The inspiration for this trip? Read on.............
I live and work in the New York City Metro Area. It is an exciting place to live, and prior to this trip, I had traveled pretty extensively in the Unted States and had been to London and the UK. I have wanted to travel around Continental Europe since I graduated from college, but for many different reasons I had just never found a way to do it. Late last fall, I took a new job with a major bank in New York. Armed with plenty of vacation time (and for the first time a job that allowed me to take off more than one week at a time) I decided that this summer was the time to do it.
I started doing research and speaking to travel agents and when all was said and done, decided that the best way for me to see all that I wanted to see was to do an organized tour. My travel agent recommended Contiki as a great tour operator for younger travelers. I scoured their brochure for weeks and finally decided that their "European Encounter" Tour - a 16 day whirlwind trot accross Europe - was the one that went to the most places on my list. Click here to see a graphical representation of the trip.
The next step was to try and get some of my friends to travel with me. Well, as it turns out none of my friends could take this much time off! At this point my travel agent pointed out that over half of Contiki's travelers travel solo! I was sold - I was going to Europe, with or without my friends! Contiki will pair you with a roommate or for a supplement you can have your own room. Being somewhat adventurous, I opted for the roomate route.
At this point, all that was left to do was to wait and study. I went out and bought many books on Europe and its art and history. This was something that astonished those that knew me since I had never been interested in anything resembling history before! Even though I was taking an organized tour, I wanted to learn as much about the places that I would be going so that I could be sure to see all of those sights that I wanted to. A great source of information is Rick Steves Travels in Europe. Rick's books, website and TV shows were instrumental in teaching me how to travel in Europe smartly and efficiently.
It is now Friday, July 10th and I am armed with some new knowledge of Europe, a nagging desire to see the world and Contiki's "Ticket to Ride" travel package. I am going to Europe!
Click here to begin your virtual Contiki tour!
© 1998-2000 Geoffrey S. Cable
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