Hi everyone

I am on the Grand Southern trip that starts on 7 April 07 and is starting in LA and finishing in NY.

I am travelling by myself and this is my first Contiki trip. I would really like to hear from anyone who is on the same trip as me.

Also, anyone who has been on this trip, can they offer any advice. I do have a few questions:

1. I am a bit worried about getting from the airport to Anaheim. I am flying out on 5 April and staying at the Best Western where the tour departs. Any help/advice about transport to the hotel would be great.

2. Luggage allowance. Are they really strict on the size of the bag you take?

3. Rooms. Are you placed with a certain room-mate who you share with every night or can you choose your room-mate etc?

4. How much money do you recommend i take with me. I see that we have to allow for lunches etc and also some evening meals but realistically, how much do you spend daily?

5. I want to do the helicopter ride at the Grand Canyon but is there any other ride that you can recommend I do and the cost of it?

6. Do most people stay on in NY after the tour ends?

Lastly will I find it easy to make friends and meet people? Sounds silly when I type it, as I am an outgoing 26 year old, but I really want to meet new people and have a great time. This is my first trip and not really sure what the atmosphere is like.

Anyway, thats all for now! Again, I would be really pleased to hear from others on the same trip as me and also anyone else for advice and general info.

Thanks

Gail

Hey Gail

I am on that tour too. Yea! First off, don't be worried, we will have a great time ... I know, I am nervous too ... 27 and a secondary school teacher and yes I too am a bit scared that I won't make friends! lol But it'll be great ...apparently other shorter tours join up enroute so there are bound to be lots of people.

Re your Q's:

1. I don't know however I think getting a cab shouldn't be too expensive (that's what my travel agent said)

2. Luggage I am a bit worried about too ... am travelling to Oz and NZ before and I am torn between a rucksack or a suitcase ... there was something I read about no metal frames and to be honest I am utterly lost on that score! lol

3. I think you get placed with a room-mate for the duration I believe. Although if you have any issues with them you can speak to your tour manager and they can sort it out (don't think they'd leave you stranded with a serious snorer!)

4. I am going to budget for about 10-15 pounds a day. Although I do want to go to Bloomingdales and buy a little brown bag ... I have heard SO much about those! lol

5. Don't know but that sounds fun.

6. I am staying in NY for about 3 days odd before I do the Northern Tour and then go home to London.

Sorry not to have been of more help.
K

Kookyspacecadet@hotmail.com

Hey, nice to see another person on the same tour!

While I havnt been on a North American Contiki Tour before, I did do a 4 week "European Panorama" so hopefully can lend some advice to the questions aswell, oh, and not to mention the fact 've spent as much time as I can researching this tour lol.

1. Apparently, there is a shuttle bus service which runs from the airport to the area the hotel is in about every 15 minutes. I think I read somewhere that someone said it was about $10. Or as Karini said, you can prolly take a cab.

2. Luggage: Are they strict? The answer to that is both yes AND no.

To start with (first day of tour) YES. The coaches have limited space in the bottom and its the coach driver that loads / unloads it all. So try to keep to the weight and size and not have awkward shaped bags that cant stack properly etc.

Once the tour is underway, they seemed to have no problem with people adding a bit more, provided there is space your tour manager should be ok with it. Again, its the driver that packs all this stuff, and you will get to know him asmuch as the TM, so think about your bags.

Me and my girlfriend took a fairly standard suitcase, the type that has wheels and can be pulled, and can e carried both ways. (We had one that you could "extend" the size by 20% or something by opening out a zipper).

Another bit of advice, whatever you bring, make sure its durable and not going to fall apart. Its going to be thrown on and off a bus a hundred times before the end of the tour.

(Sorry for the long answer)

3. Roommates wasnt an issue for us last time as we travelled as a couple aswell. However, I think what they did was they made the list up on the bus at the start and after that it was pretty much set. I am sure it can be changed, and you do get a say in it to begin with.

But if you want to change it, do so as early as you can, as if its anything like Europe, the TM will ring the hotels a few hours ahead of time and let them know how many rooms and what size he is after.

4. Money depends on the person. If your going to spend $60 a night on alcohol your gonna need more, if your going to go into every shop you see and send $200 your going to need more.

A general rule of thumb is $80 - $100 local currency per day.

Its hard to say, because there will be days where your on the bus the entire day except a lunch stop, so $15 would do you for that day, but theres days where you in a city for 2 days and might spend $500.

5. Not sure!

6. I think most people will stay for a while after the tour ends, some people will try and fly home an hour after the tour, some will be there a few days etc. Personally, we are there for 3-4 days in the Beacon Hotel. Its costing a bit, but we heard New York is like the best city in the world, and being close to tour mates after the tour is cool aswell.

And yeah, making friends is pretty easy, theres always a mixture of people on a tour as far as I've read and experienced, and some people are there to party all night, some like to go to bed early and be awake for the sites the next mornning.

Sorry for the length! But hopefully I;ve been some help!

starkuless@hotmail.com