Anyone heard of or traveled with contiki tours?

[ScrimpAndSave]

I heard that it is a great way to travel if you are single...and I am single now and REALLY want to travel out of the country but I don't know where to start.

[MonkeyMama]

I've seen it on Real World. Hehe.

Actually, I don't remember the company but I went on a similar European tour in my early 20s. I would highly recommend. At the time, it was a pretty good deal.

At the time a lot of my friends were into backpacking Europe for months, but I had a job and responsibilities, etc. I personally preferred the formal tour. We covered a lot of area in a short amount of time. IT gives you a good idea of areas you may want to return to, and areas you wouldn't waste your money visiting later.

The tour was absolutely exhausting though, I Tell you that. The one I Went to kept costs down by putting us on FOUR flights to get from San Fancisco to Spain. Ugh. Something to be done in youth.

[paladin]

Contiki is a tour operator that does coach (bus) tours for travelers from 18 - 35. They have been around for quite some time (I remember booking them for clients when I was a leisure travel agent in the mid 80's) and they had a good reputation (though I can't vouch for them now).

They were always fairly inexpensive, however that also means that they use simpler hotels that tend to be fairly far from the city centers. In other words, don't go expecting to stay at Hilton or Marriott-style hotels.

They do have a website with lots of info (Travel Europe, Australia, New Zealand, USA and Canada — Tours for 18-35 year olds — Contiki Tours) and if you have a travel agent that you trust, you might want to talk to them.

As with all tours, be very aware of cancellation penalties.

[red92s]

I don't like traveling with large, conspicuous groups, but that is just my preference.

I ran into a group on a Contiki tour while in New Zealand, and they all seemed generally pleased with it.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

It's okay but only if you are like 25 or younger really.