Frequently Asked Questions

Before Your Trip

Do I need any vaccinations?
Do I need a passport and travel visas?
When will I receive my travel documents from Contiki?
How much luggage can I bring?
How much money should I bring?

Do I need any vaccinations?

Please consult your travel agent 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 us through your travel agent of any important medical condition you may have, before departure.

Do I need a passport and travel visas?

Depending on your nationality, you may need visas to enter certain countries included in your trip. You are responsible for obtaining all necessary visas prior to the departure of your trip. Consult your travel agent or a visa service well in advance to determine which visas you will require and how to obtain them. Important: visas can take up to six weeks to obtain and a fee is normally charged. Failure to obtain all necessary visas could cause you to miss part of your trip and will result in considerable expense and inconvenience. It is better to apply for ALL visas through your travel agent or visa service before you leave home.

When will I receive my travel documents from Contiki?

Provided final payment is received no less than 45 days prior to departure you will receive your travellers documents: vouchers, airline tickets (if purchased through Contiki), a day to day itinerary, an optional excursion list, a travellers information booklet and document wallet delivered to you (via express post) three weeks prior to departure.

How much luggage can I bring?

For our Europe Budget/Concept and Superior/Timeout trips, North America trips and South Pacific trips, luggage is restricted to one reasonable sized, non-expanding suitcase size up to 29” x 20” x 10” (73cm x 50cm x25cm) and the 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 Budget/Concept Scandinavian trips, the maximum suitcase size is 28” x 18” x 9” (70cm x 45cm x 23cm) with a maximum weight of 20 kilos (44lbs.). On South Pacific trips which include the Flotilla Sailing and/or 4-wheel drive trips, 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 trips 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.

Note: Baggage is carried at the owner’s own risk and baggage insurance is strongly recommended.

How much money should I bring?

Travelers’ checks in small denominations (in a main currency) are the safest way to carry your personal spending money. For example: In Europe, carry travelers checks in US$, GBP$, or Euros. In Australia or New Zealand, carry Euro, US$, GBP$, DEM$, NZ$ or A$. In America, carry US$ travelers 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 excursions and activities, souvenirs, drinks and evening entertainment/nightclubs. A full list of optional excursions and approximate costs will be sent to you with your travel documents.

Booking a Trip

How do I make a reservation?
How do I make a change in my reservation?
What if I need to cancel my tour?
What are the cancellation fees?
Do you offer group tours or discounts?
Can I reserve more than one tour at a time?
Are prices based on double occupancy?
What’s the Money Direct code?
What’s the Earlybird Payment discount?
Does it cost me anything to change my air itinerary?
Can I have an extension on my payment?
What’s included in the price of Contiki tours?

How do I make a reservation?

Visit your local travel agent.

How do I make a change in my reservation?

Contact the travel agent you made your Contiki reservation through.

What if I need to cancel my tour?

Contact the travel agent you made your reservation through.

What are the cancellation fees?

PERIOD OF NOTICE Over 45 days 45-22 days 21-8 days 7-1 days Day of Departure

CANCELLATION FEES Deposit is forfeited 27.5% of tour cost forfeited 33% of tour cost forfeited 55% of tour cost forfeited 100% of tour cost forfeited

Do you offer group tours or discounts?

Yes we do! For groups of 4 (four) or 7 (seven) and 10 (ten) or more on a standard Contiki itinerary please see the discounts offered to each group as listed in the Specials section of this site. For groups of 20 or more, please see the Groups FAQs for more information.

Can I reserve more than one tour at a time?

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 Contiki with a $200 deposit (per tour) within seven days of making the reservation. If you have booked you air flights through Contiki an additional $100 deposit is required to confirm your airline reservation. If a deposit is not received within this time period your booking will automatically cancel.

Are prices based on double occupancy?

Most prices are based on double occupancy, unless otherwise specified. For example, Australia and New Zealand tour prices are based on quadrouple 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.

What’s the Money Direct code?

The Money Direct code for Contiki Holidays (and Contiki Resort Mykonos) is CT and the TIAS Smart Money code is CTSYD.The Money Direct code for TIAS Smart Money code is CONTK.

What’s the Earlybird Payment discount?

Contiki offers an Early Payment discount for all tours when the full tour cost is paid at least 4 months in advance. The discount amount is individual to each tour – please refer to the tour itinerary and costings for details.

For the Europe and America tours, there is a second Early Payment Discount option when the full tour cost is paid at least 6 months in advance which offers a larger discount.

Does it cost me anything to change my air itinerary?

It depends on the terms of the air reservation. If you purchased your air through Contiki, you or your travel agent should call your local office and speak to a reservations agent for more information.

Can I have an extension on my payment?

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

What’s included in the price of Contiki tours?

Coach, train, air transfers and ferry transport as specified. Accommodation and meals as per each individual tour itinerary. Sightseeing and admission fees as shown under All this included on each tour itinerary.

Terms and Conditions

Are the tour departures guaranteed?
What happens to my deposits or money when my tour is advised non-operative?
What are Contiki’s booking terms and conditions?

Are the tour departures guaranteed?

We guarantee that we will not reschedule any European tours within 50 days of departure through peak season (May 1st to October 15th 2004) unless circumstances occur that are beyond our control. (Note: the departure guarantee does not apply to America, Australia or New Zealand tours which are normally guaranteed with minimum of 6 weeks).

In Europe we have designated a large number of tours which we guarantee will operate on the scheduled date, unless circumstances occur beyond our control. Look for the Guaranteed Departure symbol () against individual departure dates on the itinerary of your choice.

What happens to my deposits or money when my tour is advised non-operative?

In most instances, if not all, Contiki will provide a minimum of 6 weeks notice to give you ample time to consider our alternative offer in tour departure date, or tours that are fairly similar in duration or itinerary. In the event, alternative offers are not acceptable, Contiki will refund all the deposits or money paid in advance for your tour.

What are Contiki’s booking terms and conditions?

Please visit our Terms and Conditions page.

During Your Tour

Is smoking allowed on the trip?
Must I know the native languages of the countries I am visiting?
What happens if I’m traveling alone? Is there an extra charge?
How can my family contact me while I am traveling?
Does Contiki offer transfers?
How many people will be on the trip with me?
How strictly enforced is the age restriction of 18 to 35?
What other nationalities will be on the trip with me?
What are the tour managers and drivers like?
Will the tour director speak English?
Do you have a frequent traveler program?

Is smoking allowed on the trip?

All Contiki motorcoaches, 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.

Must I know the native languages of the countries I am visiting?

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. Please note, all tour managers and tour drivers speak english.

What happens if I’m traveling alone? Is there an extra charge?

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 sur charge, depending on which tour you are booking.

How can my family contact me while I am traveling?

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

Does Contiki offer transfers?

We offer transfers in certain cities for an additional fee.

How many people will be on the trip with me?

That depends on where you are going. For most of the trips, we operate luxury motorcoaches and therefore carry between 25-50 people per trip. On some trips such as Hawaii and Outback of Australia we use smaller vehicles or mini coaches which carry 8-20 people.

How strictly enforced is the age restriction of 18 to 35?

Contiki will carry passengers of 17 years if accompanied by a guardian of over 18 years (one guardian required per person). We will also carry passengers of up to 37 years of age if accompanied by a passenger within the 18 to 35 age bracket). (however, 18 to 35s is strictly enforced for our USA & Canada products).

What other nationalities will be on the trip with me?

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.

What are the tour managers and drivers like?

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.

On the trips to Europe, many of the crew are from Great Britain, Europe, New Zealand, Australia and Canada. On the trips in the United States, Australia and New Zealand the crew are natives of that country. Contiki has both male and female tour managers and drivers who have very different experiences prior to working for Contiki.

Will the tour director speak English?

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.

Do you have a frequent traveler program?

Yes! Upon booking your Contiki tour, you become eligible to join “Club Contiki”. Membership is free and only requires a simple registration process. As a Club Contiki member, you’ll have access to great promotions and additional benefits such as the ability to post photos and travel logs from your trip, search for other past Contiki travelers, and much more!

Tour Specifics

What’s the difference between a Camping, Concept and Timeout tour?
Are couples recommended to join a Concept tour?
Could I re-charge my mobile and digital camera whilst on tour?
How much free time will I have?
What are optional excursions?
Where can we find details on optionals? Can they be faxed on request?

What’s the difference between a Camping, Concept and Timeout tour?

Contiki offers three ways to travel: Camping, Concept/Budget, and TimeOut/Superior. The basic difference is in the type of accommodation.

Click here for detailed information.

Are couples recommended to join a Concept tour?

For Concept tours, the room share is based on not more than 4 persons per room. And is usually matched with same gender so that many more could join the world’s most unique way to see and travel Europe, exclusively with Contiki.

And if you do not wish to let slip such wonderful and unique way to holidays on our Concept Tours, we can accept your booking and during the tour, whenever possible; our Tour Manager would allocate 2-person rooms/cabins for just the two of you. And this is often subject to cabin/room’s availability during your tour; and the gender mix for your group.

Could I re-charge my mobile and digital camera whilst on tour?

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 Travelers’ Plug which is interchangeable and fit in for most countries.

At Concept and Camping tours, recharging can be arranged with our Resident Reps, this facility is often very limited. So we do suggest bringing sufficient batteries to last during your vacations.

How much free time will I have?

We design our trips 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.

What are optional excursions?

We have included a great deal of excursions in all our trips, 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. From experience, we know which optionals have proven most popular with our clients and only these will be offered to you. These optionals do cost extra and a full list relating to your trip can be found with your final documents (or under the optionals heading of your tour online) 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 (Credit cards are accepted on Australia and New Zealand tours).

Where can we find details on optionals? Can they be faxed on request?

Optionals are listed on our web site within each tour’s information.

Groups FAQ

What size Groups do you service?
What kind of discount can my Small Group get?
What is a Custom Group?
Where can my group go?
Do the passengers in a Custom Group all have to be between 18 – 35 years old?
Who are some of your past/present Custom Group clients? Does the group leader travel for free?
When is the best time to travel?
What about air?
How long will it take to get a Custom Group quote?

What size Groups do you service?

We offer discounts and services to two kinds of Groups. We use the term Small Groups to refer to groups of four, seven and ten, and Custom Groups to refer to groups of 20 or more. In both instances all ‘group’ members must be traveling together on a specific itinerary and booking at the same time.

What kind of discount can my Small Group get?

Funky Four – For groups of four we offer a Funky Four discount which allows for a 5% savings when 4-6 people travel on the same tour at the same time. These tours are not customized and you must speak with a Reservations Agent to get the discount applied to the price of your tour. Super Seven – For groups of seven we offer 7.5% savings for each person traveling when a group of 7 people book the same tour at the same time. Perfect Ten – For groups of ten we offer a 10% savings to each person traveling, or the 11th person can travel for FREE!

For the Super Seven or Perfect Ten discounts, please contact the Custom Groups Department by completing this form.

What is a Custom Group?

A Custom Group is a minimum of 20 people who are all traveling together on a specific itinerary and booking at the same time. All Custom Groups have exclusive use of a Contiki Tour Manager, Coach and Driver. All of our Custom Group prices are quoted on a NET, non-commissionable, per person price.

Where can my group go?

Contiki suggests you review and select one of our 70+ itineraries offered. We can then modify these itineraries to fit your group’s specific needs. Remember Contiki only operates group tours in regions of our expertise. Contiki has touring expertise in Custom Group travel in the following regions: Europe, United States including Hawaii and Alaska, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Egypt & Morocco

Do the passengers in a Custom Group all have to be between 18 – 35 years old?

We have operated many educational itineraries for groups containing both students and young people under the age of 18, as well as chaperones and professors over the age of 35. Asa customdeparture your groupwill have exclusive use of coach, Driver and Tour Manager. Our Tour Managers tend to be in their late 20’s / early 30’s.

We strive to provide the fun and excitement all ages enjoy and look for in any travel experience. In addition, we have experienced much success with older groups who still lead an active lifestyle and travelstyle. Contiki’s Custom Group policy for student groups requires at least 1 adult chaperone for every 10 passengers under the age of 18. These chaperones are required to stay with the group at all times. Please remember that the Tour Manager and Driver are in charge of the group’s operations and travel, not the group’s participants.

Who are some of your past/present Custom Group clients?

Universities,high schools, religiousyouth groups,band and performance groups and clubs

Does the group leader travel for free?

Free spaces are subject to the group size. To reduce the cost per person you may want to divide the “free seat(s)” amongst the group applying the savings to each passenger’s cost. Contiki is flexible, the choice is yours.

When is the best time to travel?

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	BEST TIME
America & Canada	May – Sept	March – April; Sept – Oct
Europe	June, July & August	April – May; Sept – Nov
Australia	Jan & Feb	Year Round
New Zealand	Jan & Feb	Nov – Dec; March – April
		June – Oct (for Snow Skiing)

What about air?

Contiki will be happy to include flights for your group. Or, we can quote on a “land only” package and let you organize your group’s flights.

Please note: Group air prices are different than those listed in our brochures and on our Web site.

How long will it take to get a Custom Group quote?

Once you complete the form, depending on the time of year and extent of your travel plans it may take as little as 1 day to get a complete proposal back to you. However, Contiki always strives to take no longer than 7 business days to complete your request for a group proposal.