Just curious to know if anyone has ever been on a Contiki Tour? Im heading to UK/Europe for just over six weeks at the end of May. Debating whether I just get a Eurail Pass and do my own thing or head off on one of the Contiki tours. I have had read though what they have to offer and they time perfectly with my trip. I am interested in an approx 20 day tour though Europe. Price seems like good value considering it includes everything (food, accom, tours, transfers etc). I would love to hear some good or bad experiences and even some suggestions. Also keep in mind I am doing this trip on my own. Cheers guys James
yeah they're awesome did one in the states last year & had a ball, couple of the guys on my tour had just done the 20 odd day europe tour & said it was unreal. if your single you'd be crazy not to... interesting info though, these tours are mostly full of aussies. i know i was expecting to have people from all over the place on mine but it was actually like 23-25 people out of 36 that were aussie! doesnt matter though because we like to drink! its worth getting on the message board on the contiki site & talking to people in your tour before you leave to. cheers, tim
hey mate, have you checked out www.busabout.com i'm doing this in may for 3 months before heading to the US. i decided not to go on contiki as i had heard more bad experiences/opinions than positive. i felt that on a contiki i'd be herded round like a sheep etc., and i wanted to choose what i saw etc. Also with so many accommodation options etc. you can work it out to be cheaper, it just requires more organisation. i think regardlesss of contiki or not, you will definitely party!! If your staying in backpackers and hostels, everyone wants to party. as for being on a bus with singles, a couple of my mates have been on contiki at different times, only to find the buses full of couples etc., but at the end of the day, everyone's experience is different. if you want to talk about busabout send me a pm, i'm doing the southern and western loop plus the greek island explorer. cheers Jay
Depends. You going by yourself or with friends? If by yourself contiki might be the way to go. I went with 5 friends last year and we just got Eurail passes and did our own thing. You still meet heeps of people in the hostils etc (still mostly Aussies lol). But have the freedom to do what you want. Either way I'm sure you'll have a blast.
Contiki is great as they are actually quite cheap plus you don't have to worry about transport as it is all organised for you. As others mentioned, great if you are single! My partner and I have opted for the busabout method as we aren't really going to europe for parties We are going for 6 months next year. w00t!
i went on a 20 day europe contiki tour 2 or 3 years ago now, it was good in terms of how many different places you get to see but honestly i wouldn't do it again. reasons: 1, you are stuck on a bus for hours and hours, constantly 2, the group i went with was mainly 18 year old aussies who didnt care about anything but getting drunk every night 3, in some places, where you are staying is a real hole like really shitty little chalets (sometimes its fun if the surroundings are cool but other times its annoying) 4, the food supplied is normally pretty basic - a bit like eating in a mess hall as if you are in the army actually. 5, you are rushing about like crazy - a lot of the places you only spend 1 night and cant see much I went with my gf and we had different ideas about what we wanted to do which was quite different to the majority of the other contiki-goers. I don't regret doing it and has given me an awesome insite for what places i would like to go back to but i wouldn't choose contiki again.
this is pretty much EXACTLY what my mate said, but don't let this put you off. the beauty of travel nowadays is that there are so many options, so it really depends on what YOU want to do. contiki seems to be a good option to get insight to a lot of places, then you go back later to the places you enjoyed most.
