on their mailing lists too. The fares are so far out of my price range that I too don't even look at them either.

My wife stays up late nights trolling the internet for travel bargains. She's spending some of her 2019 RMD taking her daughter to Europe 3 months after getting home from the last trip. I think I'll start hiding her laptop.

 

[SumDay]

I highly recommend Catalog Choice to stop this type of mail (if that's what you want to do): https://www.catalogchoice.org/

Or call them and ask to be removed. I've been really aggressive for the past few years and have really whittled down the amount of mail that goes straight to recycling.

 

[davebarnes]

More proof that cruises are evil.

 

[OldShooter]

We took a Viking river cruise maybe six or seven years ago. Most weeks we will have at least a couple of mailings from them. The thing that galls me the most is that the fare offers are constantly changing. Price, free air, etc. The list prices are completely phony and it is impossible to know what the "real" price is. For that reason alone we will never take another Viking trip. We don't like companies that try to cheat us.

 

[COcheesehead]

We do "adventure" travel and I get about an equal amount of recyclable material from
VBT, Country Walkers, Trek Travel and Backroads.

 

[fosterscik]

No one has mentioned road scholar yet. It's the worst we see. We went on one trip with them a few years ago and get multiple mailings every week. Haven't weighed it but they are big thick newspaper books just about every time. Worst part? They ask for donations to support their programs.

 

[Gotadimple]

If you have an account with a travel company (OAT, Road Scholar, Viking, etc) you can change your mail preferences on the company's website. If you don't ever want to see their material again, call Customer Service.

 

[triangle]

I hesitate to reply to this thread, as I might inadvertently get added to some catalog mailing list. ;-) Thankfully I don't get any travel information in the postal mail, that is probably because I have never been on a structured tour or cruise, instead just buy airfare and accommodations separately.

 

[athena53]

More proof that cruises are evil.

Viking is one of the better ones; so is UnCruise. MUCH smaller ships, fewer additional costs over the sticker price. I haven't weighed the catalogues but I get a few from UnCruise and from OAT every year; I have past and future trips on both. I plan to get on-line and stop both; easy enough to get info on their Web sites. I get abbreviated Viking mailers with deals but as a solo traveler, "two-for-one" offers don't do me any good.

The biggest non-travel offender is The Great Courses and I LOVE The Great Courses. Hmmm... bet I can go on their site and cut off those, too, although they've tapered off noticeably since I haven't placed an order in years.

 

[MichaelB]

We get catalogs from four companies all the time and although they normally go straight into the recycle bin I wondered what the actual quantity was. So I've saved them for the last two months and just weighed them.

4.4 lbs OAT (Overseas Adventure Travel)
4.1 lbs Lindblad/National Geographic
3.6 lbs Viking River/Ocean Cruises
3.2 lbs Tauck

Note that this is just for the past two months.

We've gone with both Lindblad and Viking a few times, and have an upcoming trip scheduled with both OAT and Tauck, but it shows that once they get your mailing address they will kill as many trees as it takes to get you onboard.

I see this in a more positive way. Just think of all the employment this is creating.

 

[braumeister]

If there had ever been any doubt that the online version of the cruise catalogs was better than the snail mail version, here it is.

The other day we got one of the Viking catalogs (and yes, I've told them not to send them) and DW happened to look through it. She started laughing and showed me that most of the photos in the brochure looked like this:


Alas, no amount of clicking on the printed page would start the video!

 

[MichaelB]

A screenshot of a video? That’s terrible. All the expense to produce and mail a brochure and they can’t even copy a photo? Someone then signed off on this?

Imagine the calls. What does the phone agent respond when the caller says “I have the catalog right here in front of me, I keep pressing the arrow button but there’s no video. What am I doing wrong?”

 

[WestUniversity]

Okay, I’ll take the contrary position.

As a travel lover and a frequent cruiser, I like getting the travel catalogues, especially if there is a “sale”, and particularly for the smaller lines/ships.

Thankfully however we do not get the Restoration Hardware catalogue!

 

[triangle]

If there had ever been any doubt that the online version of the cruise catalogs was better than the snail mail version, here it is.

The other day we got one of the Viking catalogs (and yes, I've told them not to send them) and DW happened to look through it. She started laughing and showed me that most of the photos in the brochure looked like this:
View attachment 32035

Alas, no amount of clicking on the printed page would start the video!

Did you see the story about the guy who got a "play" button as part of his new hairstyle.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/8141950/barber-shaves-play-button-customer-hair-pause-video/

 

[DrRoy]

We get a bunch of them too. DW likes to cruise, especially with her DS's. We are thinking about road Scholar to Egypt. That is definitely a place I would not want to go on our own. For the most part though, I find packaged tours to be a bad deal and would rather self plan.

 

[Amethyst]

Every time we get those gigantic glossy books, I think, "No wonder those trips cost so much!"

We get catalogs from four companies all the time and although they normally go straight into the recycle bin I wondered what the actual quantity was. So I've saved them for the last two months and just weighed them.

4.4 lbs OAT (Overseas Adventure Travel)
4.1 lbs Lindblad/National Geographic
3.6 lbs Viking River/Ocean Cruises
3.2 lbs Tauck

Note that this is just for the past two months.

We've gone with both Lindblad and Viking a few times, and have an upcoming trip scheduled with both OAT and Tauck, but it shows that once they get your mailing address they will kill as many trees as it takes to get you onboard.

 

[sengsational]

Viking finally quit sending, but I was researching a cruise for my mom on "Oceania" and had an issue with their web site, so called them. Ever since, I've been getting multiple pounds per month. Often every day for 5 days I'm a row. Nuts.

 

[friar1610]

Over about a 10 year period we've been on 5 cruises with four different companies, including Viking. They are the only cruise line that regularly (very regularly) sends brochures. We also get them from companies we've never cruised or traveled with. When one of us brings in the mail every day we've made it a habit to announce which company sent the cruise brochure for that day. We get them 3-4 days per week.

 

[Souschef]

It is difficult to get off the lists, DW and I cruised both Oceania and Regent ONCE in 2007.
We are STILL getting mailings from them!

 

[Bamaman]

Okay, I’ll take the contrary position.

As a travel lover and a frequent cruiser, I like getting the travel catalogues, especially if there is a “sale”, and particularly for the smaller lines/ships.

Thankfully however we do not get the Restoration Hardware catalogue!

Most years, we'll spend a month on a cruise or two. Big fans of repositioning cruises to Europe and the European cruises. We've been on too many Caribbean and Bahamas cruises.

I throw away all cruise literature that comes in without looking at it. We only travel when the bargains abound. And Viking never discounts their cruises enough to get us on them--very deluxe.

 

[sengsational]

... And Viking never discounts their cruises enough to get us on them--very deluxe.

They finally "got me" by offering "free" airfare from my location. Air was often free from big airports, but not mine. That, along with the lowest rate I'd see got me "on board". But I'm probably done with river cruising since it turned out too much like a bus tour for me. Even though the river levels were optimal (didn't change itinerary based on low or high water), our docking location often had us on a bus. And the included shore excursions mostly had us on a bus. I figure I could see all that same stuff with a rental car and only have to move hotels a few times. And doing it myself like that, I won't get on their catalog list!