MY ROCKIES SITE

Post Holiday

LOOKING BACK

It hindsight my comments: Contiki was a great way to travel for those who don’t want to worry about details such as hotels and transportation. It was a great way to see a lot in a little bit of time. I liked the faster moving pace, and the chance to get a sense to see where I may want to visit in the future. PK was a wonderful driver and sociable as well, and Jeff gave us so many tips and organized extras and gave so much history it was all good on that end. Both were fantastic. The hotels were perhaps not the quality we are used to for business travel but they were neat and clean and the food wasn’t too bad overall. Its an interesting way to meet people from all over the place. Each place we had a little bit of free time to explore what most interested us which was good. However- I think Contiki should state the approximate price of their optionals in their book to prepare people for that extra cost. I think I spent 150-250 Euro for those but some spent more. Also, we spent a lot of time on the bus. That was to be expected given all the places we were going. It wasn’t bad. Air conditioned. Not uncomfortable (unless maybe you have long legs). But bring CDs… Billie Jean so many times was a little much. I packed too much. An extra pair of shoes. An extra jacket. Shouldn’t have brought big bottles of shampoo/conditioner (too heavy). Could have changed the mix of my clothes. I will know better next time! Also, Contiki phone card for me was a waste of money as I didn’t really make any calls. Internet worked well- although prices varied extensively. And the funny keyboards are a challenge. I didn’t take travelers cheques. I am glad. They seemed to be a hassle. Cash/ credit card/ bank card seemed to work fine. My location favourites: 1) StPaul, France 2) Florence, Italy 3) Switzerland in general- beautiful! (Reminiscent to our own Rockies) I will be back… And I will probably travel Contiki again in the future as well. I still have 10 years in the age limit range.