Hi Everyone,

I have not finalized my travel plans yet but will likely fly into Berlin a couple days early and stay at a hostel. I think I have the option of doing a stopover either in Frankfurt or Munich but will arrive into Berlin from July 2nd or the 4th.

It sounds like most of you guys are completing the tour at Warsaw, Poland rather than Berlin. Are you guys finding trouble finding flights out of Warsaw?

Can't wait for the tour to begin!

PS - if you guys don't mind me asking, how old is everyone here?

Hi Katie,

I didn't have any problems finding a flight out of Warsaw, but I'm staying in Europe. My flight is pretty expensive though, it's probably cheaper to fly out of Berlin, but I didn't want to waste a day traveling there by bus. As to my age, I'm 24.

I'm from Aus, about an hour away from Melbourne. 24 now, but will be 25 (just) by the time the tour starts!

Great! Looks like we're all around the same age!

Alrighty, just booked the tour and flight! Very excited. I'll get into Berlin on July 2nd and fly out of Warsaw July 15th.

Now I'm just trying to figure out whether to do a stopover in Frankfurt (I read some posts saying that there isn't that much to do there) and where to stay in Berlin.

Suggestions?

Hey Katie,
I've never been to Frankfurt because I too have heard there's not much to do there. I'd suggest looking into what there is to do and then making your decision. I know there's a lot to do in Berlin. As to places to stay, Rebecca Vic and I both booked hostels. She staying at Heart of Gold and I'm staying at Wombats. I recommend looking them up on hostels.com or some other similar sight and then choosing which one you want to stay at.

Hi Everyone,

Not long now until we all meet in Berlin. I can't believe how quick this trip has come around!

Welcome Rebecca! Does the 'Vic' stand for Victoria, Australia? If so, is that were your from?

Anthony & Jess, how do you plan to get from Berlin Tegel Airport to the Contiki Hotel. I am trying to work out the easiest, safest and cheapest way to get there but can't find any good info on the web. Also, Wendy, how do you plan to get to Warsaw airport? My flight leaves at 10am in the morning, which I know is earlier than when your flight leaves, but did you want to travel there together?

So is everyone going to use the voucher for the Free International SIM card that we got in our Contiki packs? What is everyone doing to be able to use their mobiles overseas cheaply?

Also, I am trying to work out how much money I will need while travelling. How much is everyone budgeting for each day?

Sorry for the 100 questions...just trying to get myself organised.

We should swap phone numbers before we depart...that way when we arrive in Berlin we can call one another and catch up before the official Tour meeting. We should also do dinner afterwards together and with the rest of our tour mates.

Hi all!

Not long now!!! Anthony and I are 22 years old but by the end of our holiday will be 23!

Is anyone thinking of doing any of the optional activities on the tour??? We were thinking of doing the Eye Spy Berlin night tour and definitely the Salt Mines tour in Krakow (I've heard this is awesome!).

Can't wait to meet you all!

-Jess-

Hi again

Sorry I didn't realise our posts went onto the second page..so welcome Katie too!

Katie, I am 26. Where are you from?

I decided to end my tour in Warsaw as I also didn't want to waste a day travelling back to Berlin. After the tour I will be flying to Toronto to meet some friends and do some sightseeing for a 13 days. I will be arriving in Berlin on 4 July.

Hey Cally. yes - the Vic is for Victoria - I'm from Ballarat.
I'm heading off on the start of my journey tomorrow so I may not get chance to get on the forum very often. If anyone wants to email me direct they can: bec_lishman21@hotmail.com
I wouldn't worry too much about getting from the airport to your hotel - Berlin's public transport, esp. the trains, are fantastic. Cheap, exceptionally on time and easy to understand. You shouldn't have any problems. Also, Berliners are amongst the friendliest people ever. Most people willingly help you, even if you cant speak any German!
I've gotta run anyway - need a good nights' sleep before my flight tomorrow. looking forward to meeting everyone!
bec

Hey Cally,

I'll be arriving in Berlin via train and plan to take the subway everywhere. As to getting to the airport in Warsaw, I'm not sure yet. If there's public transit, I'll just take that. As to phones, I got a sim card from Telestial, it had the best rates I could find for making long calls back to the US. I also read a couple articles online, and Telestial seemed to be the best for travelling to as many countries as we are. My number is +44 792 445 0631. I've budgeted about $60 US a day for my trip overall and so far I seem to be slightly under budget. Eastern Europe is pretty inexpensive, so that amount should do just fine. It also really depends on how much you like to spend, like if you want to shop, or go out drinking a lot.

Hi Girls,

Thank you for your advice.

I have worked out that most of the countries we are travelling to except the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland use the Euro.

How is everyone getting their currencies for these countries? Are you ordering it before you leave or going to exchange your Euro for their currency when we arrive in each of the countries?

I am trying to work out whether it is worth my while to get some before I go, just to have a little when I arive in each country but then worried about carrying money around with me. I have been on the forums but have found no information on whether our Tour Manager will make a stop at a foreign exchange counter when we enter countries that use other currencies other than the Euro. Any advice??

Hi Cally and everyone!

I'm from Toronto, Canada. I'll be arriving into Berlin, July 2nd at 11:30am and flying out of Warsaw July 15th at 1:50pm. I'll most likely be staying at the Wombat hostel in Berlin from July 2nd to the 4th, so Rebecca and Wendy, if you two are interested in doing some pre-Contiki sight-seeing together around Berlin, please let me know.

I'm also interested in sharing cabs/public transportation to and from TXL and WAW together with anyone who wants to split the cost or just travel together.

As for optional excursions, they all look interesting to me. My only question is, isn't Germany the only country that uses Euros cause all the other excurions (i.e. in Vienna, Poland, Prague), are all denominated in Euro rather than their local currency... which significantly inflates the price... ?!?!

Hi everyone!

One more travel buddy here, I'm actually going with 3 other friends. We are all from Miami, Fl! My name is Carolina...so excited for this trip!

Hi Everyone,

Welcome Carolina and friends!

Katie, I am actually travelling to Toronto after the tour ends. I have a few days by myself in Toronto then I am travelling to York to meet up with some friends.

I think I am going to go all out and do all the optional extras as they all sound fantastic. Katie, you are probably right that the prices of the extras are inflated due to the conversion, however I think what will happen is that we will pay upfront (usually the first or second day of the tour) for the optional extras we wish to do on the tour, thats what happened on the last Contiki tour I went on.

Hi Everyone,

A couple more days and we're going to be starting this Contiki Tour!

Wendy and Bec - since we'll all be in Berlin early, want to see the non-Contiki sights together? I don't know any German (not sure if any of you guys do), but I'd be down for some pre-contiki sight-seeing/food/bday celebration/parties!

Wendy - I'll be staying at the Wombat too from the 2nd to the 4th, do you want to chat/exchange email addresses prior to the trip?

Cally - glad to hear you'll be coming to Toronto. It's a great place! The weather is fantastic right now (25 or so), let me know if you need more info on Toronto and I'll be glad to help!

I hope to do all the optional excursions as well (if my budget permits), but some of them (esp. when converted to Canadian dollar) seem really pricy!

See you all soon!