Are you a traveler between the ages of 18-35 looking for an out of the ordinary vacation filled with exciting adventures, newfound friends, and memories that will last a lifetime? We have an exclusive insider review featuring the actual experiences of a first-time Contiki traveler for you to check out! Contiki is known for offering young travelers around the world eye-opening experiences, and if you want to discover it all, read on to get a sneak peek of what a Contiki guided vacation can offer you.

Avoya Travel’s editors were able to sit down with a team member of RevAgency, a company that does marketing and development for Avoya Travel / American Express, and hear all about this first-time Contiki traveler’s unique encounters during Contiki’s 14-day Asia Adventure guided vacation. From riding elephants to taking a private cruise down the Mekong River, here’s the inside scoop on the adventures that Contiki can take you on!

Avoya Travel: What itinerary did you go on and what are some highlights of your trip?

Contiki Traveler: 

I always wanted to travel to Asia, and finally got to cross this destination off my list this November during Contiki’s 14-day Asian Adventure. The itinerary took me through Southeast Asia, visiting Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia. We started out in Bangkok and visited a variety of well-known temples including the holiest Buddhist site in the country, the Emerald Buddha Temple, as well as visited other cities such as Chang Mai before traveling down the famous Mekong River. We visited Luang Prabang, a UNESCO World Heritage City in Laos and explored its French-colonial inspired atmosphere in addition to its nearby natural surroundings. In Cambodia, we also visited Angkor Wat – the world’s largest religious monument in the world. There were a plethora of sites that we visited, and I would say that Southeast Asia is definitely one of the most exotic destinations I’ve been to – every day there were new experiences and encounters!

Avoya Travel: Who was your Tour Manager? Did you have local guides? How did they help you throughout your guided vacation?

Contiki Traveler: 

Our Tour Manager was actually from Australia. He was very helpful throughout our guided vacation and I couldn’t imagine traveling through Asia without him! In every city, our Tour Manager gave us a printed sheet with different common phrases for us to learn and use while conversing with locals in the areas we visited. Some travelers shy away from guided vacations because they don’t want an over-the-top Tour Manager, but ours made our vacation all the more worthwhile. Each night of our Asia Adventure guided vacation everyone wanted to hang out with him during their spare time!

With each country we visited, we had a local guide (3 total). Our local guides were definitely experts – having been born and raised in Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia. They were all very knowledgeable and had a lot of insider tips to share that we wouldn’t have known on our own – such as what the good restaurants were, and how much we should actually be paying without being tricked by tourist traps. They also gave us a lot of background and history about their country. In the end, our local guides also were wonderful friends that kept us company during nighttime outings.

Avoya Travel: How would you describe the hotels and motor coaches that Contiki offered?

Contiki Traveler:

The hotels were really nice, and every morning we had a breakfast buffet included! In between our Mekong River cruise, we stayed at a guest house that was similar to a hotel which included a huge family-style dinner that featured a variety of popular Laotian dishes. The motor coaches were very comfortable, clean, and air-conditioned. Contrary to popular belief, it was a fun experience riding in the motor coaches, especially when our local guides used this time to give us a thorough background on the cities and countries we were going to visit next.

Avoya Travel: What authentic local experiences did you discover during your Contiki guided vacation?

Contiki Traveler: 

We had many opportunities to interact with locals while traveling with Contiki. Though we were on a guided vacation, there were many opportunities where you could explore on your own – and by evenings, either hang out with the group, or go out on your own at leisure and spend some time by yourself. Contiki also offered an array of local experiences planned into our Asia Adventure itinerary. Our Mekong River cruise was on a boat that a family actually lived on, and we were able to interact and understand their culture throughout our sailing. When we went to Chang Mai, we paid a very small additional fee to take a cooking class at a nearby cooking school that was owned by two brothers and made authentic Pad Thai, curry, Tom Yum soup, and many other favorite dishes – it's a must! In Laos, we also had the chance to ride elephants!

Avoya Travel: Did you meet other travelers? Would you recommend Contiki for solo travelers?

Contiki Traveler: 

It was so easy to meet other like-minded travelers throughout our Asia Adventure, and everyone was very social and friendly. Our entire guided vacation group included 28 – 30 people, and there were a variety of travelers from all over the world including Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the United States. The size of our group was never an issue, and we all interacted with each other in each city we went to. I highly recommend Contiki for solo travelers – there were about eight to ten different people who were on their own and made a ton of friends. By the end of the trip, we all felt like we were a family who had experienced new and exciting adventures together!

Avoya Travel: How would you sum up the Contiki guided vacation experience?

Contiki Traveler:

Overall, Contiki offered great value! There’s no way I could have experienced everything I did in Southeast Asia without the hassle-free, expertly planned, and low price of Contiki’s 14-day Asia Adventure guided vacation. Every day was seamlessly planned and packed with new and exciting adventures that gave me memories to last a lifetime, and because everything was already scheduled in advance I was able to enjoy a stress-free vacation and not have to worry about getting from place to place. The itinerary was so unique, it would be difficult for those thinking of traveling independently to experience everything I did on their own – and there were many moments I was glad I wasn’t planning the itinerary myself! This was the perfect way for me to be introduced to Southeast Asia – an area I was not familiar with.

Want to experience your own Asia Adventure or find out about other guided vacation itineraries that you can enjoy with Contiki? Contact an Avoya Travel Contiki Specialist today!