I have recently returned from my 5th Contiki tour. This time I thought I would head over to Europe and join the 25 day European Escapade. We started in London and made our way through Paris, the French wine region, Barcelona, French Riviera, Florence, Rome, Venice, Vienna, Tyrol, Munich, Swiss Alps, Rhine Valley and Amsterdam.
It was a fast paced tour to say the least, but I wanted to make sure I saw as much as I could in the time that I had.
I choose to do Contiki Tours when I travel purely because there is no fuss. I have to get myself to the coach and everything else is taken care of. The trip managers and drivers are amazing (shout out to #contikiemmy and #contikibarry!) and heighten every experience for you. Travelling with them ensures you see all the famous landmarks and even lit
tle local hideaways which you wouldn’t have known about unless you were travelling with Contiki. They are so professional and passionate about their jobs and they want nothing more than to make sure you have the best possible experience.
One of the things which really stuck out for me was that every time we arrived into a new city or country, we would take part in a small introduction walking tour or bus tour of the area. We were also handed personal maps so we could choose to explore by ourselves or hop on a Me Time optional. Emmy (our trip manager) would go through the maps with us in detail and point out all the i
mportant spots. There was so much flexibility with sightseeing - the optional excursions ranged in price from EUR7 to EUR150, depending on your budget.
What was really special about this particular trip was our stays in Contiki properties, also known as Special Stays. In the French wine region we stayed at a 17th Century Chateau and in Austria we stayed at an authentic Austrian Gasthof. Both of these properties and this part of my trip was a highlight - it was different but so authentic and real. Staying in these places enabled us to have an experience that was unique to these countries.
Another reason to travel with Contiki is that you can travel on your own but never be on your own. I met so many different people from all over the world but we all had something in co
mmon. We may have picked the tour for different reasons, but we all wanted to travel and experience new things and we all chose to go with Contiki. I’ve made friends for life and after 25 days, they become your best friends or in Contiki-speak, your “Contiki family”.
You really do not understand the full concept of Contiki until you travel on one yourself. You can do as much or as little as you please. With all the different trip styles, there really is something for everyone.
