Contiki tour??????????

[devilsadvocate]

Depends where you're planning to go IMO. If you're looking at Western Europe, then do yourself a massive favour and buy a Eurail pass and wing it yourself and stay in hostels to meet plenty of awesome people.

If you're keen to venture further east where the facilities and English isn't so good, jump on a tour (Places like Albania, Montenegro, Bosnia, Serbia, etc). If you do jump on a tour, can I offer an alternative to Contiki....Top Deck. Kicks the pants off Contiki IMO.

[Pseudo]

why doesn't everyone heading o/s make their base in scotland & stay with jas

I'll give JAS a good wrap for sending me some useful info re accommodation etc when I went to Scotland in '07

[Drop Bear]

How much do you need for something like that mate?

Not exactly sure mate. All up the Contiki is about $3500, managed to get flights over for $1400 only a month or so ago as international travel is pretty light on at the moment. The Contiki comes with breakfast and lunch included for most of the trip but would imagine buying a few breakfasts and lunches along the way as well as most tea's. I havent really figured out how much I will spend on this part of trip as also doing Ashes and British Open first, and then another 6 or so weeks of Europe after, ending at Oktoberfest. Probably goin to be about 30k all up (flights, travel insurance, cricket & golf tickets included). I have got mates in London, Amsterdam, Berlin and Rome to stay with which should help save a bit on accommodation.

If we werent doing a Contiki the accommodation and meals alone, plus the bus/train passes around would still cost a couple grand easy so I reckon Contiki will be good, got 6 weeks to go at our own pace after so like the tour idea to know what is worth going back to and to meet some other young people to drink and travel with.

Cheers. Sounds like you'll have a wild time mate. I'm thinknig off pissing off overseas next year for a look around. All the best!

[Brock Landers]

I'm heading to Europe in January for a working holiday with the gf and quite a few friends/relatives that we have spoken to have recommended Busabout.
I've had a look on their website and it seems reasonably priced, also you are afforded the luxury to stop and explore a city for as long or as short as you want.

Here's their website

http://www.busabout.com/Explorer

[Psyber]

I've heard some of the whisky producers in Scotland run B&B accomodation too.
You could put a good tour together that way...

[JAS]

why doesn't everyone heading o/s make their base in scotland & stay with jas

I'll give JAS a good wrap for sending me some useful info re accommodation etc when I went to Scotland in '07

Ah thanks Psuedo even though you visited Edinburgh/Glasgw you were still a good 4 or 5 hours south of here...yes folks I'm that far north

See! I'm more than happy to help and find you all the travel info you could want....just don't turn up on my doorstep

I've heard some of the whisky producers in Scotland run B&B accomodation too.
You could put a good tour together that way...

Don't know any off-hand but I'm sure some would especially on the islands...I think there are 1/2 day and full day coach runs to stop drink driving for the ones on my side (East coast/Speyside whiskey) and I know some will give a dram to non-drivers and a miniature bottle to take away for the drivers.

Happy to find out if anyone does want to know.

Regards
JAS

[redandblack]

I agree with Devil's Advocate and JAS. If it's not too late, get a Eurail Pass and do it by yourself.

The first time I went to Europe, I hitchhiked for 3 months - fantastic experience, but probably not a good idea now.

[Q.]

I agree with Devil's Advocate and JAS. If it's not too late, get a Eurail Pass and do it by yourself.

The first time I went to Europe, I hitchhiked for 3 months - fantastic experience, but probably not a good idea now.

Still happens quite a bit. Probably safest if you are male though.


Will be doing Europe and West Africa independently after footy season, I wouldn't have it any other way. Train, bus, bush-taxi, hitch-hiking, whatever it takes to get from place to place, and if I like the city or town I'm in I'll stay as long as I feel like it, no restrictions. Couldn't think of anything worse than a sanitised package tour. That's just me though, different strokes for different folks...

[Barto]

Recommend you don't take the girlfriend. You'll have a better time.

Seconding this. Contiki tours suck balls when you're in a relationship.

From experience, Trafalgar Breakaway is a bit less feral and is more orientated towards couples and is a similar age group

http://www.escortedtrafalgartours.com/I ... 8_yr_olds/

[heater31]

I agree with Devil's Advocate and JAS. If it's not too late, get a Eurail Pass and do it by yourself.

The first time I went to Europe, I hitchhiked for 3 months - fantastic experience, but probably not a good idea now.

Still happens quite a bit. Probably safest if you are male though.


Will be doing Europe and West Africa independently after footy season, I wouldn't have it any other way. Train, bus, bush-taxi, hitch-hiking, whatever it takes to get from place to place, and if I like the city or town I'm in I'll stay as long as I feel like it, no restrictions. Couldn't think of anything worse than a sanitised package tour. That's just me though, different strokes for different folks...

I know a bloke who somehow ended up at a soccer match for the local Moroccan League ended up in the home fans section and luckily the home side scored a late winner and the locals went home happy and he and his mate went home alive

However I wouldn't recommend that for say a Red Star Belgrade or similar don't think it would matter win/lose or draw for them crazy bastids

[Mic]

Recommend you don't take the girlfriend. You'll have a better time.

Seconding this. Contiki tours suck balls when you're in a relationship.

From experience, Trafalgar Breakaway is a bit less feral and is more orientated towards couples and is a similar age group

http://www.escortedtrafalgartours.com/I ... 8_yr_olds/

I don't agree, Contiki is fine if you are single or in a relationship.

[Barto]

Recommend you don't take the girlfriend. You'll have a better time.

Seconding this. Contiki tours suck balls when you're in a relationship.

From experience, Trafalgar Breakaway is a bit less feral and is more orientated towards couples and is a similar age group

http://www.escortedtrafalgartours.com/I ... 8_yr_olds/

I don't agree, Contiki is fine if you are single or in a relationship.

I'm glad I was single on a Contiki tour, that's all I can say

[Scorpion]

Recommend you don't take the girlfriend. You'll have a better time.

Seconding this. Contiki tours suck balls when you're in a relationship.

From experience, Trafalgar Breakaway is a bit less feral and is more orientated towards couples and is a similar age group

http://www.escortedtrafalgartours.com/I ... 8_yr_olds/

I don't agree, Contiki is fine if you are single or in a relationship.

I'm glad I was single on a Contiki tour, that's all I can say

Friends of ours did a Contiki tour for their honeymoon - they had a swinging time by all accounts......didn't ask for details......

[Barto]

That's a fine effort on a honeymoon, I thought married couples saved that for when things got boring!

[sherminator]

Ah Contiki! The screw and spew tour!

Did one when I was 22. Was great fun but don't recommend it if you actually want to see anything! You miss out on all the great experiences that you get by travelling independently.

[fisho mcspaz]

I will just be warning you about the Contiki tours. Someone I know* went on one around Europe recently and this is what she came home with:

Tonsillitis
Croup
Sinus infection - which landed her in hospital because the antibiotics didn't knock it on the head and she ended up getting some inflammation around her brain? I think that's what it was anyway.
Fractured pelvis
Some sort of internal tear which caused her to somehow take a dump out of her - I don't even want to think about it. I was in the hospital with her otherwise I would not have known about this and I would have probably been a lot happier.

I think what happened was that she isn't really used to drinking a whole lot and she likes to sleep about ten hours a day, but on this trip she spent most of her waking hours pissed and hardly slept at all. She's lucky she didn't come home in a box. The physical injuries were possibly due to paragliding in Austria but most likely due to falling over while drunk.

Thus my recommendation would be to have at least two grog-free days a week and get rest when you can!

*I don't want to say who, because while I doubt she knows about the existence of this site, if she ever found out she would murder me for writing about this.

[Media Park]

Just like any footy/cricket/synchronised knitting trip;

WHAT HAPPENS ON TOUR, STAYS ON TOUR... except for herpes- that'll come back with u

[Gingernuts]

My wife and I did a 27 day European tour with Insight in June. The places we saw were amazing, and many times they offered day trips that took us off the beaten track to places not normally on tour group itinerarys. Just the fact that you skip straight into many attractions is worth it.

Also - having local guides is really helpful, for example we had someone show us around the Louvre and he really brought the sculptures and paintings to life. Without him I really would've had no idea what I was looking at.

The tour was basically all 50+ except for 1 other young couple and a 19 year old lad who was doing it with his folks, but most of them still knew how to have a good time and we still had some great nights when the drinks flowed. The lack of fitness got a little frustrating at times (the "they should put escalators in" comment as we walked up to a medieval town was a classic!), but the positives far outweighed the negatives.

Hopefully one day we will be able to do another tour with them.

We crossed paths with a couple of Contiki tours and I was very glad I wasn't on them personally.

[Sam_goUUUdogs]

Currently looking at the European Highlights contiki tour which is about $1670 for 14 days.
Goes from Paris, down to the French Riviera and Monacco, over to Florence, Rome & Venice, before heading up through Austria to Munich and then up through the Rhine Valley to Amsterdam.

[GWW]

Amsterdam