Contiki Travel Review
Contiki Review:
Okay, so you’re going on a Contiki, or thinking about going on one. If you are anything like me, you are reading everything you can possibly find on them from anyone who has ever gone on one. Take my advice and do not drive yourself crazy, it is all going to be okay! You are in good hands with Contiki. Below I have put any and all information that you might find helpful or that I thought was relevant. I hope this helps!
Trip: Spain, Portugal, Morocco (& Gibraltar)
$1,500
Itinerary: It was 15 days long. The first 4 and a half days were in Spain, 4 and a half days were in morocco.
Accommodations: I chose to do the hotel accommodations, which was more expensive than the hostel trip options. To help offset this cost, I chose to room in a triple. For the most part, the hotels were nice. It really does not matter too much though, as long as you have a clean place to sleep and shower. If you are like me, you will spend very little time in the hotel. Because there is limited time in each location, most of the time will be spent in the city exploring.
Meals: A daily continental breakfast was provided through the hotel. Most of the meals were average, but make sure you eat because you will need your energy for the rest of the day. You are jamming a lot into a short amount of time, and schedules are followed strictly so make sure if there is time allotted to eat, that you actually eat. Another very important thing to do is always have snacks with you. You will be spending copious amounts of time in the bus, which you will want to have snacks for. Even though you do make multiple stops on long travel days, there is not always adequate options for food at the stops. It is just best if you go to the grocery store when you have the option, that way you pay local prices as well as having many more options then gas stations. A positive I will say though, is that in Europe the rest stops were much more extensive than the ones we have in the states. These stops most of the time have nice restrooms and prepackaged snacks like chips/candy. They also have options for freshly cooked hot meals.
Extras: With Contiki, there are add-ons that you will have the option to participate in. They cost extra, but in my opinion they are worth it. This company has been doing this for a long time, and they have narrowed down the extras to other highlights in the country that you are in. This could be anything from dinner to bungy jumping. When I went on this trip, I did all the add ons, because I didn’t want to feel like I missed out on anything. I did budget for participating in all of them before I left, so the cost was not a surprise.
Bus rides: I know that a big concern for many people is how much time they will be spending in the buses. Though you do spend A LOT of time on them, I made some of my favorite memories of the entire trip there. Once your group gets comfortable with each other (which happens quickly), the bus rides are so fun. You will be laughing, singing and getting to know life long friends there. It also gives you ample time to edit those pictures and videos you've been taking. We were lucky to have an awesome tour director named Jake. He played the song Under the Same Sun by JLo every day, so that now when we hear it, it takes us back to that time and place. It is also a nice reminder that even though you no longer get to see all those friends you made, you are all still under the same sun.
Value for money: Could you do it by yourself for less? Probably. But is it worth it?
Solo travel: I took this trip as a solo traveller. As I am sure that many of you have heard, Contiki has a reputation for being a bit of a party, but I assure you that it doesn’t have to be. For me, when I am traveling I do not want to spend my time or money drinking. I would much rather spend that $10 it would cost for a drink, on a museum or taxi ride to somewhere I cannot see anywhere else in the world. I also do not like to go out due to safety reasons being a solo female traveler. If you do not know the people that you are with, area you are in, and maybe you don’t even speak the language, it seems a little too dangerous for me. (Thats just me, but do you, my people!!)
Tour guide: My group had an awesome Australian tour director named Jake. He had been with Contiki for nine years, so he had tons of experience. Everyone on the trip loved him, especially the girls because he was a cute boy with an accent. You will have the same bus driver the entire trip. If you are as lucky as we were, you will grow to love him. My bus driver was a Portuguese man named George.
Spending money: You need to budget before you leave, to make sure that you have enough money to sustain yourself on your trip. You need to budget for costs getting to and from the airport on your own, unincluded meals, drinks (if you chose to go out at all), souvenirs to take home, a SIM card for your phone. I also believe that everyone should have some money set aside as an emergency fund, for when things don’t go as planned. Thankfully I did, because I was so sick after Morocco that I couldn’t get on my flight home. I had to buy an entire new flight home, which ended up costing more than my original round trip ticket. Thankfully, I had money set aside incase I had an emergency.
Safety: I felt incredibly safe everywhere I went with my group. I never ended up being alone on my travels because of the amazing people I met! I have made life long friendships from this tour!
If you are going somewhere like Morocco, make sure that you are aware of what you should wear to be respectful to their country and coulture.
Make sure you know what visas you need in order to enter those countries.
Summed Up:
I wouldn’t trade my Contiki experience for anything in the world. I loved my trip. The people were incredible, the tour was so well done and the countries were life changing.
