I'm at the Imperial. Like you I took Contiki up on its offer to add an extra two nights in London at a reduced price.

Ohh wow I never heard of the discounted 2 nights offer haha...ohh well!

I'm not sure what suitcase to take the one I have when its sitting straight up with the extended handle facing up it's to tall compared to the measurements Contiki gives you but when I have it on its side as if it was a briefcase it fits in the measurements fine and it also has a handle on that side, soooo I'm not sure if I should risk taking it or to just bring a smaller onee? I probably explained this a bit confusing.

Are they really strict with the measurements or just the weight?

I wouldn't worry too much about the size of your suitcase. With all of the handles on your bag collapsed it is close to the size restrictions I don't think that it will be a problem. On my last tour no suitcases were measured for size or weight. I think weight is typically Contiki's only concern, but I am not sure how it will be dealt with for our tour, where we will be in London for three nights before our bags will be loaded on the bus. I have a feeling that they probably won't bother to weigh the bags, especially as the tour only involves one city move by bus.

Just think about it, the driver has to lift and organize about 52 bags in the hold of the bus every time the tour changes cities. It could wear quite a bit on the back after a while if there were no restrictions from the very begining. Sometimes I wonder if people pack bricks in their bags. You can fit a surprising amount in bags that meet Contiki's size requirements.

As for the special deal with Contiki for to extra nights in London, you are probably still paying less per night by staying in a hostel. The two extra nights are costing me $99 CDN per night at the Imperial and I will be sharing that room with someone else on tour with Contiki.

Just wondering. Since we're going to France... Does anyone speak French?

Once upon a time I used to be fluent. However, I haven't used it in 10 years. I can read it better than speak it. I may get half way through a sentence or idea and forget a word or two. I also need people to speak very slowly to me, for me to understand. My conversational skills are terrible, but I could probably write a paper on any subject in French without any trouble.

If you can learn the basics like hello, goodbye, please, and thank you, you will be okay. Most people will be able to speak English better than we will be able to speak french. However, the French people appreciate that you give it a try first. Contiki tour managers usually give out a cheat sheet of language basics before you arrive in a city.

DID YOU GUYS HEAR THAT THE SWINE FLU HAS MIGRATED TO EUROPE?? IS ANYONE ELSE CONCERNED HERE?

I'm also worried. I heard there have been just a few isolated cases in the UK & in France. There haven't been any cases in South Africa yet. But several in America & Canada. (I Hope none of you guys have come in contact with the virus)

Not really, as it is already present in my province. I haven't had any contact with anyone in Mexico or that has gotten ill. Europe is a big place with a lot of people, so percentage wise, the risk is minimal. To prevent general illness, I plan to carry hand sanitizer with me and wash my hands regularly.

yeah i really do not want to be wearing a mask around my tour. anyways they say those do not help since its not airborne.
Anyways i think we should have a ladies night out with all of us in this forum