Travel Necessities

Your Contiki Vacation is guaranteed to be an amazing experience, but to make sure your dream vacation doesn’t become a nightmare, please be aware of the following things you’ll need to take care of before you go.

Insurance

All clients should have an insurance policy which covers:

1. Cancellation and curtailment
2. Loss or damage to baggage
3. Loss of money, travelers checks and personal belongings
4. Medical insurance

You may want to take extra coverage on expensive belongings. You can buy insurance from your travel agent, from Contiki if you book directly with us or from the Contiki basement located at the Royal National Hotel in London.

Security

Your most important possessions such as passport, money and camera must be carefully guarded at all times. The best way to do this is to carry some form of money belt or shoulder holster instead of a purse or wallet. Purses and wallets are easy targets for thieves.

Always keep a copy of your passport details, extra passport photos, insurance policy, travelers check numbers and credit card numbers separate from the originals. You can also store this information in your Contiki eKit Travel Vault to be accessed online or over the phone. Contiki cannot be held responsible for the safe keeping of your valuables.

Visas

Depending on which country you are from, you may be required to carry visas to enter certain countries included in your tour. You are responsible for obtaining all necessary visas prior to the departure of your tour. Consult your travel agent well in advance to determine which visas you need and how to obtain them. By law, we are prohibited from knowingly carrying passengers without correct visas.

On many occasions our tours will enter the same country more than once. If you need a visa for such a country, you need to stipulate when you are applying for a visa that it needs to be valid for more than one entry. Check your tour itinerary to see which countries are visited more than once.

Health

If you suffer from any form of illness, be sure to have an adequate supply of medicines (including prescription glasses and contact lenses) before you leave. You must advise us through your travel agent of any important medical condition you may have before departure.

Vaccinations

No inoculations are mandatory at present for entry into European countries. However, regulations may change, so you should consult your travel agent or doctor before traveling.

Money Matters

We highly recommend that you carry travelers checks instead of cash, because they can be replaced quickly if stolen or lost. Euro, Pounds Sterling or US Dollars travelers checks are strongly recommended. We advise that you don’t carry Australian or New Zealand travelers checks because they are difficult to exchange. Thomas Cook and American Express are the most widely recognized brands of travelers checks. You should purchase them in small denominations (10’s, 20’s and 50’s).

Do not rely on credit cards as an alternative to cash or travelers checks. In some places, it can be very difficult to obtain money with them.

Making Phone Calls

Phone calls can get very expensive. That’s why we’ve come up with a great service to meet your needs — the Contiki Global Phonecard powered by eKit. It’s more than a phonecard. It has many great value features. If you join now, you’ll get $5 in free calls. Find out more by visiting the eKit page.