California Highlights I Contiki

I don't actually know how to start writing this post; I just want to word vomit across the whole of the page. There is so much to say and so many pictures to post, it is taking everything in me to contain my excitement. I wanted to share the holiday I went on this Summer with Contiki Travel and somehow, I will get through it in some comprehensible English. I thought I'd begin by sharing the what and why.

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Ok, first things first, Contiki. Whats the deal?
Contiki is a Australian founded company that offers adventures / holidays to 18-35 year olds. From USA, Europe to New Zealand, the world is your oyster. Go with a friend or by yourself, join a group and take a tour to whatever destination for you. BOOM that's it in a nutshell.

Accommodation, transport, a selection of meals and activities are all taken care of you. Pick and choose extra activities as you wish, all with the guidance of your handy tour manager and a bunch (around 40) full of awesome people sharing the journey with you.

But why did I go?
For me it was ideal. I have a full time job that I am not quite ready to sack off. I wanted adventure, I wanted to fulfill the travelling gap year I never took - all in a short space of time and with a reasonable budget. I was bored by the idea of sunbathing on a beach for a week, I needed something more at this point in my life. All of my friends are in relationships or couldn't quite afford it but I felt why should I miss out? If you are in the same single boat, you don't have to is the answer.

I love that this is on offer to people, I feel so passionate about it. Yes, I could get a plane completely solo and 'possibly' meet people on the way but this is better, its nice to know other people are waiting for you at the other side yet you know completely nothing about them. This opportunity gives you the feeling that little singleton over here for once, isn't taking the spare seat on the end of the table, you don't have to get in the carriage behind in the roller coaster, you can belong.

Having everything organised for you was another amazing factor about the trip. Working long hours at a computer screen meant the last thing I wanted was to spend hours trailing through websites. The one decision of choosing my post accommodation was stressful enough.

Out of the comfort zone
Is it scary? Yes, its quite daunting. Yes its exciting telling everyone, "I'm going by myself to America" Not going to lie, I felt pretty smug with independence but inside I was a nervous wreck. What if people don't like me and I make no friends? But I soon came to tell myself it couldn't be that bad. If that did happen, I would come back still richer; having witnessed some amazing sites friends or not. Of course that was one great thing about the trip. YOU DO make friends. You can chat online before and even if you don't, everyone is completely open no matter who you are or where your from. Not making friends is simply not a option.

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Where to go
Ok, so I made the decision to go, read all the reviews and now to choose the tour. This is the hard part, there are so many and each and every one sounds amazing. I finally selected California Highlights - 8 days from Las Vegas to Los Angeles. This seemed a good basis for my budget and two week time frame and meant I could do my own thing either side as well. I'll talk you through the days in my following posts but for more information on the tour click the link. It took a while to decide where to go but I decided on California because simply, how awesome does it sound, how idyllic is it on the TV and the sun is shining all year round. No, realistically I wanted to go somewhere English speaking so if I id fall by myself language wouldn't be so daunting. The west coast is heaven on a plate and quite frankly I needed it.

How it works
There is one over arching tour that goes from start to finish. Mine was called Wild Western and then mini tours jump on and off. So California Highlights was the last tour that joined on. I got on when people had already been together for about 8 days and also one group got off at Las Vegas so I didn't meet them. Some others departed in San Francisco. In total there is about 40 people on your bus at a time. Don't get me wrong, everyone was welcoming, lovely and friendly but friendships naturally had formed by then and I wish I had been there at the beginning of it all. That is just the only thing I regret (sorry Contiki I know that is breaking your rule of #noregrets) I wish I did the full tour.

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I booked a few days prior and post my tour to do my own thing so in hindsight I could have done the whole tour and it would have probably cost me less. One thing I shoot myself in the foot for but until you do one, you would never know.

Great thing about Contiki is you can use it in the middle of a grander travelling scheme. You can use it how you need. Whether you are going for a few months and want to meet people on the way or whether you need just a holiday where its all sorted for you, its up to you. Lots of people went off together after the tour if they were heading the same direction so one piece of advice; keep your plans flexible.

The final blab
I think you know what I am going to say. I'm sorry ok, excuse the cheese. It was amazing and one of the best decisions I ever made. I don't think I will ever forget the memories, the people I met, the things I saw.  My tour manager said (my adapted version) you can go see San Francisco bridge or gamble in a casino and it'll be awesome, of course it will but actually the memories you have are the times you had with the people you shared them with. I feel a bit of Miley Cyrus coming on (it's all about the climb) if you are getting my drift.

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I could write for hours but theres plenty of more posts to fill. This one was just to tell you what its about and why I did it and if you are wondering, yes, you should do it. Don't look back, book the plane ticket, go for the longest tour the furthest away and head straight in. They are right you know, you won't regret it.