Contiki Review | Is It Really Any Good? Pros & Cons

Contiki is great for a particular travel audience. Generally, it’s aimed at younger budget-minded travelers 18 to 35-year-olds. Contiki has hundreds of tours operating all around the globe and their whole thing is ‘social travel’. This is for those who want to soak in the cultural side of the destination and dive deep into the local nightlife as well. It makes sense for any 18 – 35-year-old looking to travel on a budget and party at the same time. Let us take a deeper dive into this Contiki Review and see if it’s the right fit for you.

What is Contiki?

Founded in 1962 Contiki is a New Zealand-based tour company catering to the 18 to 35-year-old market. The idea came from the founder looking to travel on a tight budget yet still have fun and see Europe. Currently, they operate over 300 tours around the world so it’s easy for anyone to find a cool trip anywhere on the globe. I need to mention they won’t allow travelers over the age of 35 to join their tours.

Let me say right now that the average age for a Contiki traveler is 18 to 27.

Accommodations: BUDGET! You’ll be staying in either in a hotel or a hostel so understand these aren’t 4 or 5-star hotels or hostels. However, Contiki does its best to find the best 3-star type hotel or hostel. Depending on the continent that 3-star Euro accommodation will be a 5-star somewhere else. The negative is if you’re sharing a room, you’re hoping your roommate won’t snore and will be courteous with the shared space.

That being said, I never felt unsafe in the locations I stayed in. For the most part, you’ll be out all day and partying most of the night, that bed is there for you to crash.

Group Size: As with any Contiki tour you can expect a minimum of 20 or more travelers with you on the bus. I remember when I did a short 8-day trip I was with 25 or so other travelers. Many travelers will book multiple tours with Contiki so it’s common that during a trip a few will drop off while others will join the group.

Contiki Guides: They round up the whole group in the lobby of the hotel / hostel and they take you on the tour. Yes, they’re like the chaperones we had during a school trip. With one difference, they’re all young and they too want to party. They will take you around the city and do a pub crawl, hit up a club or some cool local spot.

Food: Breakfast is provided on all the tours however from what I remember lunch and dinner was all on you. To save money you can catch some street food that is delicious and cheap.

Cost: It depends on where you plan to go and for how many days. A tour can range from $800 to $3500. Traveling to Europe will obviously cost more than Asia. Also, you’ll need some spending money for whatever comes up, I remember all I brought was $500 for the week.

Drinking and Partying: As you probably already know Contiki has a partying atmosphere however I strongly suggest those 18 to 20 years old travelers to perhaps hold off on going to the US. The legal drinking age in the US is 21 and it’s strictly enforced. I’ve had many of my Australian travel mates say that when they visited the US the younger travelers couldn’t visit any bars or clubs.

Contiki Review:

My very first solo tour was with Contiki, I landed in Germany and ended in Prague. I can’t tell you how much fun I had. I have to be 100% honest, I was partying like an animal with everyone else so much of my day was spent being hungover. I pretty much drank Red Bulls to pull it together and finished the tour like a champ. The tour started in Berlin where I met with the tour guide and he was extremely helpful in getting me situated to my room, the rules of the tour, and explaining what optional add-ons were available.

The guide we had was extremely knowledgeable about the history of the area and took his time in explaining everything. He was very outgoing so that made the tour better.

Having a good guide is everything!

The breakfast buffet I do remember was incredible! After a full night of drinking the first thing I wanted to do was chow down on food to soak up the alcohol….we all were doing it.

The negative part was the bus transportation from Berlin to Prague, it was a 5-hour drive so we lost most of the morning.

Prague was the city I fell in love with. I was awestruck by how beautiful that city is and how much more fun I had in Prague rather than Berlin. The food and beer in Prague I felt was better and there was more to do and see. When the tour ended, I wanted to stay but alas I had to return to my life in California. That trip forever changed how I viewed traveling alone.

Final Thoughts On Contiki:

Should you go on a Contiki tour? 100% absolutely YES, if you…

• Like to party
• Want the whole trip planned for you
• Want to meet new people
• Are on a budget
• Really like to party!

Optional Add-Ons: These are excursions that Contiki sets up that do cost extra. Depending on the country you’re in they can be just about anything but always check what the add-ons are and see which you want to do. Remember these are optional.

Bus / Coach: This is the only real negative about Contiki, when traveling from one city to the next you’ll be on the bus or coach for a while….in some cases a few hours. That can be a real drag because you lose precious time just sitting on a bus.

Beware of Australians! Seems that all Australians go on a Contiki tour at one point in their lives. Just kidding after doing so many of these tours some of the most fun people I’ve met are from Australia and frankly, they do make the coolest travel buddies.

Most Popular Contiki Tours:

Here are just some of the more popular tours that Contiki runs catering to so many tastes. The best part is they’re constantly running specials with deals left and right. Here’s a glimpse of their more popular tours:

If you’re looking for an unforgettable experience on your next trip and have the time of your life, then consider Thailand! I couldn’t believe how much fun I had during the New Year’s celebration. There’s nothing like reigning in the new year and rocking out on the beach during a ‘full moon party’.

Thai Island Hopper (East)	Trip Details
	Thailand holds a special place for me frankly, it’s one of the best vacations I’ve ever had. The best part is that it doesn’t cost much at all to have a great time. There is so much to do and experience I highly recommend you consider this awesome trip. For more details and pricing click here.

Contiki Trip Ideas!

Contiki is constantly offering specials on their tours so don’t forget to check out their top last-minute deals.

South America is a great destination for any budget traveler, check out some of the deals with these destinations Contiki is offering. – BOOK NOW!

Cambodia and Vietnam are two destinations that are VERY budget-friendly and fun. Explore the magic these two countries have to offer. –  BOOK NOW!

Here are some more of Contiki’s most popular tours, take a look and book your bucket list trip today!