For only my second time ever out of the country I chose to spend a total of close to 3 months away during the summer of 2011. This consisted of about 3 weeks in Europe and 2 months in Thailand. The Euro-trip was pretty spontaneous, decision-wise. In the spring, a college friend of mine said, “Hey, me and a friend are thinking about Europe this summer. Do you want to go?” and I was like “F#€$ yeah!” Simple as that.
The trip was a Contiki tour. I had never heard of this company or concept before I went. Contiki is a company that facilitates tours, their target group is 18 to 35 year olds and they do Europe, Asia, Australia, New Zealand and North America.
Contiki, contiki…where do I begin. I had ‘no’ idea what I was getting into. This whole trip was one non-stop party. I had too much fun and the tour span of 16 days felt like a week.
The main locations that were included in this trip were Paris, Nice, Monaco, Florence, Rome, Venice, Munic, Amsterdam.
Great times were had, dope memories. And I met some pretty cool peoples that I don’t think I would’ve met under different circumstances.  There were Aussies (Australians), Kiwis (New Zealanders), Singaporeans, Canadians, Japanese, South Africans, and Americans.  If I could do it all again starting tomorrow, I would without hesitation.
 However, I will say this…
There would be a couple of tweaks to make for a better trip. If you’re planning to Contiki it up soon, this may help you.
 The Bus.
Contiki offers different variations of tours that visit different cities with different modes of travel. Â For the el’ cheapos, you can go for the bus. Â For those balling outta control, you can opt for the train or plane travel mode. During a 16 day trip, we had to have been on that damn bus for a sum of 4 days. Â It seemed as the pattern went like, arrive in new city, check stuff out, go on walking tour, get some food, drink, snap some pics, drink, party, sleep, get up at 7am for the bus, try and sleep-off your hangover while avoiding leg-cramps. Next city. Repeat.
Resolution.
Don’t be stingy and spring for the non-bus option. With this option, you’ll have less road time, more in-city time. Otherwise, you better bring a good-ass neck pillow, and an iPad with beacoup movies pre-downloaded from iTunes.
 Bed Bugs.
Some of the hostels and hotels that Contiki contracts with in select cities aren’t quite up to snuff. Â Your digs can range from “home sweet home” to “I’d rather sleep under the stars in my drawers”. Â On my trip, there were quite a few cases of bed bug attacks. Seeing how those bites looked on people turned my stomach. Â I was one of the lucky ones that wasn’t a victim.
Resolution.
Contiki gives you a new sleeping bag for your trip. Use it ‘always’.  The reason for the sleeping bag, they say is because all of the accommodations don’t have bedding sheets.  Which they all didn’t.  But what they’re indirectly stating is, “some of the hostels and hotels are filthy, so you might just want to use this at all times”.  I always slept in my sleeping bag and even fully clothed at the dingiest places. I was good to go.
 Euro Wall Outlet.
Sometimes you may be sharing a room with 3 other people and there is only one damn outlet in the whole place. Â Everyone wants to charge their iPhones and DSLRs at once. Â Not happening.
Resolution.
Bring a multi-outlet extension cord.  Just a small one that is around 4 feet would do and that has about three receptacles on it. In those worst-cases you’ll need the length to plug-in behind some furniture.  And of course, don’t forget the outlet adapter. Get a universal one.
 Theft.
I took my MacBook, iPhone, iPod, iPad (call me a fanboy, I guess) because I wasn’t going home for 2 months after Contiki. Â However, please believe me when I say, don’t bring anything of major value unless you really have to. Â When you’re sharing a room with others who may have a guest with sticky fingers, or have them themselves. It’s best not to have anything of major value. I did have a cable-lock for my MacBook, but I preferably wouldn’t have had any of my pricey stuff with me at all. These things stayed on my mind.
Resolution.
Don’t bring anything that would kill your entire mood for the trip if it got lost/stolen.
 Luggage.
I thought I was being smart by only bringing a carry-on suitcase and backpack with me on this trip. Â I precisely folded all of my stuff and surprised myself with how much I was able to get in them. Â I only brought carry-on luggage because I didn’t want the hassle of baggage-claim-wait and customs-exit during connecting international flights (if different carriers are used). I was too smart for my own good. Â Because I had to play Tetris during the mornings when it came time to leave for the next city.
Resolution.
Bring a large luggage piece, fill it with as much as you can while staying under the 44 pound limit that Contiki enforces. You should also leave room to bring some stuff back, if you want.
 Souvenirs.
Skip the souvenirs, everything is going to seem so cool at first. You’ll want to impulse buy a bunch of stuff. Â But chances are, you’ll get home and never wear or look at it again.
Resolution.
Save  your souvenir money and spend it on an experience.  They’re much better than tangible things.  Splurge on that really nice restaurant for lunch, bet the team of kids on the streets hustling that you can break-dance better than them, pay to have a dozen doves released. Whatever you’re into.
 Walking Tours.
Many times, you’d be better-off wandering around on your own and checking stuff out. Â Walking tours are exhausting. Â They feel like a job to me. Â Like I should be getting paid to follow you while you walk backwards and say things that I can barely hear anyway. Â Besides, a lot of the stuff that is learned, you may just forget in like 2 days anyway.
Resolution.
Don’t just do tours because it’s what you’re supposed to do.  Do them because you genuinely have an interest in the architecture of the house Michelangelo grew up in.
 Sleep.
Do fight the temptation to sleep-in or go to bed early while the rest of the group is out having a blast. Â I promise that the rest will not be worth missing all of the fun. Â And the best stuff always happens when you miss-out.
Resolution.
Man-up. Go with the group, even when you’re tired. I made the mistake of going to bed early one night and was mad jealous when I heard about the eventful night had. Don’t do this. Sleep when trip is over.
 Contiki Clubs.
I believe Contiki has a contract with all of the hostels/hotels that are a part of the trip. Â Most of these places have a bar with music and many times, there would just be multiple Contiki tour groups at these places. Â Primarily this was the case because the site was far from the city-center. Â This is fine and all. But it kind of sucks to be in Rome and be around a bunch of Australians.
Resolution.
Hire a cab and go on a random excursion in a particular city with some of your tour mates. Â Find a local hangout. Go where there is a language barrier. This option would definitely trump some of the canned-events that Contiki would have. Â I regret not doing this.
 Drinking.
Contiki tours are known for the party aspect. And when I say “party”, I mean the indulgence in adult beverages. AKA Booze.
Resolution.
If you’re going to lush it up, I’d suggest getting a couple of handles at the airport, duty-free. Â This way, you’ll save some cash. And you won’t have to pay the equivalent of bar prices just to pre-game. Nah Mean.
 Sickness.
Nearly everyone on this trip got sick. Â They called it the “Contiki Cough”. Â After a while of always being on the move, sleep deprivation, binge drinking, and loads of time on a bus with poor air-circulation. Your body might just cry foul.
Resolution.
Be conscious of your health always and still choose foods that are proper for a good immune system.  Don’t drink excessively. And it might just be a good idea to bring your own asprin, pepto, nyquil, hot toddy,first aid kit, and etcetera. You definitely don’t want to have to hunt for meds when you’re under the weather.
If I had someone tell me this stuff in advance, what was a good experience could’ve been mo’ better. A Contiki trip will give you just a glimpse of multiple areas. This is a good way to sample different locations so you can decide later where to return to for a longer period of time. There are some with bias towards backpacking independently and some towards a tour group. There are pros and cons to each, but I don’t think you could go wrong with Contiki, especially if you’re new to the concept of international travel. It has definitely opened my eyes and given me the desire to see more of the world and create new experiences.
“I WANT WHAT’S COMING TO ME…” No, I have never heard of Contiki. I don’t know where I’d go I’ve never been outside the US. I would definitely go as a group.
Contiki is cool, I’d safe if you’re in your early 30’s or younger and want to party really hard while experiencing new countries. Otherwise there are other tour group companies that are a different speed. But as a new traveler, there’s nothing like the learning experiences gained. So I highly suggest it.
Hey! First, thanks sooo much for this post. I’ve been thinking about taking a 3 week Contiki trip to Europe for quite some time now, so I REALLY appreciate your advise. I just wanted to know…what did you think about the length of time? Did 3 weeks seem to long, to short, or just the right amount of time?
Hey Faith, I apologize for the delayed reply. I somehow didn’t get notification of your comment. But anyways…3 weeks was just about right as far as length of time. It flew by because there was always exciting stuff to do. But any longer and I think I would’ve started to hate it. Kinda like staying at a party for too long.
Hey Justin,
First of all, thanks a lot for putting together a solid review of Contiki with the pros and cons. It’s ridiculous trying to find a good one online. I’m going on the Russia Plus tour through Finland, Russia, Belarus, and Poland on July 1st. I read what you said about bringing all the equipment (Macbook, iPad etc.) and I was curious about that. I just bought a Nexus to take and download some movies for the brutal flights to get to Helsinki, from San Diego. And to watch on the bus. I don’t want to be trippin about my stuff getting stolen like you said, and I was wondering if maybe they let you leave important stuff in the bus, locked away somewhere? I am bringing a personal lock to put on my luggage, but I don’t know if that would really give me piece of mind. The only other thing I’m trippin about is the people on my tour. I don’t want a bunch of annoying a$$ amateur drinkers to deal with all the time. I’m down to party and all that, but not to the point where the whole trip is just a blur. But I’m hoping for a decent crew to roll around with outside of the standard Contiki assigned stuff. I speak Russian fairly well and the language barrier is real tough if you don’t speak any. Cause I’ve been to Russia before, and it aint exactly safe for brothas to roll around solo if you nah mean haha. I guess you can’t really give advice about that, but hopefully I’ll meet some like minded people. Any any other advice you can give me I would definitely appreciate it. Thanks man!
If you’re going to bring the Nexus, you should be fine. I suggest that you take it with you wherever you go. As far as the people, I’ve only done a trip like this once, so I’ll say that the people will be pretty cool and outgoing in general. The entire nature of those trips are very social. So that’s a plus.
Depending on where you stay at night, you may be mixed in with other tour groups. That’s where you really need to keep an eye on your stuff.
And yes, definitely do your own thing at night instead of the pre-packaged contiki events. At least after the first few nights. Many of the events will be kind of pointless as they only involve your tour group. Like a bar-night at the hostel. What’s the purpose of visiting Russia, if your going to be around the same 40 people 100% of your trip.
As far as additional tips, be sure to pack light and be under the luggage weight limit. I think it’s 50 Kilos. Only bring the basics and just plan on finding a place to do laundry where you can.
Be safe man. I’d love to hear about your trip and your experience after it’s done. Let’s linkup on facebook, if you’re active there.
Hey Justin,
Thanks for your article. It was definitely helpful for planning for my trip. I’ll be leaving for the Eastern Road tour next week. I will also be spending an extra week in Bavaria while in Europe (three weeks total).
Regarding electronics, I just bought my first DSLR Canon so I can take great scenic pics on my trip. In addition, I am also bringing my:
-iPhone 4S
-small travel speaker (to blast pregame music at the hotels)
-old digital point-and-shoot digital camera (expendable and ideal for bar tours)
– small digital camcorder (getting footage; this was very beneficial on my last trip to Europe)
All my tech easily fits in my DSLR case with lenses.
That bag fits with plenty of vacant space in my carry-on.
My question is this: Am I packing too many electronics for this trip?
The short answer is HELL YEAH!
You can take pretty good photos/videos with your iPhone 4S, so I’d eliminate the point and shoot and your camcorder. And you can take video with your DSLR as well, which is another reason to ditch the camcorder. If I were you, I’d only bring the iPhone, travel speaker, and maybe the DSLR.
And I’d really question bringing the DSLR at all. I guarantee that many of the hotels you stay at will not have a safe for you to stash your pricey equipment in. And How hurt would you be if your 1K plus worth of camera and lenses came up missing or broken? If you’d be depressed, then there’s your answer to leave it at home.
Haha you make a very valid point regarding my point-and-shoot and camcorder. I also have a large memory card (~32GB) for the SLR and over 20GB of space for pics and footage on my iPhone.
For context regarding my logic, my last trip to Europe was two years ago before I had an iPhone. My point-and shoot and camcorder were both very useful on the trip. In addition, I was also carrying an iPod and flip cell phone. All of my devices were very safe and hidden in my hotel room when I wasn’t using them.
That being said, my iPhone will roughly take the same quality pictures as my old point-and-shoot, so I can easily leave that behind. It will be one less electronic to worry about.
Regarding my DSLR camera, it is an entry level DSLR that was less than $500, and I have only two lenses for it; I would easily hide one in my luggage in my hotel room while away. I bought it specifically for this trip and have insurance for it should something happen.
Regarding my camcorder, I am still on the fence about it. My iPhone takes okay footage, but no where near the quality of my camcorder. I don’t know how it compare with my DSLR, but it is much more portable and could fit in my pocket. I will have some time before I leave and will have an opportunity to compare the two.
Your feedback was very insightful and has already lightened my load quite a bit.
what clothing should you take and how many pairs of shoes? doing a 3 week europe tour and a 10 day turkey and greek island tour swell?
Just take clothes that can very versatile from casual to dressy. I had about 3 pairs of shoes. But that’s just me. You’ll have to just imagine what you may wear on a daily basis and do your best to pack the minimum for that. There will be opportunities to do laundry.
Hi, first of all thanks for the great information! I’ll be doing the European whirl and I was just wondering what were the hostels/hotels/cabins like? were they comfy what were the showers like?
Thanks!!
Hi Lauren,
To be quite frank, most of the accommodations that I experienced where very minimal. It didn’t bother me too much, as the people and the places made up for it. The showers were ok, pretty consistent. However I was on a different trip than you’ll be on with a different route and stops. You may have a completely different experience. In a nutshell, I’d say don’t focus too much on the accommodations, as you shouldn’t be spending that much time resting anyway.
Hey Justin,
I am going to France from January to May 2015 as an exchange student (20 years old). I was wondering if going on a contiki tour would really be worth it because I am there for 5 months and I could visit the European countries really easily. I was thinking that I could use the $2000 to book my own trip and do my own thing, would I really be missing out if I don’t do this contiki tour?
Hi Devi,
That’s a really good question.
Doing your own thing with the $2,000 wouldn’t be a bad option if you just go at it solo. I don’t think that would be a bad option at all, especially since you will already have a feel for what it feels like outside of your country due to the French student experience.
At the same time, Contiki is an experience of its own. And so much ground is covered in so short of time with Contiki. And with so many strangers that become a group of friends for the moment and party every night. It’s an experience that I’d recommend everyone do at least once especially if they’re single.
Thanks so much for this review. I plan on taking the Europe tour for 18 days. I was concerned about the hotel, hostel accommodations as I do not do bugs or people with bad hygiene nor do I want to share my personal space when I am sleeping so I will see if I can pay extra for hotel accommodations only with single occupancy. I did want to know if they group people by age. I ‘m 34 so im well past my drink til I throw up days nor do I want to be around people pissy ass drunk every night. I’m down to party but I fear I may get stuck with a bunch of 20 year olds. None the less I look forward to tweaking some things about this trip.
Honestly, you might want to consider a different tour group. After reading your preferences, I don’t think you’d like Contiki. There are other tour groups that are more geared towards the 30+ crowd and omit the party life aspect.
Hi I’m 20 and I was just wondering if you have any recommendations for other tour trips preferably for students.. (I’ve traveled with the People to People Student Ambassador program, amazing experience, and I’ve also traveled with EF tours also a great experience) The reason I was checking out Contiki was because it seems to be more affordable (or at least the trips I was looking at) in comparison to EF tours and P2P. I’m just really nervous about the whole bed bug thing and I’m a photographer so I bring my DSLR with me everywhere (with 3 lenses). After reading this I’m second guessing things. Maybe you have recommendations for other trips? Also, I was worried about the whole age thing, like I’m not sure if I’m going to fit in around a bunch of 30 year olds and I’m 10 years younger. Suggestions? Thanks !
You’ll be fine age wise. There’s usually more young twenty somethings than any other age group. And I wouldn’t worry so much about the bedbugs as I would about that DSLR getting stolen. As long as you’re mindful you’ll be OK. There were other people on my trip with their DSLRs and I had my macbook and other things. Just be street wise at all times.
Hi! I was wondering if Contiki is really strict with baggage weight and size? I am planning on joing a contiki US tour on december. Its winter time so I think I will be packing a lot of things. Im scared that I might exceed the baggage weight limit of contiki which is just 20 kilos.
Yes, they are.
Hi thanks for the insight. Im 33 just booked contiki to travel to spain 14 nights on spanish spree holiday. Hoping now i did the right thing the other companies i wanted to go with the average age profile wa 40-50! I wish there was something for late 20s/30s. I can party with the best of them and most of my friends are 23/24 but im worried if i stay in or opt to go home early the odd night am i excluding myself from the group
Hi Evelyn, I think you’ll be fine. I’d say between your two options, Contiki is the favorable bet versus hanging with the middle-aged crowd. You definitely need not party every night. For 14 nights in a row, I’d advise against it. Hangovers at 33, last quite a bit longer than they did at 23. Take it easy on the booze, but definitely don’t exclude yourself from the group. Catch-up on sleep when the tour is over. You’re going there not only to see new sights, but to create new memories with some people that you’ll never forget. Have fun!
Hi, great article!
I’m looking into a 26-day Eastern/Northern Europe tour – I’m 21, so the partying thing doesn’t really bother me. However, I’m a seasoned traveler, as I’ve been to Western Europe countless times (my dad grew up in Italy) and I’m not shy/uncomfortable with international travel. So, I’m wondering if this is the right kind of tour for me? Will I still have a good time, or will I be burdened by a bunch of newbie travelers and the expectation from Contiki that I’m just as inexperienced?
I think you could still have a good time on Contiki, even if some of the tour stops are to locations that you’ve visited previously. 26 days is a mighty long-time, so take it slow. I bet you’ll have an amazing time.
Hey, thanks for the helpful article! I’m looking into doing a Contiki tour in Europe within the next couple months and am trying to read up on it as much as I can.
One thing i’m concerned about is, I’m a 24 y/o female and will be going alone. I’m not single, but my boyfriend really supports me going and doing my own thing for a few weeks. Even though I’ve travelled a bit I’ve never been to Europe and I’ve always dreamed of exploring on my own. However, while I like to have fun and party a little, I don’t want to spend my time in Europe strictly going out and getting drunk. And definitely not interested in the “hook up culture” that seems to be prominent on these types of trips. I’m hoping to meet new friends but I want to meet the locals and immerse myself in the culture, too. I was thinking of planning my own trip, but the reason that Contiki appeals to me is that it’s already planned/organized for you, and I just feel like I don’t know enough about planning a trip to Europe that trying to do it on my own could be a complete disaster. At the same time, I don’t want to waste my time doing a lot of organized activities that Contiki has planned that I might not be interested in… what do you think?
I’d say go for it. Everyone will not be getting drunk and having random hookups. Will there be a few? Of course. However, aside from that. Contiki does a great job at facilitating their tours and making sure that they’re memorable for everyone. Let me know how it goes!
Hi, I’m 20 and I’m planning a solo Contiki trip in September to Europe (European Trails). I was SUPER excited, however after reading the reviews, I’m not so sure . I’m so up for meeting new people and some drinking, but I also want a nice memorable trip. My biggest concern is I’ve read the trip is 40% on the bus (like everytime they mention “see” for sights, for example, the leaning tower of Pisa, it’s viewing things from the window of the coach bus. Is it like viewing everything from the bus or do we actually get to get off and look around? I don’t care about the hit and miss meals or the shitty hotels-bugs creep me out- but I can handle it as long as I get to walk my fat ass of that bus and walk around them concentration camps in Poland.
Hi Raquel, you shouldn’t worry. They do let you off of the bus for the major attractions. You usually are given enough time to get off, take enough pictures, and get bored, before it’s time to get back on the bus and move on. Have fun!
Hands down the worst experience of my life. I strongly advise against going on this tour or any tour with contiki for that matter. Definitely not as advertised. Some of the people on the tour were hospitalized due to the accommodation. You literally leave every morning at 7 or 8am and get a day or two in every city. The staff are very careless and are intoxicated every night and hungover every morning. You will be staying in roach invested 1 star motels or campsites. Do yourself a favor and stay away from contiki. Save the money and backpack. You’ll have a much better time. Many people from our tour left and paid for their own accommodation and travel expenses.
Wow. Sorry to hear that