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.

For our Europe Budget/Concept and Superior/Time Out tours, North America tours and South Pacific tours, luggage is restricted to one reasonable sized, non–expanding suitcase size up to 29"×20"×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. Contiki reserves the right to refuse to accept larger suitcases on tour. However on Camping tours, the maximum dimensions are 28"x18"x9" (70cm x 45cm x 23cm) with a maximum weight of 20 kilos (44lbs). On South Pacific tours which include the Flotilla Sailing and/or 4X wheel drive tours, a small bag suitable for the extremely limited luggage space is required. Your regular luggage will be stored at this time. On European ski packages and New Zealand tours with a ski option you may bring one pair of skis and ski boots. Note: Baggage is carried at the owner’s own risk and baggage insurance is strongly recommended.

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 we stay have the facility to do washing). Contikipedia has some lists for what to pack for each region and some general advice. A great tip is to pack a range of things that can mix, match and layer!

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! Contikipedia has a good guide to spending money in each region. Travellers’ checks in small denominations (in a main currency) are the safest way to carry your personal spending money. For example - in Europe, carry travellers checks in US$, GBP$, or Euros. In America, carry US$ travellers checks. 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 reasons. For instance, in Europe the Camping and Concept tours don't run from October–March because the accommodation isn't suitable during the European winter. We want you to have the most amazing experience, which is why tours don't run all year round – trust us, we're the experts!

The majority of our 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. All this information will also be on your Contiki 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.

You will not be camping, unless you have chosen a camping trip in Europe. On European concept tours, some of the cabins and hostels will have a pillow and top sheet only and so we advise you to bring a sleeping bag. Note: Sleeping bags can be purchased from the Contiki Basement in London for roughly £20

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!

Please consult your consultant 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 your trip. You must advise Contiki through your consultant of any important medical condition you may have, before departure.

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.

Russian Visa Information: All passengers travelling to Russia are required to obtain a Russian Tourist Voucher and a Russian Visa prior to departure from Australia. To assist with this process Contiki has partnered with Visalink to provide you with a comprehensive visa service. Please visit www.visalink.com.au/contiki to order your voucher and apply for a visa. We recommend you do this consultation with Global Journeys approx. 2 months prior to your departure from Australia.

Weather is tricky as everywhere is different and it's always changing. In the US it's generally your usual hot in summer, pretty cold in winter and somewhere in the middle in between. Southern Europe can be stifling hot in summer, and bitterly cold in winter. In Southeast Asia you seriously need to take into consideration the humidity as it can be super intense. Basically, you need to do your research, and there's never going to be an exact answer. Luckily, Global Journeys provide temperature, and rainfall averages on every itinerary webpage. Look to the right of the itinerary.

Yeah they do, and they have an amazing time! About 50% of our 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.

On Concept tours, you mix it up! You stay in a variety of accommodation styles, ranging from hotels, hostels, to cabins in Contiki Villages, and special stopovers like our Chateau in France! The range of style means that some nights will be in twin–share, some in triple and some in multi–share. If you're travelling with your partner, of course you can still book a Concept tour, many couples do. You may be able to team up with another couple on nights when it's multi–share accommodation but if not; during these nights you'll most likely be in single–sex rooming. But we do our best to accommodate everyone, so just ask!

We're the original travel company for 18–35s – it's what we know best and no one does travel like we do. For us, travelling is all about discovering amazing places with a bunch of like–minded people and having a great time doing it. Our aim is to make your trip a life changing adventure so we've dedicated ourselves to specialising in the art of travel for 18–35s. To cater to this market and provide a product which not only meets, but exceeds your expectations, our tours are only available to those between 18 and 35. In some circumstances, a passenger aged 17 will be accepted onto our tours under the supervision of another passenger over 18 and with the consent of their parent or guardian.

Contact us here at Global Journeys and we can arrange any changes.

Contact us here at Global Journeys and we can arrange any cancellations.

Full terms & conditions are provided on every itinerary page. They are listed at the bottom of the 'General Info' tab. Please read them!

Yes we do! Groups of 4 or more can recive a discount of up to 10%. The discount varies from tour to tour. Please fill in a quote form and your Global Journeys consultant will apply all possible discounts to your tour!

We can hold only one seat per person for the same departure date and/ or duration. However, if you want to book more than one tour with different departure dates we are happy to reserve a seat for you and in some instances are able to offer a further discount for multiple tour bookings. Please note to confirm your tour booking you will need to provide Global Journeys with a $200 deposit (per tour) within seven days of making the reservation. If you have booked your flights through Global Journeys an additional deposit is required to confirm your airline reservation. If a deposit is not received within this time period your booking will automatically cancel.

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 offers an Early Payment discount for all tours when the full tour cost is paid at least 6 months in advance. The discount amount is individual to each tour – please refer to the tour itinerary and costings for details. For Europe and America tours, there is a second Early Payment Discount option when the full tour cost is paid at least 12 months in advance.

Unfortunately our system is pre–configured to auto–cancel any booking with an outstanding balance 45 days prior to departure.

All Contiki coaches, mini coaches, and 4 wheel drive vehicles are smoke–free. For those dedicated puffers, we stop every couple of hours so you can light up during our stops.

No worries. That is one of the benefits of traveling with Contiki. You’ll be traveling with a tour manager who knows how to get around the countries you will be visiting. However, if you have some time, it never hurts to know a few courteous, friendly words (e.g., hello, please, thank you, etc.) of the native languages of the countries you will be visiting. It does make traveling more fun and you will find that most people from these countries will appreciate the effort and will be more receptive to your visit.

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.

You will receive all hotel contact details with your travel documentation sent three weeks prior to departure.

We offer transfers in certain cities for an additional fee.

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 trip, i.e. Australians, Americans, Canadians, Germans, English, Swiss, New Zealanders, Japanese, Dutch, South Africans, Italians, Danes, Brazilians, Mexicans, Austrians, Singaporeans, Swedes, Koreans, etc.

We have 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 our travelers and they’re really fun! These guys are with you on the entire trip and give you all the info you need on the trip: city tours, histories of countries, provinces and states, fun nightlife and daytime activities, and they keep you entertained on coach rides.

Yes, all of our Tour Managers and Tour Drivers speak English, some speak additional languages as well, but your tour will be conducted in English.

Yes! Planning your next Contiki adventure? We love our past travellers coming back for another awesome adventure, so if you book another one of our tours (anywhere we travel) Global Journeys will hook you up with an extra 5% discount. Plus, we'll hook you up when you travel with our sister companies too. Easy! (You can combine book with friends, 2 or more, travelling again & pay early discounts on tours of 8 days or longer).

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.

In each country you will travel, they have varying pins and power plugs to electricity source to recharge your mobile or digital camera batteries. We would suggest one to buy a Travellers' Plug which is interchangeable and fit in for most countries. On most of the coaches, you can charge your camera, ipod and phone on board!

We design our tours so that you will have lots of free time to do your own thing. Not only do we schedule free time, but you can venture off on your own at any point during the trip or opt to choose a Contiki optional activity.

We have included a great deal of activities in all our tours, but we 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. Optionals do cost extra and a full list relating to your trip can be found with your final documents to assist with trip budgeting. These optionals can be purchased through your tour manager when you’re on the trip. Payment for these is cash only - no credit cards will be accepted for payment on optionals.

Optionals will be outlined on your itinerary when you receive your travel docs.

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

Yes. Comprehensive Travel insurance is reccomended on all Contiki tours. Global Journeys works with SureSave - a travel insurance that covers more than 300,000 travellers each year and is 100% Australian owned. As an agent for Suresave, Global Journeys are able to offer you a 20% premium discount for all policies booked online! Read more >