Hey everyone,

I just returned from a 10 day European vacation through Contiki. My trip started horribly as I was not on the contiki tour list so I had to argue for over an hour to get a hotel room.

Keep in mind that you will be on the tour bus for long periods of time, sometimes 9-10 hours a day and a lot of pictures will be taken through the windows of the bus.

If the bus is not running on time, you will miss some of the sights. We did not get to see the Louvre in Paris as it was closed by the time we reached Paris. They also have an alloted amount of hours that they are allowed to drive which means if they run out of driving hours you will also miss some tours. We ended missing the night tour of Paris due to driving hours expiring.

While you are on your tour you will be asked to work. They assign what they call cookies and dishies. What that entails is setting the tables for everyone on the table and serving the food, and the dishies are responsible for clearing all the tables as well as doing dishes sometimes. I am not sure why I pay for a trip and I am doing work. They also ask you to sweep out your cabins with the brooms they provide. The noise level is supposed to be quiet at 10:00 pm which they do not enforce at all as I had to get up at 2:30 in the morning to tell people to be quiet on more than one occasion as we had to wake up before 6:00 am every morning to get started on the next day.

Keep all your belongings secure in a backpack or on your wrist (camera). I ended up being pick pocketed in Paris and lost my camera with over 600 pictures.

All in all it was a good trip with some unfortunate events that happened. I wouldn't ever recommend this trip to a friend as the time constraint in each city limits you to what you get to see. I was disappointed with the things we missed on the trip due to time constraints or due to lack of organization. Do your research before you book a holiday.

Hi,
I can only respond to some of your comments as I have not done a Contiki yet.

Pickpocketing is very common in Europe. They will take wallets and such from your pant pockets without you noticing. This is one of the dangers of going to Europe.

With a short time limit there are bound to be some activies that you will miss. You are also driving all over Europe, this is bound to lead to long driving days.

When booking I knew that there were going to be times when I would have to help out and be a cookie or a dishie. It says this in the travel booklet, and helps out with keeping costs down. Personally, this way why I chose to do a budget tour as I could get 7 more days for the same price as a hotel tour.

I'm glad that you had a good time otherwise. I can't wait for my trip that is coming up despite all of the pitfalls that may happen.

Nicky

Hi
I am sorry you did enjoy your trip but I would like to point out some things. I did the European Escapade tour in 2001 as a budget tour. I did my research and knew the accommodation would be basic and that I would have to contribute to some dish duties etc I found the accomdation to be basic yes but perfectly clean. I had a lot of very interesting room mates and there was some big nites but none of this ever worried me. I never spent more than a few hours on the bus at any one time. We had stops every few hours. Sometimes we were delayed. Our bus broke down in Austria so as a result we missed the classic Mozart tribute concert. Our bus driver who unbeknown to all of us until the last day of the tour was actually on his first contiki tour as a driver. We got lost on the way out of Barcelona and spend most of the travelling to our next city. The louvre is actually not part of your tour. Contiki will often state you will ”See” some places but this does not mean you will get to go inside. Contiki cannot control the traffic anymore than it can control the weather. If you are worried about theft on tour use a safe or better still do not use a backpack. These are a magnet for thieves and easily broken into. I recommend a small shoulder bag big enough to fit the essentials in and you always know where it is as it is on the front of your body.Contiki is a budget way to see the world for young travellers. In 25 days in Europe I didn’t even skim the surface. I have since been back to Europe and seen some things I missed. Surely you must realize 10 days in almost like a race than a tour of Europe. Contiki will always try their best to ensure you see what you paid for but as I previously mentioned some things are out of their control. I had an absolute ball on my tour even though I got the contiki cough half way through. It was the best thing I ever did. I’ve since done a contiki in America and am heading off again in less a week to do 2 more tours. At the end of day please understand your tour is what you make it.
Cheers
Lisa

That sucks you missed out on all that stuff to see and that you got pickpocketed! After your comments and a few others I've gotta say I'm glad I picked the hotel timeout tour rather than concept or camping. I love camping, don't get me wrong but for a trip to europe I don't wanna be worried about dishes and sweeping so I'm glad I've spent a little extra! Also happy I booked a 24 day tour as it gives me at least a full day in every city, which i know still won't be enough (I live an hour out of Sydney and can't count the amount of times I've been there and i still haven't seen everything)but its going to be fantastic just to get a taste of each to know where I want to go back to.
Thanks for giving constructive tips and view points without just slagging contiki, i've heard so many people pay them out when really it just wasn't the right tour for them. I like hearing peoples opinions and experience because like you said you need to "do your research". It sucks that the tour you went on didn't give you what you wanted out of your holiday and I hope someday you get to go back and see everything properly (and keep your camera!).

Once again, someone getting slagged for sharing a less-than-glowing review on their Contiki experience! Arghhhhhhhh.

Explorer1103582 makes some valid points. It would certainly not be a nice start to your tour or introduction to Contiki if you weren't on the tour list. Imagine how that would feel.

It is true that a lot of your pics will be taken thru the window of the bus, and the semantics of the descriptions "see" where you whizz by, versus "visit" where you stop are both confusing and misleading. If you haven't been on a Contiki before or researched the crap out of it, you wouldn't know about the subtle difference in wording, and I can understand how that would be disappointing.

Perhaps they should have been more aware of the work duties required on the budget/concept tours. They weren't, and now they're sharing that and informing others. What's so horrible about that?

You can say that "Pickpocketing is very common in Europe", but that doesn't mean it isn't any less upsetting if it happens to you. Have some compassion people.

Sheesh.

Better luck on your next tour!

quote:

Originally posted by MeganSD:
That sucks you missed out on all that stuff to see and that you got pickpocketed! After your comments and a few others I've gotta say I'm glad I picked the hotel timeout tour rather than concept or camping. I love camping, don't get me wrong but for a trip to europe I don't wanna be worried about dishes and sweeping so I'm glad I've spent a little extra! Also happy I booked a 24 day tour as it gives me at least a full day in every city, which i know still won't be enough (I live an hour out of Sydney and can't count the amount of times I've been there and i still haven't seen everything)but its going to be fantastic just to get a taste of each to know where I want to go back to.
Thanks for giving constructive tips and view points without just slagging contiki, i've heard so many people pay them out when really it just wasn't the right tour for them. I like hearing peoples opinions and experience because like you said you need to "do your research". It sucks that the tour you went on didn't give you what you wanted out of your holiday and I hope someday you get to go back and see everything properly (and keep your camera!).

Now that's what I'm talking about- compassion and not judging!
Thanks MeganSD for being a brightspot on the board today!

Ok I understand Contiki wanting to keep the costs down however the contiki crew that works there is paid a salary and aren't paid on a per work basis so why are they not the ones that are cleaning up after people? How does it lower the cost to make the people who actually paid for the trip do the work? That is what they are paid to do. I know I was on the budget tour however I am still on vacation.

I do understand that the Louvre was not part of the tour however the bus headed straight to the Louvre and unloaded as the tour guide tried to get us in. I know it isn't part of the trip.

All I was getting at was there will be some disappointments on the trip. Our bus broke down on the trip as well and we ended up losing two hours in Munich.

Hi,
Sorry, I guess my comment about pickpocketing didn't go over as I had ment it to. I feel really bad for Explorer1103582 for getting pickpocketed, I know that I would be devistated if I had my camera stolen. I hope you were able to get some photos from other tour mates. I was just trying to make a point that it can happen anywhere, on the train, in line for something, walking down the street. You have to ba careful with your bag and belongings. Locks on backpacks if you have to use them, shoulder bags if possible. There are also gypsies and ppl who will try to trick you into giving them money. Keep an eye on your bag and help others out on your tour by having a buddy system where everyone looks out for each other.

I am also glad that ppl are posting their opinions of contiki in an honest way. I have done a lot of research into my trip and am glad to hear the reality of this type of tour so that I know what I am getting myself into. ppl that I was supposed to go with backed out when they heard about the bus drives and cleaning/sleeping in sleeping bags. This style of tour is not for everyone, and it is better to do your research and decide for yourself. I hope that at the end of my tour, I will have a sufficient overview of Europe so that I can chose where to go back to later.

Hope this post is better than the first,
Nicky

I agree id be pretty upset if some of those things happened to me, but its good to hear reviews like that, but ones that don't totally slam contiki. Its good to hear both sides of the trips, "Contiki is excellent" and "yes, some bad things do happen", i guess it makes you open your eyes a little more to things that can and do happen whilst on tour. But its not just on contiki that these happen, unfortunate events happen everywhere on any sort of holiday. I'm extrememly looking foward to my trip, and it is good to be aware of some of the things than can possibly happen rather than being completely unprepared.

=]
Simone.

THIS is the kind of feedback worth reading. Honest, but mature and constructive.

I've heard pickpocketing can be bad...I think that's my worse fear about my trip.

Also, the whole "work" on my vacation is the exact reason I did not choose a "budget" tour, so I chose a "superior" instead. This even validates my decision even more...so thank you.

Sorry some bad things happened...but I'm glad you still say you had a good time overall.

Your tips and advice were helpful. Thanks!

quote:

Originally posted by Nicky:
Hope this post is better than the first,
Nicky

Heaps!

I'm sooo glad to see that Explorer1103582 is getting some nice support. That is to me, what this forum is all about- helping fellow travellers thru the often good, bad, and ugly!

I agree with Work2Travel and Benji, and some of the others too
Thanks for your info Explorer, its always good to hear about the other side of Contiki too! Most people just talk about all the good things.
Same reason why I chose a Time Out tour too... that, and I didnt want to have to lug around a sleeping bag and towels
Your post made me decide to bring an extra "shoulder bag" so ill still have my backpack for the plane/bus but im going to find a shoulder bag big enough for all my important and expensive things so I can keep it by my side on day outings.
Thats horrible about your camera, id be heartbroken. Would be the worst thing to lose (well apart from the passport! ).

Yes thank you all for your support. I am not saying that contiki was a bad experience I am just saying that certain things can happen to you regardless of where you are. Having my camera stolen was devestating as I have never been to Europe nor do I plan on going in the near future due to work. These forums are used for infomation for other travellers and I can see that my post has helped out a few people make their decisions.

I enjoy posts like this because as mentioned it does show what can happen not just with contiki but with any tour company. I admit my first contiki was not the best but mostly blamed on a not so good tour manager which can unfortunately happen.

Pickpocketing is unfortunately a way of life for many people in Eruope some countries more than others. But there are steps you can take to avoid this. Paying attention to your surroundings at all times is a must especially for us girls. Hate to say it but we get targeted the most.

The best defense for travel is to be well informed ie RESEARCH RESEARCH RESEARCH!!! The more you know the better off you will be.

While I will be the first to agree contiki isn't all perfect and high and mighty it is a good company to travel with if you have never been away from home. Do your research on companies and customer service. Sites like Epinions and others have info on companies like Contiki. Ask people who have been on tour as well.

Its good to see that you did ultimately have a good time despite some of the bad things that happen. But think of this as a learning tool for your next bigger better trip

Again I just want to clarify that my trip was awesome and I am in no way shooting down contiki's company but only the lack of organziation on the trip.

I am 6'1 and 235 lbs and there are not many people that would want to have a confrontation with me in any part of the world as I am a pretty big guy. I was not concerned with anyone trying to take my stuff from me and I carried a backpack with me that was locked up on my back as I didn't want to leave it at some of our residences as they did not have locks on the doors. Now in Paris, I had a guy come up to me to try to distract me as one of his buddies wanted to take my bag off my back. He "found" a gold ring in between my feet and picked it up and insisted it was mine. I knew it wasn't and I knew what he was doing. I grabbed tightly on to my bag and made sure to stand against a wall so there was no way possible of them taking anything. Once he saw this, he walked away. I am not trying to scare anyone off but just be careful with your stuff. It can happen in any part of the world, not just Europe. Always travel in a group as well in cities you are not familiar with. I was well aware of all of this before I left for Europe. I was just pick pocketted and it was unfortunate as I was not paying attention to my stuff. It happens.