Contiki

[midnitepixi3]

Which tour are you thinking of taking? Also which type of tour is it and for how long? (Camping, budget, superior, etc.)

I went on the European Discovery Contiki when I was 25 and I hopped across the ocean by myself. Not a winter tour... I went in September. I had an absolute blast! And since I went by myself, it was also a great growing experience.

But it really depends on what you are looking for. When I was researching the trip, I found a lot about how people just liked to party on these tours but then when I went, I found that my group was more on the conservative side (but we knew how to let loose when it came down to it!). It really depends on the luck of the draw and who ends up on your tour with you. This can be such a broad range since they cater to 18 to 35 year olds. You can't really control that, though, so you're taking a chance. There can be group mentality for sure - you are with the same people on the bus and throughout your trip. But you also get enough free time to be able to explore on your own or in smaller groups. That being said, you make a ton of new friends from around the world! Even though it's been awhile, I still talk to a bunch of my tour mates on Facebook now.

Accommodations were okay. But also keep in mind that it's Europe - their accommodations are VERY different than what we are used to in North America. I am not sure where you are located so I can't say how it compares to what you are used to but just keep in mind that hotel rooms tend to be smaller there and you will likely end up with a roommate for the trip.

I thought it moved pretty quickly. My particular tour took me through 10 countries in 14 days! But it's was also my first time in Europe too. I thought of it as a "taster". It gave me a chance to see a lot of what Europe has to offer and then I had an idea where I would like to spend more time in. I ended up going back a few years later and spent more time in London, Paris, Switzerland and Italy because of it.

I am not sure how much I helped but hopefully there was a nugget or two in there.

EDIT: You can also check out the forums on the Contiki site: http://www.contiki.com/community/discussions

See if there is a thread for the tour you want to go on for the dates you are looking at... or start a thread for it! I found that someone started for my tour so I was able to talk to a few people who would also be on tour with me even before I got on the plane to London. It was pretty cool. Then when we first got together, it was already exciting because you were all "Oh hey! You are someone so from the forums! Nice to finally meet you in person!" lol

[maimai]

if you've never travelled before, are going by yourself and for your age, i think contiki is a good option.
the good thing is that if you're going alone, you have the safety/security of the group if you don't feel like venturing out on your own...but you can ditch the group for the day if you wish too.

i did the mediterranean highlights (rome > florence > south of france > barcelona > madrid) trip a few years ago with my cousin. we liked that the tour brought us to all the places we would want to see, but we chose to do our own thing a few days too. we were also on the older side (25+) so the break from the rowdy 18 year old australians (nothing against them, that's just what they were), was also good. and we

the thing i didn't like was that in some of the cities (for our tour, anyway), our accomodations were a bit outside (20-30 min) of the main cities, which made it more difficult to do our own thing.

i personally prefer to be able to be in control of my own accomodations, so i wouldn't do a contiki again, but i think if you've never been before, it's a great way to get a taste of wherever you're going.

[awwsheet]

I didn't realize how easy and awesome this seems. I'll do some more research but I'm really loving all of the info that has been provided already. Didn't know a Contiki trip was something I wanted so bad until now...

[wanderer]

I was looking at the Vietnam one and it looks amazing Maybe one day

[Gaga]

I've been looking at the Paris trips for over a year now, and I might take the plunge and go this year. The only thing stopping me is airfare. The flight costs more than the trip!

[BetterOffDead]

You've made this a need in my life. Already planning a trip to Thailand next summer!

[midnitepixi3]

Which tour are you thinking of taking? Also which type of tour is it and for how long? (Camping, budget, superior, etc.)

I went on the European Discovery Contiki when I was 25 and I hopped across the ocean by myself. Not a winter tour... I went in September. I had an absolute blast! And since I went by myself, it was also a great growing experience.

But it really depends on what you are looking for. When I was researching the trip, I found a lot about how people just liked to party on these tours but then when I went, I found that my group was more on the conservative side (but we knew how to let loose when it came down to it!). It really depends on the luck of the draw and who ends up on your tour with you. This can be such a broad range since they cater to 18 to 35 year olds. You can't really control that, though, so you're taking a chance. There can be group mentality for sure - you are with the same people on the bus and throughout your trip. But you also get enough free time to be able to explore on your own or in smaller groups. That being said, you make a ton of new friends from around the world! Even though it's been awhile, I still talk to a bunch of my tour mates on Facebook now.

Accommodations were okay. But also keep in mind that it's Europe - their accommodations are VERY different than what we are used to in North America. I am not sure where you are located so I can't say how it compares to what you are used to but just keep in mind that hotel rooms tend to be smaller there and you will likely end up with a roommate for the trip.

I thought it moved pretty quickly. My particular tour took me through 10 countries in 14 days! But it's was also my first time in Europe too. I thought of it as a "taster". It gave me a chance to see a lot of what Europe has to offer and then I had an idea where I would like to spend more time in. I ended up going back a few years later and spent more time in London, Paris, Switzerland and Italy because of it.

I am not sure how much I helped but hopefully there was a nugget or two in there.

EDIT: You can also check out the forums on the Contiki site: http://www.contiki.com/community/discussions

See if there is a thread for the tour you want to go on for the dates you are looking at... or start a thread for it! I found that someone started for my tour so I was able to talk to a few people who would also be on tour with me even before I got on the plane to London. It was pretty cool. Then when we first got together, it was already exciting because you were all "Oh hey! You are someone so from the forums! Nice to finally meet you in person!" lol

Oh my god this was REALLY helpful. Its their England, Scotland and Ireland tour and its about 9-10 days I believe? But its a budget trip. I'll definitely check out the forum and see if anybody has taken that one I read the reviews on the trip and they all had nice things to say. I'm only 20, never traveled out of the country by myself so I'd definitely prefer a group mentality. Thanks so much for responding!

I'm glad I was able to help! I'm open to questions too so feel free to ask. Yes, this would be a good tour for you then with the group setting and having an itinerary really eliminates the "So... where should I go? What should I do" aspect as someone going alone. It really was a great time and making new friends is always fun... and if you just keep in mind that it is a tour so things will tend to go quickly, then you're fine. I haven't experienced a budget tour but that sounds like fun! I would like to go to Scotland and Ireland one day.. you will have to let us know how it is if you go!