Hello,
My name is Karen from Melbourne Vic
Today I have signed up for this trip + Egypt.
Im 20 yrs and travelling solo.
I cant wait !!!! see you all soon

So how is everyones plans going? I am down to 104 days until I fly to London and cant wait
So what is everyone doing in the lead up to the tour? We land in London about 8pm 24th March, then are planning on doing the sights of the place before the tour starts? Although still not booked accommodation beforehand as my travel agent was stuck in thailand with the protests...luckely she is home now and I can start to finish the organising.

Well hope everyone is getting along well, but thought I would get this forum chatting again...only just over 3 months to go yeepee...

Hi Kristy, the countdown has well & truly begun hasn't it - today is now 100 days until me & the boy leave for London!

We're sitting down this wknd & nutting out a few more details for our pre & post contiki stuff. I think before the tour we'll just be doing the normal sightseeing stuff, but there's a few things we'll definitely be doing - a day trip to Stonehenge & Bath, a show on the West End(does anyone know what they'll have showing around that time?), & hopefully a football game too if we can afford/arrange it.

We also bought sleeping bags the other day, I'm not sure if everyone has all that kind of stuff organised already but I highly recommend Kathmandu shops - they're having a massive sale at the moment with a lot of there stuff around 50-60% off. We got our sleeping bags for $55, down from $140 so we were really pleased!

Anyways I should get back to work, it gets really hard sometimes in the office to stop myself from daydreaming about the trip! Oh well, not long now!

xx

Hi All,
not long to go, just wondering what you all are doing for your visa's. Getting them before you leave or obtaining them at the boarders of Turkey and Eqypt. Lets hope the next 3 months go quickly or i'll go mad with waiting
Renee

Hey everyone and Merry Chirstmas for next week!!!

One more week to Christmas and most importantly the Boxing Day sales at least for those in Brisbane (Australia). A good but hopefully affordable digital camera and maybe video recorder is the on the top of my list.I've put off all my Europe shopping to date for the post Chirstmas sales, with luck i should be able to save quite a bit. For the time being i've been catching up on my European history. On top of my travel guide i've been reading "1001 historical sites to visit before you die", as well as a book on the history of significant battles over the past 5000 years(jumped ahead to Europe beteen 600-1800AD), a lot of interesting history.

In relation to the Visas, i've asked around just to make sure, then reconfirmed it doing research on the Internet. My plan is to get the Visas on entry to Turkey and Egypt. The other countries visa's aren't required (for Australians at least).

I'm arriving in London at 5:30am on Thursday the 26th March, my plans for that day are dependant on Jet lag and how much Berroca or alternatively red bulls i can consume. I haven't travelled overseas before so i haven't had the wonderful opportunity to experience jet lag. But first thing's on my to do list is visit the British and natural history museams.

Anyway, Merry Chirstmas and a Happy New Year.

Martin

I dont know if anyone else has figured it out but we arrive in Rome from Florence on Good Friday and leave on Easter Sunday...does this not mean the majority of things are a) going to be closed; b) will be packed due to the annual pilgimage to see the pope and c) CRAZY!Will anything be open for the tourists?

Hi,
I contacted Contiki re rome in easter, and they reassured me that everything will be open, but i think it will be CRAZY with all of the people there, hopefully we will still be able to do everything, as Rome is one of the places i most want to see and have time to explore.
How much money is everyone saving for spending money. I am starting to save, save, save. I know contiki advises 100 euro a day, but with the Australian conversion rate, and with us being over there for so long that makes it up to over $12,000 AUS. I do not have that much. Any ideas
Renee

My unofficial budget is basically whatever i have in my bank acount when i get there. At the moment i've got $7000Aus saved up plus my plan is to increase the credit on my credit card from $1000 to $2500 just for my trip. In all up i'm thinking $9000 will be fine for my needs plus i should have left overs as long as i don't go off and buy the Mona Lisa or something like that.

My contract at work ends tomorrow and i have just found out that it is not getting extended (when two months earlier I was told it was likely it would, so stress levels have been a bit higher than normal, but what happens at home stays at home [same principle for europe]).I was just lucky i've been planning to go on this trip for the last two years and had some savings in the bank. Plus i'm hoping i can get the 4 weeks rec leave i was planning to use in Europe paid out to me in full when i leave tomorrow.

How much are you planning to save? I think anything in the range of $7,000-$10,000 should be comfortable, you might have to plan out which optionals you are going to do. Maybe separate them out into "must dos (even if i need a loan)" and "would like to do if i had the money". I believe when i budgeted out the cost of all the optionals the amount came to a little over $2,000 Aus, so if you are short on cash you may have to be choosy.

Alternatively you could always "flaunt it" on nights out (that'll be my Plan C), see if you can save money on those nasty nights out, lol (i hope it's not too early to be making jokes).

Anyway best of luck with it all.

Marty

hey guys, i was lucky enough to do the last ultimate european of last year (31st aug) and stressed about my money before hand also. however, There are some days that you will spend hardly any money, like long bus days and such. also, not all of the optionals (in my opinion) are worth doing. part of the fun is going out with your friends and finding your own dinner locally, rather then some group dinners. That being said i did all the optionals i wanted, bought what i wanted to buy and only spent $8000 AUD. and i did not worry about my money at all once over there. its an amazing trip and one i wont forget. live it up is all i can say. any questions feel free to ask

Dale

Hi guys, haven't been on in a little while but it's nice that there's some more replies - getting close now!

Renee, I spoke to a girl I work with who lived in Rome for a year and she said although it will be crowded during Easter, it will be an amazing experience and the city has a great vibe during this time so I actually think we're quite lucky to be there then!

And as for the all-important topic of $$$, I've worked out a bit of a budget and I'll be taking $17k for my entire trip (5 days in london, then contiki, then 10 days travelling to Berlin and Prague, then 3 months or so in Switzerland and traveling to various places like Italy & Croatia). My Contiki budget is only around the $8k and I actually think it's quite extravagant. So overall I think we don't need to worry too much, and if all else fails there's the credit card!

Soryr for the long post guys but speaking of credit cards but I applied for the Wizard Clear Advantage Mastercard (which everyone on this forum has reccommended as there's basically no fees for cash advances or withdrawals or conversions etc)the other day for the 3rd time, after being rejected twice last year, and I got approved. This time I sent my application form in the post, rather than online, and since none of my other details have changed since the last application I think post might be the way to go. I'd reccommend you guys looking into this if you're interested as it seems to save you lots of $$!

Anyways thanks Dale for your advice - it would be great to hear what Optionals you did and what you would reccommend doing/not doing.

Taryn xx

Hey all, i've been doing research into things to see and do including events and performances. It's still early into my research but for those who like a bit of culture and are staying around in London a few days after the tour, there appears to be a performance of Romeo and Juliet at the Globe Theatre in London on the 12th May (the day after week all get back).It starts at 7:30pm and it should be noted that it can be sometimes a standing venue.

I don't know the full cost of it but on the website it says prices normally range from between 5 (for standing)and 31 pounds. There are 700 tickets avaialble for each performance, the plays can last between two to three hours (i don't know exact times yet). The theatre is open air and there is no heating or airconditioning. It would be a great cultural experience. The venu is also next to the Tate Modern Art Gallery and right across the river from St Paul's Cathedral. It is recommended to prebook your tickets. I'm interested in going along and was just throwing the word out in case there are others interested who will still be in London at the time. It would great to hear if there are interested people out there.

Cheers

Martin

Hey Marty,
I would be interested in going, i have a few days in London after this tour finishes and my next one starts, once you get the information, can you let us know so i can pre-book as well, that would be an amazing experience.
Renee

Hey Renee,

The website for the Globe theatre is below:

http://www.shakespeares-globe.org/calendarofevents/thea...ail.php?production=1

Public bookins don't start until the 14th February. To book tickets, call the globe box office on +44 (0)20 7401 9919.

The following link shows the seating plan for the theatre. There are three Gallery's (levels) in a horse shoe shape, with a standing area (Yard) in the lower gallery.

http://www.shakespeares-globe.org/theatre/boxoffice/sea...planandticketprices/

Ticket prices appear to based on the seating location (and visibility). The most expensive tickets are directly in front of the stage and are 33 pounds. There are eyes which shows an interactive view of the stage from that seating position. Seating consists of wooden benches, many without back suopports, though cushions and back supports may be rented.

As i said earlier the show starts at 7:30pm but there is also a Setting the Scene session which begins at 6:00pm. The only information on the website is that it includes Pre-show introductions from international scholars.

Sara and I have been talking and one of our current plans is that we might go to Stonehedge that day although i think we're waiting until we get to London before the tour starts to make a decision. I don't know if we were to go, what time we would get back to London, but there's no urgency to make a decision. My email address martinscanlan@hotmail.com, so feel free to email me if you like, or find me on facebook. One other option is to have one person group book and reserve seets in the same section rather than everyone booking in all different areas. Just throwing that option out as well.

Cheers

Marty

Hey all

Im Matt, 25y/o from West Aust.
Have had a trip planned for a while now but have had a few set backs

Hopefully its all sorted now, and not too long to go either !

Will be looking at staying on after to get work and accommodation. Am going solo and first time overseas, so this is going ot be interesting

does anyone know what the time difference will be in each location? Or will we get told by the tour leader as we go along?