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.

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.

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). 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.

If you are travelling on an 'Egypt and the Nile' or 'Ultimate European' tour a small piece of luggage is highly recommended as it makes storage on overnight trains, bus and boat rides much easier.

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!

Clothing in Egypt
Egypt is hot. On the Egypt and the Nile Tour and Ultimate European you are in Egypt for one week and as such, will not need to pack a lot of clothing. For women, conservative clothing that covers you knees and shoulders (no halter neck or mid-riff tops, short shorts, etc) is not a must but is encouraged as it is respectful of the local culture. Even for men, long, light clothes are also recommended as they help protect you from the sun. Dressier but still light and comfortable clothes are also recommend for evening meals if that is you style. Egypt is a desert and if you are travelling in the summer, you should pack for extremely hot weather during the day and cool evenings. Winter tempretures will be a little cooler and clothes that you can layer for warmth (if you need it) will be best. There are overnight trains (basic twin room bunk beds) so again, comfortable clothes for travelling and sleeping overnight on a train are recommended.

We're all different; some of us want souvenirs, some of us want to indulge in nights out and some want to shop til they drop and some just want to experience it all! Travellers cheques in small denominations (in a main currency) are the safest way to carry your personal spending money. For example in Europe, carry travellers cheques in US$, GBP$, or Euros. You can also get cash at local ATMs along the way if needed. Remember that you'll need to allow enough to cover lunches, some dinners, shopping, entrance fees to some attractions, optional activities and activities, souvenirs, drinks and evening entertainment/nightclubs. A full list of optional activities and approximate costs will be sent to you with your travel documents.

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.

The majority of Contiki tours start at the Contiki Hotel where you will spend your first night on tour. This information will be on your Contiki tour documents which will be issued to you 21 days prior to departure.

Global Journeys will send your documents 21 days prior to your departure from Australia. Bookings made less than 21 days prior will be handled on a case-by-case basis.

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!

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.

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.

Weather is tricky as everywhere is different and it's always changing. Luckily, Global Journeys provide temperature, and rainfall averages on every itinerary webpage. Look to the right of this page!

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.

Contiki operates tours year-round, however some months are better for group travel than others. The chart below indicates “peak” months when travel can be more expensive and hotel availability may be more difficult to accommodate large groups. “Best time” to travel refers to when we suggest organizing your group travel for better availability, prices and less crowds.

	Peak Time	Best Time
America & Canada	May - Sep	Mar - Apr; Sep - Oct
Europe	Jun - Aug	Apr - May & Sep - Nov