Tauck’s Jeremy Palmer on Roam, Gen X, & Why River Is Still Surging

After celebrating 100 years in the industry, Tauck is entering its next century with a bang by introducing a new brand and expanding its river cruise portfolio.

In August, the luxury tour operator announced Roam by Tauck, a new brand—its first in 17 years—designed specifically for travelers in their 40s and 50s. The tour operator developed the line of land and river journeys in response to extensive research, which found an opportunity to serve a niche that values active exploration and freedom.

Tauck officially launched the Roam brand earlier this month, initially offering five itineraries available for booking in 2026. These journeys are shorter (seven to 10 days), have more active experiences, and feature built-in free time for independent exploration.

Travel Market Report sat down with Jeremy Palmer, Tauck’s chief operating officer, at this year’s USTOA Conference and Marketplace to discuss the Roam brand and other new developments at the 100-year-old company.

“We are investing millions and millions of dollars as we go into our second century—new brands, new ships, new systems—all to make us better for our guests, our advisors, and our partners,” said Palmer.

Why Now Is the Right Time for Roam

Palmer told TMR that Roam was developed to capture the Gen X traveler by focusing on their unique needs and travel wants.

“As we head into our second century, all of our brands—with the exception of Bridges—focus on our core market… folks who are 65 to 80,” said Palmer. “We love that market, but we realized the next generation down had a lot of heart for what Tauck does, and there were some things they wanted to do differently.”

Rather than waiting for Gen X to age into Tauck’s existing product line, Roam is an opportunity to appeal directly to those travelers now. This brand combines the best parts of Tauck journeys with the pacing and flexibility these travelers want, including Tauck’s elevated accommodations, experiences, and service level, as well as the benefits of having someone else take care of all the details.

“Roam is custom-designed for people in their 40s and 50s. They’re in the busiest part of their lives—still working, still have kids, maybe taking care of parents—and there’s a real desire to offload the stress of planning,” explained Palmer.

Palmer was clear to emphasize that the Roam tours are distinct from the Tauck offerings. The biggest difference? More of an even split between a planned itinerary and free time for travelers to choose how they want to travel and what activities they want to try.

“Think of Roam as a balance—50% on, 50% off. All of the logistics are taken care of … but for about half the time, we’re allowing you to dictate what you want to do,” he said.

He explained that this added freedom is woven into the itineraries organically by spending more time in each destination and embracing the “streak of independence” demonstrated by travelers in this age demo. The team also developed trips that are better suited for working professionals who want to stay out later and sleep longer in the morning.

“These trips tend to be a little bit shorter than our average, they have less movement, later starts in the morning, later evenings, and they’re limited to 16 people. The pace is a little slower and more fluid,” he added.

On River: “The Demand Is There”

Tauck’s river program has been a major success.

According to Palmer, 2025 was a record year for Tauck’s river sales, and the company is already up double-digits for 2026 and 2027 river sailings.

It’s no wonder, then, that the family-owned tour operator is investing in the segment. Tauck is adding two river ships to its fleet in 2027 and will be expanding its Europe portfolio with five new itineraries.

“The outlook for river remains one of the strongest in our industry,” Palmer told TMR. “All of this capacity that’s being added is being filled … we’re adding four vessels in the next two years—a 50% increase—and the demand supports it.”

When asked about increased competition in the river segment, Palmer was unconcerned. He stressed Tauck’s unique advantages over other river cruise lines: how its products are designed with pre- and post-cruise land components, its ships feature larger cabins and higher crew-to-passenger ratios, and its proven history of excellent service.

“River cruising is complicated. It takes skill, training, and experience—and we’ve been doing this for a long time with one of the original river partners in the industry,” he said.

Ultimately, the COO believes that Tauck stands out in the river cruise segment because

“We don’t think of ourselves as a tour company or a cruise company. We ask: what’s the best way to experience this destination? Often, the water is the best way to get there,” explained Palmer.