Hi

Just posting my 3/4 complete travelog on here for anyone to look over. A year before i even booked my tour, i was online seaching for all the travelogs i could lay my hands on. I hope that someone gets as much use out of mine, as i got from the ones i found.

If anyone has a question about anything on Contiki i will be happy to help. Travelling with contiki was a fantastic way to see Europe in 3 weeks.

Cheers
Daniel

The travelog is at
www.freewebs.com/dbgomes
i am hoping to have it complete in the not too distant future

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Gomes,

You mentioned Angels & Demons - pretty good read and THEN seeing Roma afterwards !!!
I urge others to read Dan Brown's book before venturing to Roma.

- Vic

Yep, i enjoyed the book and seeing everything in person after making up my 'minds eye' image was great. I also got a lot out of my Rick Steves' Mona Winks book to give a simple understanding of what i was looking at in the museums.

Just want to write a quick note of thank you for such an amazing travelogue. I’m heading off on the European Inspiration (visiting many of the places you went) in December so it’s really great to find a TL with a winter perspective (Can’t wait for the tobogganing!). It’s my third trip to Europe but first Contiki and first time solo so the nerves are defiantly there however it sounds like such a mind-blowing and awesome experience that now I just can’t wait!! Good luck for the rest of your travels and thanks again 

Hi

I have finally completed my travelog now at www.freewebs.com/dbgomes.
I also thought i would put a review on here as a quick reference for anyone looking around for information.

Thanks to those people who have visited the page already

Daniel...


Most of the Contiki trips are fast paced, but the reason for picking the Vista was because it had 2 night stops at almost all the destinations. When it says 2 nights (as the travelogue shows) it means that usually only 1 full day is available at the stop. After travelling from the prior destination we usually arrived in the late afternoon, meaning not much could be done that day. I would consider this when looking at the trips with 1 night stops at any major cities.

You are not confined to the hotel room though. Apart from Rome and Venice, the rest of our hotels were either right in the city, or an easy ride on public transport. There is nothing stopping you from finding your own way in and out of the city at night.


Contiki is flexible. Although you are on an organised tour of Europe, the only requirement is to be on the bus when travelling between sites. The rest is up to you. In that time, there are organised tours and optional excursions to do, but none of this is compulsory. Contiki also has the image as nothing more than a few weeks of drinking. This is a bit harsh. Whilst there were many big nights on the tour, most people were usually on the bus first thing in the morning to go into the city to see the sights. After paying the amount of money to fly to Europe and then the tour price, spending each day hung over in bed is not exactly value for money. No one was pressured to go out either. You can make the tour what you want it to be, so it is flexible from that point of view. The average age on tour would have been around 25, with people 18 and some 35 year olds too. So the idea that it is just 18 year olds drinking their way around Europe was not the case!


Consider doing a winter tour! There were plenty of benefits to doing the tour in winter. Firstly it is cheaper, we paid AU$2,500 each for the 3 week tour as opposed to AU$3,600 for doing basically the same tour in summer. The crowds are a lot smaller, I would hate to see the lines for the major sites in Summer. Apart from Rome, we never really had to stand around for long in lines. The cold is bearable! I have read that places like Italy in the summer are sweat pots with the heat. Walking around the cities during March only required a good jacket and beanie. We did not feel like the weather hampered us making the most of the cities! Some of the southern countries were mild enough for just a jumper.

The tour is great value for money in my opinion. For the 21 days it works out at AU$120 per day (winter price), which by Europe prices would be hard to beat travelling by yourself once you book your accommodation, breakfasts, half your meals and transport.


The friendships that we made on the tour are as strong as our friends back home. After 3 weeks together sharing amazing experiences with the same group of people you will always have that common bond. On a bus of 51 people you are not going to click with everyone, but most people are easy going and I would happily meet up again with anyone! If there is someone that’s not your cup of tea, just hang around with other people.


The bus rides are long, but most people (not me) spent these hours catching up on lost sleep from the night before. An MP3 player is a necessity for the journeys. Although after our hotel robbery where most people lost their MP3 players, we still managed to get through the long journeys with other entertainment.


The optional excursions are a mixed bag, as a quick summary

• Moulan Rouge Paris (€130) – The hefty pricetag meant we didn’t go, but all reports were good.
  
• Monaco Dinner (€32) – Great night, food was alright, but the fact that most people attended made it a good night of getting to know everyone better. Would have lead on to a great night had the hotel not been robbed when we got back
  
• Florence Tuscan Dinner (€38) – Really good night, almost 100% of people went. Opera singer and musicians were great to add the atmosphere.
  
• Florence Space Electronic Discothèque (€11) – Led on from the dinner and was great fun. Couple of free drinks with entry pays for itself.
  
• Group Photo (€11) – The memories in the photo are worth the €11. At the time of ordering the photo we didn’t have the bonds with many people, but by the end of the trip it was worth every penny for the memories!
  
• Venice Gondola Ride (€21) – Has to be done while in Venice, but I didn’t think it was anything great! Could get a private ride for the same value if you shop around.
  
• Venice Dinner (€28) – The only dinner we didn’t attend. About 50% went I think, but was good from the reports. Lots of wine!
  
• Tour T-Shirt (€17 to €26) – Designed by the group, was a good souvenir.
  
• Vienna Mozart Concert (€60) – Not many people went, would be good if classical music is your thing.
  
• Vienna Schnapps Tasting (€5) – Small price for lots of different schnapps makes it worth going.
  
• Lucerne Fondue Lunch (€35) – Didn’t go to this one and didn’t hear too much about it either.
  
• St Goar Wine Tasting (€8) – Tasted 4 wines, alright.
  
• Amsterdam Cultural Show (€15) – Not advertised in any brochure, but a real laugh. Recommend if you are not too prudish.
  
• Amsterdam Dinner (€30) – Was a good night being the last of the tour. By this stage of the tour it was good to spend the last night with everyone.
  
• Amsterdam Canal Cruise (€26.50) – Led on from the dinner and didn’t take any of the scenery in as we were too busy taking plenty of pictures with everyone.
  

With the optionals, basically see what dinners/activities the majority of people are going to, as these are the ones you don’t want to miss out on. The tour manager gets you to put your name down for the optionals at the start of the trip, but as long as you give 2 days notice, you can usually change your selection to go with the flow.

The included excursions such as the leather demo in Florence and glassblowing in Venice etc were alright and did focus on things unique to the areas. However they did give the impression in most cases of being the hook to quickly move us into the gift shop.


With regard to safety, obviously use common sense that you are in Europe where seasoned pickpockets operate. However all the awareness on the streets didn’t stop our hotel being robbed and having our valuables stolen. (see details in my travelogue)


The accommodation was varied, but on the whole far better than I was thinking. The hotels are not exactly 5 star luxury places, but for AU$120 per day for the whole tour, you wouldn’t expect so. Apart from Amsterdam, the hotels were all clean with some far exceeding any expectations (Lucerne the standout). The hotel in Nice was full of dodgy people to say the least!

The included dinners and breakfast were fine as a whole. Much like the accommodation, some were average and some were great. In the end you cant expect a banquet! Most dinners were 3 courses so good to fill you up after a long day and breakfast mainly focussed on cheese, meat and bread, which did the job usually.


As for packing and clothing, doing the winter tour obviously requires a good jacket and warm jumpers. Wearing plenty of layers is the key though. Whilst it was cold walking around in the open air, we were boiling as soon as we went inside any buildings. Some relatively smart clothes are also needed for those nights out. A couple of the girls on the tour nearly had an outfit for each day and I don’t know how they managed. Keep in mind the 20kg bag limits with other heavy items such as battery chargers taking up a fair bit of weight.

The ‘Contiki Cough’ is inevitable. Even after taking vitamins for the whole trip we both got sick during the 3 weeks. Being on a bus for so long, bugs are easily spread. Take some cold and flu tablets that work for you, just to ease the symptoms.

All in all, the trip is what you make it. Go on the tour with an open mind and enjoy the fact that you are seeing amazing stuff with people that might become life long friends.

Please feel free to ask any other questions and I will be happy to help.

Daniel

quote:

You are not confined to the hotel room though. Apart from Rome and Venice, the rest of our hotels were either right in the city, or an easy ride on public transport. There is nothing stopping you from finding your own way in and out of the city at night.


Contiki is flexible. Although you are on an organised tour of Europe, the only requirement is to be on the bus when travelling between sites. The rest is up to you. In that time, there are organised tours and optional excursions to do, but none of this is compulsory. Contiki also has the image as nothing more than a few weeks of drinking. This is a bit harsh. Whilst there were many big nights on the tour, most people were usually on the bus first thing in the morning to go into the city to see the sights. After paying the amount of money to fly to Europe and then the tour price, spending each day hung over in bed is not exactly value for money. No one was pressured to go out either. You can make the tour what you want it to be, so it is flexible from that point of view. The average age on tour would have been around 25, with people 18 and some 35 year olds too. So the idea that it is just 18 year olds drinking their way around Europe was not the case!

I agree with you about the contiki cough...
I got a flu vaccination and I still went down with cough and cold on the trip...mostly due to not enough fluids and dry weather

Thanks to those checking into the travelogue since its been up. Keep the questions comming if there is anything that you want to know.
Daniel

Hi Daniel!!!

The travelogue is fantastic Myself and my partner are thinking about the European Vista start of october 2008. Is there anything you wish you had done prior to the trip??? We are going to be staying in the UK after the tour on a working visa. Thinking maybe a week before the tour starts in London????

Any advice would be fantastic!!!!
Chell

Hi Chell

If your refering to what we wished we had done in London before the trip, we could have seen a heap of stuff but i was in bed for 2 days with food poisoning! There is just so much to see in london and things for all tastes. Museums, Churches, tourist attactions, monuments, parks, pubs, famous sporting stadiums, everything.

As we have been able to spend a heap of time in london since contiki i dont regret not seeing something as we have done it since.

If you are going to be staying on a working holiday then all i can suggest is to figure out what takes your fancy in London and try and see it whilst you are work free, but after contiki when you settle into life in UK you always have the option of seeing something you missed out on. But when you get to this stage, a lot of things get put off as you always think you can see them another time. Having the week in london you are thinking about will be a good oportunity to see all the things high on your list.

Other places in UK are definately worth seeing when you return, such as Bath, Cornwall, Lake District, Scotland, Newcastle, Warwick and many more.

Hope that helps with your question. feel free to ask any more questions!

Daniel

When I been to Florence I thought it was the most amazing I have seen since it is so beautiful and inspiring so I really feel like another visit is in order
___
http://www.mysculpturesgallery.com/

Hey,
Been a while since i have been on here, have been getting a few questions lately, so just though i would point out that the current route that the Vista tour takes is slightly different to when i did it, however most places are still the same, and you should be able to get some idea of what the contiki experience is like.
Cheers
Daniel