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Contiki Tours Authorized Representative

Vacations for 18-35 Year
Olds
Here are a list of commonly asked questions about a
Contiki tour. For any additional questions please call
or email us.
Contiki - Common Tour Questions & Answers
- What's included on a Contiki
Tours?
*Coach transfers as specified on tour pages
*Accommodations, breakfast daily and around half your evening meals as detailed
in itinerary.
*Sightseeing as detailed under itinerary. Unless special entrance fees are noted.
*Experienced crew as detailed in tour
*Sleeping bags for Budget Tours. Collect your sleeping bag from the Royal National Hotel London, prior to your tour departure.
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- What's not included on a Contiki
Tour?
*Airfare transfers to tour departure point
*Personal expense money
*Some meals as detailed in tour
*Visas,personal insurance,medical fees.
*Sightseeing visits and entrance fees,other than those specified on tour pages.
*Optional excursions & activities such as white water rafting,gondola
rides,etc.
*Lunches (unless specified in itinerary),some dinners & all meals on ferry crossings
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- How many people
will be on tour with me?
That depends on where you are going. For most of the tours, we
operate luxury motorcoaches and therefore carry between 25-50
people per tour. On some
tours such as Hawaii, Alaska, Botswana,
and Namibia we use smaller vehicles, mini coaches,
or 4 wheel drive
all terrain vehicles which have less capacity and therefore may
carry 8-20 people.
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- What should I
bring on my Contiki Tour?
Luggage is
restricted to one reasonably sized suitcase (maximum
29"x20" or 73cm x 50cm.) (No metal frame backpacks.) We
do reserve the right to refuse to accept larger suitcases on tour.
A checklist is a very useful tool to use as a last check before
you are on your way. Some items that you should have on your list:
necessary medication, airline tickets, passport, traveler's
cheques, insurance policy, credit cards, visas, cash, Contiki's
'Ticket to Ride', driver's license, vaccination certificate,
camera, and film.
Luggage size
restrictions are strictly enforced on all tours. Maximum size on
most tours is 29" x 20" x 10" (73cm x 50cm x 23 cm)
and maximum weight is 20 kgs (non expanding). Maximum size for
Scandinavian and Camping tours is 28" x 18" x 9"
(70cm x 45cm x 23cm) and maximum weight of 20 kgs. Metal framed
backpacks will not be allowed. It is best to ensure that your
suitcase/backpack is the correct size before departure. If not,
you could incur the extra cost of buying a new suitcase and
storing your excess luggage.
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- How much should I
pack to go on tour?
Decide how many clothes you want to take--cut that amount in
half, and
that's how much you'll need. Remember that depending
on the seasons in the country to
which you are travelling, you
may need warmer clothes at least for evenings.
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- Do I need any
vaccinations?
Please consult your travel agent or doctor to find out which
vaccinations are required. If you suffer from any form of illness,
be sure to have an
adequate supply of medicines before departing
on tour. You must advise us through your
travel agent of any
important medical condition you may have, before departure.
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- Do I need a
passport and travel visas?
Depending on
your nationality, you may need visas to enter certain countries
included in your tour. You are responsible for obtaining all
necessary visas prior to the departure of your tour. Consult your
travel agent well in advance to determine which visas you will
require and how to obtain them. Important: visas can take up to
six weeks to obtain and a fee is normally charged. Failure to
obtain all necessary visas could cause you to miss part of your
tour and will result in considerable expense and inconvenience. It
is better to apply for ALL visas through your travel agent before
you leave home.
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- How much money
should I bring?
That will depend on what tour you take. A good guesstimate would
be between $50-$100
dollars for each day you are on tour.
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- What is the safest
way to take my money?
Traveler's
Cheques. It is far safer to purchase traveler's cheques before
your trip, rather than carrying large amounts of cash. Keep a
record of all the numbers and denominations of your traveler's
cheques (which should be kept separately) in case of loss or
theft. Depending on where you are traveling, we would recommend
specific currency Traveler's Cheques. You should purchase
traveler's cheques in small denominations (i.e. US $20, $50 and
$100). You should carry internationally recognized traveler's
cheques such as Thomas Cook or American Express. ATM machines
(available in most major cities) are also a great way to go if you
need some extra cash while on tour. Be sure to memorize your pin#
by number as some foreign ATM machines do not have alphanumeric
keys.
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- How much free time
will I have?
The tours are designed so that you'll have lots of free time to
do your
own thing. Not only do they schedule free time, but you can venture
off on your
own at any point during the tour.
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- Do you allow
smoking on tour?
On all Contiki motorcoaches, mini coaches, and 4 wheel
drive
vehicles, there is no smoking allowed.
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- Should I take any
credit cards with me?
Having a credit card on hand is definitely a good idea. Always
remember to guard your card, and we suggest the following
precautions be taken: Check the
expiration date of your card
when making travel plans. Ensure that you know your PIN
number.
Memorize it, do not write it down. Ensure that the total amount of
your purchase
is entered on the sales voucher before you sign it.
Check that you have received your
credit card back after using it
for payment. Retain all copies of sales vouchers until you
have
verified them against your statements. Insist that all 'spoiled' sales
vouchers are
destroyed in your presence. Only carry your card on
your person or in your hand luggage.
Never leave your cars unattended
in your hotel rooms, vehicle or any other place. Treat
your cards as
you would cash. Report immediately the loss or theft of your credit cards.
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- What kind of
nightlife can I expect on tour?
There's something
for everyone! The tour manager will always give the group a
variety of options. For those of you looking for a little
adventure, there are nightclubs and bars. If you want a quiet
evening, some of the hotels have swimming pools, jacuzzis, and
in-room movies. Contiki tries to offer alternative evenings where
events are organized (e.g. pub nights, cabaret shows in Paris and
Las Vegas, beer halls in Munich, candlelit canal cruise, Tuscan
dinner, Texas rodeo, paddle wheel river cruise). Remember, the
legal drinking age in the U.S. is 21 and everyone must possess a
photo I.D. (passport or driver's license) to enter any
establishment serving alcohol. In Canada, the legal drinking age
is 19 years old. Drinking age in Europe is 18.
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- Are there optional
excursions?
Yes. Contiki
has
included a great deal of excursions in all our tours, but they
cannot and would not want to include everything. Personal choice
is important and our clients like the option of being included/or
not on certain "Optionals," i.e., Paris Nightclub show,
Gondola ride in Venice, Rafting in Austria. From experience, we
know which Optionals have proven most popular with our clients and
only these will be offered to you. These Optionals do cost extra
and a full list relating to your trip will be sent to you with
your final documents to assist with trip budgeting. These
Optionals can be purchased through your tour manager when on tour.
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- What should I
expect to receive from Contiki after booking my tour?
After final payment is received, You will get Tour and hotel vouchers,
Airline tickets - if your purchased air travel
through Contiki, day-to-day itinerary, Optional Excursion list, Traveler's information
booklet, Backpack, Travel insurance invoice - if you choose to buy travel insurance from
Contiki
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- What are the
Contiki Tour Managers and Drivers like?
Contiki
has former policemen, actors,
Peace Corps volunteers, sales managers, bankers, management
consultants, bartenders, psychologists, surfers, chefs, and even
nuclear physicists - you name it and we've got 'em. The road crew
are around the same age as you and they're really fun! These guys
are with you on the entire trip and give you all the info you need
on tour: city tours, histories of countries, provinces and states,
fun nightlife and daytime activities, and they keep you
entertained on coach rides. On the tours to Europe, many of the
crew are from Great Britain, Europe, New Zealand, Australia and
Canada. On the tours in the United States, Australia, New Zealand
and Africa the crew are natives of that country. Contiki has both
male and female Tour Managers and Drivers who have very different
experiences prior to working for Contiki.
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- Do I need travel
insurance, and if so, what should it cover?
All clients should have an insurance policy
which covers cancellation
curtailment, loss of or damage to baggage, loss of money (cash),
traveler's cheques, or personal belongings and medical insurance.
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- What's the
difference between a budget and superior tour in Europe?
On Superior tours, Contiki ensures that the
places you stay meet the highest standards. At the heart of all tours Contiki offers
Superior tourist class hotels
(many in the center of major cities) and to really
spoil you, most tours include
some exceptional properties like our City Club in Vienna - a
5 star resort with outstanding sporting and leisure activities at Europe's highest hotel
on Mount
Pilatus, Lucerne. Choose to explore the Nile for 3 days on our luxury cruise
boat
or revel in the magic of the Greek Islands.
Budget
tours offer three styles of accommodation in some of Europe's
best locations. Contiki has
exclusive properties. Not expensive and not flashy,
the emphasis is always on value and
fun, but they do make you feel special at
their exclusive properties. Where do they not
have an exclusive property, you
stay in specially designed Contiki Villages with their own
resident Contiki staff
at Europe's best campsites. Accommodations are comfy cabins.
Accommodations
are mostly twin share and never more than 4 persons sharing a room.
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- How
many people will be on tour with me?
That depends on where you
are going. For most of the tours, we operate luxury motorcoaches and
therefore carry between 25-50 people per tour. On some tours such as
Hawaii, Alaska, Botswana, and Namibia we use smaller vehicles, mini
coaches, or 4 wheel drive all terrain vehicles which have less
capacity and therefore may carry 8-20 people. |
- What
other nationalities will be on tour with me?
Contiki sells its travel
packages in more than 35 countries around the world. It is therefore
quite typical to expect between 6-15 different nationalities on any
one tour, i.e., Australians, Americans, Canadians, Germans, English,
Swiss, New Zealanders, Japanese, Dutch, South Africans, Italians,
Danes, Brazilians, Mexicans, Austrians, Singaporeans, Swedes, etc. |
- Does
a tour cost more if I am traveling alone?
No. If you're planning on
coming alone, (and nearly half of our clients do) and don't fancy
having to pay for a single room, no problem -- we'll set you up with a
roommate -- same
sex, of course! |
- How
much film should I bring?
It is very difficult to
offer advice on the amount of film to take as you may shoot three
rolls
of film in Paris in two days and take three days to shoot the next
one. However, we have
found that on the average a person will shoot one roll of film every
2-3 days. Your Tour Manager will try to allow as much time as possible
to take photographs. However, there
may be occasions when it is just not possible to stop the coach. |
For
more Contiki Tours: Click Here
For more Tour Companies: Click Here
Click Here for
Information/Reservation
Form or Call 1-800-942-3301
Images, logos, photographs etc. on this
page is copyrighted by the Contiki.
All such copyright material is acknowledged. These pages are not endorsed or
supported by Contiki in any way. All information presented is based on
promotional material provided by Contiki. It is presumed to be accurate
and is subject to change without notice. Call 1-800-942-3301 for details.
All prices are per person, double occupancy, subject to availability.
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