Hi all!
I have created a new updated website that has a nice layout than this with all the same helpful information!
Check it out at:
www.lynseystravels.weebly.com
Monday, September 21, 2009
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Next Trip Booked!!
So after a lot of debating, I've gone ahead and decided to book my next Contiki trip for this October! I will be heading on the 7 day Aegean Classic trip to Greece and Turkey! This is a cruise trip, so it is much different than most of the trips that Contiki is famous for, so I'll be sure to do a trip review of the Aegean Classic when I get back!
Update on Contiki Referral
So just a quick update on the Contiki Refer a Friend deal..unfortunately this deal is only offered to people from the US...so if you are from the US and are wanting to book a Contiki trip and would like to do the refer a friend deal, be sure to email me at lstuart722@gmail.com.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Travel Questions from Readers
So I am excited to see that quite a few people have been coming to the blog and checking everything out. What I am even more excited about are all the questions that you all have been emailing me or sending me through the Contiki Forums. To help out some more, I'm going to post all the questions that are sent to me in this post (I'll update it daily) with answers to give you even more information on what to expect. So keep reading and keep sending questions to me at lstuart722@gmail.com!
Questions:
1. How do we get into the cities each day?
Most days, if you are traveling with Contiki, the bus will take you directly into the city and you will have time to explore and then there will be a pick up point at a specific time. This is the easiest way to get in and out of the cities. If you want to stay in the city and explore longer, then you are able to (as long as the bus isn't leaving and going to the next city or else you will be left behind) and you can get a train or a taxi back to the hotel depending on which city you are in. In the small towns you visit (such as St. Goar, Lucerne, or Innsburck) you can even go into town and then walk back to the hotels. Larger cities, such as Rome, where you are staying quite a bit away from the city center, the bus will drive you to the train station, then you will take the train into town and again there will be a time that you need to meet the bus at the train station to get back to the hotel, but if you want to stay out later, you can grab a taxi at the train station back to the hotel later in the evening. In Paris, I choose to take the train everywhere and get the bus back at the end of the day and that was very easy to do, so in larger cities, the train is a great option.
2. Can I get the refer a friend discount if I have already booked my trip?
Unfortunately no, the refer a friend discount has to be given at the time you book. Also, in order to get it you also have to book a trip that is 8 days or longer. If you haven't booked your trip yet and want to get the refer a friend discount email me at lstuart722@gmail.com with your name and email address and I will set it up for you and contact you with more information.
3. Did I feel rushed on the Discovery Tour?
The European Discovery Tour does move very very fast, however, I personally felt as though I had enough time in each of the cities and did not feel too rushed. I also planned out what I wanted to do before I left, so I had a plan when I went into each of the cities. I think I may have felt more rushed if I was trying to figure out what to do in the time period we had in each of the cities. So I recommend looking up things to do in each city you will be visiting and at least figuring out the tope things you want to do in each city.
4. How many hours a day were you on the bus?
This really varied from day to day depending on where we were and where we were headed. I would say on average we were on the bus for about 4 to 6 hours each day, but most of the time we were sleeping or our tour manager kept us entertained. We did have a few long 8 hour days. The ride from Florence to Lucerne will seem like it is taking forever mostly because alomost the entire bus was sick and hungover.
5. Were there a lot of romances on your tour?
Every tour will be different, but our tour had quite a few couples on it to begin with and then there were a few romances that popped up throughout the tour between tourmates and then with tourmates and locals. Don't go expecting that you are going to have a romance...if it happens, it happens, and if not, you are going to be having a ton of fun anyway, so don't worry about it!
6. Did you use your IPOD a lot?
I used my ipod on the bus to help me fall asleep and sometimes at night to fall asleep too. I also have an ipod touch, so at hotels where there was wifi, I was able to use my ipod touch to get on the internet which was nice. I would recommend if you are thinking about bringing it to bring it. It is helpful to have to block out noise if you want to sleep on the bus or read in peace and others are being loud. Its also a good thing to have if you want to block out the world and have some "me time"
7. Would you recommend going solo?
If that is the only thing that is holding you back, then yes go solo. I loved going by myself because then I didn't need to worry about making sure anyone was happy and that I was doing what they wanted to do and what I wanted to do in each city. There are also going to be quite a few people on each tour that are there by themselves, so you won't be the only one. I really liked going by myself and making new friends. And I wandered around Paris by myself the last day and was so happy to have done that. So going by yourself is fine. Just make friends!
8. How much are drinks and can you get more than just beer and wine?
To be honest, I really don't remember how much drinks were. Some I know were as cheap as 2 euro for a shot or a beer and others were as expensive as 12 euro for a mixed drink. You can get more than just beer or wine, but those options will be the cheapest for the most part. I ended up drinking mostly whiskey because that is what I like, but I also had my share of wine, beer, and whatever the local drink was.
9. Do all tours visit Dachau?
This one I'm really not sure about. From all that I have heard from people on other discovery tours, they have all went to Dachau on their tour, so my assumption is yes. If you are interested in this, that might be something to ask when you are booking your tour.
Questions:
1. How do we get into the cities each day?
Most days, if you are traveling with Contiki, the bus will take you directly into the city and you will have time to explore and then there will be a pick up point at a specific time. This is the easiest way to get in and out of the cities. If you want to stay in the city and explore longer, then you are able to (as long as the bus isn't leaving and going to the next city or else you will be left behind) and you can get a train or a taxi back to the hotel depending on which city you are in. In the small towns you visit (such as St. Goar, Lucerne, or Innsburck) you can even go into town and then walk back to the hotels. Larger cities, such as Rome, where you are staying quite a bit away from the city center, the bus will drive you to the train station, then you will take the train into town and again there will be a time that you need to meet the bus at the train station to get back to the hotel, but if you want to stay out later, you can grab a taxi at the train station back to the hotel later in the evening. In Paris, I choose to take the train everywhere and get the bus back at the end of the day and that was very easy to do, so in larger cities, the train is a great option.
2. Can I get the refer a friend discount if I have already booked my trip?
Unfortunately no, the refer a friend discount has to be given at the time you book. Also, in order to get it you also have to book a trip that is 8 days or longer. If you haven't booked your trip yet and want to get the refer a friend discount email me at lstuart722@gmail.com with your name and email address and I will set it up for you and contact you with more information.
3. Did I feel rushed on the Discovery Tour?
The European Discovery Tour does move very very fast, however, I personally felt as though I had enough time in each of the cities and did not feel too rushed. I also planned out what I wanted to do before I left, so I had a plan when I went into each of the cities. I think I may have felt more rushed if I was trying to figure out what to do in the time period we had in each of the cities. So I recommend looking up things to do in each city you will be visiting and at least figuring out the tope things you want to do in each city.
4. How many hours a day were you on the bus?
This really varied from day to day depending on where we were and where we were headed. I would say on average we were on the bus for about 4 to 6 hours each day, but most of the time we were sleeping or our tour manager kept us entertained. We did have a few long 8 hour days. The ride from Florence to Lucerne will seem like it is taking forever mostly because alomost the entire bus was sick and hungover.
5. Were there a lot of romances on your tour?
Every tour will be different, but our tour had quite a few couples on it to begin with and then there were a few romances that popped up throughout the tour between tourmates and then with tourmates and locals. Don't go expecting that you are going to have a romance...if it happens, it happens, and if not, you are going to be having a ton of fun anyway, so don't worry about it!
6. Did you use your IPOD a lot?
I used my ipod on the bus to help me fall asleep and sometimes at night to fall asleep too. I also have an ipod touch, so at hotels where there was wifi, I was able to use my ipod touch to get on the internet which was nice. I would recommend if you are thinking about bringing it to bring it. It is helpful to have to block out noise if you want to sleep on the bus or read in peace and others are being loud. Its also a good thing to have if you want to block out the world and have some "me time"
7. Would you recommend going solo?
If that is the only thing that is holding you back, then yes go solo. I loved going by myself because then I didn't need to worry about making sure anyone was happy and that I was doing what they wanted to do and what I wanted to do in each city. There are also going to be quite a few people on each tour that are there by themselves, so you won't be the only one. I really liked going by myself and making new friends. And I wandered around Paris by myself the last day and was so happy to have done that. So going by yourself is fine. Just make friends!
8. How much are drinks and can you get more than just beer and wine?
To be honest, I really don't remember how much drinks were. Some I know were as cheap as 2 euro for a shot or a beer and others were as expensive as 12 euro for a mixed drink. You can get more than just beer or wine, but those options will be the cheapest for the most part. I ended up drinking mostly whiskey because that is what I like, but I also had my share of wine, beer, and whatever the local drink was.
9. Do all tours visit Dachau?
This one I'm really not sure about. From all that I have heard from people on other discovery tours, they have all went to Dachau on their tour, so my assumption is yes. If you are interested in this, that might be something to ask when you are booking your tour.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Contiki Referral
So if after reading this you are ready to book a trip with Contiki, please consider using the refer a friend deal. I can refer you and if you mention me when booking, then I will get $100 and you will get $100 in excursion dollars to use on your trip...this is a GREAT deal, so please contact me at lstuart722@gmail.com
I hope that you will leave comments on this blog and I hope that it has been helpful for you. If you have any further questions, please contact me at lstuart722@gmail.com
I hope that you will leave comments on this blog and I hope that it has been helpful for you. If you have any further questions, please contact me at lstuart722@gmail.com
More Sites to Check Out
Below are few more sites that you should take some time to check out....
www.contiki.com
www.contiki.com
- Plan a trip
- Get advice on the Forums
- Use the Contikipedia for more information and advice
- Great site to search for cheap flights around the world
- Two great student websites
- Book flights
- Book hotels/hostels
- Purchase needed supplies
- Great site to check on European weather and what the highs and lows for a month are usually
- GREAT site to plan out your transportation routes around London
- Wanting to backpack around Europe, or go on a cheap trip? This is a GREAT site put together by an individual who back packed around Europe in 20005
- Great resources!
A Few More Tips...
Here are a few more tips, suggestions, and words of advice for your trip to Europe...
- Make sure you choose a trip that includes everything you want to see or do
- RESEARCH....figure out what is going to be best for you...going on your own or doing an organized trip
- RESEARCH MORE...figure out what it is you want to do in each of the cities you are visiting this way you make the most of your time
- Book ahead...anytime you can, go ahead and purchase tickets beforehand either online or at a location where lines may not be as long
- Actually experience the culture...don't just go to the McDonalds in every city...try the local food, experience the local culture...try to learn some of the language...takes chances and risks...you never know when you will be back again
- Remember that you are going to have to pay to go to the bathroom, so make sure you have coins at all times
- Make a budget and stick to it
- Don't convert when you are on vacation...if you have a budget and you know how much you can spend, make sure you are only thinking in Euros...trust me...you don't want to be converting everything back because most times it will make you sick and make you miss out on experiences, food, or souvenirs that you will regret not doing or getting later...
- Know that its okay to overspend and overpack...and on the other hand, know its okay to not spend as much or pack as much as the rest of your tour
- Make sure you have the right converters for your electronics because it won't be good if you don't
- PACK A TRAVEL ALARM CLOCK....trust me, wake up calls don't always happen in Europe and you don't want to miss the buss or miss out on valuable time in each city, so its best that you have an alarm clock
- Be aware of the people around you in crowded cities...don't walk around paranoid because that will only make you stand out more, but do be aware...look after your money....don't flaunt the cash that you have and be careful at ATMs
- Always have some sort of emergency cash set aside for just in case moments
- Take a copy of all your important documents...passport, license, insurance etc...and have phone numbers of all your credit cards and have a copy of each credit card number for just in case
- Carry your passport with you at all times
- Make sure you do the research to find out if you are going to need a visa in any of the countries you will be visiting
- Be aware of the weather...winter is cold and wet in Europe, so pack for that type of weather
- If you drink the night before you are going into a new city, make sure you won't be too hungover to miss the sites or not appreciate everything you are seeing
- BRING MEDICINE!!!
- Live it up...do and experience as much as you can, because if you don't you will regret it
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