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Tips for Contiki Tours
- For budget/concept tours, you need a sleeping bag. I had
brought a light sleeping bag but never used it. It was warm enough that
I just slept in my sleeping bag liner (could've used a sheet instead) and I had a light fleece blanket.
About half the cabins had blankets anyways.
- For budget tours, you need a towel as well. I had a
quick drying tech fiber towel but brought a hand towel last minute.
The tech towel was more like a squeege and didn't absorb much water.
The combination worked well since I could use the hand towel to dry off
completely after initially drying with the tech towel.
- Bring some dressy clothes/shoes for dinner and clubs.
- Bring a travel pillow for the bus. I had a
pillow liner I would stuff my fleece into.
- If you're going to drink wine, bring a real corkscrew
(swiss army knives don't work too well) but don't have it in your carry-on in
the plane. Wine is inexpensive by the bottle in the stores.
- A big question is what optionals to sign up for.
I'd recommend doing the ones you can afford and are interested in. Meals
are not going to be in the best restaurants nor are they going to be the best
deals but it is an organized group event and a chance to get to know your
fellow bus mates.
- Remember you may only be in a city only once in your
lifetime. Don't miss out because of cost. You're in Europe,
everything is expensive.
- Travellers cheques were not too much of an issue for
those using them since there are both Travellex (Thomas Cook) and American Express outlets
in most major cities. I got by fine with just my ATM card and credit
cards. There were only a few occasions where my ATM card didn't work.
I also had an emergency 50€ stashed in case I was pickpocketed.
- Everyone on our bus was warned about pickpockets and
was very aware about security, especially in crowds and on the metro. Most
of us had our packs locked (though we had fun picking each other's combination
locks) and moved our packs to our front in crowds.
- Most subway systems in major cities are easy to use
so it becomes very easy to get around with a map and a transit pass.
- In Europe, the best deal for internet is the
easyInternet chain. Only 2-4€ per hour depending on time of day and
location. Internet was the most expensive at exclusive Contiki sites.
- You're typically going to spend about a day in any
city. You're not going to be able to see or do everything. Contiki
is a great way to travel solo or to see places that would be difficult to get
to if backpacking.
General Travel Tips
- Change money at home before arriving in a new
country. Airport currency exchange typically will have both terrible
rates and charge a hefty commission. You'll need enough money to take the
metro or bus. Don't count on finding an ATM at the airport.
- If you're going to bring electrical appliances (hair
dryers, shavers, battery chargers), make sure they are universal
voltage compatible (usually with a switch). Just changing the plug type may blow up
your device (a few on our bus found this out) without a separate voltage converter.
Though my shaver and battery charger were universal, my adapter actually didn't work for most of Europe (needed round plug with
round pins)
- If taking a taxi, find out the approximate cost
to get to your destination beforehand to avoid getting ripped off. Make
sure drivers use the meter. Sometimes there will be a 1 or 2 indicator
on the taxi which indicates what fare rate is being used. It's typically
more expensive at night.
Has this information been helpful?? Do you have a
suggestion or comment.
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