Home > Compare Tour & Adventure Operators > Contiki vs Costsaver
Contiki vs Costsaver
Compare the travel styles, pricing, destinations and popularity of Contiki and Costsaver.The Low Down
Over 35? Then Contiki is not for you. With tours and adventures designed for the 18-35's through Asia, Africa, North and South America and Europe, you'll need lots of energy for the good times ahead. Traditionally Contiki trips have been known for their late nights, lots of sleeping on the coach, and some sightseeing on the side. Contiki's philosophy of #NOREGRETS is about changing your perspective on the world, walking in others shoes, witnessing different cultures, religions, and ways of living. But most of all, it’s about living life out loud, unashamedly and completely, loving every single second of being young! 
CostSaver is Trafalgar's affordable range of coach tours. Comparable to Cosmos in price and quality, their focus has always been on Europe and the UK, but have more recently launched a range of new itineraries in the US, Canada and South America. If you are looking for an affordable touring option, then CostSaver is a great option, and if you've travelled with any of its sister brands like AAT Kings, Trafalgar or Insight Vacations further savings are available.The price for that affordability - while all the must-see sights are included, there are lot of optional excursions which can add up quickly if you choose to do them all. If that's likely, perhaps a more inclusive Operator like Trafalgar or Insight is best. However if you like the freedom to explore on your own, and are after a relaxing and hassle-free holiday, then Costsaver is a great option.
Stats
No. of Trips
455
No. of Departures
12,559
Avg. Trip Length
12 Days
Avg. Price Per Day
$286
Accommodation
Mixed
Budget
Affordable
Trip Styles Coach Tours18-to-30'sSailing TripsFestivals & EventsShort Breaks
No. of Trips
110
No. of Departures
1,675
Avg. Trip Length
12 Days
Avg. Price Per Day
$300
Accommodation
3 - 4 Star
Budget
Affordable
Trip Styles Coach Tours
In Their Own Words We asked the travel companies themselves why you should travel with them
Contiki are the world leaders in travel experiences for 18-35’s. We exist to connect young travellers to the time of their lives. We believe in real experiences and we care about making sure these experiences contribute positively to the people and places we visit. We are focused on discovery, once-in-a-lifetime moments, human connections, and making every second of being young count.
For over 55 years we’ve been perfecting the secret formula to the perfect trip - we know you’re after unique experiences, local insight and accommodation that’s more than a place to sleep. We run over 350 trips across 6 continents, each one designed to get to the beating heart of a destination, understanding the local way of life, unearthing unforgettable experiences and creating lifelong memories. Real experiences, unique accommodation, local food, the best team and awesome people all deliver Contiki’s no regrets experience.
We know lasting travel memories don’t have to cost the earth. Our value tours cover all the essentials, while providing you the building blocks to tailor your dream holiday. We plan and include all the essentials – your quality transport, accommodation, sightseeing, many meals and the very best Travel Directors, leaving you the time to tailor your trip your way.
As an active founder and supporter of the TreadRight Foundation, you’ll travel confidently knowing we support the protection and conservation of the places we visit. We tread far, but always tread lightly. Having won the 5 star gold award for highest travel satisfaction, from the independent review provider FEEFO, you can be assured you’ll get an unbeatable holiday at an unbeatable price. Value is in our blood, and thanks to our Ready To Go Rate, you’ll be confident that when you book, the price you see is the best it’ll be. Travel the world without a hassle in the world.
Recent Reviews
4.6
This was a great trip visiting some beautiful natural wonders. Contiki again did a great job and the Tour Leader was friendly and able to give useful local knowledge. Croatia was such a great country to finish this tour in!
This was the perfect base for exploring London at your own pace. Outside of the organised activities, it gave us plenty of time to ramble through this amazing city .... London!
This European Discovery Tour was just the perfect length for visiting Europe for the first time. Contiki were a great, organised company and our Tour Leader, Dan was organised and friendly. Global Journeys experienced staff allowed for a carefree and wonderful trip. Many thanks Hannah!
Can’t wait for the next Contiki. Only have one more year. 0 Darryl Rogers, Sylvan Lake, Alberta, Canada, Feb 2022
Everything about this Contiki was amazing. The guide was amazing and we will continue to be friends long after! The people were amazing, the extras and most importantly Ecuador blew me away with its beauty! I loved everything about this trip. Can’t wait for the next Contiki!
It was just great, I liked everything, the hotel, food, people, the activities. We had great weather too (lots of snow). The only downside was that there were no parties due to COVID restrictions in Austria.
4.4
We thoroughly enjoyed this tour. Tour guide was fantastic as was our driver. Very well paced tour, very scenic and good stops along the way. Were happy with all hotels. Extra tours were mostly very good, probably a bit expensive but I would still recommend.
Air Canada Airlines. The flights were good, going and coming. The person allocating the seating was very helpful. She recommended that if we'd like to sit down the back of the plane, there were 2 seats together, which would make it easier for us as we wouldn't have to climb over someone to get out. It was also convenient that we could check our luggage ...read more all the way through to Calgary, as we didn't have much time between flights going over.
Costsaver were very difficult to contact by email and phone. Consequently, we had to ask the hotel staff where we were to meet the trip director. The trip director was very good. However, it went a bit haywire when another had to replace to original one, due to family circumstances. The new one kept saying she hadn't done a trip on the west for a few years. She only did east Canada area. Therefore, her commentary was little and not often. In Vancouver, at the end of the trip we had a hotel situated quite a distance from the cruise terminal, There were nearly half the passengers going on the cruise the next day. It would have been convenient if a bus could have taken all of us to the terminal instead of independent transport.
The Holand America Line "Volendam" cruise was very good. Some people were very helpful. The person booking the shore excursions, at times gave us incorrect information, If we hadn't asked another, we would have arrived late for our excursion. The service desk people were helpful at times. Some came across as not being very knowledgeable. e.g when I asked for stamps, I was told I'd have to come back later, as he couldn't give them to me as they were locked away and the person who had the key was on a break. We had difficulty getting WiFi and were told we had to pay for it. This was not mentioned to us prior to the trip.
There was plenty to do during the day while at sea, and it catered for all age groups. The ship arrived in port early which enabled us to do shopping and site seeing. The food was plentiful and there was a variety to choose from. We went to the Pinnacle Restaurant, the service was very good and the food cooked to our wishes. I would consider going on another Holland America Line cruise. The size of ship was just right. I didn't feel I was on top of people.
Costsaver were very difficult to contact by email and phone. Consequently, we had to ask the hotel staff where we were to meet the trip director. The trip director was very good. However, it went a bit haywire when another had to replace to original one, due to family circumstances. The new one kept saying she hadn't done a trip on the west for a few years. She only did east Canada area. Therefore, her commentary was little and not often. In Vancouver, at the end of the trip we had a hotel situated quite a distance from the cruise terminal, There were nearly half the passengers going on the cruise the next day. It would have been convenient if a bus could have taken all of us to the terminal instead of independent transport.
The Holand America Line "Volendam" cruise was very good. Some people were very helpful. The person booking the shore excursions, at times gave us incorrect information, If we hadn't asked another, we would have arrived late for our excursion. The service desk people were helpful at times. Some came across as not being very knowledgeable. e.g when I asked for stamps, I was told I'd have to come back later, as he couldn't give them to me as they were locked away and the person who had the key was on a break. We had difficulty getting WiFi and were told we had to pay for it. This was not mentioned to us prior to the trip.
There was plenty to do during the day while at sea, and it catered for all age groups. The ship arrived in port early which enabled us to do shopping and site seeing. The food was plentiful and there was a variety to choose from. We went to the Pinnacle Restaurant, the service was very good and the food cooked to our wishes. I would consider going on another Holland America Line cruise. The size of ship was just right. I didn't feel I was on top of people.
We had an amazing guide who really tried her best to offer as much opportunity as possible for us to view and experience more. The optional and included experiences were great, the only negative was that we could not visit Mijas, because this optional included a dinner and our family has a few dietary needs, which makes the dinners extremely difficult ...read more and expensive. Highlights were Monserrat (Barcelona), Gibraltar and the Golden Triangle in Lisbon with a low in Valencia with the walking tour - no free time given because the guide used up all the time. Being a CostSaver tour, we knew not to expect much from the hotels, but majority were actually pretty good with the only issue being the very hard beds and small bathrooms.
Accommodation with CostSaver tour was good. The transport to and from airport in Milan was unnecessarily expensive. I booked flights myself because it was a follow on trip from a Trafalgar in Germany. Couldn't see why I should pay $197 for a private transfer when I had organised and provided flight details to arrive in Milan so I could travel on coach ...read more pick-up for group. Apparently a private driver arrived to pick me up which I wasn't aware was happening. Likewise if some of the group wanted to go to Como but not take the optional extra of dinner why could they not travel on the coach and meet at the pickup point for those taking optional dinner. Makes no sense. I would certainly be asking more questions before committing to another Trafalgar or CostSaver tour - looking at the fine print.
Booking process was smooth and efficient and documentation informative. Registering process was also ok. Trip with Costsaver was generally very good with an experience guide and driver. Accommodation was generally very good. Some optional excursions were grossly overpriced. Some good advice was offered by the guide. Overall trip was enhanced by unbelievably ...read more good weather and participants who were universally friendly and punctual. Two days in the trip were generally wasted and revolved around ceramics and tweed factories - could have been used better in so many ways. Many participants expressed disappointment at not seeing anything in Northern Ireland other than the ceramics factory a couple of hundred metres over the border. A poor claim to be visiting a fifth country.
Our tour was very smooth and predictable. The tour director and driver were both very professional, easy to get along with, patient, and organized. The tour director was very knowledgeable of history and culture and her comments added a lot to the tour. I loved that the group of 44 people was very diverse with many various ages, ethnicities, and ...read more nationalities represented. The coach was a very comfortable brand new Mercedes coach that made travel great.
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