i'm a little concerned about my luggage too. esp since it's gonna be a bit chillier and we have to bring heavier clothes. the contiki tips-thing says 'take out everything you think you wanna bring and cut it in half.' i think this is a good idea since i always overpack. but yeah, i've heard they're very strict about the weights and definitely enforce the rules.

If u guys are worried about ur luggage being over 20kgs, imagine how i feel!!! Im living in London for a year or 2 after the contiki trip so i pretty much have to pack my entire life into a 20kg suitcase!!! i have NO idea how i am guna do that!! not only is there clothes but hairdryer, hair straightener, toiletries, shoes, OMG im stressing about it now!!! hahaha i better start packing the week before we leave! Dani, u would be use to the cold weather wouldnt u living in NY and all?? how cold does it get there??

jess,
maybe u could look into shipping the rest of your stuff at the end of the trip. not sure how much that would cost. you can also store stuff at the contiki basement in london, i think it's something like 5 euro per day.

yes, i'm used to the cold. many people complain about it but i don't mind too much. i really love having 4 seasons, winter included. there's truly nothing like new york city in the winter, esp at christmas time. it can get down to the teens and the single digits at its coldest. sometimes with the wind chill it can feel BELOW zero!

it's winter in australia now, right? how bout you, what's the winter weather like there?

winter weather in Australia is nothing compared to Europe (so im told)! During the day in Winter in Oz its usually 12-17 degrees, overnight its usually between 5-10. sometimes we get a night where its 1 or 2 degrees but not often!! noone wears huge massive jackets or gloves or anything like that! im sure we're guna be in for a bit of a shock when we get to europe. I cant wait for the summer over there tho, so much to do!
so where's the place every1s looking forward to going the most??? I am really excited about Austria & Amsterdam & the french riviera!!

haha sure of it, if we hear it's going to be 10 degrees in the morning, we flip out in qld hahah, sort of. im going to freeze my toush off over there, and my older sister is a frog! im keen to finally see the trevi fountain, the colosseum, yeah amsterdam too, oh eiffel tower, crap the most? cant decide!

argh, US is definitely going to be my next big trip I've known since I was a fetus!

i'm really looking forward to the entire trip! i've been trying to do a big trip to europe since i was 18. i really can't pick one or even a few places i'm most stoked about...everywhere on the list is someplace i'm dying to see! i'm really glad we finish in amsterdam. i have a feeling the craziest stuff of the whole trip will commence there.

trace, i can tell you all about the states for your future trip. i've been damn near everywhere in our fine country perhaps we can talk about that on one of our many long bus rides!

oh yeah- i know you're all traveling with someone but did anyone opt for a triple share hotel? i did to save some money, just wondering if there's any chance any of us will room together?

yesss amsterdam should be wicked, i've heard however you cannot take pictures there, or in certain places or something?

yes dani, otherwise if i cant take time off work, i will wait til 2012 and go back to europe again!!! but im DEFINITELY going to america within 4/5 years. yes we should talk about it on bus rides, however you may make me want to do it straight away :P

no sorry marin and I only booked for twin-share for the entire trip.

Hey all,
This is Haze from Singapore and this is my first trip to Europe. Realy hope to have the chance to meet realy great people. =)
Since Singapore has a tropical climate with summer all year round, I'm pretty freaked out as to what to wear in Winter as this is my first time experiencing Winter. Hence, can anyone suggest what type of winter clothings or shoes shd I buy?
As for accomodation, I havent booked for any yet. Thinking of booking some affordable backpackers hostels. Any suggestions?

Hey haze, yeah we are a bit similar to weather up in Qld, Aust too. We are taking a couple of nice warm coats!! And layering up with clothes, and scarves and comfy boots. And of course jeans. A few of us are staying at royal national, but I've heard others say they were staying at the generator hostel..

Here's a bit of a female question, what shoes is everyone taking? i know we will need dresser type stuff for the monoco and molin rouge, but then i am thinking sneakers/comfortable walking shoes for the day and a pair of thongs as what's an aussie without thongs?? But then i was thinking maybe ballet flats would be a good idea too, thoughts?
Hey Haze we are doing a stop over in singapore for 2 nights on our way to london, any suggestions of things we mustn't miss on our stop???
We are both from Canberra, so don't think we will have much trouble with the cold :-)

i'm addressing the last 3 posts here

1) regarding the weather in europe...

the time we'll be on our trip actually isn't winter at all, it's fall. although i haven't been to europe yet, i'm told by numerous people who have that the weather there is very similar to weather here in the states.

autumn in november in new york is typically between 40-55 degrees. but we use farenheit, which i believe is about 5-12 C. it can be quite chilly but snow is rare, though that i'm not sure about in europe since it is a little farther north than the US. but a friend just told me she was in paris the last week of october and it was 65 degrees (F)!

the safest bet is gonna be to dress in layers! that way we're safe if we luck out and get great weather but also protected if we don't. for cold-weather clothing i plan on bringing a few sweaters and hoodies, at least one warm coat, a hat, scarf and gloves. just remember to keep it to a minimum and plan on re-wearing clothes often since we're limited to our luggage...

2) Haze- have you booked your tour yet? if not, accommodations are included unless you're talking about starting and ending in london. if so, like tracey said, some of us are at the royal national. if not, then hotels every night are included in the price of the tour.

3) Mel- i would love to take a dozen shoes but again, because of our luggage restrictions, i'm going to limit what i bring. i'm thinking i'll definitely take sneakers and flats and maybe my uggs depending on how my bag looks when i pack! i really doubt we'll have the opportunity to wear flipflops or else i'd bring them too. i may use the flats as my dressy shoes but again we'll see

SOOOO EXCITED!!!!

Trace i agree, i really wana go to the US too!! I have always wanted to go there. It was either Europe or the US when we decided to book our contiki. Im sure the travel bug will catch on and we'll go to the US sometime in our lives. Hopefully sooner rather than later.
Dani - dont we end the contiki tour in London, not Amsterdam? I know Amsterdam is the last stop i think, but then we come back to London.
My sis & I have booked twin share accom for the entire trip also, didnt wana risk getting stuck with a weirdo just incase!ahahaha
Gday Haze. U will be in for quite a shock weather wise considering the climate in Singapore. I have heard it gets very humid over there.I am staying at the Generator hostel before and after the contiki tour for a few nights. Its just down the road from the royal national and a lot cheaper. Probably because the Generator is a hostel and the royal national is a hotel but i believe the accom is still pretty similar.
Mel - In regards to shoes, i havent really thought about it much til now but i will probly take a pair of thongs (probly wont wear them during the contiki but i am living over in London afterwards so im sure they'll come in handy!), boots, probably my uggies cos i love them, 1 pair of heels and maybe sneakers or other comfy walking shoes. God knows how all of that will fit in my suitcase! Does any1 know what the maximum limit in kilograms is for ur luggage? Isnt it only 20 kgs or something plus carry on luggage??? Does it have this info somewhere on the contiki website?
Chat soon guys!

I'm taking these really comfy boots I got at the gold coast last christmas! some believe sneakers would be better, but these are realllly comfortable. then I have nearly knee high boots and thongs to wear in a room, or the brekkie room or whatever. and maybe another pair of boots (oh gosh im f*cked, too much)

I think i'll crave the travel bug so much that I will want to do weekend getaway trips jess! but yesss, US would be insane, but Europe I just imagine sooo many partying things and great sights and cool people.
Jess - yes we finish in London, last stop before is amsterdam, but I get what dani is saying, if we get WILD there at least the trip is over, altho that sounds depressing!
Um the weight I got told from the travel agent was 20kg and that you are only allowed to have your biggg luggage suitcase and just like your daily bag/backpack/handbag thing. No carry on luggage.

yaaay coming up quickly!!

yep you can only have 20kgs on the contiki tour but if you are talking airline it depends on who you are flying with some let you take more but then you will probably have to store it in london for those lucky enough to be moving over there!!
thanks for the ideas with the shoes, i also think it will come down to how my case looks packed :-)
And guess what my birthday is the last stop in the contiki so amersterdam, so it will have to be a big night!! 1 month and 29 days to go, woo hoo!!

Hi all,

To Mel:
As Spore is a rather small country, you can travel basically anywhere on the MRT (our train system here).U can consider getting a "Singapore Tourist Pass" which offers unlimited rides on the MRT at just SGD 8 per day. Its definitely a good deal! Once u arrive at Changi Airport, look out for the Singapore Visitors Centre (its at the arrival hall) whereby u can get tonnes of tourist information. Its like the "I" in Aust. =)
For further info,u can email me at hazecheong@gmail.com cos I dun wana hold up the space here. I'll be more than happy to answer u. =)

To Danielle & Tracey:
Thx for all yr suggestions. Guess I will have to do some shopping for winter clothings & shoes. =)
As for the accomodation, since all of u are either staying at the Royal National or Generator, I will consider taking either one.

Im really excited to meet all of u. =)