Hey Guys & Gals I know its early but I was wondering if anybody is doing the European Inspirations trip that departs London on Dec 23rd? I booked mine yesterday and I'm soo amping for it!! Im a 20 Kiwi gal living in Auckland (will be 21 on trip) and this will be my 3rd time to Europe but first Contiki. I would love to hear from anyone who has done this trip and has some wise words to offer (espically about going during winter) and I would love to chat to the people I'm going to meet on the trip. xox Talia
Posts: 15 | Location: NEW ZEALAND | Registered: 31 Mar 2006
I'm also going on the Dec 23rd trip! I haven't been to Europe, but I've been overseas a few times (don't get me wrong, I'm not rich, my family just spend a lot of their free money on travelling instead of cars, etc.). I'm female, 25, live in Geelong (50km from Melbourne), and will be travelling by myself on the tour. Can't wait!
Hey Traveller 23! Wow this is such a great way to kill the nerves about travelling by yourself and meet other people. I cannot wait for this trip, it goes to the most amazing places ..Are you going with friends/partner or braving it alone? If you have myspace im http://www.myspace.com/taliaritchie
Talia
Posts: 15 | Location: NEW ZEALAND | Registered: 31 Mar 2006
I'm not too nervous about going alone, I'm the kind of person who goes and does something if I want to whether I'm alone or in a group of people - being alone is no barrier for anything (well, except for physical safety where I could put myself in serious danger, of course). I enjoy meeting new people and will find something in common with a lot of different types of people. As well as travelling alone on the same trip as you, I've also been to Auckland for a few days when my family and I did an enjoyable 2 week trip of NZ! I also went white water rafting in Queenstown and LOVED it! I'd REALLY been wanting to do it since I was about 5 years old so it was great to finally do it when i was 17. Have you ever been to Australia? Or any other countries aside from NZ and Europe?
I’m quite excited about going it alone to, like you I love meeting new people; I stayed in a backpackers over new years and just loved chatting to people about where they were from. I love white water rafting! Got to do it last year and had a blast. That’s so cool you’ve been around NZ, not to be biased or anything but it’s a great place. Yeah I’ve been to Aussie (Cairns & Gold Coast – Defiantly going to Melbourne one day) and loved it so much, such a beautiful country and you guys are hilarious! I’ve been to Europe, Aussie, a few pacific islands and the US. I’m going to Thailand in August so that’s really going to test the saving skills! I think I'm just like your family; I would rather travel then have a flashy new car. I think the thing I’m most looking forward to is having a white Christmas; I’m so used to having a BBQ lunch at the beach! Are you spending anytime traveling around before or after the trip? I’ve got a few nights in London after then a few nights in Shanghai.
Posts: 15 | Location: NEW ZEALAND | Registered: 31 Mar 2006
I've only been white water rafting once but i'd love to do it again, particularly somewhere in the Tyrol region of Austria. I also think NZ is a beautiful country. i thought there was so much spectacular scenery and as we were driving around my dad would have to stop the car so often because me, my mum and my cousin always wanted to take photos. there was one day where we seemed to be stopping every 20mins or so and my dad got so sick of stopping after awhile so he banned all stops until we arrived at our destination for the day (unless we drove passed a landmark we all wanted to see or for necessaties lik petrol/toilets/etc.). what pacific islands have you been to? my parents, brother and i went to fiji in 1995 and i taught at a high school in the cook islands for 3 weeks as part of my teaching rounds while i was at university in melbourne. i both countries were beautiful, but the native fijians (not the indians) were easily some of the most beautiful natured people i've ever met... warm, happy, friendly, and never complain even when you can see they are extremely poor... my parents also took my bro and i to the US and Canada for a 3 month fly/drive holiday in 1991. the rest of our family holidays have been along the east coast of Australia and skiing once a year most years for a few days.
This is great getting to know you before we go on the trip, but wouldn't it be even better if we all end up on this message board together before we go so that no-one is a stranger...?
Oh yeah, one more thing... We get back into london on the thursday night after our tour and i'm staying there that night, friday night and saturday night, then flying to vienna on sunday and have 5 days to see vienna and salzburg. i wanted to do both vienna and salzburg, but no tour did them both so i'm just going to go it alone. a couple of years ago a friend of mine lived in vienna for a few months as part of an international study program with uni so she's got heaps of uselful information for me. have you been to vienna/salzburg? any advice about getting aroundin either place and/or the train that runs between each place?
Wow you’ve done heaps of traveling, I’m the same with photographs my boyfriend and I went to Rotorua on the weekend (the smelly place!) and I didn’t take a camera! I felt so lost without it!! In the Pacific I’ve been to Hawaii and New Caledonia. I’d one day love to travel the entire east coast of Aussie so that could be on the agenda for within the next few years. I’m so jealous your going to Vienna it’s so beautiful, I found it a really easy place to get around, everyone was so friendly and its has amazing shopping and galleries, also a lot of Art Deco design (I was studying interior design at the time and it was very helpful!) which I’m really into. I was there around spring but it would be stunning in winter. Unfortunately I won’t be too much help in the travel department because I did the whole thing by bus, but I guess flying from London to Vienna shouldn’t be a strain and then just train to Salzburg (you HAVE to do the sound of music tour its so much fun!)…Maybe checkout smaller airlines like easy jet to see if they fly from either Heathrow or Gatwick. I’m staying behind in London also, will you be at the Royal National…I decided to stay there just out of pure convenience, plus it seems as good a location as any.
Posts: 15 | Location: NEW ZEALAND | Registered: 31 Mar 2006
Im also doing the inspirations tour starting Dec 23rd 2007. Im from Adelaide & Its the first time for me travelling overseas + im travelling alone so it should be interesting lol. I will be staying in London for 5 days after the europe tour at the imperial hotel & really looking forward to it. It will be my first xmas away from home + i will be turning 23 during the tour on Jan 1. If anyone else is doing the same tour or has been to Europe, what is it like travelling alone? any tips or hints? looking 4ward to hearing from u soon
Wow you’re having your birthday in Venice that’s so exciting!! I’m really looking forward to this trip, it will also be my first Christmas away from home which weird but I’m looking forward to my first ever white Christmas (although Auckland never gets that cold so I think Europe in winter is going to be a bit of a shock to the system!). I have been to Europe before but this is my first trip alone, it’s scary and exciting. I think I’m looking forward to proving to myself I can do it. This is such a great way to meet the people we will be travelling with, look forward to hearing from you soon
Talia
Posts: 15 | Location: NEW ZEALAND | Registered: 31 Mar 2006
hiya growlingbird! great to hear from you! people have told me it would be safe to have about 50 euro a day, but i personally know that i'm not going to be able to have quite that much spending money. anyway, we don't have much room for souveniers or anything so i guess it comes down to how much you want to spend on food, drink, etc. i saw a small info session about contiki tours at a travel expo last month and there was a guy who said that if you share a cab from a pub/club to the hotel it would only cost you about 10 euro each at the most (depending on how many split the cab fare). i guess everyone will just do what they can afford to do. still, even on a budget i'm sure it will be a great trip!
I'm seriously considering this particular trip. It's between this one and the European Vista I think. I'd also be travelling by myself and 25 years old from Toronto! I've always wanted to travel and think this would be an amazing way to do it. Plus Christmas and New Year's away!!! Does anyone know if/how much the itinerary is affected by the holidays?
Hi looking-to-travel-999. I went to a travel expo a couple of months ago and talked to a contiki rep who had just recently been to europe and on the tours there herself, so I got to ask her all those unadvertised questions. I was also curious about what they do for Christmas, etc. and she said that they always do something special for any of the holidays, birthdays of people on the trip, etc. so it sounds like it will be a great Christmas away. Also, I'm really looking forward to New Year's in Venice - it will definitely be one to remember! Also, we will be in Berlin for the night of Christmas Day and the contiki rep said that the Night Christmas markets could be on and from what my family/friends have told me they are really beautiful surroundings, atmosphere, etc. I love Christmas so I would enjoy it anyway, but with whatever contiki organise for Christmas I'm sure it will be very enjoyable for everyone. So, I say, come with us! You'll have a great time! (Everyone has to work out what suits them, but considering a lot of tours are similar and this is one of a very small number of tours that run all year round this tour must be a good one...)
On another note, I've actually been to Toronto myself when I travelled to USA and Canada with my family. I was only 10 and we were only there for a couple of nights (it was a driving holiday) but we liked Toronto and generally everywhere we went in British Columbia and Ontario (we didn't go any further than that, but I'd love to go back to Canada some day and do more, even go up to Alaska). Have you travelled much in Canada, USA? Or any other countries?
