Hi everyone!

We are Ben and Priscilla, from Melbourne, Australia.Yay - we are booked in for the European Vista Aug 4 2006 too! Woo-hoo! We are so excited as this is our first big OS trip (except for our honemoon). We are 30 and 25 respectively, and would love to hear from everyone who's booked the tour. We are all going to have such a great time - can't wait!!!!

Hey all

Sounds like everyone is looking forward to the trip. I booked this tour a couple of weeks ago (think I got the last spot). I am 23 year old male from Lennox Head (near Byron bay, in northern NSW). This will also be my first time to Europe and I am travelling solo.

I arrive in London from New York on August 3 after spending a month in the states and I am staying at the Royal National. I will also being staying there for a couple of nights after the end of the tour before I fly home. Sounds like there are a few good London tours I might have to scope out.

Looking forward to meeting you all. Feel free to drop us an email (waratah07@hotmail.com)

Cheers

Tim

Hi Sarah

I think we're doing the same tour--departing London Aug 4th (the guaranteed departure).  I just turned 29 this week and will be traveling on my own for the first time to Europe from the California.

What are some of the highlights that you look forward to seeing most?

I am really excited about the trip and look forward to meeting you and others from our tour!

Cheers,

Heather

Hi! It's Ben and Priscilla again!

Actually, hi to Sarah, Kate, Jenn, Heath +3, Tim, and Heather (and everyone else)! It's so weird "knowing" each other before the trip!

We too are staying 2 nights in London before and after the tour - Aug 2 + 3 at the Royal National, and Aug 24 + 25 at the Imperial Hotel. We are looking forward to everything on the contiki tour, as well as hoping to do a "London" tour Aug 3 or 25 and a "Stonehenge etc." tour Aug 3 or 25. Can't wait!

Anyway, just wanted to drop a line saying hello again and that it's only just over 3 months til our trip!!

Bye...

hi heather!  ( and hi to everyone else aswell !!! )

can you believe its like 3 months away!!! for my sanity i've tried not to think about it too much, but time is flying by so quickly!

one of the optional activities is paragliding in austria i think thats going to be such an experience and so beautiful! i'm looking forward to amsterdam as well. but really, the whole tour in itself is going to be so much fun!!

my email is sa_zzah@yahoo.com.au if you (or anyone) want to swap travelling tips or just to chat!

cheers,
Sarah.

HI EVERYONE!!!

WOW, less than 3 months to go!!!!!!
I am so excited to meet you all, we are going to have a great time.
It is great that some of us will be arriving in London a bit early, I am interested in doing a London tour to maximize what I see of London since I only have two day to do it.  Has anyone found any information on London tours??

My email is jennifersudbury@sympatico.ca is anyone wants to chat!!

Talk to you soon,

Jenn

Hi Everyone!

It's awesome that we get to meet before the tour! Yay!!!

It's great that so many of you have the opportunity to arrive early and/or stay a bit after the tour.  I will be arriving London 10 am on the 3rd.  Once I get to the hotel and check in (hopefully by 12), I would really like to take a tour of the city.  If anyone interested, maybe we could do a city tour together   A co-worker of mine has family in London, so I'll be getting some info from her shortly!

I look forward to meeting everyone soon!

Cheers,

Heather

If anyone wants to email before the tour, you can get me at hbedy@yahoo.com.

Hey guys

Sounds like everyone is really getting things sorted for their trips. Just a short message to let u guys know (esp those in aust), i found quite a good site for looking at tours.

www.octopustravel.com (it is run by flight centre)

I arrive in london @ 6.25am on 3rd August from New York. I guessin i will be fairly tired but it would be great to hear from anyone who is keen to have a look around london.

I will also be staying after the tour for a couple of day (i fly out on 26th). I was planing to do a couple of tours around london and surrounding area ie Bath & Stonehedge, so if you are interested send us an email and i will forward some of the info i have.

Really looking forward to an awesome trip. 

Tim
waratah07@hotmail.com

Hi Everyone,

I am definitely interested in doing a London tour.  I arrive in London around 10am on the 2nd and would love to bum around London for the rest of the day (and deal with jet lag!!!!).  I figure I would do a London tour on the 3rd.  I would love to meet me up my tour mates on the 2nd and 3rd and do a tour with any of you who will be doing one on the 3rd.  

I have changed my email address from the one I have previously posted on the message board so my new email address is: jennsudbury@gmail.com

I would love to chat with all of you about the tour.

Take care,

Jenn

Hey everybody

It seem to have been a bit quiet on our message board lately. Everyone must be madly getting ready to go. Only 2 mths now, but only 1 mths before i leave to travel around the USA for a month prior to arriving in London.

Things have changed slightly for me; i am now flying in to London @ 6.25am Aug 02. I have organised to do a tour called "Magic of London' on the 3rd, which mean hopeful i will get to see a bit on London before we go.

I have also booked to do a tour after our trip to Stonehenge & Bath on 25 Aug.

All in all this mean i will be staying @ the Royal National two night prior to the Vista tour (2 & 3 Aug) and two night after (24 & 25 Aug)

Would be great to hear for any of you who are also arriving earlier or who are interest i getting so info these tours.

Cheer

Tim
waratah07@hotmail.com

Hi All
I am arriving very early morning on the 3rd August - be my first time travelling my myself and my first time in London so would be good to meet up before the trip starts - the tour of London sounds like a good idea.
Is anyone else on the tour from New Zealand?

Cheers
Kate

k_smurthwaite@hotmail.com

Hey Kate,

The details for the london tour can be found at

http://www.octopustravel.com/

the tours is called 'Magic of London'.

Think it leave the centre of London about 8am.

All the best

Tim

Hi Tim
Thanks for the info - i am arriving at 6am on the 3rd, so unfortuntley might be pushing it to get to the centre of London by 8am - first time travelling solo and never been on a train before, so expecting it will take me a little longer than normal to get from the airport to the hotel - since i don't have the best navigational skills to start with!!
Kate

I arrive @ 6.45am on the 2nd. You should not have to much trouble getting to the Royal National, from what i have been told it is pretty easy to catch the train or the tube to a station very close to the Hotel.

Have a look at the website below, it has some very helpful hints (including pretty good direction on getting from the airport to the Royal National)

http://p205.ezboard.com/bcontikieuropemessageboar- d 

(copy and paste this link and delete the - between the r-d, because i can't get it to post a correctly)

I am luckly enough to have quite a few friend who have done the vista recently, one i which is currently doing the tour.

Hi Everyone,

Just 48 days to go   I look forward to meeting you all!

I did a little research on tours for some of the larger  cities we'll be going to, so I thought I would share my findings with you all.  Most are Hop on/Hop off tours since we do not know exact timing for the places we'll be going.

Cheers,

Heather

----------

London:

1. Big Bus Tours-18 Pounds-hop on hop off
http://www.bigbustours.com/uk/html/uk_our_tours.html


2. The Original London Sightseeing Tours- 18 Pounds-hop on hop off
http://www.theoriginaltour.com/

3. www.goldentours.co.uk (for various tours in London)
a. Historic and Modern London-66 Pounds-all day guided tour
b. Total London Experience-79 Pounds-all day guided tour

4. http://www.alllondontours.com/ (for various tours in London)

Paris:

1. L-Open Tour-$25/28 (other sites have it for $33-35)-hop on hop off
http://www.graylineparis.com/en/paris_open_tour

2. http://www.viator.com/experiences/da-vinci-code&pre..._QqoUCFT2DCwod8kvxw- g (various Paris tours including Da Vinci Code)

3. http://www.allparistours.com/Body.asp?Page=TourDetails&tour=PAR-HI004

Rome:

1.http://www.viator.com/destination/tours/Europe/Italy/Latium+and+Rome/Rome/Sightseeing/it/ (various tour in Rome)
a. Rome Shuttle Hop on Hop off-$25

2. http://www.enjoyrome.com/index.html (for various tours in Rome)
a. Ancient and Old Rome-24 Euro-walking
b. Vatican City Tour-24 Euro-walking
c. Bike Tour-25 Euro
d. Monuments of Rome-X Euro-Bus-32.50 Euro (d and e can be combined 88 Euro)
e. Ancient Rome-Bus-32.50 Euro (d and e can be combined 88 Euro)
f. Vatican Museums-Bus-45.50 Euro (f and g can be combined 105 Euro)
g. Churches of Rome and Catacombs-Bus-38.50 Euro (f and g can be combined 105 Euro)
h. Papal Audience-Bus-32.50 Euro

3. http://www.tours-italy.com/travel/Rome_Tours/all_tours_italy.htm (for various tours in Rome)
a. Rome in a Day-bus-75 Euros
b. Vatican and Ancient Rome-bus-76 Euros