Contiki Tour

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  [Deactivated] on 29/05/2012 - 07:31

  our 2008 contiki tour around italy was ok…but the food they included was not so great…we would always try to go to our own restaurants at every available chance…even McDonalds breakfast in Rome tasted great when compared to the breakfast being served.

  as for trying to meet some new friends, yes u could…but it's a lucky draw. we still keep in touch with some couples we've met.

  also expect to tip the drivers, the guide, the venue guides, etc…just check what's included/excluded as part of your deal. I would also budget around $50 USD (min)every day as spending money..in the US, u have to tip for everything…But all up to your circumstances and the tour.

  depending on the tour, if it involves shopping, then pack lightly…we arrived in rome with 2 massive sports/duffle bags and went home with 2 large suitcases.

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    Kiz on 29/05/2012 - 08:46

    I did a Europe one at age 25 and still am in touch with a fair few people. I went by myself and had a great time. If your a drinker (and lets face it, that's what most Contiki trips are), be prepared to spend a lot of money. I'd comfortably say at least $100 per day as a budget. Shopping in America is really cheap so def get out and shop too.
    As suggested, the meals can be pretty crappy sometimes too.

    Overall, there are plenty of ways you could do the same trip on the budged at Contiki is pretty overpriced, but the experience of meeting new people and spending a month with them is better than meeting randoms at different hostels each day. Def form some good bonds.

    You will also find that at 30, you will most likely be one of the eldest on the trip. Most people will be around mid to early 20's, but we had an awesome bus where everyone got along. Also don't be surprised if your tour is 90% Aussie lol

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  StewBalls on 29/05/2012 - 10:12

  +3

  As others have mentioned, Contiki are great if you just wanna be constantly drunk with a mob of sub-25yo yobbos. However, if need the security of a group & you want a slightly more mature experience you could also consider Trafalgar tours as well.

  Personally, I'm not a fan of these packages. They tend to take you to fairly dodgy destinations (cheapest for them) & quite often the operators are just going there coz they're getting kickbacks from the crappy glass-blowing & candy factory places you mostly get ripped off by!

  IMHO, you'd save a packet & have a far better holiday by just doing it yourself. Public transport is cheap & good in the US, domestic flights are cheap & regular, and accommodation is diverse & well priced.

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  parisienne on 29/05/2012 - 11:41

  +1

  Hi.Yep,i went on one 7 years ago,and as the others have mentioned,it can either be great and life changing….or HELL.I was lucky enough to go with a slightly older bunch (most of who were couples ),but we did have the obligatory 20 something y/o Aussie yobbos who were drunk constantly,slept with ANYTHING and made the tour late by forgetting some major item daily (passports,travel documents,wallets,ENTIRE LUGGAGE ).But,it is a great way to see a country,can be done cheap (i went to Europe,so i spent a bit,but hey…i,m a woman,i was in Paris,Florence and London at sale time…OF COURSE I SPENT BUCKETS ).In America i,d take around $100-150/day and have a credit card just in case (you need to tip EVERYONE,BUS DRIVER/GUIDE INCLUDED AS MENTIONED EARLIER ).If you are above the Contiki scene though,try Cosmos…older (but still some young people )group,better food/accommodation and land tours.I went on one 2 years ago and loved it(but please remember…you are on the tour,s timetable,not yours…so be prepared to be shown something,then be told "ok.be back at the bus in 2 hours "…and you are in LA (yep,that will happen ).Enjoy it whatever you do.Oh,and i was over 30 when i went,and still had the best time of my life,and think of it often.

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  Johnx on 29/05/2012 - 16:26

  +1

  definitely check out G Adventures and Intrepid, fewer under 25's and less drinking.
  I've travelled with both these companies and recommend (not to USA though)

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    StewBalls on 30/05/2012 - 15:23

    +1 to Intrepid, I forgot about those guys.

    I haven't used them myself, but have several close friends/family who have done tours with them & had great results! :)

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  aldog on 30/05/2012 - 06:27

  Thanks for the advice - am now contemplating taking a shorter Contiki tour and just going around and exploring some parts by myself. In regards to tipping, how much should you tip? I was thinking it would be around $100-150 per day, so that's another thing to consider. Joys of a million decisions now floating in my head!

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  parisienne on 30/05/2012 - 11:02

  +1

  Hi.The general rule of thumb is 10% of the bill in regards to what is expected as a tip.Of course,if it was great service,leave a little more.Unlike "service " here,when tips are how you make your rent payments you actually GET good service and staff go that bit extra for you.I don,t know about the deal in America,but in Europe (EVERYWHERE in Europe ),a tip for using the toilets is not only expected….it,s pretty much mandatory (some rest areas we stopped at actually have a turnstile you must use to get to the toilets…which don,t move without a 1 euro coin)so be prepared to have change for that over in the US.Going around yourself is a great way to do it ( some of the best experiences i had were on my own,with no timetable to worry about ),just check things online before you go,book tickets here for things you want to do before you leave and do a search of the various cheap airlines over there to get some great,ridiculously cheap flights to other states over there.Bon Voyage.

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    Johnx on 30/05/2012 - 11:25

    nowhere near $100, the tour should tell you how much to tip and by yourself just hotel bag guy and cleaner plus 10-15% of 2 or 3 meals a day so more like $20-%30 per day
    bring plenty of US one dollar notes with you

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      Kiz on 31/05/2012 - 07:58

      +1

      I'm hoping he meant spending 100-150 per day including tips, not just that much on tips! But yeah, after living in the states for a year (DC), tipping isn't an issue at all. Food is so cheap that you're still getting in cheaper than if you were to eat here. Also, remember, when you buy things, different states have different taxes, and the prices you see on the shelf are pre tax. It might be worth finding out what state taxes are for each of the places you visit and then purchase from the cheapest state (from memory, Delaware has the lowest tax… possibly 0-5% or something).

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  voteoften on 01/06/2012 - 02:26

  When I left the states about 15 years ago, tipping at restaurants was expected at 15 - 18%. More if the service is good. The tour company will give you an idea on the tips for bus driver, etc. That'll be a per day thing.

  At bars, if it was happy hour and you were buying a $1 beer, you were still expected to tip the bartender $1 per drink.

  The whole culture regarding tipping is that the service person is not supposed to be penalised for anything outside their control. Late food, wrong order, bad food, anything goes wrong, you are not supposed to penalise the wait person their 15 - 18. I disagree with this, because if my experience is stuffed then why should I pay a tip anyway. The wait person has a lot more control over the things that go wrong than I do.

  There was talk when I was leaving the country that the new expecyed minimum was 20%.

  Tipping is after taxes and if you use a discount voucher, you are not supposed to penalise the wait person and are generally told on the voucher that you should tip on the total, before the discount is removed. Conversely, if you were to order a $200 bottle of wine, rather than a $20 one, you are still expected to tip the 15-18% on the 200. It always goes the wait person's way.

  The wait staff can be quite rude about it and are snotty saying if you can't afford the tip. then you shouldn't go out to eat. You will find that you will often get very average service, but when the bill comes, suddenly the wait person is your new best friend, wanting to know how everything was, what you have planned etc. It has to do with recency. If they are super nice at the end, they think they will get bigger tips.

  You do get better service in the US, although I was quite happy with service in Melbourne the last few visits.

  Another thing you will odten see is that there will be more comping - taking items off the bill that were not to your satisfaction.