Sorry, not flying through NJ. I'm taking a direct flight from Halifax, NS to London on Wednesday night. I had that option to save a little money, but it would have added an extra 3 hours and another trip through customs to save about $75. So not worth it!

I've booked an extra two nights in London before the trip too. There is so much I want to see and do there, but the trip itself just doesn't give me enough time. So, hopefully I'll be over my jet lag even before the trip starts.

As for the shower issue, I'm so not worried. I can manage sharing with one other person, just not five or six, like in a hostel. I'm used to sharing a bathroom anyway, as I've had roommates most of my adult life and we only ever had one bathroom growing up. It just requires a little advanced planning. The cost savings help too.

FB=facebook

Ah yes, you are probably right about the shared room, maybe next time.

I wish I had more time to spend there too.. work only gives me a week, oh well.

kate

I completely understand the need to ration out the vacation time. Gotta love the North American vacation standards. I would love to be able to do and see more, but I just can't swing the additional time off and my budget won't allow me to take unpaid time off.

ladies!! only about 5 more weeks to go!!!!!!!
im so excited...has everyone purchased their tour and plane tickets yet? i must see pictures of you guys before i get there so i can recognize you

Oh, I'm counting down the days. 28 days until I leave for London. My tour and plane tickets were booked before I wrote on this message board, but not much more before. I'm so excited. I got a message that my tour documents were ready to be picked up yesterday.

I just had a look on the tour's site and it looks like we are completely full. So,I hope that the two of you have booked your tours.

I booked my tour ages ago (like, back in October!), so I'm definitely coming. I've got my tour docs/plane tickets in hand. I leave for London in just 12 days from now because I'm doing the Great Britain and S. Ireland tour first in April, then doing the London & Paris + Amsterdam tour following that one. A full month in the UK/Europe...I can't wait!

Fantastic!!! I'm very jealous. I've a plan to visit Ireland and Scotland next year. I wish I could get that much time off of work to spend travelling. I will just have to limit myself to one to two weeks each year and I'll just have to make it a habbit to go each year. . . . Only 26 days until I board that plane.

Hey!
My friend and I will also be going on this tour.
We're both female 19 and this is our first time overseas/on a contiki tour, we leave in 23 days!!

hey girls! what are your names??
this is my 1st time traveling with contiki tours too...actually with any kind of tour. god im going to feel awkward since this is my 1st time traveling alone to a place like this but whatever that's why i started the forum so i can meet some people ahead of time

I'm sure there probably isn't much that I could say to reassure all of you that it will be okay, but you will never really know until you do it. However, you have made a great first step by booking a trip. As I am travelling alone, I found the idea that there was someone more experienced available for guidance and that it was someone else's responsiblity to make sure the hotels were booked and the travel between countries was all arranged was very reassuring.

If you are open to new experiences, you will have a blast. There is almost always someone who will be interested in seeing the same sights, just hanging out and people watching, shopping, going out for a beer, or going out dancing all night. These trips are all what you want to make them, relax and enjoy.

My one suggestion, is to have somewhat of a framework of what you want to see and when you want to see it before you arrive. This trip has a lot of free time, so do a little bit of research in advance and it will pay off in spades. Also, be prepared to use public transit, especially in Paris, as our hotel is almost at the end of a metro line in the suburbs. So, a little research in advance into how the public transit system works in Paris wouldn't go amiss and make using it a little less stressful.

I'm Taylor and my friends name is Sarah.
Were from Prince Edward Island.
We are both soo excited to meet new people!

OK THIS KINDA SUCKS...CONTIKI CANT PICK US UP 4RM THE AIRPORT??? MAN I ARRIVE AT 6 IN THE MORNING ON SATURDAY AND I GOTTA TAKE A TRAIN
IN AN UNKNOWN CITY LOL. IS ANYONE ELSE ARRIVING ON SATURDAY AROUND THIS TIME???

Sorry. . . . I'm arriving on Thursday morning at 9:30. If you don't feel comfortable taking the underground, you can always book a ride with dot-2-dot. They are a shuttle service that costs about 10 pounds and will drop you off right in front of the hotel. However, it will take you a little longer to get to the hotel, depending on how many other people are dropped off first. I'm not too worried about taking the underground, as there is only one option at Heathrow and you don't need to transfer lines to get to the hotel, assuming that you are flying into Heathrow. I would just suggest reading up on how London's public transit system works before you try to use it. My plan is to buy a pay-as-you-go Oyster card once I arrive at Heathrow and use it continuously to get around the city.

Nope..sorry we are arriving in London on Thursday as well but at night.

Hi I'm Cathy(28) and my husband is Robert(29) we're from South Africa. We'll also be doing the London & Paris tour departing 2nd May 09.
Can't wait to meet you all!