Friday, January 13, 2012

Recommendation

This weeks Trip/Recommendation is Contiki.

Contiki does tours for 18-35 year olds.  Since I'm turning 36 years old this year I have maybe one more chance to take a tour and then I'll have to move on to taking different vacations and using different tour companies.  So I'm leaving Contiki to the next generation.

Contiki offers tours of Europe, North America (US, Canada, Mexico), Asia, Australia, New Zealand, and South America.

Contiki isn't for everyone.  I think it's great for young, less experienced travelers.  For the experienced or independent travelers, Contiki may not be a good fit.  While you do get a lot of free time, there are times when you are traveling in a big group and there is at times a schedule (unless you want to find your own way to the next city).  But it takes away the stress of planning transportation, choosing hotels, and it provides about half your meals.  This is even more comforting when you're traveling somewhere that they speak another language.

If you've never traveled to Europe before I would suggest a whirlwind tour that goes to a lot of places, that gives the opportunity to get to know different cultures and find out what you like.  If you've traveled a bit then I would suggest a regional tour, they go slower and you get a better feel for the areas you're visiting.

The tours I've taken, and they were all great -
California Highlights (kinda short and it's the last week of the Wild Western which can be weird)
European Discovery
Scandinavia and Russia
Egypt
England and Scotland