hi,
I am trying to plan a trip to Europe/Ireland for the first time this summer....I was contemplating using a tour agency like Contikki or Topdeck as I am 29 and doing this trip solo. Any comments on that? Is there any other better avenues I can consider? I'd rather do something that has an art/music focus than the beaten path tourist traps...any help eould be greatly appreciated...Thanks
If you want to do something off the beaten trail do not take a contiki or top deck tour.
The UK and Ireland are both immensly easy to travel and navigate yourself without the need for tours. However some of the more remote places (ie some places in Scotland - Isle of Skye, Stornoway, etc) would need a car of your own or possibly you could get to some public transport although options are more limited.
IMO tours should only be taken in countries where it is difficult get around or you're an inexperienced traveller in a country where you cannot speak the language
I totally agree with scaryant. Avoiding the beaten path tourist traps and taking a Contiki or Topdeck tour are completely incompatible. Those tours also work out more expensive than travelling independently.
Tens of thousands of 29-year olds, European and non-European, travel independently around Europe every summer and have a great time. Join them.
I heard that Contiki tours are pretty much a whole lot of Kiwis and Aussies getting drunk and sleeping round!! Not sure if that's actually true but just thought I'd put it out there...
I have travelled on my own and it can be lonely - but I still wouldn't use a tour in a country I could manage by myself. If you stay in youth hostels (look at the YHA website) you will meet people or have a look at the couchsurfing website if you would like to stay (free) with local people. In London, pick up a copy of Time Out for what's on (the arts/music theme). Good luck!
Contiki Tours tend to get rubbished on this forum but there are good if you havent travelled much before or have no idea where to go.
My first trip away was on a Contiki tour. I got to see all the famous places and was able to decide which places could be missed and which deserved more time the next trip.
A friend of mine from work went on one a few months ago to celebrate her admission to the bar- her view was that she didnt want to bugger around working out where to stay or where to catch the bus- she just wanted to be able to relax, see a few interesting things during the day and party all night....
Hi!
I have recently done a topdeck tour of europe with my partner. We decided to go for the tour because we were not experienced travellers, wanted to do the big highlight cities and then go back and do our favourites in more depth and to work out what we liked when we travelled together.
I loved every minute of it! We got to meet alot of new friends, some of whom we will travel with in the future/stay with in other countries. We found out alot about countries and what people recommended to do/not to do/how to budget travel. It wasnt the cheapest option (eg. if you spent the equivalent money by yourself you could probably travel for longer) but it was a great introduction for us.
We decided that we will do UK and Ireland ourselves however, as it is easy to travel and we know alot more about we like when we travel, choosing hostels, locations and how to generally save money!
I would recommend choosing your travel options based on what you want to see, and how much time you have to do it in. If you want to just explore cities and not worry about bookings etc then go for a tour. But if you like to have a bit more time and freedom to change your plans then have a go yourself! You will have a ball either way :)