Contiki vs Costsaver

Compare the travel styles, pricing, destinations and popularity of Contiki and Costsaver.

The Low Down

Contiki 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 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
472
No. of Departures
11,171
Avg. Trip Length
12 Days
Avg. Price Per Day
$300
Accommodation
Mixed
Budget
Affordable
Trip Styles Coach Tours18-to-30'sSailing TripsFestivals & EventsShort Breaks
No. of Trips
108
No. of Departures
2,142
Avg. Trip Length
12 Days
Avg. Price Per Day
$297
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
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.
Costsaver
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

Fantastic tour through Vietnam   0 , WA, Australia, Feb 2024
The Vietnam highlights trip was such an amazing experience and definitely a great way to start travelling. Going to another country is daunting, going alone even more so, so to arrive and meet around 20 great people is such a good way to kick off a holiday. The trip manager was amazing and made the experience so much better, offering a range of extra ...read more activities or alternatives that allowed me to make the best of my time there. Would definitely recommend :)
Incredible life changing experiences throughout Europe     1 , VIC, Australia, Dec 2023
Where do I even begin??? This tour was beyond good, it was extraordinary… I loved every minute of it and getting to know and be a part of my Contiki family. Have made some really awesome friends out of this and would strongly recommend this to anyone who has the chance! I was lucky enough to have Jodie and Peter as my trip manager and coach driver and ...read more they went above and beyond to make this experience the best it could be. They were knowledgeable, kind, fun to party with, and excellent at what they do.
London to Rome , Greatest trip of my life     1 , Auckland, New Zealand, Aug 2023
Booking through Global Journeys was the most stress free booking of my life! It was easy and great communication with staff! I felt safe at all times! My Contiki was the greatest experience of my life! Will definitely be booking with Global Journeys again!
Beautiful Balkans   0 , NSW, Australia, Jul 2022
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!
Lovely London   0 , NSW, Australia, Jul 2022
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!
Fantastic Snapshot of Europe   1 , NSW, Australia, Jun 2022
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!
The Best of the Balkans     0 , NSW, Australia, Oct 2023
The title says it all!! The Best of the Balkans was thoroughly enjoyed! The coach and driver were professional and comfortable. The hotels were clean, comfortable and all staff welcoming and professional. The tour director, Jasmina, was the most amazing knowledgeable, helpful caring and genuine tour director I have ever met on all the tours that I have ...read more been on. She did have a few challenging moments that she handled professionally and with kindness. She is ! in a million!!!

I must add that some of the food that was served including breakfast and dinner, in the hotels were a little missing the target. There was a few gluten free passengers on my trip and there was little in the way of desserts, only fruit and more fruit and mostly only bread was offered at breakfast time. Maybe a small amount of cereal and pastry or sweet cake would of been a welcomed change .

The places we visited were amazing and if time had permitted, a longer stay would of been welcomed. Thank you to Tracey for all of your help booking this amazing trip for me!!
Wonders of the Canadian Rockies & Alaskan Cruise   1 , NSW, Australia, Sep 2023
Tracey Standing was excellent and we would travel with Costsaver again. Hotels were very good, clean and decor was lovely.
Fabulous tour of Scandinavia   1 , QLD, Australia, Aug 2023
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.
Beautiful countryside and wonderful people.   0 , QLD, Australia, Aug 2023
What an amazing trip from start to finish. The Netherlands was fresh and with spectacular views where Rome was warmer in August but the history and places we visited were some of the greatest ancient ruins I have experienced. Tour guide was out standing with the greatest knowledge of the visited countries. The bus driver was a gem. Accommodations were ...read more of high standard and breakfasts plentiful. I recommend this trip to everyone and all ages. Would definitely travel with Costsavers again. Travelled with a mixture of people who were awesome.
Wonders of the Canadian Rockies with Alaska Cruise.   0 , Australia, Jul 2023
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.
Barcelona to Madrid   0 , NSW, Australia, Jul 2023
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.

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