Contiki...Chasing the Sun!
Written: Oct 11 '02 (Updated Oct 11 '02)
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Pros: Value for Money. See lots of places in limited time. All organised for you
Cons: Bus & ferry travel is lengthy.
The Bottom Line: A contiki tour is best suited to the young single market. There is plenty of fun to be had & sights to see. Great for the novice or apprehensive traveler
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| angelwithhornz's Full Review: Contiki Holidays |
Being my first trip abroad and having limited time to see all I wanted to see, the best option for me was an organised tour. I chose Contiki, based firstly on the age group they appeal to (18-35 years)and secondly because of all the tours I looked at, they offered the itinerary that suited me most. I chose the 28 day European Panorama Tour for two reasons. It gave me a taste of Spain (Barcelona) and there was three days on the Greek Island of Corfu, where the most strenuous activity listed in the brochure was lifting cocktails to ones lips! Corfu is in the middle of the tour so after 12 or so days of a VERY hectic schedule, it is like one huge sigh of relief!Another deciding factor for choosing this tour was that it was a hotel tour (Superior Time-out tour) Although it was considerable more expensive than the Camping & Concept tours Contiki offer, paying the extra money for some creature comforts was definitely worth it! All accommodation was 2 to 4 star, the hotels ranged from quaint boutique hotels to 4 star resort style. The hotels in Italy left a lot to be desired (the one in Florence was more like a prison than a hotel) however when you are located in the centre of town you can hardly complain.
The thing I loved about Contiki was that literally everything was organised for you, right down to train tickets in Rome. (Apparently coaches are not permitted in the centre of Rome) All you had to do was make sure you were ready & waiting when the bus was about to leave! (Believe me there is no waiting for anyone on a Contiki tour!) No stress, no lining up, no worries! Approximately 40% of Meals were provided in the tour price, although most of the breakfasts were simply terrible (A Bread roll & jam is not breakfast here in Australia) and the dinners were a tad on the bland side. Optional excursions are offered. I would recommend that you do as many as you can afford as not only are most great fun or informative but it is at these excursions that bonding with you fellow travelers occurs. The optional extras cost me approximately $300 USD (I did nearly all except white water rafting & one dinner) It should be pointed out that many of the excursions were product demonstrations, i.e. leather, glass, crystal. At the end of the demonstration you have the option of purchasing the end products. The reps do get a cut from the sales made by these places, so watch out for the over enthusiastic tour leader telling you how it is the cheapest & the best!
Overall, I found the Contiki staff to be very knowledgeable of the places we visited as well as very helpful in making the experience an enjoyable one!
Now on to the fun....I had heard stories about Contiki tours, one long party with little sightseeing and lots of booze and sex is what I was told. Just what had I signed myself up for? I can not speak for other tours but this was far from the truth on this tour. Perhaps it was due to the fact that it is one of the more expensive tours, it was 28 days long (My liver would not have coped) & the average age of the travelers was a little higher than those we met along the way! Sure there was lots of partying & plenty of late nights. Plenty of friendships were made & there were even a few romances established along the way but it was hardly what I would call 'out of control'
As with all tours there is never enough time to see everything you want to & free time is sometimes limited! Lots of time is spent on a bus or ferry getting to the next destination & sometimes I felt like we were being herded around like cattle! But a tour gave me a chance to see lots of places in limited time & I now have a definite idea of the places I want to go back to & explore a little further! I had plenty of fun & have taken with me lots of great memories shared with 48 other interesting & unique people. (Many who I keep in contact!)
This tour cost just over $4000 Australian Dollars ($2000 USD) & included all accommodation (28 Nights) all ferry transfers, 40% of the meals, public transport costs in cities with no coach access & some activities arranged by Contiki. As for spending money, I spent approximately $100AUSD per day($50 USD)on top of the optional excursion prices. Of course some people spent a whole lot more & some spent less it really does depend on what you buy & how much you drink!
I have created a website dedicated to this tour (mainly photos) www.geocities.com/chasethesun_2001
Thanks for reading!
Rachael
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Singles
Tour type: Group
Tour format: Bus
Tour length: Over a Week
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Epinions.com ID:
angelwithhornz
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Member: Rachael
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Reviews written: 3
Trusted by: 1 member
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