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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
444
No. of Departures
5,553
Avg. Trip Length
13 Days
Avg. Price Per Day
$286
Accommodation
Mixed
Budget
Affordable
Trip Styles
Coach Tours18-to-30'sSailing TripsFestivals & EventsShort Breaks
No. of Trips
93
No. of Departures
1,087
Avg. Trip Length
11 Days
Avg. Price Per Day
$323
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
Managed to see everything. Was a thrilling experience that managed to avoid early exhaustion by stopping in each location for a bit longer. Definitely good if you want to see different tourist cities in Italy quickly though certainly doesn't encapsulate everything. My main difficulty was with the group dynamic and as a solo traveller I found it challenging read more to fit in especially as I wasn't so much as the party instagram type and was more focused on the historical background of the sites.
Great tour starting in Barcelona and ending in London. It was also good how you get to spend two nights in certain cities. The local dinner in Italy was a highlight and recommended!
I you love swimming, blue water and heat, you will love this tour. Greece was gorgeous and the places visited amazing.
Breathtaking tour along the Mediterranean Coast 3
Barcelona to Rome Quest
Ed, QLD, Australia, May 2024
This was my second trip with Contiki. I joined the London to Vienna Trail two weeks earlier and then joined this trip in June with a gap in between. It was an unforgettable experience, from our very first stop in Nice I knew I was in for a great time. All the included and optional experiences were loads of fun and really brought the group closer together, read more I made great friends and amazing memories all while traveling along the Mediterranean in Summer! All the accommodation was comfortable and clean and my Contiki tour guide and coach driver were always friendly and made traveling from place to place stress free.
Our tour guide was super helpful by doing some of our thinking for us by letting us know of the best places to eat or to get a drink wherever we were. Booking with Global Journeys made traveling to Europe a whole lot easier. My advisor Sam was always really friendly and informative, always letting me know what I needed to do in preparation of my trip and making sure I didn't miss any deadlines for anything which made my life a lot easier.
Our tour guide was super helpful by doing some of our thinking for us by letting us know of the best places to eat or to get a drink wherever we were. Booking with Global Journeys made traveling to Europe a whole lot easier. My advisor Sam was always really friendly and informative, always letting me know what I needed to do in preparation of my trip and making sure I didn't miss any deadlines for anything which made my life a lot easier.
Every part of this tour was so much fun! From the canal cruise in Amsterdam to the classical music night in Vienna - I enjoyed every moment of it. My Contiki tour guide and coach driver made traveling stress free, it was so nice not having to worry about how I was going to get from place to place so i could just enjoy each location we went to. The group read more I was traveling with was great, people from all walks of life, all like minded, and all really easy to get along with, I would definitely recommend this trip to any future travellers.
Booking through Global Journeys made my life so much easier. My agent Sam was incredibly helpful, he pretty much sorted everything out for me and made sure I didn't miss any of my deadlines which made the entire process a lot less stressful.
Booking through Global Journeys made my life so much easier. My agent Sam was incredibly helpful, he pretty much sorted everything out for me and made sure I didn't miss any of my deadlines which made the entire process a lot less stressful.
Global journeys are great to deal with and this Contiki tour was awesome! The trip manager and driver were both great.
4.4
Costsaver changes a bit disappointing 0
Panoramic Canadian Rockies
Mark and Janis, NSW, Australia, May 2026
We liked the more flexible nature of the Costsaver tour with options to join additional activities or arrange our own time. A couple of the hotels were disappointing and although not an inclusion many of the guests would have liked the hotel to be close enough to facilities to provide for breakfast. In Vancouver Island the hotel provided a breakfast read more room but we were not allowed to enter even to purchase a snack. Moving the hotel to Canmore when we were told we would stay in Banff was very disappointing we wouldn't have chosen this tour had we known at the time of booking. Bus and tour guide were very good. The new app for booking additional activities was always showing full when it wasnt. Needs work to be more dynamic.
Costsaver 15 Day Britain and Ireland tour 0
Britain and Ireland Experience
Paul and Patricia, SA, Australia, May 2026
Thanks to Tracy for looking after our booking with the Middle East conflict affecting the uncertainty of the tour. We had a great tour with only 20 people on our tour with plenty of room on the bus. The downside was having 20 on board some elected not to rotate with nothing being inforced. We had great commentary from our tour director Simmone of the read more history of the UK. Some of the optional tours were a bit expensive due to our dollar compared to the English pound and Euro. We had a record heat wave for May in the UK with only 2 days we had rain for half an hour on our optional walking tours which we accepted. The accommodation was good apart from Treacy's in Waterford being an Irish Pub. A couple of hotel meals were an inconvenience due to the hotels booking out dinners and the the hotels being out of town was not acceptable and treated as such. More time in Dublin would have been nice as we only had time to go to the Guiness factory with 8 of us doing the tour on our own which should have been part of the optional tours. If you want to see the UK Costsaver 15 day Britain and Ireland experience is worth considering.
Very well organized! We had an amazing Tour Director and coach driver. Nice to be able to sit back and enjoy.
I found the actual Costsaver tour absolutely amazing. I did all the optional extras and they were all well worth it. The only issue I had was with Global Journeys themselves, as I had 3 different agents and I didn't feel I was important once I had booked and paid for the tour.
While the days on the bus were long, regular stops were made. Tour was one day on bus then one day in the destination city. Included city tours were good. We did most of the optional experiences and these were all excellent. Some hotels were below expected standard.
The tour was really good, I saw some amazing places. I booked for twin sharing and got an amazing roommate. I wish there were some extra drop off points on the last day and the operator details were shared bit earlier than the trip.
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