Contiki Tours

Contiki are the original travel company for 18–35s. For Contiki, travelling is all about discovering amazing places with a bunch of like-minded people and having a great time doing it. To cater to this market and provide a product which not only meets, but exceeds your expectations, Contiki tours are only available to those between 18 and 35. In some circumstances, a passenger aged 17 will be accepted onto Contiki tours under the supervision of another passenger over 18 and with the consent of their parent or guardian.

Yeah they do, and they have an amazing time! About 50% of Contiki travellers are on their own, but not for long! The experience of travel builds lasting relationships which you'll cherish for your lifetime. If you're concerned about travelling alone, don't be, you're making one of the best decisions of your life.

If you're planning on traveling alone, (and nearly half of our clients do) and don't want to pay for a single room, we'll set you up with a roommate - same sex, of course! However, if you really want your very own room, and one is available, it will be offered for an additional surcharge, depending on which tour you are booking.

If departure dates are not showing up in the month you wish to travel, it's because the tour does not depart during that time due to operational or seasonal reasons.

That depends on where you are going. For most of the trips, we operate luxury motor coaches and therefore carry between 25–50 people per trip. On some trips such as Asia and Outback of Australia we use smaller vehicles or mini coaches which carry 8–20 people.

Contiki Holidays are inclusive of all transport once the tour begins. On tour, all coaches, trains, ferries, tuk tuks, bicycles, internal flights, whatever, are included in the cost of your tour. Everything you need to get around from the first to last day of tour. However, flights to and from your home city are NOT included. Global Journeys can also organise your flights if you wish, & we also recommend booking with your favourite airline online.

Most prices are based on double occupancy, unless otherwise specified. For example, Most Concept tour prices are based on quad share with twin room bookings on a request basis incurring a surcharge. Some tours offer single occupancy for an additional cost, or triple– or quad–share for a reduced price.

For Concept tours, the room share is based on not more than 4 persons per room of the same gender. Couples are encouraged to travel on concept tours and during the tour, whenever possible; our Tour Manager would allocate 2–person rooms/cabins for just the two of you or you may be paired with another couple.

Global Journeys will forward on your E-Documentation approximately 21 days prior to your departure from Australia. If you wish to change from the default E-documentation setting to receive hard copy documents, you can do so within the Contiki 'Manage My Booking' portal. E-Documents will also be available for you to view in Contiki's 'Manage My Booking'.

On Europe Concept and Time Out tours luggage is restricted to one reasonable sized, non–expanding suitcase size up to 29" x 20" x 10" (73cm x 50cm x 25cm) and a maximum weight of 20 kilos (44lbs), plus one small hand/day bag that can go on the coach with you. No metal frame backpacks please, their bulky shape makes coach packing difficult and they are likely to damage other luggage. On Camping tours, the maximum dimensions are 28" x 18" x 9" (70cm x 45cm x 23cm) with a maximum weight of 20 kilos (44lbs). On European ski packages, you may bring one pair of skis & ski boots. Note: Baggage is carried at the owner's own risk and insurance is strongly recommended. Contiki reserves the right to refuse to accept larger suitcases on tour.

Like spending money, everyone's bound to be different depending on how many unique outfits you want to wear, what the weather is going to be like, how often you're willing to do washing - (most of the places Contiki stay at have the facility to do washing). A great tip is to pack a range of things that can mix, match and layer!

You will need a valid passport. Obtaining correct visas is your own responsibility. Not having correct visas could mean you missing out on part or all of your trip. Please refer to the visa section on our website - which should be used as a guide only. Then, double check with the individual Embassies before you depart, remembering that visa requirements can change at short notice. For most of the countries where visas are required, it is NOT possible to obtain the visa whilst on the trip and some visas take 3-4 weeks to obtain.

All Optional Activities are booked and paid for on tour with your Tour Manager. Usually on the first day you'll have a chance to discuss what's available and then, when it comes time to book, your Tour Manager will collect a cash payment for the activities.

Contiki schedules plenty of free time during your trip so that you can also explore on your own. If you're concerned about having too much free time, Contiki offers fabulous optional activities. Also if at any time you feel like even more 'you' time, just have a chat with your tour manager about meeting up with everyone later. You can tailor your trip how you like; it's YOUR holiday!

Weather is tricky as everywhere is different and it's always changing. Luckily, Global Journeys provide temperature, and rainfall averages on every itinerary page.

You will not be camping, unless you have chosen a camping trip in Europe. On European concept trips, some of the cabins and hostels will have a pillow and top sheet only and so we advise you to bring a sleeping bag.

The majority of Contiki tours start at the Contiki hotel where you will spend your first night on tour. If you're starting in London, this will be located at the Contiki Basement, beneath the Royal National Hotel. The Contiki website has a page relating to each region where you can see each departure point and finishing point, as well as information on additional nights of pre and post tour accommodation.

Detailed departure information will be supplied with your E-Documentation, which Global Journeys will forward on to you approx 21 days prior to your departure. E-Documents will also be available for you to view in Contiki's 'Manage My Booking' portal.