Contiki: action-packed and fun!
Written: Sep 20 '04 (Updated Sep 20 '04)
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Pros: fun, action-packed, social, you get to see the major sites
Cons: customer service before trip is not so good
The Bottom Line: I would recommend this to a social person who loves to travel and meet new people and wants to get an overall feel for a region.
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| andream79's Full Review: Contiki Holidays |
DISCLAIMER
First let me say: Contiki isn't for everyone. If you don't like being around people, expect the finest of lodging, or like to relax on vacation, this tour company is not for you. However, if you are energetic, friendly, and don't care what your hotel looks like because you only go there to sleep, Contiki is for you!
BASIS OF MY REVIEW
I will try to review Contiki without giving a specific review of the two tours I went on. That is not what I am setting out to do here.
I am basing my review on the two Contiki tours I have experienced: Greek Island Hopping and Egypt and the Nile. These are the only two I have been on and I chose them based on location and the fact that you are not moving to a different place every night (something that is very common on a Contiki Tour). I find it hard to really review Contiki as a whole because I haven't gone to all their locations and all their tour types.
TYPES OF TOURS AVAILABLE
I took a superior tour, which means stays at superior tourist class hotels and you can have a private room or share, but never with more than 1 other person. They also have budget tours where you save money, but may have to room with more than 1 person or stay at a hostel. Also it say that sometimes you will have to help cook for and clean up after some meals: not exactly my cup of tea. There are also camping trips which I assume means you will be camping: YUCK!
LOCATIONS
Contiki offers tours in most European countries, Australia, and North America. People from all over the world travel on Contiki Tours. Most of the people on my tours were Australian. Canadians and Americans were the next largest group. I think there was one person from England and one person from South Africa on my Greece trip. The tours range from 3 days to about 48 days. There is something for everyone.
WHAT CONTIKI CAN DO FOR YOU
Contiki is an excellent way to tour a country you've never been to. Sure, you may miss some of the less "touristy" sites, but you get a feel for the country and can always go back for a more extended amount of time if you want to expand upon what you have seen. Contiki definitely makes sure you get to see all the sites, sample the cuisine, experience the nightlife, and meet tons of people. In addition to the normal tourist places, the tour guide usually knows the area well and will take you to some shops and clubs that locals go to. You are excorted from place to place by air-conditioned bus, boat, or even airplane. You will always have plenty of time to explore the site on your own and take pictures after your guide brings you around and enriches you with the history and culture of the place. It is just so much easier to see a lot of things on a tour than being alone, trying to figure out where you want to go and how to get there and in what order. Also, you may not understand the significance of the places you are visiting without a guide, especially in the countries I visited. Of course, you can read a book before you go too, but sometimes you forget stuff that you read and the guide will remind you.
Contiki provides a wonderful social atmosphere, whether you decide to travel alone or with friends. About 1/2 of Contiki's customers travel alone. That seems about right based upon the tours I went on. I went with 2 friends to Greece and alone to Egypt. I actually liked traveling alone a little better. There is free time and it is great to spend it how you please without offending anyone. There are many different people with many interests so you know whether you want to spend time by the pool, sample a restaurant or site not included in the tour, take a walk, or go shopping, you will find someone to do it with. Contiki gives you the option on a superior tour to either room with a same-sex traveler or room alone (single supplement). Single supplement costs a little more (maybe about $200). I chose to room with someone the time I went alone because I felt that it would be nicer to have someone to bond with right away. From what I saw of the people who traveled alone on the Greece trip, they hung out with their roommate the most. I didn't want to be left out in the cold.
Contiki also provides a hassle-free way to travel. On a superior tour, your luggage is usually brought from your room to the bus to the next location without much help from you. This is great when you are petite and bring a suitcase that ways almost as much as you.
EXPECT TO SPEND
About 100 American dollars a day in addition to the cost of the tour. Not all meals and excursions are included and there will no doubt be souvenirs you want to buy and places you want to go out at night. $100 is actually kind of a conservative amount. $100 is good if you are not the type of person to come home with a lot of souvenirs. If you just want to bring home something for mom, dad, brother, sister, and a friend or two, $100 should be fine. If you go all out, you will probably need more.
ACCOMMODATIONS
I think they are decent. You get what you pay for. Don't expect the Four Seasons, but don't expect the worst either. Sometimes you end up in really nice hotels with spas, pools, multiple restaurants and bars, and room service. Other times the rooms and hotels are more spartan. Rest assured, the rooms will be clean and safe.
OPTIONALS
Some of the excursions are considered "optional". Some of the optionals in Egypt were a balloon ride over the Valley of the Kings, a traditional Egyptian meal, a camel ride, and a trip to Abu Simbel. Some of the optionals in Greece were a trip to Paradise Beach (for the love of god-don't go here. It is loud and crowded and as far as humanly possible from "paradise"), an island tour, a cruise, wine and cheese in the village watching the sunset, and an archaeological tour. These all cost extra money and you don't have to go if you don't want to. I think Contiki uses this to lower the initial price of the tour so people will sign up. Then you can choose to pay extra money for these tours or to just take that time to explore on your own. I took all of them because I couldnt imagine going to these amazing places and missing a thing. Some of the optionals we couldn't understand why they didn't include them in the tour. How could you go to Egypt and not go to Abu Simbel? It was just one of the most amazing sites there and every single person on our tour opted to go.
FREE TIME
Contiki allows a certain amount of free time every day for you to do your own thing. You can also skip some of the tours if you want to do something alone or with a smaller group.
NIGHTLIFE
I guess it varies by location, but people who travel with Contiki, as well as the tour guides, are interested in nightlife. In Greece, that meant going to a variety of clubs and bars. In Egypt, there wasn't so much of that kind of nightlife. The Egypt Tour included a 3 day Nile Cruise which offered different Egypt-oriented entertainment each night. You were able to drink and dance, but it wasn't like being at a nightclub or anything. Nightlife at the hotels mostly consisted of us playing cards, watching Arabic music videos, and smoking shisha by the pool. For the most part, everyone is social and makes an effort to connect with everyone else.
GUIDES
Are knowledgeable and familiar with the area. On my Egypt tour, the tour guide was from Cairo, Egypt. On my Greece tour, the tour guide was from South Africa, but had become familiar with the area. Tour guides are social and usually will go out partying with you every night. They also know some good places for you to go during free time and may even join you in going to those places. They don't just check-out at the end of their shift and leave you to figure out what to do on your own. The tour guides and tour managers I had seemed to really enjoy their job and being around us. It even seemed like they were on vacation themselves.
DOWNSIDES
Customer service isn't that knowledgeable. I tried to ask several questions before I departed for Egypt regarding what to pack and about local customs and the customer service people really had no clue. The booklet they send you beforehand really doesn't go into major detail either. This wasn't a problem when I traveled to Greece really because their culture and way of dress isn't much different than here in the US. I was a little confused about packing for Egypt and overpacked just a bit to compensate.
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Singles
Tour type: Group
Tour format: Various
Tour length: Over a Week
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Epinions.com ID:
andream79
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Reviews written: 11
Trusted by: 1 member
About Me:
I am 25 and from NJ. I enjoy traveling and shopping.
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