Contiki New Zealand Solo Experiences?

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  jjjaar on 29/05/2019 - 18:40

  +2

  I’ve been on many tours with multiple tour companies as a solo person and with other friends and I’ve always had a great time.

  None of these have been in nz but I know two people that have done solo contiki in NZ (at different times, they don’t know each other), and they’ve loved it. If I wanted to go to NZ and couldn’t find anyone to go with, I would 100% consider it.

  When you join contiki as a solo traveller, about 60% of the tour is solo, so you’ll always have someone to talk to. You’ll also be roomed with someone so you usually get along with them because you kinda have to haha. Most tour guides will also force a speed dating get to know as well, so that’s awkward. And people that travel with others are often just as inclusive and friendly. You don’t go on a contiki to ignore everyone but your one friend, do you?!

  Note: I solo travel a lot too and always consider tours v solo for each trip. The destination is more of my priority, then if the tours fit I’ll do them, if not, I won’t.

  Regarding the tour vibe, every tour is different. It completely depends on others on your tour. However, no one judges. I’ve been the party person, I’ve been the one in bed by 8pm, I’ve been both on one tour. The thing I love about tours is if you want a night out, someone else will, so you can do it.

  Contiki can be a bit painful with their optional extras. The guides get commission on the ones you do, so they will pressure you to do them. Just be firm if you know you’re not interested. I’ve been on tours and only done 10% of them, but also done 80% of them on others. Just be sure to research them and know what you want to do, and add it to the budget cost! (Also note some are seasonal, so some they list may not be available and other ones may be).

  Food and drink is a difficult thing. Most tours stop in towns with cafes and supermarkets, so you can go to supermarkets and buy stuff to pack lunches, or you can spend $20 a day on lunches in cafes. I would budget for the latter and be happy when you can save a little. Drinks is as much as you want to spend, and 1 in 2-3 dinners will be included, so add another $30 for every 2 in 3 days.

  End note: I’ve met some of my closest friends doing tours. I’ve also met amazing people and have accomodation in various cities across the world. These benefits last!

  • 

    GossipGoat on 29/05/2019 - 21:53

    Thank you so much for that in-depth answer. Definitely has made me more keen on on going solo through contiki!

    • 

      jjjaar on 29/05/2019 - 23:17

      No worries! Feel free to PM or ask here if you have any other questions. =)

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  timthetoolman on 29/05/2019 - 18:44

  +1

  Done a couple of tours and about 2 days in you forget who came with who. I would happily go on my own. Go nuts!
  Have a look at their itinery and you'll see what they cover, it is usually the most well know and must see sites, plus the good locals spots the tour guides would have discovered through visiting often.

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  aggregate on 29/05/2019 - 19:37

  +1

  When are you planning on going? Keep in mind that in winter conditions some outdoor activities can be unpleasant ( e.g. hiking/tramping)

  Contiki might end up a bit cheaper. Travelling solo with a car means you have to pay for petrol and rental all by yourself. Some possible week-long routes for you to consider are : Christchurch to Queenstown via Tekapo. Christchurch to Queenstown via Arthur Pass. Wellington to Auckland via ohakune/Taupō/Rotorua.

  Food and drinks wise, you can spend very little or a lot, just like anywhere you go,

  • 

    GossipGoat on 29/05/2019 - 21:57

    Sometime in July. TBH i am kinda hoping to get in the winter season as I waant to see the snow and snow-capped mountains when doing skydives and such!

    I have been doing some rough research, and accommodation for two (albeit slightly better than hostels) and fuel/car hire seems to be adding quite a lot almost making contiki a not that expensive option

    • 

      aggregate on 30/05/2019 - 10:07

      Have you considered staying in Queenstown for your entire trip? There are plenty of activities to do in that small town and you don't need to hire a car at all. You also won't be spending a significant amount of time on the road. There are also a number of ski resorts located close to Queenstown.

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  Halo375 on 29/05/2019 - 20:00

  +1

  I did NZ solo with contiki and had a great time. Met some really friendly people - mostly aussies and had a lot of fun. I probably spent about $400 doing three bungee jumps and a skydive. Plenty of things to do for free too. I say go for it, one of my best holidays ever. Spend and extra few hundred bucks and you can get your own room too or they’ll pair you up with someone else (which is fine too).

  • 

    GossipGoat on 29/05/2019 - 21:58

    $400 for 3 bungee jumps and a skydive sounds cheap as chips! Do you remember which ones you did?

    • 

      Halo375 on 30/05/2019 - 21:03

      This was 10 years so who knows what it costs now. The jumps were all A J Hackett at Queenstown. Best and safest place to do it.

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  altomic on 29/05/2019 - 21:14

  +1

  I did NZ solo (no tour).

  met an israeli girl the second day there and spent 2 weeks hitchhiking around with her (just friends). still friends 20 years later.

  travelling alone can be great.

  • 

    GossipGoat on 29/05/2019 - 21:58

    Yeah I do like the thought of travelling alone but I will admit I haven't done any travel ever so it does scare me so I figured going solo in a contiki tour might be a good first step

    • 

      altomic on 29/05/2019 - 22:17

      yeah, though it is NZ, so it is basically australia.

      enjoy your trip. I recommend doing a skydive whilst there.

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  inherentchoice on 29/05/2019 - 21:26

  I did North Island with Contiki and South Island with Topdeck. On two separate trips. Both times solo.

  Honestly I preferred the Topdeck tour but maybe that was just my experience. Also I did both many years ago. The Topdeck tour had a lot of Europeans and Canadians compared to Contiki which was like 85% Australias and some North/South Americans.

  I don't think you can go too wrong with either but you should shop around.

  After going to NZ I kind of caught the travel bug, but I have since lost it.

  The Kiwi Experience bus packages are good value and will have lots of young people from UK, Germany and Scandinavia.

  https://www.kiwiexperience.com/

  There's another rival company called Stray. Personality I think there are some good tour deals from Peter Pans…

  https://peterpans.com/deals-new-zealand/

  Let us know how you go. :)

  • 

    GossipGoat on 29/05/2019 - 22:00

    I have heard of top deck too and they sure do look interesting but I think whats pulling me towards contiki is definitely the zip-pay as that way I would be able to spend more on the stay and pay off the initial cost over the next few months

    • 

      inherentchoice on 30/05/2019 - 13:09

      If you can't afford the tour, what about the air fares? Do you have a passport? (Passport costs money too)

      What about the optional extras? You will definitely want to have funds for optional extras such as Waitomo Caves, white water rafting etc. Back in the day I spent $800 on the optional extras just for North Island. They were the BEST bits.

      • 

        GossipGoat on 30/05/2019 - 13:33

        Sorry should have elaborated I am a student

        The reason I want to put the tour price over few months is that most of my money is tied up in shares and and closing these positions will hit me hard in the taxes

        In terms of cash I will have around $3000 so I figure if I could pay the tour over a few months (thanks to a steady job) I could use this money (that otherwise would have gone to the tour) on the optional extras and any other expenses

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  dasher86 on 30/05/2019 - 09:01

  +1

  I did Contiki in EU for my first solo travelling adventure. 80% of my tour were traveling together. You will find they will differ depending on the option you choose. I chose to stay in budget hotels so it was pricier so slightly older than your average 18-21 year old campers.
  It didn't matter though, you will find someone to hang out with.
  Contiki is all planned and most of the time will give you costs for optional activities, yes there will be a lot of pressure from the TM and even the group to do them. If you have FOMO you can opt to catch up with them later in some cases.
  I'd budget $20 for dinner and another $10-$15 for lunch.
  Would I recommend it yes, if you have the money want that experience.

  Another option is Intercity bus.
  Intercity bus pass is great and it can be had cheap on resale directly on their Facebook page.
  Intercity gives you more flexibility but stops in all the places + more Contiki would and also have optional excursions (choose wisely as hours utilisation can sometimes not be so good).
  You will need to book and plan for everything yourself including accommodation.
  Accommodation can break or make a stop, depending on the hostel they can book you day trips and you will also meet other travellers.