Hi all
I am planning to go to Europe during December and looking at Guided tour options.
Student Flights/Flight center have suggested Contiki/Top Deck 12/14 day tours
Just wondering if anyone can share their experiences/reviews etc.
Also, any other companies that you guys can recommend.
Last but not the least, any pointers or websites to get bargain in OZB style will also be helpful. thanks
P.S: I will be travelling with my wife and looking at Hotel accommodations..
No it's Legen… wait for it… DARY!
ohh yes! ;)
But OP is going in European winter. Someone I know did a 5 week Contiki trip in December and said she could count on one hand the number of days the sun came out. She said the Eastern Europeans looked at the bus of Aussies arriving in their town and thought they were crazy.
Did she have an enjoyable experience though?
travel talk tours are definitely cheaper but you may or may not get the same experience you would from top deck / contiki but it depends on what type of travel you like.
If you can get to a travel and tours expo there are significant savings to be made.
https://www.traveltalktours.com/
I think it very much depends on what you want out of your holiday. I think tour groups have their place, but people don't always choose them for the right reasons.
If you're looking for the most cost-effective way to see a few cities in Europe, doing it on your own will be cheaper and you will likely stay in a better class of hotel.
If you're looking to cover a lot of ground in a short time - a tour will do that in some ways. Often they have a direct bus so you are not depending on other transport. But often also you stop in locations you personally are not interested in, they have compulsory lunch stops on highways or boring places you may have skipped if you were on your own (tour guides get free lunch/kickbacks so they will choose what pays them the best, not the nicest place to stop). They start late because someone in the group delays, they finish the day early because some in the group wants 'shopping time'. In total I think you would cover the same amount of places you are interested in on a tour versus on your own, because the time saved and the time lost balance out
If you're looking for the most hands-off way to organise a trip of Europe because you don't enjoy planning or coordinating transport, I think tours have their place here. But choose one that matches your style. If you are a party person choose Contiki. If you are not a party person, choose a tour with a different focus.
The party tours are often the cheaper tours, but if you are only looking to travel on a budget, I would reconsider, as you would be on a bus full of people with different priorities and the frustration/loss of time is seriously not worth the money saved.
Contiki in the summer is best ;)