An American On Tour With Contiki

Ask any Australian between the ages of 18-35 what Contiki is and you’re liable to get sold on a fun-filled vacation package that takes young adventure-seekers from around the world, throws them all on a tour bus or cruise ship together, and lets them explore historic and exotic locales while mingling in a party-like atmosphere. Sound like fun? That’s why Contiki—the number one touring company among young Aussies—has become the worldwide leader in travel tours for 18-35 year olds. By offering over 100 unique and diverse itineraries throughout Europe, Canada, the United States, Australia, and New Zealand, at amazing value, it’s no wonder more Americans are catching the Contiki bug.

For young, single Americans taking a semester off from college, Contiki can be the perfect “road trip”-type getaway. Or maybe you’re a working stiff in your late 20s or early 30s, engaged or married, single or attached, Contiki can be just what the doctor ordered to recharge the batteries or bring back the romantic spark, without worrying about traveling alone, or getting stuck on the tour with a quarreling couple and their screaming kids, or the white-haired retirees strolling at a snail’s pace. By limiting the tours to travelers between the ages of 18-35, Contiki virtually guarantees that the Americans will bond with their young, foreign travel companions, making the “connecting” as much a part of the fun as sightseeing.

Contiki’s “themed” tour packages include regional trips to places like Great Britain, Ireland, and Italy; island hopping and cruising among the Greek islands in the Aegean Sea; to a 30-day European “Panorama” adventure through 12 countries. For more experienced and affluent travelers, Contiki’s “Superior” tours guarantee private rooms for couples and three to four star hotels for the more comfortably minded. Contiki’s “budget” tours are geared toward the frugal students and single travelers, or the backpacking set used to campgrounds and pensions. Almost all meals, ground transportation in an air-conditioned luxury motor coach, and lodging are included in prices ranging from $719 for an 8-day Berlin-Prague getaway, to $4,285 for the 36-day, 12 country “European Explorer” trip.

Having been on a Contiki vacation myself, the “Eastern Road” tour through Germany, the Czech Republic, Austria, Hungary, Slovakia, and Poland, I can attest to the lure and excitement of seeing the sights while forging friendships with foreigners that makes Contiki travelers return for second, third, and even fourth trips with the legendary company.

Our veteran Contki tour guide, Louise “Lou” Clarke, a “Kiwi” (New Zealander) by nationality, along with our Dutch driver, Arend Van Bokkum, led 46 “boys and girls” (as we were called) through our six-country tour. The majority of the group was Australian, followed by the second-largest Canadian contingent. I was one of eight Americans, being the only one from the Pasadena-Los Angeles area; Our tour was rounded out by two Mexicans, two Italians, two Welsh, and one each from South Africa, England, and South Korea. It should be noted that the women outnumbered the men, and there were only three couples attached, two of whom were engaged.

The tour began in Berlin, Germany, where we were treated to an orientation dinner at the beautiful Park Plaza Hotel. It was here where we made first impressions; filled out important paperwork; and where Contiki veterans and rookies alike sized each other up, wondering how the group would “gel.” Later, during an introduction exercise, Lou made each of us give our “traffic signal” color: green for “single and available”; yellow for “dating someone back home but open to new possibilities”; and red for “taken—not interested.” Needless to say, most of the group claimed “green” as their traffic light.

From Germany, it was on to Prague, in the Czech Republic. Our bus ride was reminiscent of the latest spate of reality TV “road trip” shows, where the young and beautiful jockeyed for social status, friendly alliances were forged, and flirtatious conversation bloomed. Before even reaching the golden city on the River Vltava, the question on everyone’s mind was “who’s going to hook up with whom?”

Prague, one of the crown jewels of Eastern Europe and now inundated with Western tourists, dazzled the Contiki travelers with its rich, ancient beauty. Although the tour was fast-paced, the group’s youthful energy propelled it through Prague’s narrow cobblestone streets, down to Hradcany Castle, the Cathedral of St. Vitus, and Wenceslas Square. We explored the “Golden Road,” where Franz Kafka once rented an apartment, and crossed the Charles Bridge, lined on each side with religious statuary. Our evenings were spent dancing to the techno music at Karlovy Lázně—Prague’s famous four-story discothèque, which boasted of being the largest in Eastern Europe, or dining on traditional cuisine at Chez Michel, while watching beautifully costumed Czech folk dancers play their instruments and sing.

After Prague, it was off to Vienna, the home of classical music and the Hapsburgs. The splendor of this very Western capital was not lost on the group as we drove around the Ring Road, getting an eyeful of the Palace of the Hapsburgs, St. Stephen’s Cathedral, and the State Opera House. In the evening, we were treated to a classical music concert in Schönbrunner Palace, where the six-year-old Mozart first played for the Empress Maria Theresa. By the time we left this grandiose city, we were already debating which city—Prague or Vienna—had been our favorite.

From Austria we headed east, across the Hungarian border and on to Budapest, actually two “cities”—Buda and Pest (pronounced “Pesht”)—built on both sides of the River Danube. This grand city, with stunning castles and palaces towering over the Danube, rivaled Prague in Eastern beauty. The highlight was a nighttime river cruise, complete with fine dining and flowing red wine. By that time, several members of the group had become cozy on the top deck, and leaned in close to stay warm in the cool night air, hands clasping, arms hugging. Lou looked on with mild curiosity at scenes she’d witnessed countless times before.

Soon, we were in Slovakia, where Lou and our driver Arend, arranged for a surprise lunch stop in the quaint city of Banská Bystrica, fifth largest in Slovakia. A Soviet World War II memorial in the town square reminded us that the entire region was once under Nazi occupation, and was “liberated” by the Red Army in some of the severest fighting of the war.

World War II sites of historic interest became some of the “highlights” of the trip as we entered Poland. In the surprisingly beautiful city of Krakow, there was a walking tour through the former Jewish “ghetto”, the liquidation of which was portrayed in the Steven Spielberg film Schindler’s List. Speaking of Schindler, we also saw his original factory in Krakow, where he employed the Jews that he saved from certain death, making faulty equipment for the German Army. These visits, along with our subsequent stop at the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp, held special meaning for one of our Contiki travel mates, Rena Moore, 26, from Canberra, Australia, who was half-Polish—her Jewish grandfather was murdered by the Nazis in a concentration camp in Poland.

Our visit to the campsites at Auschwitz I and Birkenau (Auschwitz II), at Oświęcim, Poland, admittedly the #1 draw to the “Eastern Road” Contiki trip by the majority of us, was our grimmest time on the tour. Lou had told us, eerily enough, that in all of her travels throughout Europe, she noticed that the “sun never shines on a concentration camp.” Despite the sunny day in the surrounding area, once at the death camp, the sky turned overcast and gray. I felt that the ashes of the dead would forever block out the sun to remind visitors of the horrible atrocities committed at this evil place. Seeing the actual thousands of clumps of shorn human hair, many still in braids; the hundreds of suitcases marked with the names and addresses of the Jewish inmates; and the baby clothes and shoes, all taken from the dead, was too much for some of the group to bear, as many of us walked away wiping tears from our faces. The Contiki “bonds” were strong by this time and comfort was readily available.

After a stop at Jasna Gora, the Christian pilgrimage site of the famous “Black Madonna,” we were on the road to Warsaw, once the model of communist capitols after Moscow. Despite its imposing “Palace of Culture” Tower with 30th floor observation deck—one of five similar buildings constructed throughout Russia under Stalin’s regime—the city is as “Western” as any back home. Poland’s economy is booming and many of us commented that their shopping centers look just like those in L.A., Sydney, and London; their styles were “hip”; the Polish women beautiful; and the city more alluring than we would have thought.

The long bus ride from Warsaw back to Berlin was taken in stride. The various groups of Contiki “cliques”, new friends and lovers, roommates, etc., played guessing games, read, or caught up on much-needed sleep. Once in Germany’s capitol, the bus stopped at the East Side “Gallery” for photos of one of the last-remaining segments of Berlin’s infamous wall, completely covered in period graffiti.

The final full day in Berlin included a “Third Reich Walking Tour” that began on the Under den Linden and took us past the Bebelplatz, scene of the infamous 1933 Nazi book burnings. From there we braved the hot August sun and made our way to the “sites” (they no longer exist) of the Reich Chancellery and Hitler’s bunker; as well as the SS and Gestapo Headquarters locations, now an open-air museum exhibit called the “Topography of Terror.” We also got a look at the Holocaust Memorial, the famous Brandenburg Gate, the Soviet World War II memorial, flanked by two original T-34 tanks, and the “new” Reichstag (parliament) building, complete with a giant glass dome and observation deck on the roof. At night, we celebrated with a “pub crawl”—an organized tour of several of Berlin’s bars and nightclubs, where the group toasted newfound friends and reminisced over our twelve-day adventure.

By the time the Contiki veterans, old and new, exchanged tearful hugs and kisses, e-mail addresses, and cell phone numbers, we did it with the knowledge and satisfaction that we had not only experienced the beautiful and amazing panorama of Eastern Europe, but that we had met young people like ourselves, foreigners with many of the same dreams and desires, with whom we partied, debated politics and world events, and shared laughs over our different accents and cultural quirks. We had, in effect, formed bridges between each other. As tiny ambassadors, we had improved, in our own small way, the relations between all of our countries.